Hey Ya'll

So yeah, it's really late, well early actually...but I just can't sleep. This week has just been so amazing so far. I don't even know how to explain it. Like I wish I could put everything I've experienced/felt into words. It's just so nice to be back on the mountain in the community where everyone supports and cares about you. Where you are constantly surrounded by God, you feel him in your life, and you are constantly in a state of prayer. I really hope that this summer is my "renewal" i guess you would call it. My chance to redefine myself and become the strongest I've ever been in my faith.

I feel that I need to really work on my faith. That it's not as strong as it could be, should be. Up here it is so easy for me to connect with God and hear what he wants. But back at home it's a different story. And I want it to be like it is here, at home. But I have a feeling that is going to take a lot of work. I mean, up here you are so secluded, there are no distractions to keep you away from God. All of your attention is on serving him.

I've figured out that there is a lot of things back home that I need to let go of, that I need to move on from. And I think that there is no better place to do it that on the Mountain. I need to learn to forgive myself for the things that I've done and to forgive the others who have hurt me terribly along the way. That sitting in silence, listening to the wind blow through the trees, and closing my eyes can reveal so much. How I thought to myself today "It's sad I can't even remember the last time I did this, laid in the grass watching the clouds." And it is terribly sad that I don't even have the time to watch clouds. That our lives are just so full of our own priorities, that we forget to just relax and sit in the silence.

*On A Less Serious Note*

Most of the guys here have already become like brothers to me, watching out for me and everything. And it's so awesome that I have Veronica on my Staff. We were in the same Major Group a couple years back, so it was so nice to see her again. I can already tell that my staff is going to be amazing!! We all have the same sense of humor and of course we pretty much all LOVE to dance :))) Our sister staff is pretty amazing themselves, and the other dancers are on that staff too. I can pretty much bet that we're all gonna have no problem getting along. We move into Baker on Sat. and I just can't wait!!

- Chelsea♥