There's No Place Like Home!

That is what Dorothy said on The Wizard of Oz...one of the rare snippets of TV I was able to watch while interning at Lavender Hill Farm for 3 1/2 weeks this summer. And now that I am home (I arrived 2 weeks ago), I couldn't agree with the girl in the red heels more. Oh man, did I miss home! No wonder why people write books... all the drama (both good and bad, funny and sad) that comes with traveling, meeting new people, living in a new place with the new people, and working rigourously day after day for the new people needs a place (or a person...thanks again Mom!) to be expressed. But, instead of harping on all those unforgettable parts of my internship (or, as I like to call it, my interntrip) that I hope to soon forget, I've decided to share some of the best parts of it...parts that I know will remain with me forever.

My first ride on a ferry, crossing Puget Sound, breathing pure-as-can-be air, and watching the sun set over the Olympic Mountains.

The tall Fir trees. This one couldn't even fit into my camera shot from 30 yards away!

Mt. Rainier (at sunset or any time of day).

Shopping at Pike's Place Market with Rosalie, Maya, and Riley. We bought some nectarines and bing cherries (they were so fresh, and so good), and some fashion accesories, but we opted out of having our fortunes told by a cat...I am not kidding!


The Space Needle and the view from the top. It was such an amazing, jaw dropping, 43-second elevator ride. Warning: 360 degree views of Seattle act as a very powerful magnetic force, and you will have a very hard time leaving the observation deck and taking the elevator back down.

Going biking...in style, of course!

Swimming and Sailing (for my first time) in Puget Sound.

Last, but certainly not least, the lavender. Who could forget!

In the end, this is the reminder I came away with from my internship...just in time for my Freshman year of college: In life, there will probably be some moments that we wish we could change, just as there will be moments (whether good or bad, funny or sad) that will shape who we are and who we are becoming. The most important thing we can do is to be open to those moments...to those learning opportunities, and to have faith, because as the Lord tells us in the Bible, "He knows the plans He has for us, plans to help us, not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future." And what could be more enocuraging and inspirational than that. Except for maybe that airline ticket that promised my return to a place I like to call home. Just kidding! ~April~

(P.S.) I just saw a preview for the TV (now that I'm back to watching TV) series "Jockeys." It looks sooo good...I hope to get to watch it (we don't have Animal Planet)! This will be the show's second season (1st episode will air on Aug. 21st at 9pm CT). Here is a link to a preview from Season 1 that I found on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoasX0I0Lgg&feature=PlayList&p=00B984A0F25FA014&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=1#watch-main-area

Let me know how it is, and also how your summer has been so far! Have a great day!