I get knocked down, but I get up again

<---- Me in a ballin business suit. I'm growing up.

I'm no longer a teenager (and on that note, Mike isn't either). We're old.

Birthdays are a good time to reminisce. Last year this time I was at camp, planning on going back to CBC and in their Outdoor Leadership program, setting up my apartment and roommate for the year... my year looked nothing like I thought it would. I don't know about you guys but I am so thankful I did Kaleo. Yeah, I still feel sometimes like we were a failure of a Kaleo.. because it really seems like it when you look at things. But even if we were, I'm am sooo glad I was a part of it. We weren't expecting a year like that.. I can guarantee none of us were. We learned and we grew in unexpected (and some huge) ways. ALL OF US.

Now, since Kaleo and during Kaleo, I know many of you think you have gone backwards in life, personally. Guess what? I'm here to tell you right now that you haven't. We all fail but we're not failures. We all take steps back but have taken way more forward. How is that possible? Grace. Incredible. "The God of all grace who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you." THAT is how we go forward.

I just had to fill out a medical history form for basketball next year.. and I needed more than triple the room they gave me in terms of the number of medical issues I had to elaborate on. It's sad. But the really sweet part - only like 4 of them I had labelled as current. Praise him. He is SO gracious, guys. To a supposed failure like me, and certainly to you.

Haha for the record, I labelled depression as a previous condition. I think that's true, but even if it isn't, it felt pretty sweet to write that :)

One more thing I have to mention since I have your attention and all here. I'm reading Mark Buchanan's Rest of God these days, alongside my psych text, and it is brilliant. I've never been the one to gush over Mark Buchanan but you all should read it. Seriously. Go buy it or borrow it or something (I'm borrowing it from my Pastor). And read your Bibles every day. That's worth MUCH more than a cheesy Qwanoes song, it changes your life.

Since I just love apologizing, I gotta say sorry for the mini-preach sesh.

Oh and update on Meghan Carr, the 20 year old: I'm going to bridal quest. My husband is waiting for me there, so I thought I better follow through on my committment to attending.