Things Are Changing

I took this picture myself :)

Sometimes things happen and we can't do anything to prevent it. Things change whether we want them to. . . or not. It can be really hard when you don't want it to change. And this summer, a lot of things changed.


Things were beginning to change when I turned 18 because, I mean, I was now legally an adult. It took a little getting used to, and it also took me a little while to adjust. It felt like, all of a sudden, so many questions and responsibilities were being thrown at me at once. It was a bit overwhelming.

To be perfectly honest, I'm still not completely adjusted to this whole "being an adult" life thing. :P People will ask me these questions, and I'm like, "Wait, I have to think about that too?" It's never ending! And I'm sure it will continue for a long time. Maybe it won't end, maybe this is just a part of being an adult.

But, like I said, a few things changed this year. Three of my friends got married this summer. Like, what? It isn't time for that yet. We were just 12 last year, right? This is one of the things that has really made me realize that we aren't kids anymore. Even though I still act like it sometimes. :P One thing you guys should know about me is:

What this post is really mostly about though, is something that doesn't have to do with adulthood. But it is a change. And it felt like a really big change. Actually, it still feels pretty big.

Depending on how long you've been following me, you may know that back when I first started blogging, which was this past January, I did a post on how I came to be here. And in it, I told you that I took a writing/literature class for four years, 8th grade to my junior year of high school. My best friend took it with me, and her mom was the one teaching us.

For the first two years, I went to their house twice a week, and the last two, every two weeks. Needless to say, I spent a lot of time there, right in their living room. For four years, I went into that house, that living room, and sat in "my" chair. They'd always have a fire in the stove, so it was always warm (occasionally, really hot :P).

Every day I was there, I would learn something new. Every day, we would make jokes and laugh, sometimes laughing so hard we had tears running down our faces. Every day, we would have so. much. fun.

I always looked forward to the days I got to go over and learn and spend time with them. This place was where I discovered my love for writing. This place had a special place in my heart.

At the beginning of this year, I don't remember exactly when, my mom and I met my best friend's mom in the store. Of course, we talked and caught up with one another. It was then, that she told us that she and her husband were going to move. (Their daughters, my best friend and her sister, had already moved out, and are living in another state.)

I was a little surprised, but I guess I was okay with it. I don't think I really thought that they were going to move. And for a long time, they hadn't yet. . . until a few weeks ago.

It was a few weeks ago, that I had a day off at camp. One of my friends and I went into town, and in order to get there, we had to pass the house (and we passed it every week). As we passed, I saw people there. But they weren't my best friend's parents.

Instead, I saw strangers- intruders- and they were tearing down the shed that was next to the house. The place looked different. . . it felt different. Things changed. And it finally hit me. They moved out, just like they said they were going to. I just hadn't wanted to believe that it would actually happen.

But it did. And there's nothing I can do about it, nothing I can do to change it. The house is different. The house will never look the same, be the same, feel the same.

Thankfully, though, I still have the memories, and I'll never never forget where I found my love for writing, the passion that was just waiting to be discovered.

Even though more and more things are changing in my life, I've realized that there is one thing- no, one Person- that will never change. And that is God. He is the one constant in my life. One that I know will never. ever. change.

July Wrap-Up

Hey everyone! Wow, July went by really fast! So fast that I only ended up posting once last month. #oops :P (So I won't have a "blogging" section this time) It's been colder than previous summers, and I don't think I've gone a day without putting on a sweatshirt at least once. I don't really mind though because I love wearing hoodies. :) Anywho, let's get started.

Writing

I think writing went pretty well in July. I participated in Camp NaNoWriMo (this time I was in a cabin) and I started with a goal of 3k. I know, it's such a huge goal. :P But the reason it wasn't very high was because I knew that I would be here a camp, and wouldn't have a lot of time to write. And, not to mention, the writing would be by hand. I didn't even start though, until the 15th because I was soo busy. Unfortunately, as the end of camp nano approached, I realized that I wouldn't be able to reach my goal, so I had to lower it. My new goal was 2k, which I'm happy to say that I reached. :)

Also, I've shared the prologue of Strangers (which was what I worked on for camp nano) with a few campers. Now, I don't really like sharing my writing, especially rough drafts, but I gave in to one camper, which then led to more. Here's how it happened:

So, I'm really good friends with one of the guys on my day off, and his younger brother is a camper here. At one of my basketball periods, I mentioned that I write (I don't remember why I said this). Apparently, my friend's little brother didn't know this, so proceeded to ask me about the books that I'm writing. I told him, and he expressed great interest in them. Later, I started the rewrite of Strangers and asked his opinion on something. He asked to read the prologue since that's what drives the rest of the story. Thankfully, he really liked it, and his friend was standing right there so I let him read it too. Then, I was telling my co-counselor (in the bunk) and a couple of my girls overheard and asked to read it, which led to more of them reading it.

I'm pretty sure that almost all of my girls have read it now. But every one of them has said that they really liked it and asked me when it's going to be published. This is soo motivating! :D

Reading

I haven't gotten much reading in this month. I have yet to finish a book since I've been at camp, but I have three books that I've picked up in the last month, and those are Viper, The Ruins of Gorlan, and A Wrinkle in Time. Pretty much my only reading time is during rest time, which is right after lunch. As it turns out, it's kinda hard to read and shush girls, who are being louder than they should be, at the same time. :P I do have some bookworms in my cabin, and they have asked me multiple times what books I'm reading.

Apparently, I have a lot of books on my shelf because one of my girls thought that my shelf was a library. We all had a good laugh over that. :)

Other

So, as you know, I'm at summer camp, and have been all last month. :P (You're probably getting tired of hearing me say that.) This is my ninth summer in a row here at camp, my third year as a counselor, but my first year as a bunk counselor. Obviously, there are pros and cons to being in the bunk, but overall I really like it. :D My co-counselor is the best, and we work very well together. We all have a lot of fun and very much enjoy being, and doing, things together. Sometimes, strange things are said too. Here are a couple that I heard my girls say:

"Get your nose away from my dryer sheet."

"I hate Star Wars, it hurts my eyes."

I also have had a lot of fun teaching basketball and ultimate. It's so rewarding seeing campers learning and mastering new skills. :)

I know that I haven't been blogging as much as I had hoped (and probably even said), but I'm trying to do better. I'm also behind on reading other blogs, but don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you. I will read all the posts I've missed just as soon as I have enough time. I promise. ;)


How about you? How was your July?