Hey, Hey, It's The Weekend!

What a past couple of days it has been! God is constantly showing me something about myself, the people around me, and just the world in general. Lately, I've been soaking up every minute that I can and just seeing what I can take away from the situations that I'm faced with. I know this is the start of a beautiful adventure, and this time I'm ready for whatever's in store. Yesterday, I woke up close to noon, which I couldn't believe (actually, yes I can). But, after not sleeping much the night before, I figured I could let this one slip by. I read a little of Shawn Johnson's book, watched Tia and Tamera, meaning there was nothing else on, and enjoyed a little bit of a lazy morning...What else is new? 

When my dad got home, we went out for lunch at California Pizza Kitchen. We hadn't been there in awhile, so it was good to mix things up a little! This year, I've been trying to branch out and get something different at our usual places, so my mom and I split the jerk chicken pizza...WOW! A lot hotter than I expected, but still pretty tasty.

We ran to Target for a bit after that, and the crowd was a lot more tame than it had been the day before. I got a new bag for school, some pens, and notecards. Oh, the joys of a college student. Luckily, I still have a week before I start seriously thinking about classes.

After, we headed to Costco to pick up some necessities (and a quick stop at Starbucks for me). I've gotten so used to going to Sam's Club for everything, it was a nice change to go to Costco like we used to. 

On the way to Costco

My 10 year old self would've passed out at this I'm sure! 

We came home for awhile to hang out, and had planned on going to the park to mess around with my dad's new helicopter that he got for one of the last holiday's (let me clarify, TOY helicopter), but it didn't seem to be working. We ended up just trying it on our street, which was just as fun, if not more so. You wouldn't have thought it would be so complicated getting this tiny plane off the ground, but it was quite a challenge, we even Skyped my uncle about it in Utah! HAHA. That was probably the most fun I've had in awhile, just doing something so simple with my parents and laughing my head off. The best part was when it landed on our neighbor's roof, and we actually got to meet one of them officially for the first time. I guess weird things like a toy plane landing on a roof, really do happen for a reason. He was super nice too! Moments like that remind me of The Wonder Years, and how there was always a life lesson in something so simple that Kevin Arnold experienced. It was a gorgeous summer night, and I was just trying to take it all in, sitting in the bed of my dad's truck. One day they'll be gone....Maybe even sooner than I realize, so it's important to cherish them now. They say you don't know you've got until it's gone...But, I don't want to wait until then to find out. After we got the airplane back, I tried it for a little while, and actually had it staying up for quite awhile. The landing could use a bit of work, however. 

Finally, after it was getting dark and the plane's battery died, we decided to have dinner. We went to Buffalo Wild Wings, but it was not that great. It's extremely loud, and I'm not into the bar scene, the people behind us were extremely rude-walking and standing around, because they were drunk, and my dad's burger wasn't very good. The manager did take care of it in the end, which was really nice, but it wasn't the best of experiences. We came home, and I wasn't feeling so well, but my dad suggested that we start working on our One Tree Hill episodes list, which perked me up right away. I put the DVD in, and everything was ready to go, yet the DVD player wasn't working. We tried for a good 20 or so minutes, and still nothing, so we finally gave up. Of all the nights....

Pretty soon after, I tried to hit the hay. I knew I would be super tired this morning if I didn't at least try. 

Sunday:

My alarm went off at 6:15 as I'd planned, but my dad had switched the hall light on. That always does the trick. Even though I have my permit now, I'm still not driving, because that would just be bad; I still need a lot of work...So, my dad drove, and we went to Starbucks, per the usual routine. I got to church, and everyone was basically already there and ready to go. We ran through the songs with the band, and then it was time to go. We had a short little message/pep talk backstage, which helped me to see things even more clearly with sin. It seems that God has been showing me a lot with that, His grace, and what it really means to live out my walk with Him. Especially after the Bible study I went to on Thursday. I've been struggling with some things, and falling back into old habits is not something I want to make an everyday occurrence. Then, off we went. First service had a few glitches, but you learn to keep going and work through them. If we let distractions of technology or whatever else get in the way, there would never be a perfect time for worship. It's always a blast singing with friends and the rest of the church body, knowing you're all part of doing something really incredible for the Kingdom. All in all, I'd say things went pretty good. 

After first service, we went backstage to hang out until the next service started. Those are always some of the greatest times, as I'm sure I've mentioned before. I love hearing stories of the other musicians' gigs and just getting to know everyone better. I even met one of the new guitar players, which it turns out she is majoring in Journalism too. She's had quite a few internships, and she gave me some pointers on getting started. I told her I think I've just been a little nervous about putting myself out there trying to get a job, so I haven't emailed anyone or done anything. She's like, in a career field like this, you can't be. It's true. Maybe I've been holding off for reasons I don't know about yet...Or maybe I'm just coming up with excuses. I'm not exactly sure. But, it made me aware that if I really want this, I'm going to have to do something about it rather than just keep sitting around and waiting for the dream job to fall out of the sky. 

Then, it was time for the next service. I think things ran smoother this time around, and you always just feel more comfortable after seeing how the crowd responds the first time. I sat in the audience for the message with my parents this time, and it was amazing. It seems like all the messages I've been hearing lately, whether it has been part of this series or at other churches, they've all been tying together with where I'm at right now in my life. I feel like everyone around me, and even me, are getting ready to embark on this new chapter pretty soon. It's exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time. This message was all about doors and God opportunities coming into your life at the right time, and being ready to go for them. I loved it...So much, I'll probably do a separate post. After the service, I had about an hour before the last service, so I just hung out in the family room with my parents for a bit, until they decided to leave. I talked to my friend, Justus, for a bit, ran into my friend, Viviyan and then caught up with my friend, Febe, in the coffeehouse. She filled me in on some pretty life changing things going on with her and I did the same. I've missed her and Viv so much! So, it was really nice seeing them again. 

We did the last service at noon, and it was a lot of fun. Every time I'm up on stage, it just reminds me of how blessed I've been with so many wonderful people in my life and how this is just the beginning of the changes coming my way. When we finished the worship set, we prayed for one of our team friends, who has also become a good friend of mine, Jane. Her and her husband are getting ready to move out of state, and it's another person leaving. It's going to be great to see how God uses them, because they've been such a blessing to our church, but it still sucks to see them go, because we'll miss them. She even gave me a few goodies as a goodbye; she's been so good to me the past year or so that I've known her. I've loved getting to know her. We prayed over her and it was sad. I really hate goodbyes, but it was nice being able to do that with everyone. 

My parents picked me up, and we had lunch at PF Changs. It was so good! I caught them up on some things that went on at church, and we just talked.

Hmm...

We headed home, and my mom and I made donuts with our new maker. It's so cool! I can't wait to try it out with all different flavors. Not too long after my dad and I went out to practice driving.  It was one of THE best afternoons I've ever had. It was just me and my dad driving around a high school parking lot close by, talking, laughing, and him telling me stories about when he learned to drive and in general. We didn't argue or anything. When he told me there was something I needed to work on, I listened, instead of thinking I knew better. I guess a lot has changed since I was sixteen. Time seemed to fly by while we were out there. We were there about an hour and a half or so; we both felt like we needed to stretch by the time we got out. It's obviously a day I'll never forget. Also, another real Wonder Years moment...I feel some profound monologue about it coming on ;)...Just kidding! 

We came home for a bit, decided to fly the plane around for awhile then went to Chipotle for dinner. We sat out on the patio, and it was perfect. Alright, so it was still a little warm, but it's summer...Gotta soak it up while it's still here. We went to the park that was right across the way, and tried to fly the plane around, but by that time it was too dark, so it didn't work out well, but it was nice walking around the lake and seeing everyone soaking up those last few memories of Summer. We came home, watched Married To Jonas and a little of the Kardashians and called it a night. 

Oh, what a fabulous weekend it was. Now, here's to the last week of summer! 

That's all for now,

Shelby :)