strength in my weakness

This is a giant picture blog with pictures of most of the good times this year had. Only "most" of them, because the best times we had i wasn't taking pictures of course!
and im not saying that these pictures can truly represent all the good times i've had this year, but they do an alright job and i love looking at them anyway.


this is from rachel's birthday party way back in january. carly and i were playing around with our cameras and i got this amazing shot of her while she wasn't paying attention



this is from disciple now back in... march? i think so.
we didn't win, but we definitely had the most fun and we beat freshman boys at eating spam, yes! haha


i took this while we were at Summit in Jacksonville, Florida. (april)
this was during one of our many expeditions to Steak'n'Shake, which is the best fast-food place in the world. aside from dions. Steak'n'Shake, when are you coming our way?

i remember one quiet night as i was walking along the river in jacksonville with my family, i told God that i loved Him, and He told me He loved me back. I told Him i would do anything for Him, and 2 months later He sent me to Portland, Oregon.


There were waaay too many pictures i had of portland for me to choose one that really represented the whole thing, and none of my pictures really do anyway, so these two are the best you get. This is of me and Selah, whom i nicknamed Booger. I babysat her while the rest of the kids moved The Door church out of the 5th floor of a building in downtown Portland. Not an easy feat... i seem to remember someone accidentally knocking a bouncy ball out the window where it fell 5 stories and hit someone in the head... haha!


Portland again, taking some apples home for breakfast and waiting for the downtown train to pick us up.

Portland was definitely the high point of my year and I hope to go again this year...

awana camp. good times.


jumping up and down and dancing in the street near downtown Alb one friday night... remember Viv?

i couldnt not put this picture in. It was nearing the end of summer, we were sitting outside of dions (where else?) being loud and crazy as usual.
(yes, evie dropped courtney)



Sleeping on a trampoline in august



katelin reading The Pigeon Wants a Puppy.
not anymore!



this was taken the night we were at marissas house and got into a giant wrestling war on the trampoline. one of my absolute favorite memories!


taken during awana. I think this picture does a very good job of summing up all that really happens during verses. eat that, leaders! :P



a definitive small group picture



bubble blowing contest at dions


playing singstar when i visited Clinton down at State. His friends are so crazy and make everything fun.




and finally, me with some pocket pals. This year was the first that i really took those things seriously; this year was the start of something very good.


so as you can see, I had a very good year despite all my griping and complaining, haha. I have learned so much and i have grown so much, and this is not even close to being an ending, because this coming year is (hopefully) only gonna be better.
and if its not better, well God makes us strong in our weakness and persecution, right? I love that verse. People have died and people have moved away (figuratively and literally), but i am still strong and God still loves me.



.... wonder what next year will bring?
we'll find out