"Home is wherever I'm with you."

Sarah Briggs and old boyfriend Ben came into town for the day, obviously that equals a party. We met Mary Ellen and Coleman for lunch at the 3 Wisemen and then decided to walk around Keystone because Hurricane Issac decided to show up outside.

I only got to hang out with them for a few hours but I love when we all get to hang out together and when our reunions aren't too far apart.

Then I was off to Fishers for a Wyld Life cabin reunion. I've seen most of the girls since I've been back in Indy but this was the first time we'd all be together in the same place. We went on a walk on the Nature Trail through Hamilton Proper while there was a break in the rain.

We missed Hannah and Helen, but I loved having these ten girls together. It's crazy how before the trip they knew very little about YL and now they're all about it and can't wait to get other people involved.

It's so fun when they feed off of each other's weirdness, climbing trees and shaking the branches to make it rain.

We found lots of cool signs along the way...

and one that reminded us of our Wolf Shirt uniforms during the field games at camp.

I love that Young Life is happening in Fishers, this time last year it was just a dream. God continues to open so many doors to make YL grow in the community and to make himself more known.

We made our own pizzas for dinner. The girls liked the throwing of the dough and then poured on the sauce and cheese and pepperoni.

They all turned out pretty great. We had some regular pizzas as well as a calzone, a pizza bread bowl and cinnamon bites.

A few of the girls had done bleach tye dye before but I though we should all try it. We all began with colored shirts.

Just like regular tye-dye you twist and roll and rubber band them up.

Then instead of mixing different colors of dye you just squirt on bleach. I love that you don't have to worry about running out of a certain color and it's so much cheaper.

We all got to work putting on the bleach and then got so excited to take off the rubber bands to see what happened.

And you get these incredibly awesome shirts that will never fade. It's a surprise to see how they turn out--some shirts change color, some turn white and some only slightly fade. A few had an intense reaction to the bleach and we could barely touch them they were so hot.

Butler loves all the Devoe dogs, especially Copper. Katy is learning to rip-stick and we all got to play in the driveway as people were finishing up their shirts.

I love just spending time, living life, with these girls.

Hannah, the other counselor from our cabin, is a Freshmen at Purdue and we all really miss her. We wrote her letters for a care package, I know she's going to love them.

On the first night of Wyld Life camp we ate Big Cookie for dessert, a YL tradition. We made our own Big Cookie, an overflowing pan of cookie that was still gooey in the middle, topped with vanilla ice-cream.

Everyone grabbed a fork and we all dug in at once. We're great at eating.

We had cabin time, one of the girls' favorite parts of camp, later that night. It's incredible to me how much they love these intentional conversations. I love that they want to be engaged in talks about things that really matter and they want to grow together. We talked about the Parable of the Sower and the seeds that were scattered along the path. The girls shared about where they are in their faith and how YL camp made an impact that they can still see.

I asked them about their dreams for YL in Fishers and wish I could have videotaped their answers. These girls have got it. They totally understand why this is important. They want everyone in their school to get involved. They want people to be part of it not because it's cool or they'll get a t-shirt or they'll get to experience the fun of camp. No, they want people to join YL so they can know more about God and have a relationship with him. They want people to know that YL isn't just for one type of person, but that everyone is welcome. Amen.

Everyone found a spot in the basement and I read them a Cold Tangerine story as we fell asleep. It made me miss YL camp and nights in Choctaw with my kids all summer long. This is living the dream.

We woke up to donuts in the morning and then the girls practically ran out the door to the trampoline. Most of these girls are in tumbling or cheerleading and I was amazed that they could all do flips and tucks. I did my best to copy their moves.

We only had a little more time to hang out but all the girls left saying, "We should do this all the time." I can't wait for Campaigner's to start in a week.

Allison was in town visiting CILT friends so I met her, Rachel and Emily for lunch at Bub's. These girls are so sweet and fun and I love getting to spend time with them this year and get to know them better. We talked about how cool it is that they have so many different ways to stay in touch with each other and that they've already had so many little reunions for their session. I love when they value these relationships.

A 3-day weekend means college Freshmen come home for the first time and I get to see them! Mac, Emily and Kayla all came to Orange Leaf and told me stories of classes and roommates and parties and sororities and missing family and food courts and college life. It seems like yesterday I was hanging out with them every week, and now they're big kids off at school. I'm glad I still get to stay connected to them.

I started driving home in the rain. At a random intersection in the country between Westfield and Lebanon I spotted this...

Campers get so excited when they pull into Tecumseh every summer and I still get excited when I come down the hill to this view of Main Field. I get to hang out with my parents--packing and dinner at the Olive Garden and dropping things at Goodwill and packing and sorting through everything saved for Katie and I and more packing and Einstein's for breakfast and packing. I have the best parents and I'm so glad I get to spend time with them.