Kikipeg's summer-at-a-glance (sortof)

June 12-15 - National History Day
This was my 5th year at the competition. I did an individual performance on the women of Afghanistan. I, for the first time, made it into the run-offs - the top twelve or fourteen, i forget which, in the nation competing against each other - and although i did not get 1st 2nd or 3rd, I was chosen the Best Senior Project in Women's History. Very prestigious, very exciting, and a sweet $500. Plus OneStaple came to visit me, and we got ice cream.

June 16-21 - Camp
With my youth group. Had a great time - no huge self-discoveries or anything like that, but had fun. I think I've talked about this before.... played Rambo, went white water rafting. yay.

June 26-30 - Habitat for Humanity
Also with youth group, in Baltimore, Maryland. Worked very hard, got very dirty, got a chunk bitten out of my shoulder with a hammer claw (it hurt) but had a great time anyway. We got a lot of work done, felt very helpful and stuff. Long live the Swat Turtles. In the non-work time, I am constantly with OneStaple.

July 2 - Talk With OneStaple
Finally.... he likes me, but isn't sure he's ready to date, so we're not. We decide to stop acting so couply...

July 4 - 4th of Jult
...but do so anyway. I go downtown with a bunch of friends to see the fireworks and hang out. We play sardines in the very crowded Museum of Natural History. Crazy, no? The fireworks are very pretty.

July 17-August 10 - Europe
With family. Had an absolutely stupendous time.... Germany, Holland, England, Ireland, France. I'll give highlights, I guess, in some semblance of chronological order.
ANNE FRANK HOUSE - There really are no words to describe this. It was amazingly moving and sad and horrifying and, well, REAL. I had read the diary, but being in the house WHERE SHE LIVED is absolutely stunning. I really can't describe it. Amsterdam, overall, is very pretty.
MY COUSIN'S HOUSE - well, my second cousin once removed... but they live in a fifth (the largest fifth) of an old manor house outside London.... my house would fit in there 3 times at least. They were very very nice though, and served us 5 course meals.
BLETCHLEY PARK - the center of codebreaking efforts during WW2... really really cool, if you're ever around London, don't miss it. The stories you'll hear are superb, and you get to see all kinds of actual equipment. The first computer was built here to help solve a code.
GLOBE THEATER - saw Hamlet. Can I Say Wow. It was amazing - the actors were doing it to have FUN, not to show off some great truth, and it really made sense. Parts of it were downright sidesplittingly funny. Plus I saw it as a groundling.... i was standing RIGHT next to the stage.... i was LEANING on the stage... the queen smiled at me once! It's an experience i'll never forget.
IRELAND - all of it. It's absolutely gorgeous, and the people are so friendly, and it's just, well, wow! Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge... Giant's Causeway... horseback riding.... stayed in a castle... saw the house my grandfather grew up in... it was fun.
EIFFEL TOWER - well, actually, i hated the eiffel tower. just thought i'd share that. i don't like heights.
THE LATIN QUARTER - definitely fun... just kinda cool to wonder around in. we stayed in the latin quarter.
really, those are like my big things.... we were there for 3 and a half weeks, so that isn't half of what we did, but those are my big favorite memories.

August 19-29 - Guatemala
The single most amazing experience of my life... I was there with 20 other seniors from my youth group on a missions trip, and we had an amazing time. I don't think pages and pages and pages and pages of writing could begin to describe the things I've learned and the ways I've changed as a result of this trip. I'll give a summary of what we did, then for those of you that care, I'll go on to describe the lessons God taught me. WE spent most of our time in the town of San Cristobal, about 4 hours bus ride on curvy hilly roads north of Guatemala city. The girls spent a lot of our time in cultural immersion type stuff - we washed our clothes with the women, went to market, led a Vacation Bible School, learned to make tortillas, stuff like that, and had a GREAT TIME doing it. The people there were so caring and giving even though we were stupid americans... the first day we were down there, we went to this place, Semuc Champey, which is THE most beautiful place i have ever been.... it's like this spot on a river with waterfalls you can slide down and cliffs to jump off of and it really doesn't sound like much describing it, but WOW! We also spent the last couple days in Antigua, a touristy-type town, but we had a lot of fun. I'm sure stories from that will continuously surface for the next, well, years.

Now, for those of you who actually care about my Spiritual Growth...
1) I had a really amazing experience at Semuc Champey. I jumped off of a 20, 25 foot cliff (i hate heights), then i slid down all these waterfalls with a bunch of guys and my female-type best friend (I'm totally not athletic) and basically did a lot of stuff i wouldn't normally do. At one point, we were climbing back up waterfalls, and I knew I couldn't climb up where they were and that there was an easier spot just a little way over but i tried to climb up it anyway and got all annoyed cause (surprise) i couldn't. So i was thinking about it, and I realized that deep down, I'm a very competitive person, which isn't necessarily bad cause it drives me to do stuff I wouldn't necessarily do otherwise. It IS bad though if I'm doing it just to show that I can. On the other hand, I know my absolute limits, and although I can push them, crossing them can be dangerous. Then I was thinking, and I realized that I can apply that to my spiritual life. If I can push myself physically, why not spiritually? On the other hand, God hasn't given me gifts in certain areas, and although I can definitely do stuff in those, I shouldn't try to be what God hasn't made me to be.
2) Through a series of events in which God first suggested it to me, then confirmed it, I know what my calling is. I'm going to do missions through drama.... don't ask me how or where or anything, I just know that that is what I am going to do. So yeah.
3) I think overall I'm just a lot more focused on God and open to his voice. He convicted me of so many things that aren't really BAD, but just ways in which I'm not evidencing Him clearly in all parts of my life.
I'm sure there are more ways my life has been changed that I don't even recognize yet.... there were so many other things I could talk about, but if you've gotten this far, I don't want to keep you much longer.

August 30-September 1 - Williamstown, Massachusetts
Taking my brother to school.... I don't even want to talk about the emotional pain involved in this.... it hurts. I miss him.

September 4 - Painting
Painted my new room - I get to move to the basement! - with my best friend.... it's white background, with lavendar ragging, looks very cool. Afterwards, we went to the mall with paint all over ourselves.

September 5 - First Day of School
Actually wasn't bad for the first day.... I only went to one class cause i get to leave at noon 4 days a week because i'm in this awesome program at the Folger Shakespeare Library which also started today with 15 other seniors from the area all of whom love shakespeare and basically we're studying shakespeare and it's EXCITING!!!!

So that is my life from the end of school last year to the beginning of this, my senior year. so, um, yeah.

uni"you actually READ all that?"peg