I had friendship issues my entire junior year of high school for some reason or another. I don't say that to be self-pitying, but to give perspective to what I'm going to talk about later. I had been struggling with awful bouts of loneliness off and on for months and I could feel the toll that that took on me. Then that next summer, I went to Houseboat Camp with my church youth group and God really spoke to me there. He told me that being alone isn't a bad thing. In fact, it gives Him the opportunity to speak to us in ways that He never could while we are busy running about and sticking to our own agendas! I remember feeling so relieved and blessed to be surrounded by people who loved me so much. That's when everything changed for me.
That week I got close to a few friends who completely changed my life. They reached out to me in ways that I had never been reached out to before. I am usually the one that pursues in my various friendships, but these people pursued me. I cannot tell you how much that made me feel loved and appreciated.
After hanging out for a few weeks after camp, the group of us decided to go on a little adventure over labor day weekend. It was one of the first weekends of my senior year, and I couldn't imagine spending it any better way.
We got up super early in the morning - like 5:30 am - picked up donuts and coffee and started the long drive over the mountains to the coast. It was super misty that day and I just remember basking in the beauty of it all and wondering why God had chosen to bless me with such great friends.
When we got to the beach, we stopped to pick some blackberries by the side of the road and then carried all of the stuff that we had brought for our picnic - blankets, baguettes, assorted cheeses, crackers, cookies, vegetables, fruit, salami, etc. We spread out the blankets on the sand and piled all of the food in the middle - it looked glorious. I couldn't help but smile when we passed around the baguette to break off pieces for ourselves. I think I might have even made a comment about us "breaking bread together" and how special that was :).
Anyways, we had such a fun day of fellowship on the beach - making sandcastles and driftwood sculptures, and playing Frisbee and such. We packed up and drove to the Samoa Cookhouse and ate way more food than I could ever imagine a group our size eating. I mean we're talking unlimited amounts of salad, soup, bread and butter, ham, turkey, green beans, mashed potatoes, iced tea, lemonade, apple pie, and lots more. If you've never heard of the Samoa Cookhouse, you should check it out the next time you're in Eureka - I linked the website just above.
My friend Carson took lots of photos from this day so I thought I would share some of them!
This was just the best day ever - one that I will always remember. Thank you to all of you who made it so special.
And if you really like these pictures and live in the area, this is Carson's photography facebook page!
Sincerely,
Olivia
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