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Twenty-One

Today I turned twenty one. Today I hiked up one of the seven natural wonder's of the world, Table Mountain. Today I soaked up the glory of God. Today I was blessed by those who love me.


Let's start from the beginning...
This morning, I woke up to, what my four lovely flat mates had created, a room covered in streamers.



Next, I set out to hike up Table Mountain and was blown away by the view. These are some pictures on the drive there and at the base before ascending the mountain. We were given three hours to reach the top and meet with our group. I made it to the top in exactly one hour. Praise the Lord for a body that matches my active attitude. I started at 9:18am and pushed to reach the top at 10:18am! Prior to starting the trail, one of our CLC's, Reagan, had announced some logistic details, "We're all going to meet at the top at half past noon. If you are one of the crazy ones, like Peter and Casey(who are two of the guys in our semester with a reputation for rock climbing, tree climbing, and outright adventurous speed), then you'll reach the top have quite some time to kill." I remember thinking to myself, I wonder if I qualify as a crazy? Well I learned something today, in Reagan's eyes, I'm a crazy! I started following Peter and Casey up the mountain and there was no way I was going to let them reach the summit alone, so I kept trekking with them, being the first girl to step foot onto the tabletop. The hike was like being on a constant stair master, rock stairs for dayysss. Table Mountain forms a prominent South African Landmark overlooking the mother city of Capetown. It is flat-topped and 1,085 M in elevation.




Some views from the top. And a jumping photo. The view was so fantastic that it gave us enough energy to jump. If you notice, I am wearing a tiara. Two of my friends had insisted I wore it since I was the "Princess." So I did, all the way up and all the way down I sported the crown.

After descending the mountain I cleaned up and put on the dress that I had eaten peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for meals saving up for. It almost seemed foreign to be putting on makeup and doing my hair because I had not done it in so long, I felt pampered. Then Marcela took me to the beach to do a photoshoot! I had a complete blast just being myself as she snapped away, wind in my hair and sand between my toes. There is something about the ocean that makes me feel at complete peace and Marcela's girlish giggles of excitement and fun poses had me smiling the entire time.


This is a little snapshot moment of my dinner. We dined in a small, Italian restaurant called, Pescadaros, in Simon’s Town. Lights were strung in the window and candles glowed on the tables, casting a warm glow upon our meal, which was lovely but the lemon cheesecake that topped it off was incredible.

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This is a view of the city lights. After dinner Janet, one of our amazing CLCs, drove to the top of a hill so I could see the lights that I had briefly referred to while conversing with her earlier. Her intuition helped make my wish come true as we drove up the mountain and saw the vast span of city lights, glowing in an enchanting beauty. Music cued to Tangled’s At Last I See the Light and the scene was set for perfection. I could not have asked for a better day. The Lord overwhelmed me with so many unexpected surprises, with feelings of happiness and with love from those around me. May God make all of your wishes come true!
All my love,
Gennavieve

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