Commencement

By definition the word commencment simply means a beginning or start, but in
order for that to occur we need to reflect on the past years and welcome the new
beginnings that come with graduating. --This is an excerpt from my speech (the
introduction)

Today I graduated. I walked across the stage and got my "tassel" switched from the right side of my cap to the left. I got to share my speech with my class and talk about what I hope we can accomplish in the world even though we are all going our seperate ways. It honestly was an inexplicable experience. So much happiness yet at the same time some regrets. I would see someone cross the stage and be sad because I just think how little we will keep in contact, and if I will even remember them in 10 years. I would see people and think to myself, "man, I really like that person. I wish I would have gotten to know them better!"

The countdown is on to my departure, less than 3 days.

The time I spend with friends and family now is not taken for granted. I want to cherish every moment I have but I feel like the moments are on fast forward and I can't seem to work the remote to slow it down! Its happy and sad and crazy all at the same time.

Today after rehersal me and my two best friends went to take pictures in a Photo booth at the mall in our gowns. I'll never forget this photo booth adventure. It was my first time using a photo booth and quite the experience will three people all trying to be captured by the camera in such close quarters. I'll upload those photos tommorow when I have a little more time:) Following the photo booth adventure we decided we should take some more pretty cap and gown photos at the park, so we did. We used the camera's self timer and posed away!

Here are some for your enjoyment:)

A Baby!

In Holland I will be living with my second cousin Chris and his wife Carolina. They have two children, David and Sara and were expecting a third. That is why they are getting me to come nanny... to help with the craziness an extra baby makes. The baby was due July 7 but it was born yesterday! Her name is Carlijn (pronounced Car-line in English) Both her and her mom are already home from the hospital and doing great!

I am so excited to see the Baby when I get there, although I do wish she would have waited a few more days to be born. They were expecting her to be late, not early because their other two were both late. So now, when I get there, there won't be anytime for getting used to things, I'll just have to jump right in and help with everything! The baby being here makes this "leaving" thing much more real.

YEAH!

b U t T e R f L i E S

IF you look back to post number one titled "The Beginning" I briefly mention BUTTERFLIES. But I have been thinking about them more lately. You see why do we call our nervous stomach BUTTERFLIES? It's definitely odd. I wish I could get rid of them and tell then never to come back.

In my mind over the past few weeks I have repeated a verse to myself over and over again in my head, especially while driving because that's when some of my best thinking occurs. It says.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition present your requests to God. And the PEACE OF GOD which
transcends ALL UNDERSTANDING will guard
your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

I have been thinking about this lately because I'm nervous

for a
lot of things,
but I shouldn't be. I should trust that God is up there and
guarding my heart
and my mind. I should know that I can bring any
request to him, none is to
big or to small. This verse just truly is
what is
giving me hope that I can
deliver my speech without wavering. I
know that
God will give me peace in the
moment and all will be fine.

Here is my BUTTERFLY list.

1. Valedictorian Speech
2. Flying and being completely by myself in the world from Friday to Sunday... My limbo time between my family here and my "family" in Holland
3. Leaving - leaving behind friends, saying goodbyes, missing out on great summer memories
4. My Swedish resident permit. What if I am denied access into Sweden? Could that even happen after God has gotten me this far?
5. Life- what in the world am I going to do with my life after this 8 months is over

It may be bizarre to you all my worries but really truly I just think a lot, and I like to be informed so imagine all scenarios, good and bad that is why i worry. I worry that the bad things will happen or the good ones wont. And that I'm doing the wrong things... nothing specific just in general should I have taken a different path?

I know this is a long post... but there was a lot on my mind tonight:)

R O U T I N E S

Routines

They are funny things.



Life is full of them.



If you take a STEP BACK and just look at your life I'm sure you would be surprised at how much of it is ROUTINE. Everything from the order you do things in the morning to your work schedule to your evening routine consisting of a possible shower, television show, some evening snack... and then the "getting ready for bed" routine follows.

My "routines" are about to be altered. I don't know what to expect. My life will revolve around that of the children's I'll be Nannying, so my routines won't matter anymore. I'll wake up on their schedule, eat on their schedule, and "play" on their schedule. Its a weird concept to grasp. In 7 days my normal will no longer exist. High school is over. My time of just being a Kid? Its over too. I am moving on in life to unknowns to set new routines and normals for myself.

Crazy Concept.

ROUTINES

Kids Again

Today I went to the Water slides, and oh the memories it brought back.

1. Birthday parties! Every year in June Shayna would have her birthday party and only be able to invite a select few. We definitely got our moneys worth back then. We would slide and slide and then slide some more. No time for hot tub breaks or suntanning and somehow the stairs back then seemed like nothing. Today however by the end of the day my calves were getting a little tired of all the climbing.

2. Grade 7. In grade 7 we went on the annual end of the year water sliding day with everyone in our grade. We made a little competition of who could go down the Valley of Fear the most times and Me, Adam, and Jeremy won. We went down 24 times forwards and 13 backwards. Crazy!
Its funny how something as simple as a place, a song, or a smell can bring back so many memories of past times.

Dry hands...

Tonight, a friend and I went on a little adventure. Chalk! We CHALKED our school. WE created lovely designs and pictures and traced our bodies in action. However, not being chalk experts we neglected to bring hand cream. We realized too late that chalk combined with constant contact with pavement causes for very dry hands.



Now when we were about three quarters done a creepy looking boy was walking our way. Molly right away ran to her bag and grabbed her stuff and was a little scared of this night time visitor. BUT we couldn't leave our job half finished so we stayed and let him sit there creepily watching us chalk away. When we left and were driving away we saw this boy going to read our lovely chalk messages and look at all our pictures. He may have been a very nice boy but still a little creepy out alone at 2 am smoking at a random school...

The Beginning

Highschool is over! Life's a changing. In 9 days I'll be leaving behind the familiarity of home and be heading across the sea to the Netherlands. My room is in chaos because I've started the process of packing up everything. In the midst of the craziness of leaving I've been preparing my Valedictorian speech and even while typing this little butterflies start to fly around in my stomach. So until I board the plane my life will be a non stop stream of last minute errands, packing, and goodbyes as well as trying to get in as many good "summertime" memories as I can before I leave.