Catch up

I think I'm finally ready to blog. Haha it's only a week after I got home... :)

To sum it up, I would honestly have to say that my trip to England was the best two weeks of my life. I can't remember a time in my life when I felt happier. It couldn't have been more perfect and that was completely God's blessing. We got to spend a day (aka: my 19th birthday) in Paris...definitely the most romantic, amazing day ever. It was perfect weather, about 80 degrees, and even though we were only there for a day, we got to do a lot! We went to the Arc de Triomphe, had a picnic at the Eiffel Tower, went to Luxembourg Gardens, saw the Louve, and then ended with Notre Dame. And of course, tons of walking and eating in between all of that. :)

We also went into London for two days. The first day, we got to see St. Paul's Cathedral and go inside of it. We walked up all 300 stairs! I was SO tired, so Tyler rewarded me with ice cream. Haha. Then walked along the Thames River and saw the London Eye and Big Ben/Parliament. From there, it was Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, and dinner at a pub! By the way, I had my first drink while I was over there. Let's just say I'm not a big fan of wine or beer yet...maybe 21 is a magic number where you instantly like alcohol??? Tyler recommended some fruity, sugary drink that had about 2% alcohol...that was the winner. :) Haha. The second day in London, we got a proper English breakfast at a cafe right on the Thames River and then....SHOPPING!!! I got to see all the main shopping areas, like Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Circus (don't know why they're all circuses...) and Covent Garden. Then we saw Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's Theater....AMAZING! I was just in awe the entire time. I loved it. And then we walked along the Thames River again, to see everything lit up at night. Gorgeous.

And the other days, we stayed in Watford mostly, just seeing Tyler's life. It was so great seeing Soul Surivor (his church) and meeting all his friends. Finally being able to put faces/personalities to names. It was also so fun to finally go to all the places I've seen pictures of, like his house or Presence (his favorite coffee shop) or "into town". I loved just getting to live normal life with him again for a bit. Something that's so hard about long-distance is that normalcies get eliminated. Conversations are so rare and precious that the everyday things often get lost. So it was great to be able to just catch a movie or make dinner together. I wish I could say more about all of it. I honestly feel like I have so much to say about my trip that I either have to say none of it or all of it. One of those "one story leads to another" kind of things. I'm sure random stories will come up in future blogs. But I will say that it was fun, romantic, and growing. What more could you ask for?

And now I'm home. This past week, I've been going through this like...post-trip depression kind of thing. Haha. That sounds so intense but I think everyone kind of goes through it after a big trip. It's hard to come back to normal life after an adventure in a foreign place. Not to mention the jet-lag factor. I slept for 10 hours last night though, so I think I finally got over that. It's just been weird being home. I felt that way after going to school though, and I got past it. Plus, Tyler comes home in less than 6 weeks!! And it's home for good!!!! So that's exciting.

In other news, God kind of kicked my butt in church today. (Side note: I had an amazing encounter with the Spirit while in England but I still haven't totally processed that...so that's still to come). I went to Gratis and it was so good to see people I haven't seen in awhile. Even though I haven't been going there lately, it's still home and it felt like home when I went back. But Mark was talking about the Sermon on the Mount and was challenging us to bear good fruit, fruit that Christ would want us to bear. And he said "Are more people who were unloved, loved because of you?" And in that moment, all the unloved people I chose not to love went through my head. All the "nerds" who I was too embarrassed to be kind to, all the homeless men and women who I've just passed without even smiling at, all those people at my school who come from broken homes....all the people who need to be loved and I've refused. I want to love people more. And then, Mark started talking about heaven and what "kind of people" God allows through the gates. He said "You can't be a person who doesn't care about the will of God and end up in a place that's all about the will of God." And isn't the will of God essentially all about love? To love Him and love each other? I think it's something we all need to work on. To unconditionally love those around us, even the unloved. Especially the unloved.

Wow. Lots of thoughts tonight. I think it's because I haven't done this in awhile. And catching you all up on my life. I say "you all" as in the 4 people who actually know about this blog. Hmm maybe it's time I make it public. Same old self doubt gets in the way, but what's life without a few risks, right?

P.S. I'm still figuring out this whole picture thing on here....I'll try to get better at it!

P.P.S. I bought orange shoes yesterday and a bright yellow shirt the day before that. I am kind of bored with my clothes and wanted to change it up. Wore the shoes today....LOVE them. :)