I cannot believe that I haven't written since after graduation. It feels like forever ago that that happened. Well now I'm in high school and it's an amazing experience each day. The opportunities I get daily are life changing. It has been a great school year so far. Many of my friendships have been getting farther apart, but at the same time, I have made new friendships that grow each day.

The summer seemed to fly by! it was a great time. In July I went up to my mom's, sister's house in Michigan. we went to the dunes on SIlver Lake, walked in down-town rockford, and watched old chick-flicksevery night. The weather was great up there. It was just cold enough that you could wear a sweat shirt and jeans, but warm enough that you could wear shorts and a t-shirt.

When we got back form Michigan I went to my aunts house for a week. Paige had a friend come with her, Grace. The two of them were a handful of fun. We swam everyday, we shopped almost everyday and we went to the beach one day as well. It was a great time.

DUring the summer my dad started pickup soccer games for anyone who wanted to go. My best friend, Katie, played, along with my would -be-boyfriend, Ryan. Many other people came to these as well .

Later this same summer I went to a summer camp on the Word of Life Island in New York. It was a week of crazy, competition and a lot of fun. I learned so much of how to better my life in that week.

After camp my boyfriend talked to my dad and we oficially started dating on August 10th. He is an amazing guy. He loves the Lord and is a great example to anyone he meets. Whatever he puts his mind to he gets done. He plays baseball and soccer, even though he likes wrestling the best. He is a very funny person and is sometimes a little self conscious. He is always looking for ways to help people. Ryan is 16 and already has more maturity than many people older than him. I thank God every day that I have him.

Once school started so did soccer. I played varsity soccer on the Woodstown High school team. It was a lot of fun and I met many people that will be life-long friends. Soccer is over now though. I decided not to play basketball this year. I chose to put my time and energy into my school work. That choice has paid off in my grades.

"May mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you."

Jude 1:2

When It's All Over

Graduation! It was such a memorable time in middle school. So many friends were made and lost. The memories I made there will last forever. Some say graduation is a wonderful, happy, fun time; and it is. There are however the sad parts too. People you have come to know and love are leaving. Friends that have inspired you and helped you are going away. You don't know if you will ever see them again. It is a great time but what about those people who will never come back after the summer?

I have one friend that I know won't be coming back next year. She has been such a motivation in my life and I'm sure in the lives of others. Her name is Audra. Without her I would never have done my first year of basketball, or my second and third. She motivated me to try harder and achieve the most I could. She has been such a wonderful influence in my life and i am sorry to see her go. I will miss her dearly. I almost cried when we said goodbye but I held it together for her.

Thank you so much Audra for your wonderful influence on my life. I will remember you for a long time and will continue to play basketball like I promised.

Memories

Some people have only memories. Many take them for granted. They are something we need to hold onto as family and friends. They can be shared through stories, videos and pictures. These are some memories I would like to share with everyone: The fist picture is of my cousin Kienan while he was visiting us from Indonesia. The second is of his sister Jaiden also during that trip. Third is my aunt and cousin. She would not stop laughing that day. It was right before Christmas. The fourth is also of Jaiden on that trip. It was a great time of family and fun. The fifth is of my best friend ever Katie. She spent the night that night and we had a ton of fun (Love ya Katie)!!!! The sixth picture is of my dog. He was given away because we weren't home enough to take care of him, but he will always be loved here. The seventh picture is of Jamin, my brother. He was posing for the camera that day. The eighth picture is of me. My aunt was taking pictures of me and my uncle playing bass. She edited this one for me. The ninth picture is a picture of my friends and I. This was taken right before a trip we all took together. I am on the far left, Abbey is next to me, next to her is Michelle who is hiding, and finally there is Lisa on the far right. Finally, the last picture is of me and my cousin Zailey. This was at a family reunion. With her being only a day younger we hung out most of the time. These are just a few of the many memories I have.