An Unforgettable Night

But there will come a time, you'll see, with no more tears.

And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears.

Get over your hill and see what you find there,

With Grace in your heart and flowers in your hair.

- "After the Storm" by Mumford & Sons

I'm sharing these lyrics tonight largely because I just got back from seeing M&S in concert. However, I have loved these lyrics since I first heard them (less than six months ago.) They mean a lot to me because I have had some moments in my life where I just felt like there was no way and no reason for me to get through all the rough patches. These lyrics are hope. They are the light at the end of the tunnel. These lyrics are what I wish I could tell my fourteen and fifteen and sixteen year old self because I think they hold a powerful lesson. Not that I would have listened, but still.

I plan to write a very lengthy and detailed post about my first concert at some point tomorrow. It is an experience that I need on paper or online for the rest of my life. It is almost 2 AM, though, and I just got home. So for tonight, I am going to bed.

I leave you with a few lines from my favorite song (which I screamed the entirety of at the top of my lungs:)

It seems that all my bridges have been burned,

But you say that's exactly how this Grace thing works.

It's not the long walk home that will change this heart,

But the welcome I receive with the restart.

- "Roll Away Your Stone" by Mumford & Sons

My Sisters Are the Best

A month without writing anything and then two posts in as many days... That is so me.

I just barely got home from some time at my grandma's house. My mom decided that we needed to take some of the humongous zucchini from her garden over to them so that they could also enjoy the deliciousness. The awesome thing about evenings at my grandma's house (other than spending much enjoyed time with them) is that the drive home often inspires some great thoughts. I think it has something to do with the open farm land that goes on almost forever. Just at the horizon there is this great line of city lights that goes across the valley. It is so, so beautiful.

Tonight I found myself thinking about the fact that my baby sisters start high school in less than a month. It still seems so strange for me, sometimes, to think that I actually made it out of high school. That period of my life seemed so vast and insurmountable at the time. I was such a different person from the time I entered that school to the time I left it. Honestly, 95% of the things I learned were not part of the curriculum. Those three years were such an awkward time for me. I was constantly trying to change myself and make myself into these different ideas of who I should be. I think I came out an even better version of myself than I could have ever imagined. The friendships that endured are ones that I don't think I ever would have guessed at first either.

I'm excited for Abby and Linzie. At the beginning of September they will be starting on an awesome journey and I have a feeling that they are going to be so much more successful at it than I was. I am so incredibly proud of those two. Seriously. I look up to my littlest sisters so much. They are so organized and determined and they have their priorities straight in a way that I never did in high school and I still struggle with now. They won't learn as many things as I did the hard way. I think they'll make great friends from the beginning and I'm sure there will be some drama, but I know they'll handle it well.

Basically, my baby sisters are growing up and that's so weird to me because I already consider them as successful young adults because that's how they act. They constantly amaze me and are my heroes.

Seriously.

<3

(PS My little sister, Ashley, started her senior year of high school today. I can't believe we're all getting so old!)

Update

So it's been a while. I've been really busy... But I can't really say that a lot has happened. Mostly I spend a lot of time working and whatever time I have left is spent with my family and friends. There have been a couple of things worth mentioning, however.

Last weekend, Ian and I decided that we wanted to spend our Sunday off with a road trip to Bear Lake. I made Abby and Linzie tag along with us because I thought it would be fun for them to get away from the house for a while. It was an awesome day. We sang and talked for the drive and when we got there we had pizza and raspberry milkshakes. It was a lot of fun. Plus, it was a seriously gorgeous day.

We then spent the whole night playing a game of Monopoly. Which I lost. Barely. The whole day was great. The most fun I've had all summer.

I only have just over two weeks left until classes start back up again, but before that I have one last big summer even to look forward to. Ten days from now I am going to my first concert ever. I am so excited. The funny thing is that I didn't even like Mumford & Sons until about a month and a half ago. It's going to be great, though. I seriously cannot wait.

I also just finished reading The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer. It was a great book written toward kids... But I think a lot of the awesome parts of the story would go right over most kids' heads. I loved it, though. I'm going to start reading the Hobbit today. I am determined to finish it before the movie comes out in December. I know it's not that long, but with school starting I'll be having a loss less time to do things.

Anyway, that's my life right now. I'm absolutely loving every minute of it.