July 23

Every thing's going pretty well here-VBS (Vacation Bible School) has started and I'm teaching kindergarten. It's really fun! I love being with kids.
It's my 15th birthday tomorrow! I'm bringing cookies tomorrow for my kindergarten class, I made cookies tonight without too many problems, and that's quite an accomplishment with my baking skills. (I can't bake... at all.) I wish my mom could be here for my 15th birthday. When I was little I always dreamed of someday being 15. But, I imagined my mom being here to celebrate it with me. . . My mind still hasn't wrapped around the whole idea that she's gone. . and I don't think it ever will.

camping

We went camping last week, and it was so hot. It was record heat in Michigan, it got up to 104 degrees where we were camping. We went to the beach every day we were there, and yes, I got sun burned. I forgot to wear sun screen for only 2 hours, and my whole back was fried. I couldn't even do my own hair. It wasn't good, but it turned into a tan so it's all good now :) We went camping with my moms side of the family, we had a lot of fun. Here are some pictures of our week.

 The sunset was SO amazing. My cousins and I went out to the sand bar of lake Michigan and watched the sun until it was gone. 

On the last night that we were there, we lit lanterns into the sky. As soon as I saw that we were going to do that, I wanted to break into tears because the lanterns reminded me of what they did at relay for life. They let lanterns fly into the sky there, too. I think I put in an earlier post that the lanterns kind of remind me of what happened with my mom. She was here, then she was gone. Just like the lanterns once we set them on fire and then let them go. Anyway, we had one lantern for each family. All of the lanterns went up into the air, but ours. Our lantern got lit, and then me and my dad were holding it until the fire filled up the lantern with enough air, my dad said let go so we let go of the lantern and watched it go up... for about 2 seconds. Then, it completely dropped and landed in the lake.  I have to say it was kind of entertaining to watch the fire go out from the water, but I wish it would have gone into the air. I think the only reason ours was the only one that didn't go into the air is because my mom wasn't there. Every other family had a "complete" family. (A mom, a dad, that sort of thing.) My grandma and my grandpa, my Aunt Lori and Todd, and my Aunt Stephanie and my Uncle Kevin. If my mom was here, I'm 100% sure that our lantern would have gone into the air-and not into the lake.