Dear Summer,

  Dear Summer,           I graduate this Saturday and I am not sure how I feel about it. Although, graduation means summertime and summertime means fun! Every year I make a list of things that I want to do that summer, sometimes they are short lists and sometimes they are long. So here is my summer 2021 bucket list with mood pictures (courtesy of pinterest)!: Go to watch a drive in movie with friends. Go to the beach. Grow a garden. Get lunch with someone to grow a friendship. Read all 6 books on my “to read” list. Go hiking with friends and get ice cream after. Learn more guitar. Fully run and train for a 5k. Have a sleepover and watch a movie that I have never seen before.           So far I have accomplished 1 1/2 of my bucket list ideas. I just planted my garden the other day and I am very excited for the other half, watching all of the seeds and plants grow! I can also check off number nine as I just had a sleepover with some friends which was so fun! We watched the movie How To

Dear Summer, Senioritis noun Informal : Facetious . a decline in motivation or academic performance that supposedly afflicts some seniors in high school, especially in their last term.   The fact that I procrastinated this letter for as long as I did, says a lot about my motivation at the moment. Graduation is June 5th and all at once I want to come sooner, but also kinda don't. The fact that I am so close is so exciting, but it feels so far away. I would also like to say that some senior year things like big capstone papers and projects aren't really as big as I thought that they were going to be. They are just super easy to procrastinate for-haha! I am so ready to be done with high school but then I think to myself, ‘I am never going to be in my school again,’ which can be a bit of a scary feeling. I have gone to the same small private school my whole life so it is going to be crazy strage to adapt to a different community. Speaking about a different community, I have f

  Dear Summer, There comes a time in every dancer's life where they get hurt. My time has come! Expect not from dance, from hiking. I ended up straining a muscle in foot so it hurts when I walk, run, or do any dancing. I am in a gray boot for now to help my foot heal faster and for it to hurt less when walking. I am so happy and grateful that nothing is broken, although it really sucks. I feel so restricted from any movement. Yesterday was my first dance class sitting out and it is very frustrating that I can't be in class participating and working on my recital dance. It also really stinks that it is right before my audition dates for college in February and March. Being hurt is a nice break from life because I feel less stressed right now, but I know I will feel the stress later when I’m trying to remember my two pieces for my audition. I’m sure that it will all come together in the end and that God has a great plan for all of this, it's just another thing to remember t

  Dear Summer, Remember a couple Instagram posts ago that I said I wasn’t a runner… well here we are. With having more free time this year, I’ve decided to make a running challenge for myself. In this running challenge I have to at least run 1 mile a week and for every 5k I run in the process I have to give $3 to whatever charity I choose. For example, If I run 1 mile one week and the next week I run two miles then I would owe $3 that week. Why only $3? Well to be honest, I don’t really have a job and I’m trying to save for things in the future! I think I might raise my amount later in the process of the challenge, but for now I am staying at $3 ;). How long will I be doing this for? All of 2021, starting in the first week of January! We are called to give by God, and by giving we not only help others but we help ourselves by staying humble and seeing how we can help others first with ourselves second. Some organizations that I will be giving to are:  Forgotten Voices International C

  Dear Summer,  During this Christmas season, it is important to remember that Jesus is the reason for this holiday. We are celebrating Christmas because Christ came down to earth to save us all from our eternal punishment. Christmas reminds us of Good Friday, when Christ took on all of our sin in our place and died the worst death ever. Although that was not the end, He rose again in three days and is waiting for those who believe in Him in heaven. So first of all let me say a big “Happy Birthday!!!” to Jesus because he is the reason for the season! This year I decided I would set a budget for my gifts. I set a budget of $10 per gift for every person I was spending for, including my friends. To save up, I would put about $25 away per month starting in October. Some secret santas came up in late November and early December so I had to accommodate those and put a little extra towards those gifts since they were each $10. To prevent spending this gift money or accidentally getting it

  Dear Summer, Merry early Christmas! As we prepare to celebrate Jesus’s birthday we also have to prepare for gift giving too! This year I made it a point to support some of the local small businesses in the Cumberland County area and Harrisburg area. Here are some of my favorites that I will be buying gifts from this Christmas. Glitz Soap Co. Alabaster Soaps Hope’s Facial Moisturizer Paulus Mt Airy Orchards Paulus Farms Oak Grove The Cracked Pot (employs youth that are approaching or already aged out of foster care.) Capital Joe Pure Bean Coffee (10% of profit goes to Wildheart Ministries) Juice and Java The Pennsylvania Bakery Olive Oil Grille Restler's Bagels and Deli Talking Breads   Perspective Piece Kourtney Cannon Art (order on instagram or facebook @kourtneycannonart) Wild Darlings Handmade *Ministries to give to this season* Radiant Hope   Encountered Heart Ministries                                                                                  Wild Heart