A Good Weekend

Joy.  

That is all this weekend has been, one moment after another.  I have been surrounded by love and friends and the constant realization that this year has just been one huge blessing.  The weekend began at 2:40 on Friday when the movie in chemistry ended and we were all allowed to leave the darkness of Demaray 150.  When we entered the sunshine, Anna and I grabbed a blanket, some cards and some boys and headed up to Hill Hall Beach to soak up the sun.  We just sat there for two hours, listening to music and spending time together.  I sat there until I got a call from my beautiful sister and a few minutes later she appeared with crepe batter.  

We stood in the little kitchen in the main lounge and made a feast for ourselves.  The scent of the crepes in the frying pan filled the lounge and made everyone jealous who walked by, which resulted in our offering the crepes to anyone who so desired.  This is my sister: a stunning woman who shares love (and crepes) with everyone around her, even when life is so tiring.  Our sister-sister relationship has grown into a beautiful friendship and I am so blessed to have her in my life.  We went on from the crepes to Ingraham High School to see their production of Thoroughly Modern Millie, which was a joy to watch.  It was also a joy to see her and how she has put a mark on the lives of so many teachers and students their.  I love her so very much!

Saturday was another sunny day, busy and full of fun.  It began bright and early at the SPU Leadership Kickoff.  It was three hours full of the ice-breakers and team building games that I so often mock, but it was a really great time.  I have found my place for next year playing violin and viola on the worship team for next year.  It was a decision I rallied with for quite some time before finally deciding it was the right thing to do, but I know this is the right decision.  God has lead my life into directions I never thought it would go this year and I know this is yet another place where I can learn so much.  Saturday morning was a time of reassurance that I've done the right thing and I am so excited for the family that our staff will become.

Right after that, I went on to work, relatively uneventful, but still a good time.  The flower shop is in Fremont, "an artist's community" as my grandma calls it.  Not many customers, but I love seeing the difference in them.  Some buying a card in a rush between the wedding ceremony and the wedding reception.  Others ordering flower arrangements for anniversaries.  Grandmas buying gifts to spoil their newborn grandbabies.  A father buying a bouquet for his daughter, starring in "Oliver!"  Once all the purchases had been made, the floor had been mopped, the trash had been taken out, the planters had been taken in and the register had been put in order, I locked the door and hopped on my bike to head back to campus.

Waiting at campus was an evening composed of a ridiculous tradition called "Roomies."  The idea is that you set your roommate up with a date and everyone goes out for some sort of activity.  We all gathered in the lobby and shoved each other in the direction of our date for the evening.  I was pushed into a boy with red hair who plays the bass in a rock band and is 6'7".  Good work, Anna!  We jumped in to cars and ended up in a park in Magnolia that looks out over Seattle, the city which has been home for most of my life, but to nearly everyone else here, it is a newfound home.  We played games, roasted s'mores and enjoyed the love that flows between everyone on our floor.  So, as we played four square into the sunset and watched the moonrise, I realized what a joy it has been to be a part of Fourth Hill.  We're such a mismatched hodgpodge of people and it has been so much fun watching the way we all get along.  

When we got back to school, we stood in the parking lot for a ridiculous amount of time deciding what to do next...

"It's Saturday night, we can't just stay in!"

"Pizza!"

"I don't want to spend money, I'm poor and in college."

"Wendy's!"

"Fine."

Off we went to get the fast food that defines America.  It's delicious and we came back and enjoyed it under the stars.  Five of us all laid in the grass watching for shooting stars and talking about life for two hours.  People I didn't know existed nine months ago and I am still constantly learning new things about them.  It was a beautiful time and I won't ever forget it, as I leaned against a friend's shoulder and shared about my transition to SPU and the great blessing it has been.

We all turned in around 1:30 as we realized we had to get up in a few short hours for church.  What a school, SPU.  Sunday brought sunshine and the Hill Hall Beach Bash.  The Beach is what we call the big grassy area behind Hill Hall and it has been the place I have spent many hours not studying this quarter.  Today, it has been transformed into a huge party, complete with volleyball, barbecues and a slip and slide.  It's an unusual college that can make an entire afternoon of fun out of a steep hill, some dish soap, tarps and a hose.  It was such a good time and just topped off a beautiful weekend.  

It's nearly summer and we will have fun like this without homework lurking in the back of our minds, but what was special about this weekend was that we were all together.  Hill Hall has been my home for 9 months and I won't every forget it how beautiful they were.  We are a family and I can't wait for next year, when we'll all be together again for Round 2.  I love you, Hill Hall!