Aloha, South Carolina

I've been gone from the land of Beautiful Places and Smiling Faces for a week, and have started to figure out how to put pictures on here from my last few weeks in Cool-umbia.

As one can tell, I've caught my first fish! Do not be fooled by this fish. You know what they say, it ain't the size of the fish in the fight... point is, we caught a shark later with these fish. It was my important job to keep the overambitious dog from imminent death as she definitely wanted a piece of the hammerhead shark.

I've also shot my first gun. If nothing else, this should make people feel safer around me. If I had my CWP, then between packing heat and a blackbelt, I'd be a real life Sidney Bristow (Alias, anyone?) and that ought to be enough to sleep soundly at night.

This is my beautiful family.  It started with Monday night family dinners at D's wings for $.25 wing night. They are all wonderfully special people who make it hard to leave South Carolina. I look to each of them as examples of how to lead a life for Christ and am blessed to call them family.

My first and only Columbia Blowfish game:

I've had the priviledge of knowing Callie since freshman year and seeing her come to the Lord and just fall more in love with him in the past 4 years.  I cherish how honest, and encouraging she is.

Ginnie. My BFF. After all the crap we've put each other through in 4.5 years as roommates, the fact that we're still best of friends really says something. :) She challenges and pushes me in so many ways to pursue the Lord, I'm sure she doesn't even realize the magnitude of how God uses her in my life. 

I also got to spend a weekend with my other two best girlfriends in NYC. Katie has a real job and lives there and was a wonderful hostess for Alice and I. It's also always great to see her brother/fellow model Patrick. Gonna miss them.

Now that I'm in VA, it is time to face the reality that is unpacking Cliff (my car) and the MUV (Mom Utility Vehicle--the minivan) and reorganizing and repacking to ship my things to Hawaii. I've come home to find my room turned into my future neice's room so I sleep on a sofa and my family won't let me unpack anything until after Maggie's baby shower tomorrow.  I'm glad that's tomorrow because I'm down to one pair of clean underwear left (the rest is somewhere in the minivan) and it's pure luck that I put my deodorant/toiletries on top of everything. I've been wearing clothes that Maggie has given me that she can't wear anymore in her current condition (6 months preggers). Her belly weight gain is my wardrobe gain. 

One week until I leave...