Floridian Adventure

This morning I arrived in Baltimore to spend a couple of quick days with my family after a fabulous week in Florida. I spent the first few days in Boca Raton, where my roommate Casey and her family live, then went to Vero Beach to visit my friend Vicky for a couple of days, and then back to Boca for the end.
Some highlights:
- I saw a manatee! Actually, I saw like four. And I swam with them. And touched them. I scratched the algae off their backs, and considered the scum under my fingernails to be a trophy commemorating my adventure. It may sound ridiculous, but I have had a slight obsession with manatees for the last year or so (thanks in large part to a certain Missy Davis) ... I mean, hello... they are floating cows. How can you beat that? They have little puppy dog faces. It was awesome.
- I had some good Jesus time in the Florida sun.
- I slept. A LOT. It was a wearing semester, and it was so nice to enjoy some stress-free slumber.
- I went kayaking in the intercostal in Vero Beach ... it was absolutely amazing! Vicky and I always have the most edifying conversations...now put that in a kayak in the middle of the perfectly quiet intercostal on a beautiful Florida day. It was glorious! We laughed, created some sweet "Woman vs. Wild" videos, and talked about what it looks like to love God in a broken world, all while experiencing his creation.
- I had some impromptu worship with Vicky and her BF... good stuff.
- I put on a dress and rode a bike to eat breakfast at a local restaurant. I felt so, umm... old school? So fun!
- Matt (Vicky's BF) asked me to share what God has taught me about living water with his youth group ... this was an interesting request, since I didn't feel like I had much to say about it. But God has vehemently reminded me this year that I cannot dig my own wells and expect to find living water in them ... I can be a missionary, or go to seminary, or serve the community, but if I am doing it apart from Him, what can I hope to uncover? Springs flow from His hands, not mine -- there is some serious freedom in that! Later in the night, after sharing that with his youth group, Matt told me that I should pursue my possible youth ministry internship...that was a nice encouragement :-)
- I checked by semester grades, and got a 4.0! Take that, appendix...that's the last time you will try and bring me down. ***Disclaimer: This was not done on my own...here's a shout out to the big JC, who helped me quite a bit in this arena.
- I spent a whole day out on Casey's family's boat -- we played in the water, sunbathed, ate watermelon and drove really fast. It was the perfect, climactic end to my trip!

2 other thoughts:
(1) If I have ridiculous amounts of money in the future (something I don't see happening, but you never know), I want to buy a beautiful house on the intercostal and open the doors for missionaries to come and enjoy a free vacation. I would want to cook for them, give them access to kayaks and boats and jet skis and comfy beds....pretty much just spoil them. Because that it what the Wright's and the Fields' did for me, and it was such a unique and meaningful investment in my ministry. The fact that I am entering the summer feeling well-rested is priceless, and it will make me that much more effective for the Kingdom. Feel free to hold me to this plan when I am fabulously wealthy.
(2) Call me a dork, but I freakin' love the Narnia movies. I just saw the second one, and I think it was perfect timing as I transition into the summer. I know that life is a constant battle against the enemy, but most I feel it most poignantly in the Philly when I don the armor of God and walk out against the demons of poverty, oppression, hopelessness, addiction and sin. Watching that movie was like listening to "jock jams" before a big game ... however cheesy it may sound, it was a little bit of inspiration for the weeks ahead. Get pumped, because upcoming posts will be filled with stories of how God is advancing his Kingdom in Philly!

Moving on...

So, last night I slept with my mattress on the floor. It was crazy, because I have slept in a lofted bed for the last two years, and my friend Shawn took it down for me yesterday. This is the end of an era. For those of you who know me and my roommates, you understand how big it is for us to be splitting up next year. Granted, we are just living in different places -- I still plan on being friends with them :) But we have had so many ridiculous, hysterical, emotional, and moving moments in University Place #408. I have been so blessed to be a part of everything that God did in that apartment, and to witness the ways that he grew each of us differently. Here's to you, #408, and all the good times we shared with you.