When you ask most college student what their summer plans are, they usually say either work or go to the beach. While I don't exactly see a beach trip in store for my summer (I haven't been to the beach since a sixth-grade ), I still plan to have an eventful summer.

One of the biggest events of the summer, for me anyway, is that I will be turning 22 on June 17. Getting to celebrate another year of life with family and friends will be a huge thing for me. While 21 has been a lot less stressful of a year than when I was 20, I'm excited to see what 22 has in store for me.

I will get to do many things with my church family back home! One of the biggest in this aspect is leading youth on Wednesdays. I am currently working on a series called "Greater Purpose." The idea of this series is that while we may not necessarily know our purpose for being on this earth, God does and has a bigger plan for us than we could ever fathom.

I will also be doing some worship with this as well, and I can't wait to share that with you all. Throughout the summer, each week, my articles will be a brief synopsis of what I speak on in Greater Purpose and any other series I may do.

I will also be helping with Vacation Bible School again! The last two years, I have had the honor of presenting the lesson to the young children that come to VBS with the youth leader, Shane Williams. Not only has leading youth and presenting the lesson at VBS helped me grow as a Christian. it has also instilled in me many lessons and teaching methods that I will take with me into the classroom when I begin teaching math one day.

Another event I love getting to help with is the Panther Run, a 5K mud run that the fine folks at The Ridge Outdoor Adventure and Off-Road Riding Park put on each year. This is one of my favorite events of the year because not only do I like to get a little dirty and play out in the mud (I used to go mud riding a lot in the past).

I also like getting to see the people running the race perform the obstacles and try to get through the course. After all the participants have run the race, the workers then have the opportunity to run the race themselves. Let me tell you from experience, this is definitely not an easy race, but it definitely shows you that you can overcome any obstacle that comes your way.

A big opportunity I have throughout the summer is serving my grandmother, as well as helping a former teacher my mom had in school, Mr. Moss. After I return home for the summer, my grandmother will be having cataracts surgery, which will put her out of doing yard work, which she loves to do, for around a month to a month and a half.

I will have the opportunity of serving her by taking on that role for her while she is out of commission. This is an opportunity for me to not only serve my grandmother, but also the opportunity to give back a portion of what she has done for me over the years.

I will be helping Mr. Moss with various tasks as well. Some of it will be yard work, while it may also consist of sorting papers and other files for the Pinson Historical Society or the Blount County Museum. This may sound tedious, but I actually enjoy getting to look at some of the histories of Blount County and the surrounding areas.

While my summer may not be the most action-packed summer that most people have, I will be keeping busy and having fun in my own way. I absolutely look forward to this summer!