Colorado!

It's been way too long since my last post...sorry :)
Since then, life has been pretty crazy with school (Anatomy) and everything, but good. I am now sitting at Beth and Tanner's apartment in Colorado Springs as the turkey cooks in the oven and Tyler tries to take a nap. This break is much needed! The flight was wonderful and I sat next to a woman in her fifties (it was her birthday). We talked about things from family to work and school to reading to holidays to volunteering to help homeless people and taking the focus of of yourself for a time. I don't know whether she was a Christian, but I shared with her about the homeless church and mentioned missions trips. I pray that either way I was a witness for the Lord, or at least an encouragement to her.
Today I remember the importance of giving thanks.

Thank you mom and dad for being Godly parents who have encouraged me to have a personal relationship with the Lord from the beginning. Thanks for being an example I can follow and for always being there for me to talk to or to hug. Thanks also for always supporting me in things I have pursued and been a guidance and source of Biblical wisdom.

Thank you Peter, Beth, Lissa, Erik, and Will for being amazing siblings! I am so blessed to have a strong family and relationships with each one of you.
Peter, thanks for being a great example as the big brother and for your funny personality and great hugs.
Amanda, thanks for marrying Peter and being the best sister-in-law I could have asked for. Thank you for your love for the Lord and for your passion for prayer.
Beth, thanks for your wisdom and example and for being a great friend that I can talk to and look to for advise.
Tanner, thank you for your passion for the Lord and your desire to serve him and do his will no matter what the price.
Lissa, thanks for having triangle lips with me and for being my friend. I love having a sister that I can talk to about anything that is on my heart.
Erik, thank you for being the one and only person who knows how to push my buttons. Thank you for having a compassionate heart and for your determination in sports. You are truly an inspiration to me!
And Will, thanks for your friendly personality and creative mind. I am amazed every time we are in a new place and you make friends within the first five minutes of being there!

Kylie and Jesse, thank you for supporting me and being great friends that I know I can always turn to. Thanks for your passion for the Lord, and for being amazing and Godly parents to Asher and Cora. Thank you for being an example that I can follow when I have kids one day.

Lauren, thank you for your determination and your love for the Lord. You truly inspire me to seek God and to trust in His will and timing. Thank you for standing up for what you believe in even when people make fun of you for it.

Hannah, thank you for your fun personality and your love for people. The joy you have in your heart is so attracting for people and that is a gift from God!

Meaghan, thank you for your dedication and determination and for living for God when your not surrounded by others who are.

And GOD, thank you for blessing me with these amazing people. Without them, my life would be going in a totally different direction. I am so thankful for each one of them!

A Weekend on the Coast

I consider myself so amazingly blessed to have the family I do. This weekend, my parents and Erik and Will drove ten hours (plus two to the beach) to see me for a day a half. They came on Friday and we drove to Depoe Bay, where we stayed in a condo with an amazing view of the ocean. It was wonderful spending time with them! We basically just sat around all day Saturday until the evening, when we went to the beach to watch the sunset. It was stormy most of the time and the waves were huge! When it cleared up, though, it was beautiful. It was really hard to say good bye again, but in a month and ten days I will be home for three weeks! I can hardly wait! Here are a few pics :)

Conference XC meet

Well, the conference meet didn't go as well as I was hoping. I was on pace the first mile, but slowed down a lot...mostly because I was in last place and there was no one else with me to pace me. It was kinda hard to finish in last place, but I was proud of myself for finishing anyways and racing in Conference knowing that was a possibility. I'm not positive about what my final time was, but I'm pretty sure it was a PR for a 6K. Lauren came to watch which was SO helpful! I was so encouraged as I would run by her...she's an amazing friend! She also spent the night last night and we got to hang out and watch a movie which was really nice. I absolutely love having her live so close! We also messed around with the webcam...here are some pictures we took!