room to breathe again.

Traveling does something to my spirit that not many other things do. I find a joy and a peace that is reborn within me when I have the opportunity to travel outside of my current home. Whether it be to a town an hour away, or to another country. I've never been one to stay home during weekends, one to not go anywhere when I didn't need to be at school or work, or for that matter, I've never been one to stay living in one place for very long. I love change, even if it's only to the other side of town.

This summer was the first summer since I was a junior in high school (2002) that I didn't work. I wasn't sure how I'd handle all of the free time that I had in my future or what exactly I'd fill my time with, but quickly I learned that I needed time to rest and enjoy everything that the Lord had in store for me.

I was able to do a lot of traveling this summer, which was a huge blessing. I got to spend a week in Estes Park, Colorado at the YMCA of the Rockies with a group of 45 middle and high school students, I took a road trip to Chicago to visit my family with a good friend, and I then spent a little over a week in Ciudad Victoria, Mexico with 25 high school students. Now, these trips may not have been "typical" vacations considering I was responsible for the well being of kids for 2/3 of my getaways, but I was able to witness students making life commitments to serving Jesus Christ. That beats out any tropical vacay.

I was greatly rejuvenated this summer with my trips and having time to rest. I tried some new recipes that my husband claims are delicious. I used my bike the most I have in years. I was able to hang out with an awesome friend for hours on end catching up on 24. I mentored three high school girls who are incredible young women. And I even started scrapbooking our honeymoon, which I finished last week!

But what I am most thankful for is how the Lord reminded me of His beauty.

I often forget how lucky I am and how much I have. God has been tugging at my heart all summer, but with what? I'm not exactly sure... but what I do know is that He is working. He is creating something new within my heart, and excitingly within my husband’s heart as well.

There is a reason Matt has not gotten laid off from Cessna like many of our friends have. There is a reason my trip to Chicago ended up costing me 1/4 of what I thought it would. There is a reason I have not made the career change that I had hoped. There is a reason why I met the people I did this summer, and there is a reason why I am unsure of what's next.

It's easy for me to say that the summer brought me to a better place because I wasn't around my students, I didn't have to plan, didn't have to work, blah blah blah... did these things help my spirit? Yes, of course they did. But it was more then that.

I had no idea that God was going to bring to light the things that He did. The best part is when I can be on my knees, praising God for who He is, even in unknown circumstances.