No Regrets

After reading my last post, Josiah mentioned how even if you could give your younger self advice, you might not want to. What we believe about ourselves and others determines so much about our own words and actions. Those turn into experiences and life lessons that make us who we are today. So in a way, I wouldn't want to tell my younger self anything. I know that everything that ever happened to me or that I ever thought, said, or did was part of God's plan for my life, and I wouldn't change it. There are plenty of things I shouldn't have said or done. But I don't have any regrets; I wouldn't want to change them. I learned from those times, and I drew closer to God through them. Looking back at my life, there were definitely some really hard times that I went through. But I wouldn't change them for the world. They were worth what I gained in return.

Retroactive Advice

I was emailing Khyrstyn today and I mentioned wishing I could give advice to my younger self. Then I thought, that would make an interesting blog post. So here we are. Here's what I'd tell my 13-year-old self, if I could...

• You're beautiful. Don't tell yourself any different.
• You don't have to try so hard. You can't be perfect; don't expect yourself to be.
• Don't lie to yourself. If something's wrong, admit it. Don't pretend it doesn't exist.
• Let go. You have no control over what everyone else does. You're not responsible for what other people do. Your reputation is not based on what anyone else does.
• I know it's cliche, but don't sweat the small stuff. Loosen up. Don't be afraid to get hurt or dirty or whatever. Don't let those fears keep you from having amazing life experiences!

Seasons, States, and Shrimp

Lately, I've been trying to post every month. It's possible that if I didn't have this "rule" for myself, I might not blog very often. The thing is, ever since I started my blog in May 2010, I have written at least once a month. And I'd like to see how long I can keep that up. Six years and three months is pretty good. But why stop now?

Summer is coming to an end. That was a slightly-painful-to-write sentence. I love fall, don't get me wrong. It's my favorite season ever. This summer just went by so fast! But it was the best summer of my life, so I can't complain. And I am excited about fall. I'm happy to be back home and have things slow down a bit. I feel like I've been all over the country this summer. Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska and back. Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois. Then, Illinois to Wisconsin and back. Crazy! But awesome. And I got to add three new states to my list-Wyoming, South Dakota, and Minnesota. It also means I have been in ten different states this year. I started out in Missouri because that's where Urbana was and then we went to Indianapolis back in April to visit a Sovereign Grace church.

I talked about our trip to Colorado a bit while we were there. But I thought I'd mention my trip to Door County at the beginning of August. Sharyssa invited me to go with her and her parents on their annual camping trip there. I was gone for twelve days. I've never been away from my family that long, but I was totally fine. I only missed them a few times. But I was super happy to see them all again. Some notable things about my trip...

• I saw a few shooting stars!! I don't remember ever seeing one before, so that was pretty cool. And Sharyssa figured out what the Small Dipper was so now I know that constellation. #proudfriend
• There's a theater company that performs in the Peninsula State Park (where we stayed) called Northern Sky. Sharyssa has been telling me about it for years and I finally got to see some of their shows. And Sharyssa and I met the writer of one of the shows, which was pretty awesome.
• Sharyssa's brother Peter was with us for a few days. We went to this pizza place and he bought a pizza that had shrimp and pineapple and peppers and some ginger sauce, I think. It was the weirdest pizza I've ever had, but it was delicious. Shrimp on pizza is not something I'd usually go for.
• Eating ice cream by the lake while the sun is setting. Three times! Superman, Peppermint Stick, and Door County Cherry-which reminded me of the cherry juice that Mom and Dad brought back from Door County seven or eight years ago.