dog hair, nails, and car rides.

The last time I sat down and blogged, I was in Estes Park, Colorado. That post contained a ton of love for people which I am already missing tremendously. I've been back in Missouri for a week today, yet I feel like ten different lives have been shoved into this past week.

The plan all summer was to depart Colorado after work and drive through the night with Heather and Jacob. After leading up to that day for weeks, our anxious hearts finally met Saturday, August 16th. There were a lot of strange emotions I was experiencing. I was going to go to work and try to enjoy the last day and avoid thinking about leaving certain people and the mountains. Unfortunately, on Saturday morning I woke up to a few calls from Heather. Heather had found out that her aunt was in the ICU, and learning this, Heather wanted to leave immediately and begin the 14-hour trek back to Missouri. Thankfully, our supervisor was understanding and instead of completing our final shift at the Y, we began saying our goodbyes at lunch. I have to laugh whenever I think about my friend asking me if I usually cry when I say goodbye and me responding with no; I had tears in my eyes after the first hug. After we said all the "see you soon"s and breathed in our last Colorado air for awhile, we squeezed in (all the cool souvenirs you buy during a summer become a lot less cool when they take up more room in the car than yourself).

We arrived in Festus around 5:30AM Sunday. My mom met me outside, helped me haul my belongings inside, and I headed straight for my bed. I remember laying in my big, comfy bed that wasn't a bunk bed and that didn't require a ladder for me to get into it, with one dog at each side of mine, and thinking, "I have no troubles in this life." Yeah, it was that magical.

When I woke up, I began unpacking from Colorado and packing for moving into my apartment. Luckily for me, I got a packing break that night to visit with my family. Confession: I really missed my brother! And then, on Tuesday morning, I left Festus to transition back into college life, this time a little different than last. A few things were still the same: moving a bunch of excess crap of mine that is questionable as to why I even own, my mom's birthday (poor mom) and it. was. stinkin. hot. Good ole Misery. Oops, Missouri. And because there had to be some spark of adventure to moving into my first apartment and feeling like an adult, it was that my apartment was on the third floor of one of the oldest buildings in Columbia. No elevator. And so this was us:

Nah, I'm just kidding. Praise the Lord that it was already furnished, so all it took was six of us ladies, a few hairbands and our muscles. Boom.

Now, I am very much a get-er-done type of person. An idea enters my mind and if I don't complete the task right then, I go slightly insane. So when I arrived at the apartment, I saw it as one giant project that needed completed, rather than the multiple little projects that it actually was. Oh, I need lights above my bed. Oh, that picture needs hung there. Oh, that floor needs mopped. Oh, we need groceries. One other thing that was different coming into this year than last: I'm a sophomore. Which meant that I was no longer a freshman. So despite my determination, I would have to wait. There were friends that needed welcomed that I hadn't met yet, and visiting to be done with the friends that I had. Committing my time elsewhere was challenging for me because I wanted to finish everything first. Excessive planning can be a huge flaw of mine. But let me tell you a quick story. Last night, I was interrupted during hammering some nails in the wall by Heather's laughter. It was the kind of laugh that is contagious and makes you think, I want to laugh too. It drew in Melissa as well and we both joined Heather on the couch. We then watched as a girl online had posted a video, post wisdom teeth surgery. If you ever want to be reminded of life's simplest joys, go on YouTube and search "wisdom teeth aftermath". Anyway, it was the hardest I had laughed in a while. 

Through these past few days, things have been anything but still. But those rare moments have been the most memorable. Whether it was laughter on the couch, enjoying iced coffee with a new friend or watching Friends by myself, I'm learning to appreciate the moments of quietness more and value the sound of these keys being pressed rather than the sound of nails being forced into the walls. And more importantly, you can't plan those rare occasions that put many things into perspective. I won't forget hugging people wearing my housekeeping shirt in the dining hall. I won't forget laying in bed with both my dogs and enjoying every second of having dog hair on me. I won't forget sweating and climbing the three flights of stairs with all of my CO souvenirs in boxes. I won't forget sitting on the couch with my roommates, rewinding the same part twenty times. 

And finally, I can't help but think, it will be one interesting day when I move into my first house. 

Humans of SnapPack

This entire summer, all of us LTers had one day a week that was not only one of our off days, but also our project day.

Your project group is made up of people from different departments, schools and states. And looking at the bunch that I had the privilege of joining, that was exactly what our group represented; uniqueness in each individual. We weren't all introverts or extroverts, coffee drinkers, athletes, or musicians. Not everyone would choose a jammed pack day of adventure over a relaxing day staying close to the Y. As I'm reflecting after our final project day that was yesterday, it is clear to me how fairly random, yet perfectly crafted my project group was for me this summer.

I wanted to make an attempt at capturing the personalities in each person that contributed to making Thursdays such a joy to look forward to. And also, I want to brag on how beautiful each individual is.

BEKAH. Bekah is original in everything. In her humor, her style, her friendships and even her relationship with the Lord. She's truly one-of-a-kind. 

NATHAN. Nate is a humble, caring man of God. He has a heart for every person he encounters, and desires to share God's love to the lost. (Those calves, doe)

KAILEY. Kailey lives her life to serve. Between serving God and serving others, she is one of the most selfless people I have ever met. 

IESHA. Iesha has the gift of lighting up a room with her smile and laugh. She is incredibly sassy, yet sensitive and reactive to people in hurtful situations. I'll miss watching you sleep. #roommateprobs

MARGARET. Marge is constantly seeking the beauty and creativity in things. There's never a dull moment and even the slightest errand that needs done will turn into an adventure. 

PRINCE. Prince joined our group about halfway through the summer as an international student from China. He is incredibly eager to improve his English and says he's looking for his princess. 

JACKIE. Jackie runs on determination. She always looking to challenge herself, whether it's growing in her faith or tearing it up in athletics. AND HER DIMPLES. 

JOHN. John has the ability to make you laugh when just discussing what he had for breakfast. Every word that comes out of his mouth has purpose, even if it's informing us that it's "9:00"...still.

JEANNA. Jeanna has spunk. She's a tiny person with a huge heart for people. She'll make you feel loved and be vulnerable with you, creating open relationships with people surrounding her.

ALEX. Alex would sacrifice his opinion on something in order to fully let others be heard. He'll make sure you feel comfortable in a situation, before he moves on comforting the next.

JOSH. Josh is passionate and doesn't do anything halfway, including his relationships and musical talent. Also, you can be a mile away and hear his distinct voice. But seriously. 

STEVEN. Steven isn't afraid to tell you what he thinks. He's fearless in sharing his struggles that most of us push under the rug. He's goofy and when he truly loves people, he'll make sure you know.

HI, I'M MADI. 

MARK. Mark continuously pours truth into people's lives. He has the God given gift of evangelizing and doesn't waste a second with it. He has demonstrated to us how a Godly family should look. 

ARIEL. Ariel is blunt and sarcastic. And when you put those two together, you get the truth delivered to you in the funniest way. She's an artist and makes sermon notes a beautiful visual. 

The legacy of the SnapPack lives on. 

my COntribution.

Awhile ago, when I was surrounded by familiarity, I blogged about why I love Columbia as much as I do. When I first arrived in Estes, the culture shock took its toll and my mindset switching to unsureness was almost an immediate response. I remember driving from the Denver airport on my way to Estes with Margaret. I was using my iPhone camera trying to zoom and capture the puny sight of the mountains, all while wondering how she knew exactly where to go. I admired how she pointed out these places on the way as we entered into the mountains, having then realized why she laughed at my amused reaction of the mountains when they were once afar.  Soon after, that place of unfamiliarity would shift into an experience that demanded to be remembered.

It's a strange transition when you go from your eyes glued to the mountains, pointing your finger in awe at the slightest movement from wildlife, constantly clicking "preview" to see the pictures you took, to suddenly having all of it become the "usual". The excitement is slowly replaced by a forgetfulness to appreciate the beauty surrounding you. Aside from the ultimate reason why I came here this summer, I came for other reasons too. I set goals for myself, expectations for how I would one day share my experience with someone and a ton of eagerness to see what was in store. So, I wanted to share a glimpse of my summer with you. I am also a firm believer that if you spend enough time somewhere or with someone, you will grow to love it/them in ways you wouldn't have expected to. And this summer, that happened.

1. Sheer beauty.

One of my fears entering the summer was that I would reach a point of taking the scenery for granted.  And it happened. I'm not always mindful of the fact that I'm living in the mountains. I've even shown annoyance with the typical tourist stopping to take a picture of the elk standing 20 ft. away. I don't need to comment on the mountains in front of me every second I look outside, but I do need the daily reminder of God's creativity and to give Him all of the praise. Man, I'm going to miss these mountains.

2. Community.

I expected to come here and grow closer with the group of Mizzou students I came here with and make the best memories with the ones I was already close with. However, I was placed in a project group with only two other Mizzou students, which ended up being one of the best parts of my summer. The closest friends I've made here are all in my project, most of them from Kent State, but some not. I also grew close with one of my roommates I was randomly assigned with. Iesha, you rock. Now, without expecting this, I have trips planned in the future to visit Ohio, Indiana and more familiar faces to see in Texas.

I love these people.

3. Creativity. 

I wouldn't label myself as a creative person. I still wouldn't say it comes naturally to me or that it ever will, yet this summer I have challenged myself to grow more in it. Creatively challenging myself, in other words. One goal of mine was to do a silk painting. After assistance from others and a lot of time and patience, I accomplished that goal.

"Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me, let me be singing when the evening comes." It was humbling to ask for help when I had this vision of how I wanted it to turn out, yet couldn't always deliver it that way. Or even that it didn't turn out exactly how I envisioned it was a lesson in itself.

4. Discipline. 

I didn't have as much freedom as I expected out here because of work, causing the time I did have to be used in an intentional way. Also, work can always be a good time if you have a good attitude.

Makin' beds and killin' it.

Like I said, that was a fraction of what this summer has been like. I came out here for a purpose, and all these things happened in between. 

So, as I prepare to return home in exactly two weeks from now, I can't help but leave a bit of myself here, where I learned and grew in various forms. 

Colorado, thanks for this adventure. 

"I seldom end up where I wanted to go, but almost always end up where I need to be."