Everything changed the day she figured out there was exactly enough time for the important things in her life.

Bald Porcupine Island

I turned 21 this past Tuesday! Yay! This is my first birthday away from home (how blessed am I that I got to spend the previous twenty with my family?) and it really didn’t feel like a birthday until a friend encouraged me to have a party. But first, my housemate Fletcher took me out kayaking. Because I shared a kayak with him (he’s a wilderness guide guy so he’s very skilled at this sort of stuff), he did most of the paddling and I could focus on taking pictures. The trip was so special and beautiful. We left the bay area and looped around Bald Porcupine Island (pictured above). Bald Porcupine Island is a nesting ground for Bald eagles, but its name actually came about because there’s a rocky spot in the middle with no trees.

Fletcher, my awesome housemate

We shared the water with the Margaret Todd…

Margaret Todd

After kayaking, I thought I’d invite four or five friends over and we’d sit and eat chocolate all night and maybe go to the playground (sounds great right?). I didn’t think there would be that many who would want to celebrate the birth of me, but ten or so people showed up, including my housemates (that’s like another ten), and we had a great time. And then the next day at school I saw sooo many other people I would’ve wanted to invite, had I known their last names to send them an e-mail on the school server. This week has really made me think of how many friends I’ve already made and how I really, really, really love the people here. It’s such a small school but the people are SO incredible! Everyone I’ve met is just so real. And, I think if I had to put a number on it, I’d say 50% of my friends are from other countries. And THEY ARE SO COOL. Here’s a picture of the night as it winded down.