I once heard someone say that a person's personality is set by the time they're five years old. When I was five, I was a social butterfly, I loved being outside and I was adamant about learning to read. For the most part, I was pleasant to be around, I cared nothing about how I looked and I longed to be just like a boy, not with the barbies, but with the hockey sticks and the teather balls. I also talked about God a lot. I talked to Him a lot.

So is this who I am today? Sometimes. Mostly, it's who I aspire to be. I'm in my twenties now and I have no idea what my plan is for the rest of my life. I think I'm just gonna wing it! One thing I know is that Africa will be a part of my future. It will start in September, but it won't ever end. When God made me, He created me with a desire to go to that continent. I have no idea why. But it's a desire that resonates through me; you can tell the excitement in my face when I pick up a book on the Congo, Sierra Leone, South Africa. I can't believe the day has come to finally go there.

A little about me... I love to talk about God. You might need to tell me to calm down when I do, I get really excited. I love poetry, need music to survive, am inspired by good photography, can't get enough of the outdoors. When I was young, I couldn't wear dresses or skirts or anything other than runners because I always needed to be ready for an adventure. I really haven't changed that much. One day, I plan on seeing the penguins march in Antartica for the entire year, working on a fishing boat for a full 6 months, hiking a mountain in Peru all the way to the summit, living with a native tribe in the middle of nowhere for an extended period of

time, going on a real pilgrimage like in Chaucer's day, visiting every historical sight that I have in my head right now and tune in for the rest, I plan on doing it all. But most of all, more than anything, I want to dedicate my entire life to helping people. I don't think that excludes me working at Starbucks or the Boathouse like I do right now, it means just loving everyone. I think that's the hardest thing. Loving everyone.

I'd love to be a nurse one day. But I'd also love to be a journalist, a teacher, a historian, a translator for the UN. I can't wait to start. I really truly feel like a new chapter starts this September. I think God's been preparing me for this. He's taken me through a lot of tough areas in the past few months and I've learned so much about myself. I'm about to learn more. There's really no way to end this biography. Thanks for reading about me.

Layne