from the land of Nostalgia..

I am sitting here in my living room watching the usual florida summer storm outside and I can't help but to think about past summers.
As I thought back to my middle school summers, I decided that they have been my favorite summers.
High school summers have so far consisted of either summer school, work, or projects for the next year's classes. Actually most of them involved all three. Now don't get me wrong, parts of my high school summers have been amazing. My mission trip to London and the upcoming one will be days I will remember forever. Being able to stay up later and drive later are definite highlights as well because it means hanging out more with friends and being able to do things we couldn't have in middle school.
Yet I find myself missing the summers of being a middle schooler and the simplicity that came with it. No work, No summer assignments, No summer school. Just plain fun. :)
I can't help but to wonder if that part of my childhood is gone forever. I guess this is the point in my life that everyone talks about, the point that I realize I'm not 13 anymore..I am almost 18 and it definitely feels like it. I always wondered why society pronounced people 'adult' at age 18, but now I'm starting to understand. I feel more "adult" right now then I do "kid". It's a bitter-sweet feeling really. Part of me is wistful and wants to jump back in time for just a taste of my childhood again. Yet part of me enjoys growing up and becoming the woman God is making me into.
For right now though I am stuck in the past and feel as though a part of me is gone.
The memories I miss most right now are the times I spent with two of my best friends, Katie and Catherine. We were pretty much inseparable during the later middle school years. I consider the summers I spent with them the best of my life. We would go to Katie's house and stay there basically a week. Haha :) She had a trampoline in her backyard and we would always jump on it and try to make new moves and try to burn off all the junk food we ate, even though I think we burned it all off from just laughing. I laughed the hardest whenever I was with them. The only other place I might have laughed as hard was at home with my brother and sister.
Whenever it would rain like right now we would either play cards inside, have a movie marathon, or dance and jump on the trampoline in the rain. It didn't really matter what we did, I always had fun with them.
I guess I just want to say to Cat and Katie: Thanks. You gave me some of the best times of my life. I will love you always for who you are and what you've helped me become. Each of you have imprinted my life in some way and I thank God for your part in my life. I pray for you all the time and will continue to for the rest of my life. I will never forget you both. Philippians 1:3-7 - I hold you both in my heart. Forever.