Why Hello :)

Hello again my lovely blog. It's been a very long time since I've blogged at all, either here or at my other blog. This summer has been full. I can't entirely explain my absence. It was partially due to the fact that I didn't have a lot to say. It was also partially due to the fact that sometimes having two blogs can be confusing. It can be hard to differentiate between the two at times. I've debated deleting one or both of them, and while I haven't fully made up my mind, I have been reminded that blogging has been a great way to be able to write about what I want to write about when sometimes it feels like all I'm doing is answering questions or essay prompts for school. Once I was able to remember the different purposes of my blogs, it became a whole lot less confusing.

This blog is for random things I'm thinking about or want to say, or to update my mom about the goings on in my life, and my other blog is for writing about specific things that I've been learning from the Bible or from church or godly friends or chapel or...you get the picture.

Anyways, I thought it would be pertinent to come back with an update on what I've been up to this summer. This is just the short, photo-less version. If you've been following me on Instagram (@lauriebann) or Twitter (@larzz09), you might have been able to see more details. But tonight I'm keeping it short and simple.

The first week or so of summer vacation was spent in California. My little sister (who lives in Maine) was in CA, and we spent a few days in Orange County with my grandma before flying up to Sacramento to stay with our dad (& step-mom & brother).

Then I spent two months in Maine where my mom, step-dad, and 3 sisters live. I have always spent a large chunk of my summer there, but this was the longest I'd been there since high school.

After Maine, I arrived back in Sacramento on a Tuesday around 11:30pm, getting home a little after midnight. That Thursday, the State Fair began and I spent the next two and a half weeks working concessions there. Since the fair, I have spent lots of time with friends and my family.

Now I'm getting ready to go back to school! I leave on Wednesday to go back to my grandma's for a couple days, and move back into the dorms on Friday!

This summer has been incredible! Definitely the best one since I graduated high school. I can't even explain what it is that made it so great - nothing super extraordinary happened. I only went on one trip, and that was an overnight camping trip in Maine. Beyond that, nothing huge has happened. I've just been content to relax after my brutal semester, and I'm learning to enjoy the down time that I have between semesters.

Here are some highlights from my summer:

• Spending time with my little sister in CA, especially when we went to Balboa Island.
• Getting to spend time with my brother the last few weeks, enjoying watching movies, playing games, and swimming together. He's twelve and I love that I get to watch him grow up!
• Growing closer to one of my friends at church, Emily. She's such a sweet blessing in my life.
• Spending a day in Portland (ME) with my older sister. We shopped and ate yummy foods and then spent the night at her apartment watching girly movies.
• LL Bean celebrated its 100th anniversary/birthday and had a huge celebration in Freeport, ME (its hometown). They had live music and the largest fireworks display Maine has ever seen.
• Finally watching every single Star Wars movie for the first time with my mom, step-dad, and various sisters.
• Also, branching out and trying lots of new things - movies, foods, activities, books, music - and finding that my taste is widening as I grow older.
• Having a school friend turn into a home friend (#homefriends haha) - one of my friends from college transferred out but luckily lives in the same city as I do
• Hanging out with my close friends from high school on many occasions. I love them and how reliable they are. Some things never change, like close friendships. Cherish them!
• Journaling a lot - I finished my first whole journal this summer (it took about a year and a half to fill it up) and now the summer is coming to a close and I've already filled up half of my second one.
• Getting to spend tons of time with my sisters. As cheesy as it sounds, they are my bestest friends and I  loved getting to spend two months with them. 
• Working out. Yes, this is Laurie, and I said working out is a highlight of my summer. But it is - I've learned that part of being a good steward of my body is to discipline it and condition it. Holly taught me her vball team's arm routine and it can be brutal if you really push yourself but it's great. I've also found other great things that have helped strengthen me.
• I've already mentioned it a little but I have loved swimming this summer. We have a pool at my dad's and I've been able to swim with my dad and my brother a lot. They always have a football with them and it's been fun to throw that around and have contests with my brother and stuff.
• When I was in Maine I got to spend a lot more time with church friends there than I usually do. It's such a blessing to be around other believers and to belly laugh with them and be able to hold serious conversations too. I also got to go to youth group with my mom (who's a leader) and get to know some of the kids. The church is a wonderful place and I truly love God's people.

Well I could keep going but I've already written more than I planned to! I hope the rest of your summer (we still have about a month of it left, officially) is fantastic!

xo, Laurie