Another highlight of the summer was the week of Neighborhood Bible Time at church. I had the privilege of being one of the teachers for the 4 and 5 year olds, which was a new and CRAZY experience, but also one that I learned a lot from. There were 15 to 20 children each night. We did a "One Way" theme and decorated accordingly.
It was with some reluctance that I looked forward to my birthday. I didn't like the thought of spending it away from the majority of my family. How is it fun to spend a day by yourself, doing your normal work? I didn't feel ready to be that much of an adult yet!
But God gave me so many little surprises throughout the day, that it turned out to be an absolutely lovely day. First off, I was babysitting in the morning, and Andrew and his mom brought me some birthday donuts for breakfast. When I reached the church, I found a cake, gift, and card all set up on the desk in the church office for me. Throughout the day, several of my piano students brought me gifts when they came for lessons.
That evening, Ethan brought me gifts, a beautiful bouquet of flowers from the family, and then took me out to eat at Golden Corral. It was a wonderful day that will remain special in my memories for years to come.
The week before my birthday, the Carpenters had me over to celebrate. It was like being with my own family ... I even got to pick what I wanted for supper :) (Mexican!) They also made me a brownie fruit pizza for dessert. It was delicious!
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We had a fun time afterwards playing ping-pong, and then sitting in the rain (with blankets) watching the boys set off fireworks. It was very ironic ... being the end of June ... and chilly enough that we needed blankets and hot chocolate. And fireworks in the rain? Well, all of it just ended up being more great memories that will be hard to forget :)
On July 4th, I spent the day in Cincinnati and went to a Red's baseball game. Ethan's military unit was honored before the game began, so the military and their families got free tickets. I was thankful to be able to spend the day with him before he left...I'm already missing him!
I'd love to hear about the special things you've done (or are going to do) this summer!
