Travel – A Pocketful of Faith

Lake Champion Work Crew 2019

About a year ago, I’d just come home from Work Crew at Saranac Village (read my post about that experience here). I had never experienced such joy or fullness as I did cleaning toilets with a bunch of strangers devoted to sharing the Gospel and when I came home, the YoungLife leaders in my area told me I couldn’t do it again. They didn’t want me to take a spot from another kid hoping to do Work Crew or compare the experience with what I had at Saranac (both understandable reasons) — I was crushed. I spent my senior year of high school hanging out with freshman girls and begging them to come with me to Lake Champion, a YoungLife camp in Glen Spey, NY, where I was planning to go to camp as a second-timer in July. I went through Work Crew training again, hoping my area director would change his mind — he didn’t.

By the time I came home from leading Wyldlife kids at Southwind in June (read my post about that here), my family had moved to a new state and I was bored out of my mind, missing Saranac and craving the opportunity to serve more than ever. I found Work Crew spots at two camps pretty close to where I live now in a session that began a day after my week at Lake Champion. Much to my surprise, my area director was supportive and called the camps, only to find that the available volunteer positions website hadn’t been updated and the spots were already taken at both camps. I was super upset, but I came to the conclusion that God wanted me to focus on being at camp with my freshman friends as a student leader. Two days before we left for Lake Champion, my area director texted me that the head leader at Lake Champion told him the Work Crew was a week into the session but was understaffed and in desperate need of more Work Crew kids. My parents were far more supportive than I could’ve ever hoped for, and the day our bus left for New York, July 5th, my parents booked the flight that would bring me home three weeks later, at the end of Lake Champion’s second session on July 26th.

That’s how I ended up doing Work Crew a second time, a crazy plan only God could make. While my time at Lake Champion was completely different from my experience at Saranac last year, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. The people I met and the challenges I faced in a new and uncomfortable job taught me more than I could have dreamed of learning when I got off that bus after the fourteen-hour bus ride from South Carolina. There’s no way I can explain everything I learned and all the fun I had, but I’m going to take a shot anyway.

Obviously, nothing about doing Work Crew a second time went according to my plan. Being type A and plan-oriented, I would’ve like to apply for Work Crew the way I did in 2018, with some sort of say in when and where I went. Not only was everything about my joining Work Crew last minute — within twenty minutes of my arrival at camp I was switched from housekeeping (which I also did at Saranac last year) to serving meals in the dining hall. Typical housekeeping attire includes athletic shorts and Chacos, while servers are required to wear closed-toed shoes and jean shorts or dresses to every meal. I was flustered and unprepared, but God showed up. My new friends let me borrow their clothing, and somehow it all worked out until my parents could send me the appropriate clothes.

Funny thing is, some of those girls in my cabin who let me borrow clothes soon realized that I was a housekeeper while they were campers at Saranac last summer. That means that their time at Saranac, in which I was cleaning their bathrooms, was so impactful that they spent the next year growing in their relationships with the Lord and ultimately decided to give up a month of their summers to help campers like themselves have similar experiences. While I felt like I had come up short in my spiritual growth and in transforming my community in my senior year, God showed me that what we had done a year ago really made a difference. He taught me that I don’t always need to know or understand what’s happening next because He’s got it under control. He has it so under control that it’s funny I even tried to make my own plan. His plan is way better than my own.

Serving in the dining hall was entirely out of my comfort zone. I knew from watching and helping my server friends at Saranac last summer that serving is a lot of work. Servers spend twelve plus hours a day in the dining hall presetting, serving, bussing, cleaning, and setting up all over again. What’s funny is that, while most servers’ favorite part of being a server is bringing food to their tables, that was my least favorite part in the beginning. I dreaded bringing out food only to hear that one of my tables wanted more at the same time as one of my other two tables because I hate to tell people no and make them anything less than happy. I have always been a huge people pleaser and a perfectionist, but this month God showed me that I don’t need to be. Even if I can’t make all the tables happy all the time (or all the people in my life happy all the time, for a real-world application), God is pleased with me for pursuing and serving Him, and while it’s good to make people happy, His opinion of me is all that really matters. As I began to lean into this idea of the pleasure God finds in me, I started to love serving. I would walk out the kitchen doors with a tray full of food and a real smile on my face because, even if they didn’t get all the refills as quickly as they wanted them, I was nourishing campers so they could have fun with their friends and leaders and hear the Gospel.

I immediately said yes to the opportunity to join a Work Crew, even if they were already a week in, but it didn’t hit me until we were just an hour away from camp that I might not be able to make any friends. I thought back to my month at Saranac and realized that by the end of week one, I already had my best friends for the month (and for life! I still talk to them almost every day). I became so anxious that no one would like me — silly me, God would provide! Even though it was rough to find my place amongst the blossoming friendships in my first few days, I kept hearing from bosses and other members of the Work Crew, “God wants you here. You’re supposed to be here, now.” These reassuring words proved true as I learned so much within the month, met people I’d served the year before, and made friends I couldn’t have fathomed in that anxious last hour on the bus. Maddie, who helped me figure out how to make coffee I’d actually like. Eliza, who bonded with me over sharing family struggles while we helped out in pits (dishwashing). Molly, who would make me a choker and seek me out in the dining hall after she finished her ODC (outdoor crew) duties so she could help me specifically. Alyssa, who would find time to check up on me every day. Saylor, who began to act more like a mom-friend than someone I’d met only days ago. Alicia, who sat by me while I shared my testimony with a cabin of Virginia girls and gave me a hair wrap later that night. Felicity, who would ask me about my session at Saranac in which she was a camper and acquire advice from my experiences. God provided.

From serving my own area and getting to hug my leaders (best friends) after meals to jumping from the rope swing into the lake on Sabbath, there are a whole lot of good, fun memories from my three weeks at Lake Champion (even though our head work crew boss’ favorite phrase was “Less fun, more serious!”). I’m grateful for the uncontrollable laughter while tubing with Caroline, the timer photos Chloe took all the time, the sunset I watched on Western night with a couple housekeepers and a couple cooks, the time Molly and I encouraged each other to eat five or six too many chocolate chip pretzel cookies, the water gun fight Rachel and I began on our last night bussing (thanks for sending me the random water guns, mom), and the sunrise we watched over the misty lake the day we left camp.

One moment that really encapsulates the month for me was actually one that I experienced all alone, but it didn’t feel that way. As I was walking back to the Work Crew cabin from my second Western night a few minutes early so I’d have extra time to shower, I could hear the program team singing “The Virginia Reel.” I remembered doing the Virginia Reel at Frontier Ranch a couple summers ago — the genuine, childlike joy of just dancing and having fun with friends, new and old. I looked to the lake and watched the sun sink behind the mountains. What a sheer privilege it was to be a part of that for another group of campers, many of whom might not have experienced wholesome fun like that since their early years, or maybe even never at all. I couldn’t help but pray a prayer of gratitude, God had reminded me that I was running a good, good race.

Anyways, here are twenty-two pictures from three of the best weeks ever, sorry I couldn’t narrow it down anymore.

Here’s a video I made to a song we liked to listen to in the dining hall. Hopefully this video will give you a better idea of what this Work Crew was. This video reminds me of the joy we found in the simple Gospel, that Christ died so we could live a life of love and freedom with our Heavenly Father. They often say at YoungLife camp that Heaven’s going to be even better than this. Well, this month felt like paradise, so I can’t wait to experience real paradise. I recommend you watch the video in HD by clicking the HD button in the bottom right corner of the video.

This video was created using iMovie. All the clips were taken with a Canon EOS Rebel T6 and a Canon EFS 18-55mm lens. The background song is “Paradise” by George Ezra.

Thanks for reading! If you ever get the chance to do Work Crew at a YoungLife camp, please do it. There’s no way for me to truly convey how much you’ll grow in one session. You will never see a group of high schoolers get so close so fast and you’ll never fall so in love with serving others in the Lord’s name. You’ll understand what His love really feels like because that community will illustrate it beautifully. Doing Work Crew twice was an insane opportunity I never thought I’d get, but I’m so glad I did.

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Southwind Wyldlife Summer Camp 2019

I was so blessed to have the opportunity to spend June 16th through 20th leading my middle school friends at Wyldlife camp! Wyldlife is YoungLife’s middle school ministry, and we went to a camp called Southwind, which is in Ocklawaha, FL. This was my second week leading at Wyldlife camp (read my travel diary and watch the video from last year here), and this year’s trip was just as fun and rewarding as the last! Today I’m so excited to share a little about our week as well as some pictures and a fun video, enjoy!

I wish I could recap every fun moment of camp for y’all, but I don’t want to ruin any surprises for other kids going to Southwind in the future and that aside I was unable to document each day as it passed since our electronics were collected on the way to camp (what a blessing! That paired with my recent time on Work Crew explain why this post is coming almost two months after the camp week itself…oops). Believe me when I say the skits were funny (one of the same guys that on program when I was a camper at Frontier Ranch back in 2017 was in the skits our week at Southwind!), the food was incredible, the Work Crew worked their tails off, the camp speaker was so good at telling us the Truth, and every planned activity was so much fun – the only bad thing was that the weather was honestly pretty bad (but the rain gave ample opportunity for friendship bracelet making!).

What I feel is really necessary to share is just how much I learned from watching these seventh grade girls learn about God. As they began to understand that God sees all sins equally and forgives even what we view as the worst of these, I recognized where I was holding onto guilt of my own sins that I thought were too big. God doesn’t condemn us for our shortcomings and wrongdoings, His love sets us free. Watching my middle school friends run around camp and play in the pool was such a cool picture of the childlike joy we’re all invited to experience when we release ourselves from what God has already forgiven us for. He wipes our slates clean and makes us brand new.

To truly summarize the fun and indescribable joy we experienced that week, I put some clips together and created the video below. I recommend you watch the video in HD by clicking the HD button in the bottom right corner of the video!

This video was created using iMovie. All the clips were taken with a Canon EOS Rebel T6 and a Canon EFS 18-55mm lens. The background song is “I Found U” by Passion Pit & Galantis.

Thanks for reading! As this school year approaches, I want to encourage anyone who is given the opportunity to lead Wyldlife to at least think about doing so. I feel so incredibly blessed to have been able to lead Wyldlife throughout my junior and senior years of high school and I wouldn’t trade my experiences with these sweet middle school girls for the world. They’ve shared their lives, sour patch kids, and Walmart cat tee shirts with me, but above all else, they’ve truly taught me more than I could have ever hoped to teach them.

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Saranac Village Work Crew 2018

I just had the best month of my life (so far, as my Work Crew bosses continuously reminded us…God has even bigger things planned) on Work Crew at YoungLife’s camp in New York’s Adirondacks; Saranac Village. I spent a month of my summer, June 23rd through July 21st to be exact, cleaning bathrooms, worshiping, and living amongst forty-ish strangers that were all about my age, and as weird as that summary might sound, it was the best of times. I’ve been trying to get this post together since I got home and I’ve found that there’s truly nothing I could write that would come close to encompassing my time on Work Crew at Saranac Village. That said, today I’m just sharing a few thoughts, memories, and lessons from this insanely memorable month as well as a ton of photos and a video I made. Enjoy!

As strong as I felt my faith had grown to be over the course of my high school years, I never truly found my strength in God or talked to Him as frequently as I did on Work Crew. Yes, Work Crew was a ton of fun, but there comes a point when you’re picking the hair off of what feels like your trillionth shower wall and you just can’t find the will to keep going within yourself, that’s when it comes from Jesus. Suddenly the reminder strikes you. The reminder that everything, every single meticulous and disgusting thing you’re doing is for the purpose of showing high school kids like you the unconditional love of God. Then cleaning toilets become less about how disgusting the bottom of the seat is and more about how you can pray for the open heart of every camper that sits on it. While from the outside looking in Work Crew seems to be a voluntary service to show campers the best week of their lives at YoungLife camp, being on Work Crew does just as much for the individual volunteering as it does for the campers on the receiving end. Being on Work Crew gave me a front-row seat to some big miracles. Being on Work Crew gave me a community like no other; one that prayed over people whenever anything went wrong and encouraged people no matter what they were doing. Being on Work Crew taught me how to be patient with people that I don’t see eye to eye with and how to love people the way God does. Being on Work Crew gave me a new outlook and mission for my community at home. Being on Work Crew enabled me to grow my faith in ways I didn’t even know were possible. I can confidently say that I will never be the same.

I only briefly mentioned that sweet community, but I could talk about each person on this Work Crew for days on end. My love for these people is endless, and I’d do anything to hear Kayla’s loud laugh or see Derren dance in person right now. I don’t know what I did to deserve such an amazing group of people, but I know God had planned for each and every one of us to be on Work Crew at Saranac for session two from the beginning of time. There’s no other explanation for how every person on Work Crew fit so well, like puzzle pieces. God is too good to us and showed up in everyone on Work Crew in the coolest ways this month. From our cabin huddling on the guide house dock in silence to watch the sunrise at 5:00 a.m. to the housekeeping crew’s late big cookie on Sunday nights, His presence was so clear in every moment.

I honestly don’t even know what else to say about this month, other than that I’m ecstatic to reunite with everyone on Work Crew in Heaven. I made the video below to a remix of one of the songs they played on repeat in the dining hall while bussing tables (I loved the song before Work Crew too but that sentimental connection is an added bonus) and I’d be lying if I said the quick flashing of happy faces around the two minute and thirty second mark didn’t bring tears to my eyes every time. I recommend you watch the video in HD by clicking the HD button in the bottom right corner of the video!

This video was created using iMovie. All the clips were taken with a Canon EOS Rebel T6 and a Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC HSM lens. The background song is “Take It All Back (BRKLYN Remix)” by Judah & The Lion.

Below are twenty-five photos from Work Crew. Yes, I know that’s probably an excessive amount but I was there for a month and the property was stunning and I couldn’t leave any of these memories out. Sorry!

This month God used Work Crew to show me what it means to be a servant, what it means to be a disciple, and what it means to be a friend. I’m forever grateful for the peak of our Sabbath days and the dirtiest camper bathroom and every moment in between. If you ever get the opportunity to serve on Work Crew, do it. I promise you won’t regret it.

Thanks for reading!

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Southwind WyldLife Summer Camp 2018

I had the privilege and pleasure of accompanying my area’s WyldLife group to Southwind (a YoungLife camp in Ocklawaha, Florida) June 7th through 11th and boy, was that long weekend a blessing! This is going to sound crazy (especially if you’ve ever been to weeklong YoungLife summer camp), but I think I might have actually enjoyed leading a bunch of middle schoolers at Southwind for WyldLife summer camp more than I enjoyed the “best week of my life” as a camper at Frontier Ranch for YoungLife camp last summer. Don’t get me wrong, I had a great time at Frontier Ranch (watch my video and read my travel diary from the week here), but getting to be behind the scenes in all the fun and hear about why we do each activity that just seems like fun for the camper was so neat. I also loved playing a part in the growth of those sweet eighth grade girls’ relationships with Jesus. I’m so excited to be sharing this special time at camp with you today! Enjoy!

Much like my Frontier Ranch travel diary last summer, I’m not going to go into a ton of detail on the itinerary of each day at Southwind because that could potentially ruin surprises for any readers that are also going to Southwind this summer, and if you’ve ever been to a YoungLife camp you know that the time is jam-packed with surprises and that the surprises are half the fun! All that you really need to know about my time at Southwind is that it was truly the sweetest. The cabin of eighth grade girls I’ve been seeing at WyldLife club all year and led at Carolina Point back in February began to see me less as a chaperone or counselor and more as a leader and friend. Suddenly I was included in the inside jokes, invited to tag along to the snack bar, asked to make matching friendship bracelets, and became a shoulder to cry on. When I got on the bus at 5:30 a.m. on Thursday I was hoping and praying that I’d impact these girls in my time doing life with them at Southwind, but they impacted me more than they’ll ever understand. Their sweet smiles during worship songs (“Rescue” now holds a special place in my heart) and genuinely thoughtful responses in cabin time reminded me what God’s love really looks like. A relationship with God looks like a tight hug. It looks like the jumping and screaming of a united cabin after winning a game of octaball. It looks like deep conversations while learning to weave an anklet. It looks like the words “I’m so glad you came to camp with me.”

As per usual at YoungLife camps, the food was impeccable (especially big cookie). The club speaker, Hancock, was absolutely amazing and used so many neat and unique illustrations of our relationship with God that we hadn’t seen before. All of the program activities were so fun, even the ones I was a little scared to participate in at first. As usual, club was definitely my favorite part of camp. Screaming the words to our favorite songs, watching the program team make fools out of themselves, and hearing the Gospel in a new light never gets old. See some of my favorite photos from our time at Southwind below!

Since I’m not describing each day of camp (and also just because making videos is so fun), I’ve included a video below! I recommend you watch the video in HD by clicking the HD button in the bottom right corner of the video.

This video was created using iMovie. All the clips were taken with a Canon EOS Rebel T6 and a Canon EFS 18-55mm lens. The background song is “By Your Side” by Jonas Blue featuring RAYE.

I don’t want to end this post without mentioning my YoungLife leader, Townsend, who moved to my area at the start of my sophomore year. Getting to know Townsend has been such an adventure and such a blessing. Getting to be her “YoungLife kid,” leader trainee turned co-WyldLife leader, Work Crew trainee, and friend has been a definite highlight of my time in high school. The energy and love she pours into me have changed my life. Townsend gave me the opportunity to lead at Carolina Point back in February, then gave me the amazing privilege of coming to Southwind as the only high school age leader from our area this year. Her faith in me and constant support is the only reason I’m anything close to a good leader to these girls. The way she’s loved me throughout my high school career is such a model for me in how I love others and how I love my WyldLife girls. Townsend was in our cabin, Tarpon Point, with me at Southwind and getting to lead the eighth grade girls alongside her was such a joy. I don’t know if she’ll ever read this, but thank you Townsend for shaping me these past two years. I wouldn’t be who I am without you.

Thanks for reading, and more importantly, thank you to the girls of Tarpon Point for the best possible time. I’m so blessed to be a part of your lives.

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P.S. – All of my pictures posted during/of my travels on my Instagram are under my hashtag, #farawaywithfaith, so be sure to check that out (or even follow it!) throughout the summer to keep track of my adventures!

Isle of Palms Spring Break Travel Diary 2018

I spent Tuesday through Friday of last week staying in an adorable little house at Wild Dunes in Isle of Palms, South Carolina with my family for spring break. We had an awesome time and today I’m so excited to share the details of our trip with y’all! I’m sharing a ton of pictures as well as a video, which I recommend you watch in HD by clicking the HD button in the bottom right corner of the video. I also linked most of the locations, restaurants, and shops mentioned so you can check them out for yourself if you’re planning trip to Isle of Palms. Enjoy!

This video was created using iMovie. All the clips were taken with a Canon EOS Rebel T6 and a Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC HSM lens. The background song is “The Other (DallasK Remix)” by Lauv.

Tuesday

We left for Isle of Palms after lunch around 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday. We spent our three and a half hour car ride watching movies, eating goldfish, and doing those fun spring break homework assignments (well actually that was just me and that “fun” comment was definitely sarcastic) before arriving at our house in Isle of Palms’ Wild Dunes resort area around 3:30 p.m. When we got to the house we spent half an hour or so picking rooms and settling in then my father, sister, brother, and I went on a short walk to the beach! It was so nice to have a house within walking distance from the beach and after this initial walk my sister and I felt comfortable enough to walk to the beach on our own. When we got back to the house around 5:00 p.m. and my stepmom made pasta for dinner, which we ate around 6:00 p.m. After dinner my sister and I went on another walk to the beach. We took a few photos, shared many laughs, and watched the sunset before coming back to the house, showering, and going to bed.

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Wednesday

My sister and I woke up around 8:30 a.m. and had crescent rolls with Nutella for breakfast before heading to the beach at 10:00 a.m. While it was sunny, the weather was not in our favor as winds and cooler temperatures pushed us away from the water. We walked back to our house around noon, where we had turkey and cheese sandwiches for lunch. My brother, sister, and father have been watching The Flash on Netflix together, so while they binge watched for a few hours I worked on my AP U.S. History homework and my stepmother read her books. Around 4:30 p.m. we began getting ready for dinner out. We went to The Refuge around 6:00 p.m. and it was amazing! I ordered the Amelia sandwich, which was turkey, tomato (which I asked to have taken off), avocado, bacon, mozzarella, and pesto (which I also asked to have excluded) on sourdough bread. For dessert my sister and I split a peanut butter and chocolate pie. After dinner we returned to the house and got ready for bed.

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Thursday

Thursday morning I slept in until around 10:00 a.m. while my family went on a walk. After waking up as they were leaving, I ate a couple cinnamon rolls for breakfast and read the Bible on the deck. When my family returned from their walk around 11:00 a.m., we drove to Acme Low Country Kitchen for brunch. I had the island toast and it was so good. After brunch we came back to the house for a couple hours before heading to Wild Dunes’ pool area overlooking the beach. While at the pool, I tanned and worked on more AP U.S. History homework before playing lacrosse with my little brother. My sister and I also spent a little time on the beach. We returned to the house around 3:00 p.m., then my sister and I went on a walk to a gift shop on the resort property to buy tee shirts. After our little trip to the gift shop, we got ready for dinner. We ate at the Morgan Creek Grill on the marina, where I had fish and chips then a chocolate cake for dessert. We returned to the house after dinner, began packing, and went to bed.

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Friday

I woke up around 9:00 a.m., and after having a couple crescent rolls for breakfast I finished packing. We did one final sweep of the house and loaded the car to begin the journey home around 11:00 a.m.

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed hearing about our trip! Be sure to follow me on Instagram @apocketfuloffaith and follow my travel hashtag #farawaywithfaith so you don’t miss any of my upcoming travels. If you’re interested in reading any of my other travel diaries, you can check them out here!

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Carolina Point WyldLife Weekend 2018

The weekend of February 23rd through 25th I had the privilege of traveling to YoungLife’s Brevard, NC camp, Carolina Point, with my area’s WyldLife group as a leader. This was my first time going to camp as a leader and it was so neat to see the other side of things! I loved getting to know all the sweet girls in my cabin better and watching them grow in their relationships with God as the weekend progressed. Today I’m sharing the weekend’s happenings as well as a video in a travel diary! I recommend you watch the video in HD by clicking the HD button in the bottom right corner of the video. Enjoy!

This video was created using iMovie. All the clips were taken with a Canon EOS Rebel T6 and a Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC HSM lens. The background song is “Feel Good” by Felix Jaehn and Mike Williams.

Friday

Friday night we arrived around 9:45 p.m. and shortly after dropping my bags in one of the eighth girls’ cabins I ran with my area’s leaders to the leader lounge for a meeting. In this meeting we were introduced to all of the weekend’s authoritative roles, including the speaker, camp director, program staff (aka the hilarious people who put on skits and organize the games for club), property staff, and more. In this meeting we also discussed the schedule for the night and Saturday morning. After a series of introductions and prayers for the exciting weekend ahead, we were dismissed and joined our middle school friends in front of the club room to anticipate club’s start. About fifteen minutes later, music began to play and the club doors open. During club we screamed and danced to a few songs, played games, and heard the talk. The opening club’s talk focused on the things we pursue instead of focusing on God and the idea that maybe we were meant to pursue the one who created these things. Following club was the opening cabin time, which was honestly a bit awkward for my cabin (as the first night’s cabin time often is). Cabin time ended around midnight, so we prepared for bed pretty quickly and went to sleep soon after.

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Saturday

I woke up around 7:30 a.m. and quietly got ready for the day (my cabin was still sleeping!) before heading to my leader meeting at 8:00 a.m. In this meeting we picked kids for the games that would take place in club and discussed the planned happenings for the day up to dinner. When the meeting ended, we went to the dining hall to claim our area’s tables at our first meal at camp. I have to admit, standing on chairs and dancing to get kids to my table at each meal was one of my favorite parts of the weekend. If you’ve ever been to YoungLife camp you know that as soon as the dining hall doors open every camper sprints to their leader’s table as though the table was going to stand up and run away. It was so fun to see that excitement from a different perspective! We ate some delicious pancakes and the best sausage (anyone else not like sausage unless it’s at YoungLife camp?) while watching the hilarious skit. After breakfast it was time for the cabin challenge! Our cabin did an array of activities, including leapfrogging around the pool, push-ups, dancing to YMCA on the dock, and trust falls from the stage to compete for the coveted cabin challenge winning title.

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When the challenge ended, we went to the club room to wait for the morning club. I distinctly remember the song selection Saturday morning being so good, including mashups of cartoon theme songs (the Phineas and Ferb theme is such a jam, don’t lie) and the “Banana Song.” This club talk was one that’s always hardest to hear, the reminder that we are sinners and that there is nothing we can do to redeem ourselves. In my now five trips to YoungLife camp, I’ve seen kids of all ages struggle with accepting this fact that without Christ’s crucifixion (which isn’t discussed until the Saturday night club at weekend camp) we are helpless. That being said, the cabin time following this club proved frustrating for some of our girls (expected), but also brought up a lot about where they see Sin in their own lives. At the conclusion of cabin time, we had about half an hour of free time before lunch. Lunch was super good as usual (although I forgot what we ate, oops) and the skit led into field games! Field games included a few fun games I don’t know how to name, a huge tug of war, and flour bombs (which I luckily dodged thanks to having my camera in hand).

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The end of field games marked the beginning of free time, so I quickly rushed to the cabin with a few of my eighth grade girls to grab our wallets before heading to the camp store. Somehow I managed to buy just one tee shirt and a sticker this trip (that’s a huge accomplishment for a tee shirt lover like me!), but the line was super long so the camp store easily ate up an hour of our free time. After taking our purchases back to the cabin, we went on the hike with a couple of our area’s head leaders. The hike was a lot of work but the view was so worth it. Atop the mountain, we took a few minutes in silence to just talk to God and marvel in the fact that despite His creation of the gorgeous peaks in front of us, He still sees us as His most beautiful creation. We took a few photos before heading back down the mountain.

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When we got back to camp, I took a quick shower then hung out with a few girls for half an hour or so before dinner. We had the best lasagna, green beans, and bread for dinner while watching the climax of the skit. For dessert we had big cookie, but this weekend they prepared a “s’mores big cookie!” The famously sweet dish included graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate syrup in addition to the traditional giant, gooey cookie. After dinner I returned to the leader lounge for another meeting in which we discussed the plans for the night and worshipped as a large group. When the meeting concluded, I reunited with my area’s girls in front of the club room. Club was again filled with a ton of fun games, funny skits, and a great talk about the crucifixion of Jesus. At the end of the club talk, the campers were given an opportunity to silently find a seat around camp and write a letter to God for fifteen minutes. If you’ve ever been to YoungLife camp, we do something similar (fifteen minutes of silence to talk to God with all of camp’s lights out), but having never gone to camp as a Wyldlife kid it was really neat for me to experience this different take on the fifteen minutes. When the fifteen minutes ended, the bell rang and we went to cabin time. My head leader asked me to lead this cabin time, and this particular cabin time after the crucifixion talk and fifteen minutes is always my favorite as a camper so I was so nervous to lead it. We spent cabin time asking and answering questions about beginning a relationship with Jesus based on the club talk and discussing what the campers though and wrote about during their fifteen minutes. The five-minutes-to-club bell signaled the end of cabin time and I ran down to the club room with my eighth grade girls. This particular club included a few “minute to win it” games, the conclusion of the skit series, and a super fun dance party filled with glow sticks and lots of whipping and jujuing. When the dance party was over I headed over to the Mason Jar (snack bar) with my best friend and co-leader Cammie to purchase some Cheerwine slushies and ice cream. After we finished our snacks we returned to our cabins and went to bed.

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Sunday

Sunday morning my head leader, Townsend, woke me around 8:00 a.m. up with a stack of area tee shirts for my cabin. I passed out the tee shirts as the girls slowly got up in preparation for 9:00 a.m. breakfast (on the last day of YoungLife camp everyone wears their area shirts!). Breakfast consisted of lots of cereal, biscuits, and good conversations. After breakfast we returned to the cabin for cabin cleanup, in which we finished packing, took out the trash, folded all the blankets, and swept. As soon as we finished cleaning we went outside to take lots of pictures before our area meeting! I have to say, we got quite a few adorable shots, I wish I was that cute in middle school! Our photoshoots ended when it was time for lunch, a delicious platter of chicken sandwiches and French fries. We watched the meal skit’s conclusion as we finished dinner then packed the bus and headed home.

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I’m so grateful I had this amazing opportunity to lead some of the sweetest middle schoolers around! If you have the chance to attend or lead at a YoungLife camp, trust me, you should go! You can read about a few of my other YoungLife camp experiences here, here, and here. Thanks for reading!

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Charleston Girls Weekend Travel Diary

I spent January 20th and 21st in Charleston, South Carolina with a couple of my best friends, Evan and Cammie, and Cammie’s mother to celebrate Cammie’s birthday a few weeks ago and today I’m so excited to finally be sharing a travel diary with y’all! I was hoping to have this post up a couple weeks ago but the start of lacrosse season and extensive homework assignments have limited my time to focus on the blog recently. Better late than never, right? We had the best weekend in Charleston and today I’m sharing everything we did, as well as a short video, with y’all! I recommend you watch the video in HD by clicking the HD button in the bottom right corner of the video. I also linked most of the locations, restaurants, and shops mentioned so you can check them out for yourself if you’re planning trip to Charleston. I particularly loved the outfits I wore this trip, so I linked each of my looks under the pictures I wear each outfit in! Enjoy!

This video was created using iMovie. All the clips were taken with a Canon EOS Rebel T6 and a Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC HSM lens. The background song is “Through and Through” by Khai Dreams.

Saturday

Saturday morning Cammie and her mother picked me up around 8:00 a.m., and from there we drove to Evan’s house to pick her up as well. The drive to Charleston was filled with funny stories, gummy bears, and stops for Chick-fil-A and Starbucks. When we arrived close to noon, we immediately parked and began shopping on Charleston’s famous King Street. We shopped at Madewell, J.Crew, and a few boutiques before stopping for lunch at Monza around 2:00 p.m. for some delicious pasta and pizza. After finishing up at lunch, we walked to the DryBar for our blowout appointments. This was such a treat for all of us, Evan had a blowout once or twice but this was Cammie and I’s first time! The three of us have watched Danielle Carolan rave about DryBar in her vlogs for the past two years and we were so excited to finally have the chance to go ourselves. Cammie and I both got the Cosmo and Evan got the Mai Tai. With our new blowout styles, we walked to Urban Outfitters, H&M, Sephora, The Skinny Dip (we took way too many photos in front of their flower wall and on their patio, see them below!), and Francesca’s to complete our day of shopping. Around 5:00 p.m. we went to our hotel, the Charleston Marriott, to settle into our room and get ready for dinner. We celebrated Cammie’s birthday eating dinner at one of Cammie’s favorite seafood restaurants on the water in Mount Pleasant around 7:00 p.m., R.B.’s. There, Evan and I shared a fried shrimp platter and shared sides of fries and macaroni and cheese. The three of us shared an amazing slice of chocolate cake for dessert then took photos on the restaurant’s dock before heading back to the hotel. Upon returning to the hotel room, Evan and I took showers then the three of us headed downstairs with some snacks for some girl talk in the lobby’s lounge area until around midnight. When we came back to the hotel room we found HGTV on the television and quickly fell asleep to the home improvement shows (anyone else always do this in hotels? I don’t know why but I always find myself falling asleep to HGTV in hotel rooms).

top (on sale at Urban Outfitters for under $20!) // jacket (similar) // jeans // sneakers (updated version of mine) // bralette // initial necklace // pendant necklace // earrings // white and gold beaded bracelets (here and here) // MantraBand // cross bracelet // rose gold ring // gold stacked rings

sweater // skirt (super comfy and under $16 right now!) // over the knee boots (similar) // initial necklace // pendant necklace // earrings // winking eyes cuff bracelet // watch (similar) // rose gold ring // gold stacked rings

Sunday

Cammie woke Evan and I up after she finished showering around 9:00 a.m. We all got ready by 10:00 a.m. then went downstairs to the hotel’s dining area for breakfast where we had the most delicious waffles! After breakfast we packed the car and went to a nearby dock to take a few photos in front of the water. The pictures turned out adorable and the water was gorgeous. Next, we returned to King Street for another round of shopping in which we hit Forever 21, LOFT, Gap, and Banana Republic before returning to the car around 2:00 p.m. and beginning the drive home. A little while into the drive, around 3:00 p.m., we stopped at Smashburger for a late lunch. Cammie and I recognized the sign from the road and immediately knew we wanted to eat there because we tried Smashburger after landing in Denver on the way to Frontier Ranch (read my blog post about Frontier Ranch here) and remembered them having the best customizable burgers and absolutely delicious shakes! After lunch we got back in the car and finished the drive home.

turtleneck // vest (under $35 right now!) // jeans // sneakers (updated version of mine) // sunglasses // earrings // watch (similar) // white and gold beaded bracelets (here and here) // MantraBand // cross bracelet // rose gold ring // gold stacked rings

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed hearing about our trip! Be sure to follow me on Instagram @apocketfuloffaith and follow my travel hashtag #farawaywithfaith to see all my future travels in real time. If you’re interested in reading any of my other travel diaries (Atlantis Bahamas, Universal Studios Orlando, and a couple weeks in Texas to name a few!), check them out here!

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Montreat, NC Travel Diary

October 20th was a teacher workday for our school district, so my family decided to take a two-ish hour drive to the small mountain town of Montreat, NC for the weekend. We visited the quaint town a few times when we still lived in North Carolina, but it’s been a pretty long time and we were so excited to be back! We had a great time in the mountains and today I’m sharing everything we did, as well as a short video, with y’all! I recommend you watch the video in HD by clicking the HD button in the bottom right corner of the video. I also linked some of the locations mentioned so you can check them out for yourself if you’re planning trip to Montreat. Enjoy!

This video was created using iMovie. All the clips were taken with a Canon EOS Rebel T6 and a Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC HSM lens. The background song is “Mess is Mine” by Vance Joy.

Thursday

We left for Montreat around 5:00 p.m. Thursday evening, and after a two-ish hour drive we arrived. We stayed in a cabin, so we stopped at a grocery store before settling into the cabin. For dinner, we picked up a pepperoni pizza at My Father’s Pizza and it was delicious! We went to bed around 10:00 p.m. after showering, unpacking a few things, and watching a little television. I shared a room with my younger sister, which was super fun.

Friday

Friday morning I slept in until around 10:00 a.m. I woke up to cinnamon rolls for breakfast before going on a short family walk to a nearby park. The walk over to the park was so pretty, with orange maple leaves covering the ground. When we returned from the park, we quickly changed then headed into a nearby town, Black Mountain. While in Black Mountain, we ate at a little Mexican restaurant called Ole’s Guacamoles. I just had a simple chicken and rice dish, but it was really good! After lunch, we walked to the cutest little cupcake shop, Hey Hey Cupcake. I chose the Mount Mitchell Mound, their quadruple chocolate cupcake, and it was amazing. Once we finished our cupcakes, we walked around the shops in downtown Black Mountain for a couple hours before heading back to Montreat. We spent a few minutes in the Montreat gift shop picking out tee shirts then spent a few minutes by Lake Susan (I shot an outfit post there, be on the lookout for it sometime soon!) before returning to the cabin. After a couple hours of rest (I spent this “rest” time doing AP U.S. History homework), we went out to dinner at FRESH Wood Fired Pizza and Pasta. My sister and I both had the marinara pasta and it was absolutely delicious but neither of us finished it because the portion was so generous. When we finished dinner, we returned to the cabin to get ready for bed and watch a movie as a family.

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Saturday

Saturday morning I slept in again until around 9:00 a.m. I had cereal for breakfast then worked on more homework before going to Lake Susan and riding in a paddleboat with my siblings. The paddleboat was so fun and Lake Susan is such a beauty! We went back into Black Mountain for lunch at The Trailhead around noon. I had the Cumberland Knob sandwich with a side of macaroni and cheese and it was all delicious! After lunch, we walked to the Dripulator Coffeehouse nearby. There I ordered a vanilla frappuccino and it was like the best vanilla bean frappuccino I’d ever had at Starbucks except better. We returned to the cabin in Montreat then ordered takeout from Thai Basil for dinner. After dinner I packed my bag and went to bed because we left early Sunday morning so I could make confirmation at church!

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Thanks for reading! Be sure to follow me on Instagram @apocketfuloffaith and check out my travel hashtag #farawaywithfaith to see all my future travels in real time.

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Windy Gap Fall Weekend 2017

I spent the weekend of September 22-24 at Windy Gap, a YoungLife camp in Weaverville, NC. I love few things more than going to YoungLife camp and this year’s fall weekend definitely didn’t disappoint. Today I’m sharing a little travel diary from one of my favorite weekends of the year! I’m so excited to share this with you, I skipped writing a Windy Gap travel diary last year (I wrote a travel diary about Windy Gap in 2015 that you can read here!) but I seriously love talking about time spent at YoungLife camp. I’m recapping each day with lengthy descriptions and photos plus I actually made a video this year! I recommend you watch the video in HD by clicking the HD button in the bottom right corner of the video. Enjoy!

This video was created using iMovie. All of the clips were taken with a Canon EOS Rebel T6 and either an EF-S 18-55mm lens or a Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC HSM lens. The background song is “The World Is Ours” by Jai Wolf.

Friday

The bus left around 9:45 p.m., just after halftime of our high school’s homecoming football game. The bus ride was approximately an hour and a half of screaming the words to throwback songs and talking under blankets. We got to camp around 11:45 p.m., just in time for the first club! We sprinted to the club room as soon as we dropped our bags in the cabins. Even in the rush, I love getting off the bus in the dark at Windy Gap and I couldn’t help but notice the gorgeous navy sky of stars behind the silhouettes of the tall trees.

We came into club a little late but came just in time to watch a hilarious skit, sing a couple songs, and send some kids from our area up to the stage to participate in a few games. The first night’s talk was about how we can’t fix the mess our sin has created and the speaker was amazing all weekend long. After club, we went back to the cabin for cabin time.

During cabin time, we talked about the talk and what we learned/found interesting. I love cabin time, it’s always one of my favorite things about YoungLife camp. Cabin time gives you a chance to verbally process what you’re learning about Jesus, yourself, and your relationship with Him while getting to know your friends better. Once cabin time concluded we all got ready for bed and went to sleep.

Saturday

Knowing that breakfast was around 9:00 a.m., I woke up at 8:00 a.m. and quickly got ready for the day. Once I was prepared for one of my favorite days of the fall, I took my friend Emma, who was experiencing Windy Gap for the first time, on a little walk around camp. I showed her the gorgeous willow tree (literally my favorite tree on this planet), the Sippin’ Parlor where you can find the best birthday cake milkshakes ever, club room entrances, the dining hall, the camp store, and how to get to the zip-line and swing. After we finished this little tour, we returned to the cabin to walk down to the dining hall with the rest of our friends and leaders to wait for breakfast. While anticipating breakfast, we took a few pictures.

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For breakfast we had delicious pancakes and some really good sausage (I don’t even really like sausage but I love YoungLife camp sausage, I swear it’s way better). Towards the end of breakfast, a continuation of the skit that we saw Friday night introduced the cabin challenge. The cabin challenge is a list of activities each cabin completes in an approximately ten minute time period for points in competition with the other cabins. These activities included rolling down the hill, sliding into the lake fully clothed, making a basket from mid-court, and doing ten pushups. We didn’t win, but the cabin challenge is always super fun, we’ve done it every year I’ve gone to YoungLife camp!

After the cabin challenge we had about twenty minutes of free time before club. Club was pretty much the same as the night before; more skits, more games, and more songs. The talk was great again, talking about the separation from God that our sin has created. The end of club led into cabin time, where we returned to the cabin and again discussed what we heard. Cabin time ended with the five minute bell, meaning we had five minutes until lunch.

Lunch included pepperoni and cheese pizza. The skit continued at the end of the meal and led us into our free time. Free time was spent packing everything Windy Gap has to offer into a six hour time period. As soon as lunch was released, I sprinted to the back door of the dining hall with a few of my friends and from there we ran up to the swing. I love the swing, it puts any other swing imaginable to complete shame. Once my friend Came and I got off the swing, we changed into bathing suits and zip-lined into the lake. After the zip-line we went back to the cabin to shower before going to the camp store where I bought a tee and YoungLife blanket (if you don’t have a YoungLife blanket you need to buy one next time you go to camp, they’re made out of the softest sweatshirt material and are very possibly the best thirty dollars you’ll ever spend). Next we hit the Sippin’ Parlor, where I ordered my annual birthday cake milkshake and it was just as delicious as always. We enjoyed our milkshakes under the gorgeous oak tree and then took a few pictures on the adorable little island.

A couple hours after our little photoshoot, the five minute bell rang and we all ran to the dining hall again. While we waited a little longer than five minutes we took even more pictures with some of our leaders. I switched camera lenses in our final minutes of free time before dinner and I just love how these pictures came out!

I honestly forgot what we even had for dinner because the memory was overshadowed by the fact that we had the big cookie for dessert. If you’ve never been to a YoungLife camp this might sound foreign to you, but big cookie is a huge cookie served in a circular pan fresh out of the oven with a ton of vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup on top. It’s so good that no one stops to divide it evenly, everyone just digs in with a spoon. It’s so much fun and it’s so good. Once we finished eating the big cookie we met up with our area by the basketball court to get our area tee shirts that we’d be wearing the next day (you’ll see we’re all wearing matching navy tee shirts in the pictures from Sunday and that’s why!) before having a little free time before club.

The final evening club of YoungLife camp is always my favorite, whether it’s fall weekend or a week at summer camp. This particular club is used to describe Christ’s death on the cross in immense depth, the kind of depth that makes you wince. Once the crucifixion is explained, campers are gifted with a fifteen minute period of silence and darkness in camp. You get to pick a spot, then you just sit and stare at the stars and talk to God. I love this, I always have. At this point I’m always reminded of my amazement that the same God that made those stars made me, and even though He blessed me with all of this I still sin and turn my back to Him, yet He still wants me.

Once the fifteen minutes were up, a bell rang and the camp turned the lights back on. We all walked back to our cabin for the most personal and emotional of the cabin times. This year’s wasn’t nearly as tear-jerking as some of my past years’ cabin times have been, but it was equally as eye-opening. When cabin time concluded, we were led back to the club room where some of the leaders from various counties present that weekend were putting on skits.

These were some of the absolute funniest things I have ever seen, my stomach hurt from laughing so much. At the end of the skits, we had a big camp dance party and were then told that Tim Halperin, our camp musician for the weekend, would be having a little concert in the club room about an hour later. Tim Halperin was so good (he was actually on American Idol at one point, be sure to check him out on iTunes!), I especially love his song “Hey 17.” His concert ended the night, so when it was over we walked back to our cabins and got ready for bed.

Sunday

I woke up at 7:00 a.m. to go on a little walk with one of my YoungLife leaders, Adrian, before her morning leader meeting. We ended up sitting in rocking chairs in front of the Sippin’ Parlor and reading the Bible. It was so nice to have some one on one time with Adrian and to just open up the word! Around 7:45 a.m., Adrian had to go to her meeting so I walked back to the cabin and began to change into my area tee shirt and actually get ready for the day.

Around 8:30 a.m. our cabin walked down to the dining hall to get some coffee and wait for breakfast. Our delicious breakfast included biscuits, eggs, grits, and bacon. When breakfast was over, we went to the club room for “say so’s.” Say so’s are a little period of time in the club room with some music playing in which campers who have accepted/recommitted to Christ can stand up and say so. I love getting to clap for and congratulate my friends and all the other campers who are making such a big step!

Once say so’s finished, we went back to the cabin to clean up and pack. When we finished cleaning and packing we took all of our bags to the bus then returned to the basketball court to hang out with the rest of the people from our area. We then went to the leader lounge for an area meeting before taking a group picture of everyone from our area in front of the camp store. Shortly after, the five minute bell rang for lunch.

For lunch we had sandwiches and some really good chocolate chip cookies. The skit concluded on stage as we ate and once we finished eating we walked up to the buses to leave. It was such an awesome weekend and I was so sad to see it end!

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If you ever get the chance to go to YoungLife camp you need to go! You can read about a couple of my other YoungLife camp experiences here and here. Thanks for reading!

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Texas Travel Diary 2017: Week 2

Today I’m finally getting around to sharing the second of this year’s Texas travel diaries with you! I decided to split them up since I spent two weeks there this year and I figured that one post would be overwhelmingly long, plus this way I got to make two videos! If you still haven’t read my “Texas Travel Diary 2017; Week 1” post, be sure to check it out here (the video’s pretty good if I do say so myself). Our second week in Texas was filled with long car rides to some fun cities and more time with extended family, making it super fun! In this post I have recapped each day, inserted highlight pictures, and like I said, created a video that you can watch below. I recommend you watch the video in HD by clicking the HD button in the bottom right corner of the video. I also linked some of the locations mentioned so you can check them out for yourself if you’re planning trip to Texas. Enjoy!

This video was created using iMovie. All of the underwater/beach clips were taken with a FujiFilm FinePix XP120 and all the rest of the clips were taken with a Canon EOS Rebel T6 and a EF-S 18-55mm lens. The background song is “Higher Ground” by ODESZA featuring Naomi Wild.

Monday

Once we moved all of our bags from my paternal grandmother’s car to my maternal grandmother’s car around 2:00 p.m., we rode to a Baskin Robbins to surprise my cousin, Julia, at work! She was totally shocked and it was super fun. After we ate our ice cream, my grandmother drove my sister and I to her house. I adore my grandmother’s house, it’s the one my mother and uncle lived in while they were in high school! My grandfather passed away three years ago, so returning to that house is always fun but really bittersweet. We chose our rooms, put a few of our things away, freshened up, and hopped in the car around 6:00 p.m. to head to my all time favorite restaurant in San Antonio; Alamo Cafe! While Alamo Cafe certainly isn’t the most authentic Mexican food restaurant in San Antonio, it’s absolutely delicious and the freshly made, warm, flour tortillas brought to the table as if they were a basket of rolls will always keep me coming back. I had my usual there, a basic chicken and cheese quesadilla. After we finished eating, we drove to downtown where we made a quick stop in a gift shop before exploring the Riverwalk. I always love going to the Riverwalk, even though I’ve walked it several times over the past ten years. We rode a riverboat (which is also something I’ve definitely done my fair share of times) and took a few photos before it got pretty dark and we decided it was time to return to our grandmother’s house around 9:00 p.m. When we got home around 9:30 p.m. we showered and got ready for bed.

Tuesday

Tuesday morning we slept in until around 10:00 a.m. When we all woke up, we quickly slipped on some shoes and ran out the door to drive through Taco Cabana to pick up some breakfast tacos (they’re the best!). We ended up ordering a dozen so we could save some for later in the day. I chose a few simple egg, cheese, and bacon tacos on flour tortillas, they’ve always been my favorite! When we got home with our box of tacos we ate a couple then got dressed for the day. We decided to return to La Cantera (yes, for the third time total in this trip to Texas) and our grandmother gave my sister and I each some money to buy some back to school pieces with. Once we were shopped out, we ate at the shopping center’s Grimaldi’s, which has some of the best pizza. We ordered a half pepperoni and half meatball and pepperoni pizza and it was delicious. After we finished eating, we rode back to our grandmother’s house to pack an overnight bag. Around 6:45 p.m. we left the house to pick our mother up from the airport before heading to Dallas for my tour of Southern Methodist University the following morning. The drive is about five hours long, so we finished our box of breakfast tacos, played Uno, caught up with our mother, and took some good naps before arriving at our hotel in Dallas around 1:00 a.m. Once we checked into our room we quickly got ready for bed and went to sleep.

Wednesday

My mother, grandmother, sister (Channing), and I woke up at 7:45 a.m. to begin getting ready for my tour of Southern Methodist University at 10 a.m. After getting dressed and getting ready, I went to the hotel lobby with Channing to get a quick bite for breakfast. After we’d eaten, we went back upstairs and waited until our mother was ready to depart for SMU around 9:45 a.m. I won’t go to into depth on the tour, but the campus was absolutely beautiful. The information sessions I attended answered almost all of my questions and made me even more excited about SMU as a college option! We had a little free time between sessions to grab lunch at la Madeleine French Bakery & Café on campus and run into the bookstore to purchase a tee shirt around noon. After lunch, I had a tour of Meadows School of the Arts, where the Fashion Media baccalaureate program I’m specifically interested in is housed. After the tour of Meadows, we got back in the car to start the five-hour drive home to San Antonio. We stopped around 5:00 p.m. for dinner at Luby’s where I had fried chicken, a roll, and some broccoli and we ended up getting home around 9:00 p.m. When we got home I showered and quickly went to bed because I was absolutely exhausted from all the walking around I did that day.

Thursday

I accidentally slept in until around 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, so when I finally got up I quickly had some cereal then got ready for the day. My grandmother is a photographer and she knows we share that interest, so she took me with her to tour a local photo lab around 1:00 p.m. After the tour, my mother and grandmother had to get a few things done at the bank so Channing and I tagged along. By the time they finished up at the bank, we were all really hungry for a late lunch, so we stopped by Whataburger around 3:30 p.m. before going home. I just had a plain cheeseburger and shared some fries with my sister. I know it’s still terrible for you but I honestly think Whataburger is much better than any other burger chain (probably just the proud Texan in me haha). After “lunch,” we went back to my grandmother’s house to get ready to go to my younger cousin, Cate’s, birthday party (she’s Channing’s age). I hadn’t seen Cate in a year and I hadn’t seen her on her birthday in several years so it was really neat to spend part of the special day with her! All of her family that was in town went to a barbecue restaurant in San Antonio called Two Bros. BBQ Market around 7:30 p.m. That was my second time eating there and I think it’s super good (coming from someone who doesn’t normally like barbecue). I had a smoked turkey sandwich and the best banana pudding for dessert. After dinner, Channing and I went back to Cate’s house and spent the night. Around 10:00 p.m. Cate’s older sister, Julia (about my age) came home from work and I had the chance to hang out with her for a while until we went to bed. I love catching up with Julia over sleepovers each year, despite the distance we’ve always been super close.

Friday

Our grandmother picked up Channing and I from our cousins’ house around 8:00 a.m. and we went straight to Taco Cabana. There we picked up another dozen tacos to eat for breakfast and save for the long car ride to the beach. We went back to our grandmother’s house to quickly pack for the beach then helped her load the car. When my older brother, Ricky, arrived (he lives in San Antonio too!) around 12 p.m., we (Channing, Ricky, our mother, and our grandmother) all piled into our grandmother’s car and drove four hours to Rockport. When we finally got to Rockport around 4 p.m., we settled into our rooms at the Lighthouse Inn. This was our second year staying at the Lighthouse and we love it! The location is awesome because it’s not far from the beach and within walking distance of quite a few good restaurants, including the one we went to Friday night, Charlotte Plummers. My grandmother has been taking my mother and uncle to the Rockport beach since they were kids and Charlotte Plummers was always part of the trip, so it’s still a tradition to eat there every year. While we waited for our food, Channing and I went outside and took a few pictures on the docks next to the restaurant (be on the lookout for an outfit post from that night soon!). When we returned to the table, I had the shrimp brochette appetizer as a meal. After we finished eating, we walked across the street to a Rockport gift shop called TG’s where we looked at tee shirts and souvenirs before hopping back in the car and driving to the beach to take some family pictures. Once we were satisfied by the quantity and quality of the pictures we’d taken, we drove back to the hotel where we showered and went to bed.

Saturday

My sister and I woke up around 8:30 a.m. and quickly got dressed in bathing suits and coverups and walked downstairs to eat the hotel breakfast. I wore my Jadelynn Brooke “Beach Bound” tee with some athletic shorts as a coverup and I loved it. Get your “Beach Bound” tee here and receive a 15% discount with my code “FLHS”! I love the Lighthouse Inn’s breakfast like no other, not only is it an awesome buffet but there are Texas shaped waffles. Yes, you read that right, TEXAS SHAPED WAFFLES! Two of my favorite things combined that make for one yummy breakfast. After breakfast, we went back upstairs to our room to pack our beach bags and finish getting ready for the day. Around 10:00 a.m. my family hopped in my grandma’s car and we went to my favorite boutique in Rockport, The Bay Window! This boutique is the absolute cutest, girliest store I’ve ever seen and I’ve made sure to make a stop there for the past three years. I picked out an adorable top that I’ve decided will make for the perfect first day of school outfit! After we checked out at The Bay Window, we went to a couple shell shops where my sister, mother, and I picked out our traditional anklets. Once we’d visited two of our long time favorite shell shops, we finally went to the beach! We got there around 1:30 p.m., so we bought lunch and snow cones from some food trucks in the beach’s parking lot. I ordered a grilled cheese from a cookout food truck and my usual grape snow cone. After eating, we finally made our way to the sand and sea. We stayed at the beach until 4:00 p.m. then drove back to the hotel to start getting ready for dinner. My mom really wanted seafood, so we asked some people around the hotel lobby for a recommendation and after hearing “Capt. Benny’s” a few times we decided to give it a try. While the location was conveniently close to the hotel, the food wasn’t really anything too special and we waited over an hour for it despite the fact that the restaurant wasn’t that busy at all. I wasn’t really in the mood for any of the seafood they had on the menu so I just had a cheeseburger and fries. After dinner we returned to the hotel and went to sleep.

Sunday

We woke up at 8:00 a.m. and got dressed to go eat the hotel breakfast. I had another Texas shaped waffle (big surprise) then went back upstairs to the room to pack my belongings. As my mother finished packing and getting ready, my sister and I helped our grandmother and brother load the car. We left for San Antonio around 10:00 a.m. and when we arrived at the airport around 2:00 p.m. we walked her to security and hugged her goodbye. After leaving my mother, we went to Alamo Cafe for a late lunch around 3:00 p.m. I had a chicken and cheese quesadilla along with way too many plain tortillas and boy, did it hit the spot! When we finished eating we went back home with my grandmother and took our bags back to our rooms. A few hours later my brother’s fiancé came over and we all went to the Pearl Brewery. The Pearl Brewery is really neat because it used to be a brewery but now it’s home to hundreds of apartments, over a dozen restaurants and cafes, and lots of small businesses. We walked around and just explored for a bit before having ice cream at Lick around 6:00 p.m. I love Lick because it has the coolest flavors, like Peanut Butter and Jelly, Kale, etc. I had the Texas Sheet Cake ice cream in a waffle cone and it was delicious! After ice cream we went back to my grandmother’s house and my brother and his fiancé left. When we got home I showered and went to bed.

Monday

I woke up around 9:00 a.m. and had some cereal for breakfast before I began getting ready for the day. Around 12:00 p.m. my brother came over again and my grandmother took the three of us (my brother, sister, and I) to El Mercado, the authentic Mexican Market Square in San Antonio. I believe this was my third time going to El Mercado and I always love it, there’s so many beautiful, handmade art and clothing pieces. Plus, there are a few awesome Mexican restaurants and churro stands (my brother, sister and I each had one and they were awesome)! My grandmother was so sweet to purchase a beautiful traditional red tunic with embroidered flowers on it, I’m so excited to share how I style it with y’all! We left the markets around 3:00 p.m. and my grandmother dropped me off at the Baskin Robbins my cousin Julia works at. Julia finished working at 3:30 p.m. and took me to one of her favorite coffee places, Local Coffee, for a little coffee date. In all honesty I don’t even like coffee so I just got a hot chocolate but it was super good! After we finished our drinks, Julia drove me back to my grandmother’s house. From there, my grandmother took my brother, sister, and I out to dinner Paesanos, an Italian restaurant that my grandfather used to love. Monday was actually the three year anniversary of my grandfather’s death, so this dinner was very special for us. Many of the waiters at the restaurant remember my grandfather and were super sweet to us. I had the ravioli de formaggio con polpette di vitello (cheese ravioli with veal meatballs) and it was amazing. After dinner my grandmother drove us all home and we said goodbye to our brother one last time. We finished packing and doing some last minute laundry before going to bed.

Tuesday

We woke up around 6:00 a.m. to eat my grandmother’s delicious eggs and bacon and quickly get ready to leave for the airport around 7:00 a.m. We arrived at the airport around 7:30 a.m. and after we’d checked our bags and picked out some souvenirs for our little brother in an airport gift shop, Channing and I sat with our grandmother in a waiting area until 9:00 a.m. We then hugged our grandmother goodbye and went through security. Our flight boarded around 9:30 a.m. and we had a pleasant trip home. I wore one of my favorite Jadelynn Brooke tees and a matching pair of Jadelynn Brooke athletic shorts for the plane ride and it was the perfect comfy ensemble! Shop my tee here and my shorts here 15% off with my code “FLHS”!

Thanks for reading! Make sure you’re following me on Instagram @apocketfuloffaith and check my travel hashtag #farawaywithfaith, to keep up with my future adventures in real time!

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The shirts and shorts from Jadelynn Brooke featured in this post were sent to me in exchange for a feature in my blog. However, all opinions are honest and my own. I don’t feature products I don’t truly love!