A Roller Coaster of a Weekend

Up. Down. Upside-down. Inside-out. Round and round. You get the idea.

This weekend has been crazy, both physically and emotionally! I feel like my head is spinning even now as I write. This weekend, my family and I traveled to Shepherds where I will be working as a marketing/communications intern for the next six weeks.







Our trip began Thursday afternoon. We packed up our minivan and my car and headed out. My dad and I manned my car during the trip, and Mom drove the van the whole way with the crazy kids in the back. Poor thing. =D







 It literally rained the ENTIRE time we drove! And it wasn't just a light little shower, either. It was usually a pretty good downpour. Combine that with all of the misty water every car was spitting back up with their tires and it was really difficult to see. I drove about half of the distance (which is probably the longest I've ever driven at one time), and I felt exhausted after I was done. Thank goodness Dad was there to take over. =D

But we stopped to get some fortification at our favorite restaurant, Carrabba's. I would have driven all day in the rain if it meant Carrabba's at the end of the road. Just look at that beautiful mezzaluna. Yum!

Then, we had quite a surprise after dinner when Olivia said her first loose tooth was hurting. My mother, who has a unique fascination with pulling teeth, jumped at the chance to help O out. A few pulls later, we had a tooth! She was so excited! I hope she doesn't lose all of her other ones while I'm away. I don't think I'll be able to recognize her! She's growing up way too fast.

We arrived at our destination later that night, enjoyed some swimming, and got some much needed sleep. The next day, Kaitlyn and I headed for Shepherds. I needed to complete my employee training, and Kaitlyn got to spend the morning working with the residents. She had a fantastic day spending time with the people that we've both grown to love so much. That afternoon, my family took a tour of the campus. I was really looking forward to this, since it was the first time most of my family had been to Shepherds. I wanted them all to understand why I was working here and why I loved it so much. I wanted them to understand my passion.

It was a wonderful day, overwhelming yet wonderful. I visited with many of the people I had connected with during my previous trips to Shepherds and learned about the things I would be doing during my stay.

The rest of the weekend was spent eating out, sightseeing, swimming, and just spending some much needed time with my family. We had a really fun day on Saturday. Today, we had to say goodbye. It was very difficult to do. I have not spent much time away from my family, and we are all very close. I like to say we move as a unit, and it's pretty much true. I will miss them a lot, but I know this is something I need to do, as well as something I will love to do.

Please pray for me as I start this internship. Pray that I will do my very best for God's glory. Pray that I will be a blessing and that I will be blessed by those here at Shepherds. Thanks for following my adventure!