new friends.

I have spent the last few days in Sioux Falls, SD. (I'm still there, until tomorrow.) I took Friday, Monday (today) and tomorrow off from work so that I could have some sort of vacation this summer. Although SF might not sound like the average college student's dream summer vacation destination, it was a desirable choice because of one key (albeit temporary) feature: my best friend, the local paper's summer intern.

We've had a blast so far. (I think so, at least... I guess you'd have to get the other half of the "we"'s opinion as well.) Lots of laughter, lots of good food, miniature golf, and general good times. Here are some highlights (with approximately 18 hours to go):

- Teddy, our new friend at the miniature golf course. He was this horribly awkward boy, probably about 12 years old, who was mini-golfing alone. He kept edging up behind us and standing awkwardly close as we waited for the people in front of us to finish each hole. Eventually, we sat down at a bench before the next hole. Teddy apparently decided that this was our invitation for him to pass us. So he did. Did I mention that we have no idea what his actual name is? We just picked "Teddy." It seemed to fit him.

- Wendy's in our pajamas. Maybe this was a "lowlight," actually...but it was memorable, at the very least. We slept in, decided to eat lunch before getting ready for the rest of the day, and took off for the Wendy's drive-thru. However, the line was REALLY long, it was the hottest day of the year in SF, and we decided to go inside. We beat a rush of people, but the 20 people behind us in line looked at us a little funny. Maybe because we were in Wendy's at 1 pm, in our pajamas. But that's just a guess.

- We went to Walgreens, Wal-Mart, and Walgreens again to find the perfect pool toys. In the end, we went with two relatively cheap mattress-like things. They were perfect, and the pool was great. It was so nice to people watch, relax, and talk in the apartment pool.

- I got to go to church and meet all of the wonderful people my best friend is getting to know. That was really great... seeing a place with such a fantastic community, but also so focused on the Bible and its powerful truths. That church is such an answer to prayers, and it's so neat to see how God comes through: after realizing that God was pushing her to find a church that was driven by the Bible, my friend ended up at a church not only focused on Biblical doctine and truth, but surrounded by young adults striving to make those things the focus of their lives.

- Reading late at night. Sometimes the simple things end up being wonderful, and I feel like this is one of those things. Last night, we both had non-fiction Madeleine L'Engle books we wanted to read, and so we ended up doing that before going to bed last night. It was a great end to the day, and it was so nice to be able to stop, pass the book and point out a specific passage, and have a conversation about what we had each just read. The night before, we sat together and read some of the Psalms. It was a cool experience, and it was highlighted by my superb reading ability. At one point, instead of saying "...strike the jaw of my enemies..." I said "...shake the jaw of my enemies." Needless to say: 1) I was very tired. 2) We have been shaking each other's jaws ever since.

- Meeting Susan, Sam, and Spike at Falls Park. (A mother duck and her two ducklings.)

I know there is more, but that's all for now. I'm going to see the newspaper being printed tonight, and I think that'll be really neat. I'm excited to see it. I'm really glad that I had the chance to visit my best friend. I honestly feel like we have more fun every time we're together, and it amazes me to see how we each have grown in the time that has passed since our last time together - both as friends, and as the individuals God wants us to be. It is amazing to watch the heart and spirit of anyone you love grow and develop, but it seems that, when one is truly fortunate, they get a uniquely intimate look at another's heart. And to see a heart that you value as highly as your own become a heart filled with love from and faith in Christ... that's really something to praise God for.