Sunday, oh sunday. What a momentous day it was! Sunday marked the day that Joshua Cooper finally had his BBQ party. And MAN was it fun. Please enjoy my largest photo post to date....

here's joshua...

...and here's the party :)

I shall never grow up
Make believe is much too fun
Can we go far away to the humming meadow

It's happening all the time
When I open my eyes
I'm still taken by surprise

We were walking there
And I had tangles in my hair
But you make me feel so pretty

You have shining eyes
Yes like those forest lights
And it makes me want to cry

I shall never grow up
Make believe is much too fun
Can we go far away to the humming meadow

This place is so lovely
It kind of makes me very happy
Let's go far away to the humming meadow

-Eisley, Brightly Wound
(go to the bottom of the page to play the song while you read the post!)

So, I'm sitting here at my computer with a banquet, party and sleepover behind me and two weeks of freedom ahead of me and thinking just how little I actually praise God for His blessings. ALL blessings flow from Him. He blessed me with the Banana Nut Crunch this morning, the friends to laugh with last night, the voice to sing with the day before, and every single moment of breath before that. Dear Heavenly Father, THANK YOU. I keep writing and erasing trying to say the perfect thanks to you so I'll give up now. Thanks...just thanks. I love you.

So, what about this banquet and party, etc? Well I'm glad you asked. Yesterday was Covenant Life Church's annual 10:31 Youth Banquet.

Bryce Hoover and Emily Boisvert were this years 10:31 award winners. They were both my first place votes and I couldn't be more grateful to have them as friends. Above is a screen cap from my brother's video. He did an excellent job editing together hours of interview and home video footage. I'm so proud of him.

One of my favorite pictures ever got in the booklet this year. Courtney and Kristen, God's going to have to give me at least 2 of the eternal years in heaven just to talk all about how much you've meant to me here down on earth. I love and respect you more than you'll ever know.

Okay, so uh, no. Not all the pictures turned out this happy. Yet somehow, most people simply ignore the fact that they have computer recycle bins full of awful pictures of themselves in awkward positions with greasy foreheads and eyes closed. So, here is my tribute to those lonely pictures:

Here's your 10:31 winner giving me a blessing or threatening to snip my hair?

Here's your other 10:31 winner kicking me out of a group picture?

Oooh gosh. Cardboard stand-up Neal posing with a red-headed zombie?

Hahahaha. The sad consequences of rolling your eyes in front of the camera.

(photo credit for the first three: ?, ?, Taylor)

* * *

And then was Kristen's 1940's Hollywood themed after-party. LOVE! It was brilliant. She thought up a photo booth and chocolate fountain and a Twilight Zone episode and so much more.

Riley wins the award of my favorite guest of the night. You know you're happy you came, goof. Admit it. Sorry for embarrassing you in front of your cool friends ;) I'll try and get rich one day and buy you a chocolate fountain to make up for it.

So after the party, Julie, Courtney, and I spent the night at the Snyder's. We stayed up to 4:30am? I don't know. I accidentally locked everybody down in the basement and Courtney's phone died so we didn't have a clock. We could have been like the glasses dude in the vault and survived the H-bomb that destroyed civilization, guys!

(photo credit: mrs. snyder)