sweet lasts

goodness..this seasons of lasts is about to come to a close. I cannot believe I move to Auburn in 8 DAYS. that's insane. I feel like I need to talk about all my little emotional last moments in this blog..but I'll spare you guys ;)

anywho. I just got back from my LAST family trip before I head off to college. some of our good friends were staying in North Carolina this week and invited us up for the weekend to go white water rafting and such. being the scaredy cat that I am, I tried to opt out of the vicious Ocoee River, but Donnie Quinn wasn't going to let that happen. SIDE NOTE: he never has been one to let me stay away from my fears..roller coasters, white water rafting, horseback riding, vegetables, and any other pathetic fear you can think of. he let me cry through all of these as a child, and, of course, I loved them at the end. that's the great thing about dads. making you face your fears and what not. oh, and yes. I was scared of all of those things. I was am the most paranoid person ever when it comes to anything involving an adrenaline rush. we have a lot of pictures of me crying at theme parks.

enough about my paranoia..let's see some pictures.

we stopped for a little while to see the river and watch some rafters.

look at my cute little bro..he's gunna be already is a little heartbreaker.

he's actually not taller than me..I still have 2 inches on him. but I feel like I'm going to come home one weekend and all of a sudden be looking up to him. scary thoughts.

"I don't wanna smile anymore..take a picture of me looking like I'm taking in the nature." typical 12 year old for ya..

they tried to teach me to skip rocks..I know how, I just really suck at it.

looks like I'm about to take him out..but don't worry, I'm probably just trying to not listen to him teaching me how to skip rocks :)

love this woman. cannot begin to believe that I leave her so soon..

and these guys too :)

so after many failed attempts to skip rocks (with a few successes), we hopped back in the pilot and drove up the mountain to a cabin with the most beautiful view I've ever seen in my life.

this beautiful sight was a wonderful reminder of my Creator. my Sunday school teacher for the past 3 years always says that one of the ways God reveals Himself is through nature. my heart sank when I was taking pictures of this view. I found myself wishing I had brought my Bible so that I could sit and meditate on God's word. I've been putting God to the side lately and second to all the busyness that has surrounded me this month. this longing to spend time with Him just reminded me how important it is to draw near to Him. especially during this season of change because He will be the only thing that will stay consistent. so thankful for the way the Lord reveals Himself to us so clearly. and that even after we've gone astray for a little while, we can always run back into His open arms.

after the sun went down, we gathered around the campfire and sang our campfire song.

made s'mores (MY FAVE)

and just sat around and visited for a while

until all the kids went inside to watch some Glee on Netflix (Clayton got me HOOKED on Netflix. glad I can use his account!)

after a very late night filled Glee and The Office, I finally went to sleep.

and woke up bright and early to the smell of pancakes.

then we headed to the Ocoee. I packed my fears up and got into the boat.

I wish I had pictures of all of us in our rafting gear, but sadly, I had to leave my camera in the car. it ended up being a very fun bonding experience! (of course) that water felt SO GOOD. jumping into a beautiful mountain river is so much better than jumping into a lukewarm neighborhood pool. #love (yes. I just hashtagged in my blog. do something about it.)

anywho. after changing out of our soaking wet river clothes, we got on the road back to Birmingham. so thankful for this last weekend with my sweet family! technically we still have one more..but I have a feeling it won't be nearly as relaxing as a trip North Carolina..(packing packing and more packing)

I'm going to try to blogument (document through the old blog) this last week in the Hoovs..yeah. blogument. I just went there. and it was lame. don't think I'm going to go back..sorry bout that, friends. basically, I'm going to do my best to blog a few times this week (in the midst of my little mess this week). if I don't meet this challenge, you can definitely expect a move-in day blog next Sunday.

I'm headed to a best friend sleepover with my good ole Chelsey Beth. nights like this make me smile. knowing that they'll be endless in a little over a week makes me do this:

mmm..gotta love Photo Booth pics.

peace out, sweet friends! :)