Crisp Air!

I love the weather these days - crisp air, sunshine (occasionally...ha) and fall colored leaves. Love love love the fall here in the east.



Two weekends ago I visited Nate in Frederick, MD. It was a lot of fun - here is a photo of a river that runs through the downtown area. We were able to walk to it from his rowhouse. There's a nice coffee shop off the river we went to that was really good and had lemon bars! My favorite. Here's also a photo of us. It was a good weekend!





I also got to see the outside of where he works. We only drove by it because he wasn't able to bring me inside without getting approval from a plant manager that was out of town - I think they think I would write down the secrets of how to make solar panels...little do they know I already know how to make my own so I don't need their ideas... Welcome to BP Solar!



This last Friday night after Nav Night we did an activity called "Bag Skits" where people bring in random objects from their dorms or houses and then we break the students into groups and they have to make skits from the bag of objects. Here's a photo of me with some of my girls and one of our girls Jess, dressed for her skit.





Here is a photo of Paige and I. It was a Tuesday night and I arrived for Bible study in the dorms and to our surprise, Paige and I were dressed quite similarly again. This happened almost every week last year. So we had to laugh as we began to dress like each other again this year - so we try and capture it when it happens. = )



Every third Thursday I babysit for one of our staff couples for their little 2 year old Katie. She is so much fun and even now remembers my name and will call it out in excitement when I arrive. She normally waits at the door for me and then says, "Maryn!!!" Lately I will set up my computer and use the camera on it to film her with iMovie - so that she can rewatch herself dancing to music or she'll talk to the computer and then when we rewatch it together she actually tries to mimic herself. Its really cute.



The last thing I'd like to write about and make a shout out to Hannah McBrayer and Emily Glenn is what I did last night! Last night we had Bible study but I decided to invite the girls over to my house so that I could serve them tea, coffee, and cranberry bread I made (from a box of course...ha). I lit candles and had music playing and EVEN bought these little pumpkin things to put on my table. Its all about the details. The atmosphere was much more inviting than a dorm room which is where we normally meet!



Then I printed off a chapter from the book Captivating and we read it to ourselves and then had a book discussion about God's love for us.



So we discussed the book which went really well. The girls had lots of questions about what it looks like to deepen their relationships with God and what it looks like to have Him pursue them. It was so great! Here's a picture of all of them. After the study we hung out till 10:30pm having popsicles even though it was freeeezing outside.



Then before they left I gave them each a cd I burned of some favorite music and sent them on their way!

So Hannah and Emily, just know that when you did that same thing for me (notice I even tied ribbons on the packets!) that it really impacted me, all the way down to giving the girls a cd...I won't forget that night we had "women's night" in college - and I am sure these girls won't forget this night!