Peace = Hamburgers, Mafia, and my Zephyr Family

Its funny how after six months, nothing has changed.

At 1pm this afternoon, the summer staff of 2008 began to roll into camp after following signs that read "You're almost there! Yay!" and "Keep going! You're almost home!" As this amazing group of college students reunited, something in the air changed. It was as if the world became lighter, stress disappeard and burdens were lifted. Burgers were on the grill and, I promise you, families on the other side of the lake could hear the shriek of giddy girls as we jumped back into the arms of friends. I haven't felt peace like this since this past summer and, as if they're hugs and smile were magic, my world was peaceful once again. It literally took minutes; I was home.

This probably sounds awful because as a college student, you "go home" to your parents, siblings, etc. But when I go home, I am at Zephyr, reunited with the people that have challenged and changed me for the better. I will never be the same because of this family. The word "family" doesn't even suffice for me. I think I need to come up with something even stronger. Its a bondage I never want to be set free from. These people, these angels sent to me from God, have captured my heart and won't let go. And I'm not fighting it. I am currently sitting on a bottom bunk in Jackson, with Olivia above me and Jordan and Erika next to me on the right. I wouldn't exchange this moment for the world. I hear showers running and boys hanging out by the campfire outside. These are sounds that will stay with me forever. The girls and I will talk all night long and I will pray tonight, as I lay in my bed, that God will let the next 36 hours drag and last for as long as they possibly can.

Tonight we ate hamburgers that Stu Dog cooked for us. They were so big and juicy! After dinner, Justin and Clayton from the Justin Graves Band led worship and Trevor Carpenter brought The Word. There is nothing like having the leaders of Zephyr, the men we look up to as summer staffers, encourage and revive us through food, worship and prayer in the Lord. Afterwards we played tons of silly games like "Bibbity, Bibbity Bop" and "Mafia." I thought tonight was fun, but I know tomorrow is going to be crazy!

For now, I am going to just soak up the precious moments that surround me. Like just a few shorts months ago, Erika just told Jordan and I goodnight and that she loved us. Those words warmed my heart like no other. No truer, more real words exist. I love these girls and guys more than they will ever know. I would give everything if I knew I could stay right here, at this time in my life with these exact people. I know this is not possible, but I will not let these sweet, sweet moments pass me by. I am going to hide them in my heart knowing that they will get me through any obstacles of life that I encounter. I am more home than I can even wrap my mind around right now.

Its funny how after six months, nothing has changed.

Hmm..?

I've been struggling alot lately with the concept of God's plan for my life, what I want out of life, and where my life is headed.

When I was a little girl, I had alot of different dreams. I would watch different movies or read books about traveling, living in big cities, and going on great adventures. I dreamt of city lights, crazy romances, and an exhausting life of working the perfect job and late nights on the town. I pretty much desired to live in a Lauren Weisberger novel:) As I have gotten older, reality has kicked in a little bit. I still believe that I could do all of these things, but I'm not quite sure if that is the life I still want to live or if it is the life God has planned for me. Plus, I am a small town girl from Beeville, Texas and I currently live in Waco, Texas. Its not like I'm on the highway to this exasborating life just yet.

My mother would love to tell you that alot of this has to do with my boyfriend who, like me, is a small town kid and who I've been dating for over three years now. However, I just don't buy that. Luke loves me and has told me numerous times to follow my dreams. He fully supports me chasing after the life I desire. Another thing I should probably throw out there is that I'm not quite sure if the lifestyle I used to dream about is the kind of life a Christian woman should live. I mean, when I think back to all of those books and movies that only fed my desire to run away from home and move to NYC, I remember beautiful women living in rediculously expensive apartments, going out at all hours of the night only to be present at swanky bars and celeb parties wearing hardly anything while their sugar daddies bought them drink after drink, etc..etc.. You get the idea. So yeah, I'm pretty sure that's not the life God has planned for me.

So where do I find that balance? I'll raise kids in a small town, most likely, but I refuse to end up in Hickville, USA where my permanent address currently resides. However, I'm pretty sure that moving to L.A. is out of the question. Too many temptations to live a life not pleasing to God. Again, how do I find a balance? I know that God gives us the desires of our hearts and that if we trust Him and acknowledge that he is who He says He is, He will direct our paths and make them straight, but I sometimes wish He would just open up the clouds and hand me a pearly little envelope that held inside of it the blueprints of my life. Wouldn't that be nice.

If anyone has any suggestions or advice, I'ld love to hear it.
-Sarita

My "Really Good Days" Come Around When You Do

I know you've heard it before, because we all have. And we've all said this before as well. What I'm talking about is the phrase, "Today has been a really good day!" (or some sort of arrangement of these words and their synonyms). I mean, you don't normally hear it on Monday or after a 3 hour test; usually these words come about after a really good intramural game, shopping day, date night, and more or a combination of these. When positive things happen in our lives, this usually results in a "really good day."

A couple of weeks ago, one of my roommates and I were talking and she told me that she had been having a "really good day" and I thought to myself, "When was the last time I had a 'really good day?' What exactly does this type of day feel like?" I knew I had experienced such a day before, but it had been a really long time since I had felt like one of my days deserved such a title. I'm not going to lie, I was pretty bummed. Why had my days become mediocre? I'm in college, I live with four of my best friends, I'm a Tri Delt, I'm crazy busy all of the time, I live my life to the fullest and do it all; in my mind, there was no plausible explination for these thoughts. But then, the one person that makes those days "really good days" came back into my life and it all made sense.

This weekend, Luke came to visit me. It had been 4 weeks since we had seen each other and its been a long time since we've spent that much time apart. I was SOOO realy to see him! On Friday he got to Waco around 2pm and we ran errands until it was time to get ready for BRH Formal. We went to formal that night and had a really good time dancing, eating awesome food, and hanging out with friends. Friday was a really good day. Then on Saturday, we got up and went shopping/looking for engagement rings at Zales, James Avery, and Boozers (a local jewelry store known for its engagement rings!). We found a few that we really liked and I was ecstatic!! Don't worry though--we stopped by the game store and the paintball field for Luke:) Then, that afternoon, we rode Luke's bike (yay!) to the Baylor football game, where Baylor kicked A&M's butt 41-21. That night, we rented a movie and hung out at the house with my roommates and their boyfriends/friends. Saturday was a really good day. On Sunday Luke was supposed to leave, but he ended up staying since he didn't have class until 1pm on Monday. We just lounged around all day Sunday, did some homework, and spent time together. Another really good day.

What is it about Luke coming around that makes my days that much more? I love that boy so much and I can't wait to marry him:) Being at Baylor and being in college is awesome and I know that I am blessed to have the opportunity to be here, but Luke is definitely that extra something in my life that makes it all worth while. Our life together is what I strive and work so hard for. I know he feels the same way and that is amazing to me. And I kind of like that my "really good days" come around when Luke does because it makes those days that much more special to me.

Thank you God for Luke and for really good days because I know that it is Your gifts and blessings that make our short time here on earth so wonderful and help us to anticipate the "really good days" ahead when we meet You face to face and get spend enternity with You.

They're Done!

This past weekend I drove down to South Texas to run in the Corpus Christi Harbor Half Marathon and Relay with my little sister, Claire. Our team name was "They're Done!" That way, when the announcer said our team name at the finish line, he yelled, "They're Done!" Oh well...we thought it was funny! We ran the half marathon as a relay team, each of us running 6.6 miles. It was hard but definitely worth it. At 7 a.m. we took off running up and down the Harbor Bridge and I was blessed to watch the sunrise as we ran across the 181 Causeway over Corpus Christi Bay to Portland. This was a really cool race!

Because of this race, Claire and I were able to hang out, just the two of us, and that in and of itself was worth the trip. She and I have not spent time together like that since before I left for Baylor! We met up in Corpus on Saturday night (I had been at Zephyr; she in Beeville) and went to Academy, where we bought matching pink, long-sleeved running shirts. Then we stopped by Forever 21 in the mall and after that, grabbed a bite to eat at Chick-Fil-A before heading over to Luke's Aunt Brenda's house.

Brenda was nice enough to let us stay at her house since she lives so close to where the race began. Little did we know that when we arrived there, we would find tons of healthy drinks and snacks for us to eat before the race and after for breakfast. Brenda also offered to drive Claire and I to the race at 6:15 in the morning! Just like a mother would, she took pictures of us before and after the race, picked us up after the race, and let us clean up back at her house before we left to go back home. She is an amazing hostess and friend!

At the race, Claire and I met up with Terri, a friend from church, who was also running the race. It was nice to see another familiar face running with us. I ran the first leg and Claire ran the second. It was hard, I'm not going to lie; running up the Harbor Bridge is not easy! But the race itself was beautiful and the weather couldn't have been better!

Looking back, I'm really glad that I let Claire sign me for the Harbor Half. It made me realize that I really want to get back into running and maybe even look into some other races. We even talked about a mini-triathalon! I'm putting a couple of pictures on this post and when I get a couple of more from Terri, I'll add those too. Woohoo for really cool experiences like this one and for making memories with families and friends!