8. Virginia Beach, VA. Amazing. I went there only twice, but each time the view of the Atlantic was absolutely breathtaking. I listened to Death Cab for Cutie’s “Transatlanticism” and at the time I was thinking about someone that I missed a heck of a lot, miles and miles away from me.

7. Sleeping Bear Dunes, MI. I love going up north and climbing these sand dunes… excellent memories. I’ve never seen such big piles of sand! Plus, Lake Michigan is a sight to behold.

6. Cape Kiwanda, OR. I sat on this large rock, overlooking the Pacific Ocean in the middle of winter. Seagulls were making their high-pitched chalky noises, and the salt smell was overpowering. Off to my left was a giant rock jutting out of the Pacific. The Ocean was brewing and churning with all its gray and stark colors, and I decided that I didn’t want to leave that place. Unfortunately I had to, because I started getting really cold really fast.

5. Tama Tama, Venezuela. When I was younger, I went to an english-speaking boarding school in the heart of the Amazonas rainforest, on the banks of the Orinoco. There was this rock that came out during dry season, and so many wonderful memories revolve around that rock. Also, the stars were spectacular. We would lay out on the sandbars in the middle of the river at night and be fascinated with the billions of pin-prick lights that lit up the sky. There also were these falls that we used to go to, called Shabadibodah (which means “The place where the snake ate the man” in the native language), whose roar was so loud that we couldn’t hear correctly for a couple days after each time we camped there.

4. The mission house, Puerto Ayacucho, Venezuela. There was a mission house that was right next to the church in Puerto Ayacucho. My mom grew up there, and we would occasionally stay in it. I loved the beautiful pink flowers that grew right next to it, and the smell of chicken empanadas frying just down the street. There was a ramp there that we would play tag on, and we would run up and down it pretending that if we could just run a bit faster, we would fly. Also, they sold orange pop out back, and we would get one in the heat of the day.

3. Denali National Park, Alaska. We spent all day on a small school bus on a dirt road touring acres and acres of wild territory in Alaska. I was in awe at the dangerous beauty of Mt. McKinley and the glaciers that jutted from the mountains all around us.

2. Silver Falls, OR. I would give almost anything to go back there and experience the breathtaking beauty of Silver Falls. The rocks nearby were covered with moss, and these stairs wound down to the bottom of each set of falls, built 60 years before and still standing strong.

1. Jersey Shore, PA. There’s this river that runs through it called “Larry’s Creek”. I went wading in it a couple different times, and some of my most personal experiences with God happened there. I was healing from a breakup at that point, and it was like the river just cleared all my senses and helped me to see past the pain. Also, at night when the stars came out it was just like laying on the sandbar in Venezuela. There were billions of stars, and I considered how small I was among them and how great my God was!