Top ten reasons this was the best summer ever — hands down.

I don't care how awesome any other summer has ever been in the history of the world — ever. This one tops it. Except maybe the summer when we became a country. Or when, you know, the Civil War ended or something. But I digress.

Seriously though, I've had the time of my life these last few months (as demonstrated by the lack of any recent posts — I haven't sat at a computer for longer than a half hour all summer). A lot of things made it great, but for simplicity's and brevity's sake, I've narrowed it down to the Top Ten Coolest Things That Happened This Summer.

#1: I Wanna Rock 'n' Roll All Night
Any time you start your summer break (which, of course, happens to be five months long) with a Jimmy Eat World/Paramore Concert, you're one lucky girl. Or guy, if you happen to be a guy. I went with my friend David Packard, and Hayley Williams winked at him. I'm not kidding. And Mitch Porter smiled at me, and Jeremy Davis gave me a nod. I'll take it. Cool things like that happen when you have floor tickets and the guts to push your way to the front. I got a lot of sweat on me and most of it wasn't mine, but the front-row spot was totally worth it.

#2: On An Island in the Sun ...
I went straight from the concert in Pocatello to Salt Lake City, where my family and I boarded a plane for Maui. I went with my parents; my brother Matt; his wife, Jeanette; and his two oldest kids, Nathan and Hailey. The kids liked jumping into the ocean — in swimsuit or in normal clothes — and letting the tide push them back to shore. Mom and Dad liked the weather. I liked the snorkeling best, and I didn't even get sunburned! It was a summer miracle.

#3: You and Me, We's Pals!
LeaDawn and I, of course, had our adventures. Even though I wasn't her roommate anymore, we still went to Shoshone Falls and hiked the R Mountain. I just love her.
I think Daniel might love her, too, which I guess I'm OK with. He's a pretty cool guy.

#4: Ain't No Party Like an EFY Party!
For five weeks this summer, I basked in the fabulous LDS-youth infested bubble known as EFY (for those not hip to the LDS-acronym jive, that's "Especially For Youth." And by "LDS," I meant "Latter-day Saint"). I loved being a counselor there. I loved the girls I was over, I loved teaching them about the gospel and I loved bearing my testimony so often — several times a day. And I'll never again hear anyone say, "All right, all right ..." without getting ready to clap. If you've been to EFY, you know what I'm talking about.

#5: Glad Tidings from Cumorah
I had a little break in EFY sessions in June, and I once again headed to Salt Lake and boarded a plane. This time, though, I headed east to Palmyra, New York to be in The Hill Cumorah Pageant. Of all the amazing things I did this summer, this sticks out to me the most. I played the role of a harlot, which was hilarious, and was one of the wicked people to cast the prophet Lehi out of Jerusalem. I hope they weren't type-casting.

But my favorite part was proselyting before each performance. We went out into the audience each night, and I've never felt such a sense of purpose before. Nothing else I've ever done has felt so important, so urgent, so fulfilling, so worthwhile or so rewarding. Bearing testimony of the Savior, the Prophet Joseph and the Book of Mormon strengthened me, and I didn't feel like I could do it enough. I had to do it, and I had to look people in the eye when I did, because I was THAT sure. And the best part is, when you give of yourself like that, you get a lot more than you give.

#6: "I Retired to a Grove of Trees Near My Home..."
While I was in Palmyra, I went to the Sacred Grove three times. There's a unique spirit there, and you can feel that something important happened there. It feels almost like the dirt, the trees and even the air can remember when God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith. That story sounds crazy, and I realized that when I told it to people. But when you really listen, it's very sacred, very true, and that feeling is wonderful.

#7: Slug Bug! Silver ...
When I came home, I knew a sad, sad day had come — it was time to say goodbye to the blue Geo Metro I'd driven since I got my license. I was going to buy my dream car — the one I'd wanted since it was introduced in 2000. My parents and I drove to Murray, Utah where we picked up my new silver Volkswagen Beetle. I bought my first car, and now I'm officially in debt. It's totally worth two years of payments, though, because it's pretty much the coolest car ever.

#8: Splish, Splash
In between trips, I managed to get my friends to take me wakeboarding twice this summer. I successfully got up once. My first time, actually. And I'm satisfied with that, because Ryan's mom got a picture of it and I got a lot of good snacks between tries.

#9: Just Keep Climbing ...
Toward the end of the summer, I climbed Mount Borah. I don't know why. It seemed like a good idea when we started, and I guess it's cool to say I climbed the tallest mountain in Idaho, but it hurt. For days.

#10: My Brothas and Sistas and Me
Overall, I got to spend a lot more time with my family this summer than usual. That made everything better. I have the coolest brothers and sisters and cutest nieces and nephews in the universe.