Dear Me,

{A letter to myself one year ago}

My dear, you're much too hard on yourself. I should know. You're not perfect; no one is. Just be you. That's all that matters. So much is going to happen this year, some good, some bad, but such is life. You'll start college and make a few new friends. Yes, you'll even lose a friend. But believe me when I say that it's going to hurt, but you'll get through it.You'll learn more about yourself and you'll learn more about your flaws. Some need to be embraced, and some need to be forgotten. You'll learn more about true friendship, and even true love. You'll prove yourself wrong and you'll prove yourself right. You'll read some fantastic books and you'll write some powerful words. The one thing I want you to remember is to keep things in perspective. It's never as bad as it seems, and the sun always comes up. I know you have a tendency to overreact but believe me when I say it's never helped anyone. Just keep your head up and a smile on your face and everything will be okay, I promise.

With all my love, 

You

Anglophile

I don't know what it is - perhaps my near-obsessive consumption of all things Doctor Who - but lately I've had England on the brain. Britain, the UK, whatever you want to call it. Why does one small country have so many different names, anyway? I've just really, really wanted to visit lately. It seems like the kind of place I'd like. I absolutely love their accents, and the way they talk. I often try, most likely rather poorly, to affect a British accent, and every so often I throw in a "brilliant" or "oi!" They drink tea all the time, and it's easily one of my favorite beverages. Not to mention, the weather sounds absolutely heavenly. It rains there more often than not, and if you've been hanging around this blog for a while you'll know that rainy days are my favorite. Also, it doesn't seem to get as cold in winter, which I wouldn't mind at all. Another factor may be that The Boy is half British. His father's family came over from England, and he still has relatives living there. Unfortunately, he has never been there. And last, but certainly not least, England is just plain down cute. I mean, look at these pictures:

{all photos via pinterest}

♥♥Kristin

I've joined the masses.

 That's right, now I'm on bloglovin'. All of this talk about Google Friend Connect shutting down has scared me into it. You can follow me there! Follow my blog with Bloglovin
 ♥♥ Kristin

Time

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Time is a funny thing, really. Sometimes it meanders, sometimes it trickles, sometimes it passes and sometimes it doesn't. But sometimes, sometimes Time runs. These are the days spent at amusement parks, the nights before the big exams, the moments you spend with someone before you must say goodbye. It's funny how Time tends to do the opposite of what we want. It's really rather stubborn. It doesn't have legs, but my, how fast it can run when you're desperately pleading it to stop.

Spruce Lake

Sorry about the short and somewhat unintentional hiatus. It was only about 3 weeks, but I think it was good to step away from the blog for a bit. Anyway, as promised, here is the post about Spruce Lake along with some photos I took on past visits. (no photos from this year, because I forgot my camera. It's practically a tradition for me to forget something every year, and this year that's what it happened to be).

Spruce Lake is one of my favorite places ever. It's a small campground in the middle of the woods. We visit with my church family on Father's Day weekend every year. I love everything about it. There's the smell of trees and ground and woodsmoke, the sounds of birds singing and quiet footfalls, and a soft breeze blowing across my skin. It's so peaceful and calm there. The woods are my favorite kind of nature. Even better, I get to spend time with my friends from youth group, playing round after round of Scum (arguably the best card game ever) and walking aimlessly among the trees. Honestly, I don't even really have the words to describe it. It's more of an experience really. I'll let some of these old pictures do the talking:

♥♥Kristin

Oh, Hey June!

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It's hard to believe that the calendar has flipped again. It seems like just last week I was typing up my "Hey, May" post but yet, it's June already. I know that this Summer is going to just fly by. Here's some of what this month holds for me:
- I didn't get a chance to post yesterday, but I went to prom with the boy. And it was great.
- Camping weekend with my family and church family (it's an annual thing. I'll be sure to post stories+pictures when we get back.)
- Swimming with my best friend (she has an in-ground pool at her house, and let's say I'm just a little bit jealous)
- Just enjoying the beginning of summer (and hoping it doesn't get too hot or humid)

What does June hold for you?
♥♥Kristin