Good Friends

As I wrap up my summer season posts, I have to give a shout out to my friends from my Marion bible study. In February, a group of us decided to intentionally come together weekly for fellowship and study. There are not a lot of options for twenty-somethings in our town in terms of meeting places and socializing, so we have to make our own fun. Amber, Shelly and I decided to meet, and we invited some other young Christians who were looking for community. We ended up with a great group who came together to laugh and eat and study the Bible. I met some new people, like David, Josh, Jamey and Jason, and got reacquainted with others like Ginny and Megan. We went hiking and played frisbee. Josh opened up his living room and let us use his monstrous tv to watch Nooma. I am really thankful that God provided this group of like-minded individuals for me to be with. It is so important to have community. When I moved back home I thought that I would be cut off from others my age and with my beliefs. I would be in a community desert, I thought. But God laughed at me and proved me wrong. I'm glad he did. Here are some members of my Marion community!

Josh, Jamey, myself, Shelly, Megan, Ginny, Jason, and Amanda. I thought Amber was in this picture, but sadly no. :(

Josh, Jamey, myself, and Shelly.

There's Amber! On the far right.

Brush with (semi) fame

One week, the canoeing staff at Hungry Mother State Park (that is, me, Candace and the rest) had the privilege of escorting a local hero and his gang down the river. "Big Tom" Buchanan, a finalist on Survivor: Africa, decided to show his fellow Survivor Lex and his family all that beautiful Southwest Virginia had to offer. (Lex has tattoos everywhere. Up and down both arms, chest, back, stomach, legs, neck...and no doubt there are more in other unmentionable places. His wife is equally well-decorated). Lex and the family were really nice and friendly. Big Tom is equally friendly and generous, and has an outsized personality that suits his nickname. Tom's name is well-known in our area because he owns and operates a farm in the county. So unless you are from Smyth County, this encounter with fame is not really of any significance at all. But this picture cracks me up, so I had to show it to you and give some back-story for it. Candace's end of the canoe is so far out of the water!

Big Tom and Candace

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

I don't know about you, but I had a fantastic summer. It might even qualify as awesome. Definitely a top-ten list-maker. Alas, September has arrived, and I am trying to enjoy it for what it is and not be bitter. But that is not the point of this post, rather, it is to share some of the things that made the season earn its superlative.

Sometime in May, I ran into a high school classmate at the local Mexican restaurant. She stopped me and almost the first words out of her mouth were, "are you still looking for a job?" I hesitated, because I had a somewhat steady job at Advance Auto Parts, but Candace works at the state park, and so I wanted to hear what she had to say. She invited me to put in an application to help her as a park interpreter. I did, and I have to say, it was a good decision! I worked with Candace and other park staff to present various programs and activities to park guests. It. Was. Awesome.

Now, "park interpreter" can be a deceptive name. It does not mean "person who communicates with visitors in their native languages". The cheesy, new-age, definition is "person who interprets nature". It's really more of a park guide, the person who explains the surroundings to the visitors.

Among some of the cool things I got to do: night-time nature hikes, campfires, geocaching activities, field trips, visitor center tours, host concerts, and teach canoeing. The very best thing? The canoe trips! Once a week, we led guided canoe trips down the New River. I received basic canoe training before the season, so I was somewhat competent at the start, and I'd like to think I improved over the course of the summer. Tuesdays were my favorite day of the week, by far. When we got to the end of the trip, I invariably asked if we could go back and do it again. I have a new favorite hobby!

I learned a lot this summer, professionally and personally, about all kinds of things, like owl calling, tree identification, paddling techniques, catching salamanders, teaching, leading, and safety. I had some good teachers in Candace and others. It was really a great experience, and I wouldn't be adverse to doing it again.

While that was a focus of my summer, I did do some other things this summer. I went hiking and played ultimate frisbee with my bible study friends. I worked in the garden - I was so proud when the corn that I planted reached over six feet tall! I experienced the anxiety that every homeowner has when the grass is growing too fast but it has rained every day that week and so you can't get out to cut it. I fixed the lawn mower and fought with the string trimmer and cut brush. Shelly and I ran on the Lake Trail and talked about life and jobs and the lack thereof. I worked with some good people at Advance Auto Parts. I drove with the windows down and slept with the windows up, and listened to the birds in the morning and old-time music in the afternoon. I really don't know how it could have been a better summer. This upcoming winter has a lot to live up to.

The Hungry Mother State Park canoeing staff: Cameron, Candace, myself, and Geoff.

I got to go canoeing with my mom!

Look out, weeds! (Insert evil laugh here.)