Day 199- My tomato

Hey guys,

        About 14 years ago, two girls began a friendship that would last much longer than either one of them would realize, over a colored shape. In the five-year-old classroom(or the "Monkeys" room as it became known as), there sat a group of 10 five year olds, two of them had no idea they were about to meet their childhood best friend. When it came time for story time, the class rushed over to the carpet, and chose their favorite shape, but little Katie was overlooked. As she sat there, she began to cry, and laid her head down on the table. Confused, and a bit concerned, a girl named Rose walked over to her, "What's wrong?" She asked, with as much concern as a 5 year old can muster, "I didn't get the shape I wanted!" Katie cried. Rose looked over her shoulder at the two open shapes, the circle; a cherished, perfect, and precious safe haven, and the she looked to the square; it's rigid and sharp edges making it look so undesirable, set apart from the other squares of his kind, an outcast. Rose studied the shapes, and contemplated the predicament, finally, she sighed, a deep and heavy sigh, and said "You can have my circle." The light returned to Katie's eyes, and her face brightened as she said, "Really?" Rose smiled and said, "Yes, really. I'll have the circle next time." And thus, began the adventures of Katie and Rose.

      As the years went slowly by, things began to change. Circles no longer were "a cherished, perfect, and precious safe haven", but rather, they were just circles. Though things changed as the girls grew older, their friendship prospered. They quickly became like two peas in a pod, two hearts with one voice, they became inseparable around the church, there was never one without the other. There is a famous quote that says, "God made us best friends, because he know our parents couldn't handle us as sisters" and that was certainly true of Katie and Rose. Whether it was playing puppies, or zookeeper, or school teacher, or dress up, or whatever else little girls like to play, they began to fight like sisters, but at the same time, they loved like best friends. As they went through the elementary school program at church, their parents tried in vain to keep them in two seperate groups, for the sake of the group leaders, but alas, by 5th grade, all the 5th grade girls had been put into one group, and their plan had been foiled. The poor 5th grade girls leader courageously took on the challenge of teaching 10 fifth grade girls, and began to strengthen all the girls love for each other, and love for the group as a whole, but none could compare to the friendship that Katie and Rose had. Years went by, friends came and went, boyfriends came and went, and even youth leaders came and went, but that didn't change Katie and Rose. They looked forward to Thursday night youth groups, when they would sprawl out in the baby pool together, or yell "THE SNOW IS FALLING", and then run away, or show off their new dance routine they had learned at CYT, they looked forward to being together, no matter WHAT they did. Highschool came, and along with it came hardship, sadness, grief, depression, heartbreak, and so much more, but the powerful twosome carried on, supporting each other, and growing progressively closer through each and every struggle. With every tear they cried together, the friendship was watered, became rooted, and prospered into a beautiful flower that could be seen by all who were truly looking. The two friends were better than best friends, they were forever friends. As time went on, and the girls went their separate ways off to college, they both clung tight to that day so long ago when a simple seed of kindness and love spurred off the wonderful, sometimes messy, but always beautiful in the end friendship that they both knew would last an eternity. They both clung tight to that simple truth that, no matter how hard life gets, no matter how miserable I am, I can always call the other, and they will understand.

      If you haven't picked up by now, this is the beautiful story of me and my forever friend, Katie Van Oss. That day, a fight over a simple shape, and the generosity and caring of one girl led to the beginning of our 14 year long friendship, and I am so grateful for that day, and for everyday in between that I've been able to call Katie my forever friend. To end this post, I found a few pictures of us, starting in middle school, and ending last July at the lakehouse.

Our First Highschool Retreat! 

....Like the Rockstars we are :)

We were really cute...<3

....So, what happened? ;)

I love you, my little tomato!

<3 Always,

Rose

Day 198-Blessing

Hey guys,

     Don't you think it's funny how you can be having like the WORST week in the world, and be totally miserable, and frustrated with life and God, and then something happens, and all the sudden you're like, "Oh wait...my life's awesome...I need to quit complaining..." Well, I had one of those moments today. This week was rough, no doubt, and it's not like I was worried and frustrated and miserable for no reason, I had a VERY good reason! But, God used today to remind me that he will provide, each and every SINGLE time. I was interviewed earlier this week for a nanny position that just seemed perfect for me, good hours, good consistancy, really relaxed and laid back, and I wanted it! So, I began to pray about it. I prayed about it this afternoon, at bible study, and I kid you not, HOURS later, I had gotten the job! THAT is the power of our God!

<3 Always,
Rose

Day 196-197: Doing the best I can...

Hey guys,

     So, you haven't heard from me in a few days,but there's a good reason for that! These past two days, I have been DROWNING in schoolwork. My American History teacher made an announcement on Monday, that we would be having a test on Unit 1 on Wednesday instead of NEXT Wednesday. So, essentially, she gave us two days to read 250 pages of an American History text...FUN. To make things just a TAD bit more interesting, I didn't even HAVE the textbook yet! I had two days to read 250 pages of a book I didn't even HAVE! So, being the good and responsible student that I am(or I try to be...), I emailed the teacher and asked for an extension on the test, she responded and basically said, "Suck it up, your library probably has one. Good luck..." UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So, the next morning(TUESDAY!), I went over to the local library, and guess what? They didn't have it EITHER. Finally, I was desperate, I was like, "PLEASE, there's GOT to be an ebook of this text SOMEWHERE!" So, I ended up downloading the Kindle reading app onto my PC, and downloading a 7 day trial of the book. 7 hours later, it's Tuesday night, I have a job interview, and I'm a bit shy of halfway through the assigned reading...great...Anyways, Tuesday night, I was exhausted, I had been at the library since 10 that morning, and I just wanted to relax, meaning I KNEW the next morning I had a crap ton of work to do. So, this morning, I woke up at 7:30, and if you know me really well, you know that this is a BIG deal, because I am NOT a morning person. I made myself my very FIRST cup of coffee, knowing it was going to be a LOOONG day, and got to work. Eight and a half hours later, I was DONE. I was ready to take the test, which was open book, so because I did all the reading and took sufficient notes, I figured it would be no problem, yeah, I figured WRONG. I ended up getting a 68% on it, after FIFTEEN HOURS OF READING AND NOTE TAKING AND STUDYING, I WAS TWO POINTS AWAY FROM A PASSING GRADE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was just one of those moments where I was just like, alright, I'm going to freaking tear my head off now... To wrap up this wonderful journey of my nonexistant textbook, we logged onto Amazon tonight to see if we could track it...it's in Wheaton...FANTASTIC...

      Although this may seem like me just ranting(mainly because it sort of is), and not much to be happy about, there IS a silver lining. In the past two days, I've surprised MYSELF with how responsible, dedicated, and just a good student that I was. I understood the importance of this class, this course, and yes, that stupid gosh darn textbook, I CARED about doing well in the course, not for my teachers, or my friends, not even for my PARENTS, but simply for ME, because I KNOW I am a good student, and I wanted my grades to reflect that. All this worry and headache about school this past week has just reminded me of how lucky we are to have a savior, we are saved, no matter what! The grades that we get in school do not mean ANYTHING in the long run, they are two numbers that teacher use to rank their students, they are meaningless. Even in the working world, do you really think you're going to go into an interview and the employee's going to look at your college grades and say, "Well, looks like you failed a test back in your freshman year, I can't give you the job."? Come on, let's be real. Yes, school DOES prepare you for the real world, but the pressure that schools, teachers, parents, and even STUDENTS put on making good grades? That doesn't prepare you for the real world. There will be times when even big executives of huge companies make mistakes, or give the wrong answer to something, and do you think they get fired on the spot? So then, WHY may I ask does this generation of students, teachers, and parents place SUCH a big emphasis on being the best, or on making 100%? News flash people:humans aren't perfect, and neither is LIFE, so this emphasis that we put on being perfect all day every day is unrealistic and unhealthy!! Instead, love yourself for who you are, EMBRACE those imperfections! EMBRACE those not so perfect test scores! All I can say is this, I'm proud of myself, because I made the best out of a sticky, messy, frustrating, REAL LIFE, problem, and I handled it with grace and maturity. Not only that, but I put MY best effort into studying for this test, in the most trying of circumstances, I read ALL of the chapters(which I'm sure is more than some people did), and I did my best with the tools that I had. In my mind, I worked WAY harder than a D+ on this Unit, and on this test, but I just have to remember, that D+ is just a number, it is not indicative of how much time and effort I put into this unit. I did my best, and that's all I, or anyone else for that matter, could ask of me. I will now step down from the soapbox...;)

<3 Always,
Rose

Day 195-Getting stuff DONE!

Hey guys,

    So, today, I had one of those days where you just get a TON of stuff done, and you feel super accomplished. Hopefully I can have a WEEK like that, because I've still got a LONG way to go!

<3 Always,

Rose

Day 194-Dancing!

Hey guys,

      If you know my youngest brother, Aedon, you know that he doesn't sit still for very long, if ever, so church is always a battle. Of course, we're always running late, so we're "that family" with about a million kids that all file in 5 minutes into the service, so we definitely have gotten some "questionable" looks from people in the past. Compound that with the fact that we have 3 little boys who hate to sit still, and hate church in general, and you essentially have yourself a 3 ring circus in front of you during church. Anyways, so today, near the end of the service, Aedon decided that he was going to start dancing to the worship music, he grabbed me and just started dancing! At first, I was like, "Aedon...people are watching...", but then I realized, LET THEM WATCH! Who cares if I look like a goofball, in a year from now, I'll be wishing I had more of these precious moments with my Aedie, so let them watch, let them judge, because I'm going to cherish these moments I have with my brother.

<3 Always,
Rose

Day 193-Harry Potter :)

Hey guys,

       After a long week of school, work, and youth group, nothing spells a good Saturday night for me than a Harry Potter marathon(which kind of failed, but that's ok ;) ). I came home from working 5 hours absolutely exhausted, and as I walked through the door, Jack asked me if I wanted to watch some Harry Potter tonight, and in my mind, I was just like, PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!!

<3 Always,
Rose

Day 192-Sister Dear

Hey guys,

    So, if you don't already know this, my sister Caroline and I are very, VERY polar opposite. She has the blonde hair and blue eyes, I've got brown hair and brown eyes, she was the dancer of the family, and dancing for me was the only performance related thing that I didn't get into. She is very laid back, kind of play it by ear personality, and I am very type A, HAVE to have things planned out at LEAST a few hours ahead of time. Anyways, my sister and I are VERY different, but today proved yet again, that my sister will ALWAYS be there for me, no matter what.

<3 Always,
Rose

Day 191-New Phone!!

Hey guys,

    So, after a very, VERY long 6 months, my contract FINALLY ran out, and I was able to get a new phone today!! WAHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

<3 Always,
Rose

Day 190-Admissions Counselors

Hey guys,

      So, do you remember the immense stress of college visits and applications Junior Year? Well, for me, those wonderful stressors have lasted a very long, VERY exhausting almost 3 years. As I am approaching the end(FINALLY), of this season of life for me, I am finding myself unmotivated to continue sending applications, going to visits, and stuff like that, mainly because it's just exhausting. It drives me crazy to constantly have those stressors and the reality that I've started applying to 3 different colleges, and finished 1, as it would anyone. Anyways, I got a call from my admissions counselor from Columbia International this afternoon, and she was so encouraging. She told me that she was PRAYING for me, that I could have the self-discipline and ENDURANCE to finish this season of my life with my best foot forward. Admissions counselors have always(in my mind), been some of the most personable, friendly, and just plain CARING people I've ever met. I realize that a lot of that is just because they want you to go to their college rather than that other one, but today, it seemed like she really cared about ME. She was asking how my day was going, how my weekend had been, how I was liking my classes, she genuinely CARED, and I am so grateful for that!

<3 Always,
Rose

Day 189-Ski day!

Hey guys,

     So, let's face it. The fact that I even SURVIVED to write this post is an amazing accomplishment for me. I have a tendency to be "that one kid" that falls in JUST the right place to somehow break a bone or two, just doing everyday tasks, so sending me out on a ski hill with no prior experience?? Like I said, it's an accomplishment that I even survived. Granted, every bone in my body aches, and I am BEYOND exhausted, but after skiing for almost 5 hours, I think I'm in pretty good shape! I really surprised MYSELF with how good I did, in the whole 5 hours, I only fell 3 times, and only ONE of those times was seriously dangerous! Yay me :) I even attempted to leave the bunny hills,and go down a "real" slope, and SURVIVED!!!! Then the second time, I got my skis crossed and ended up literally ROLLING down a good third of the hill...(in case you're wondering, THAT was the seriously dangerous fall...)It's possible that I may have found another activity to add to my list of things I love to do; Sing, act, tumbling, writing, playing the ukulele, reading, ice skating, rollerblading, climbing, riding horses(on occasion...), photography, and now skiing!! 

<3 Always,
Rose

Day 188-Weather!

Hey guys,

     So, for all you "locals", I'm sure you're very aware that the weather today was GLORIOUS. It got to almost 70 degrees this afternoon, and I throughly enjoyed being outside with the boys and the dog. 

<3 Always,
Rose

Day 187- My Jae :)

Hey guys,

     So, there's this amazing BEYOND amazing girl I know, her name's Jaelen Evans(isn't that GORGEOUS??). Today, I sat sobbing after church with just a lot of things on my mind, and she was SO loving towards me, and it just warmed my heart. She is the most hilarious, spunky, awkward(in a good way), adorable, but at the same time, down to earth, and genuine person I've met here! This story shows just a LITTLE bit of who Jae is... As we're driving out to Chipotle to have lunch as a youth group, Jae and I were carpooling, and we rocked out to the Frozen soundtrack, characters, gestures, and all, and then we went to Toys 'R Us, and she bought herself a stuffed pig named Chester. Ironically, on the way home,we had a really good talk, about life, what I am dealing with currently, homeschooling(she's homeschooled too!), and so many other things. Jae certainly knows how to laugh and have fun, but she also knows how to be down to earth and HONEST, which makes for fantastic conversations! I LOVE YOU JAE!

<3 Always,
Rose

Day 186- True Colors

Hey friends,

     So, sometimes the world is a scary place. The world can be rude, demeaning, and just flat-out MEAN. People are judged because of anything, the way they talk, the way they walk, the way they look, and even the way they dress. That bothers me, because, as a victim of bullying myself, I can't wait for the day when all that judgement and criticism goes away. Unfortunately, that is just the way that humans are, and that's just the way that society tends to be, but we DO have a choice. We can stand up for what WE think is right, we can befriend that one girl on the playground that no one talks to, we can take a stand AGAINST bullying, because we all deserve to be loved. Whether we're white, black, straight, gay, lesbian, christian, or atheist, we as humans are all searching for ONE thing, LOVE. So, will you love those who society has deemed "unlovable"?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXmaE0041Y0&feature=share

<3 always,
Rose

Day 185- The Hobbit!!!!

Hey guys,

    So, today we got a VERY special treat. Our entire family got to go see the newest Hobbit in theaters!!!!!!!!!! Even in Wheaton, we very rarely went to the movies, just because the boys have a tendency to be very badly behaved. Now that we're in Lenoir, the closest movie theater is almost an hour away! So, I am very aware that today was a very "once in a blue moon" event, and I'm so grateful for it!

<3 Always,
Rose

Day 184- Adrienne!!!!

Hey guys,

     So, this week has been incredibly exhausting and fairly emotional. Adrienne was aware of a lot of what was going on, but she was also able to tell last night that it is and was taking a toll on me. When something is bothering me, I get VERY quiet, I am an internal processor, but it's interesting, because I am fairly extroverted, I am loud, outgoing, and spunky, except for when I'm upset. So, it's pretty easy to tell if something is bothering me. Anyways, I texted her when I got home and basically told her that if I seemed a little "off" that night, it was because I've got a LOT on my mind. Her response to this was SO indicative of how well she knows me, she simply said, you need people. I LOVE to be with people,(preferably NOT my family...;) ) even in times like this, when I don't necessarily want to talk about what's on my mind, I LOVE to be with people, it helps to get my mind off of things, and it reminds me that I am loved, even when I feel like I'm alone. So, Adrienne basically told me, I'll be your person tomorrow, pop by the church office tomorrow, and we'll have a study date! That study date lasted 4 hours, and then we had bible study for another hour, so I was at the church for a WHOLE five hours, and it was so great! I am so grateful for Adrienne who knows me so well, and who loves me so well!

<3 Always,
Rose 

Day 183-Elliot

Hey guys,

    So, I've had my fair share of cute wake-up calls in my life, but today was pretty freaking awesome. I was dead asleep, and I hear the door creak open, followed by the jingle of Elliot's collar. I knew Elliot wasn't supposed be in my room, but I was half-asleep and I figured someone was watching him, or someone would realize he was gone. Anyways, I waited about 5 minutes, and no one came, so I begrudgingly got up to bring him back downstairs...only I couldn't find him...Apparently this dog is SUPER smart, because I found him hiding under my bed, because he knew he was in trouble. The cutest thing about it was the fact that my door was shut, so I thought he shut it behind him!! After waking up, I found out that Jack saw that he was free, so he decided to put in my room...but it was fantastic!

<3 Always,
Rose

Day 182- WHAT??!!!??!!

Hey guys,

    So, as many of you know, I first came to North Carolina 4 days before I turned 19. That was so hard for me to feel so alone on my birthday, although I did feel the love through facebook for sure! Anyways, since then, I've always fantasized about having a FEW of my friends come down to celebrate my 20th with me, because hey, you only turn 20 once! So, I'd been thinking about this and trying to think through where they would stay and things like that for a few weeks now, but only internally, because I wanted to wait for the right moment to ask my parents. Well, tonight was that moment(at least for Mom!), and she actually said YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! On one condition, we can't pay for travel...but food and housing-wise, Mom said YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Obviously, this is still very much "in the works", as it should be since it's 6 months away, but the first hurdle of my HOPEFULLY epic 20th birthday has been conquered, and I am ELATED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please pray as we start and as we continue to plan, figure out who I should invite, and stuff like that. 

<3 Always,

Rose

Day 181-Genesis!

Hey guys,

    So, today I feel super accomplished, because I've finished reading Genesis, which is an INCREDIBLY long book of the bible, and I am on track to fulfill my New Year's Resolution to read through the whole bible! 

<3 Always,
Rose 

Day 180-Reading!

Hey guys, 

    So, today after church, I wasn't feeling 100%. It isn't anything major, just feeling a bit under the weather. So, I went home, curled up with one of my new books from the library in front of the fire place with some hot soup, and read for a good FOUR hours, now THAT is what I call relaxing!

<3 Always,
Rose

Day 179-Skype!

Hey guys,

     So, I don't know about you, but I am a HUGE fan of Skype. There's something about being able to SEE a friends face that you haven't seen in a while that just helps to put your life in perspective. Even if you can't Skype for one reason or another, my friends and I have been sending videos of ourselves to each other. Nothing real special, just how our day was, how we could pray for each other, stuff like that. :-) Skype in general is awesome, but it's even MORE awesome when I get to Skype with my best friend, Nicole like I did today! It was really amazing how when I got home from working for six hours, I was so exhausted, beaten down, and really didn't feel like doing much of anything but curling up in my bed and one of my books I got yesterday and get lost in another world...then I realized that I would get to Skype with Nicole in only a few short hours! For those of you trying to maintain a long-distance friendship, as someone who has basically only ever had a long distance friendship with Nicole, and we've grown to be best friends, phones, facebook, and most of all, SKYPE (or another video calling service..)will be your savior!

<3 Always,
Rose

Day 178-BOOKS.

Hey guys,

    So, I'm kinda weird when it comes to reading. There are times when all I want to do is read, and I've read like an entire Harry Potter book in one afternoon, and then there's other times when I DESPISE reading...like, with a vengance...;) Anyways, currently I am in one of those "I have to read something but I've read all the books I have" phases, so when we found FOUR historical fiction books at the library, I just about did a backflip right then and there!

<3 Always,
Rose

Day 177-FREE TIME!

Hey guys,

     So, today I actually did nothing, which was great. As I rev up for school to start again(no, I haven't started yet!), am trying to get into some sort of routine with my job, church, and also searching for colleges, things are going to get VERY busy, VERY fast! So, I am happy for any day that I have to just sit back and relax :)

<3 Always,
Rose

Day 176-SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey guys,

     So, call me 5 years old, or call me a Chicagoian, but that FIRST snowfall of the year?? PURE.JOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! After such a mild December for me, it was SO great to see snow, it just warms my heart...how ironic...As Adrienne and I sat eating our frozen yogurt with the youth group, we both realized that it was snowing, and dropped everything and ran outside...until we realized how cold it was! Adrienne looked at me and was like, "Rose! It's like HOME!!" Suffice to say, if there is snow on the ground tomorrow morning, I may or may not die...stay tuned ;)

<3 Always,
Rose

Day 175- Lots of little things!

Hey guys,

     So, today was one of those days where I just did a little bit of everything, and they all worked together to make me one happy gal! Here's a list!

1. Having a good talk with Adrienne over breakfast!
2. Finding a breakfast place IN Lenoir that serves more than just eggs! YIPPEE!!!!
3. The fact that while everyone in Wheaton is currently freezing their butts off and up to their knees in snow, it was 30 degrees this morning! Although, to be honest, I wouldn't mind some snow/a day off from school...
4. My best friend in the WHOLE WORD, Nicki!
5. I ordered my pillow pets online...I'm super pumped for that!
6. I FINISHED MY COMMON APP TO APPALACHIAN STATE!

And that about sums up my life today! <3

<3 Always,
Rose

Day 174-Music!

Hey guys,

    So, after spending 4 hours on it, I was FINALLY able to retrieve my iTunes account this afternoon, and now I have ALL my favorite songs!!!! :D So yeah, that was a big thing, as simple as it may seem to some, take someone who loves music as much as I do, and take away their iTunes for 5 months, and things will get violent...I promise...;) Anyways, I've been enjoying all my favorite songs all day today!! :)

<3 Always,
Rose

Day 173-Youth!

Hey guys,

     So, Christmas break is GREAT and all(especially since I'm still on it until the 17th!), but I am SO excited to be getting back into my "normal". Tonight we had our first youth group event of the New Year, and I tell you what, those people NEVER cease to brighten my day!! Love you all!!!

<3 Always,
Rose

Day 172- WORK!

Hey guys,

      So, I know that many of you are eager to hear how my day went today, unfortunately it's a bit hard to put into words, but I'll try... After getting lost trying to find their house, I got there a half hour late, always fun for your first day...I was there for 5 and a half hours, with the two kids, ages 2.5 and 5. Mom works from home, but she is a HUGE micromanager, so she really didn't get much work done, which was frustrating for me, because at times, I felt like, ok, why am I here again? Mom is also very, VERY tidy, and structured, she is DEFINATELY a type-A person, she dry mops and vacuums every day, she has her kids in their beds by SIX every night, she keeps them on a strict schedule, she spoonfeeds BOTH of them, she washes the dishes as they get used, she NEVER uses a microwave, she sanitizes the toilets as they are used, the list goes on and on. It's very clear to me that this could either be INCREDIBLY difficult, or it could be a learning experience, or both(yeah...probably both), depending on how my attitude is about it. The mom is very, VERY sweet and understanding, but she may prove to be a hard person to work for. The kids are absolutely adorable, very smart, incredibly busy, and OH, I forgot to mention, Mom doesn't tell her kids no...like...ever...yeah....so, it should be interesting...prayers would be appreciated!

<3 Always,
Rose

Day 171- ADHD meds!

Hey guys,

     So, a lot of you may not know this(or may already know this through my awesome organization of thoughts in my writing), but I have ADHD. First off, ADHD and ADD---> NOT THE SAME THING! Attention Deficit Disorder, and Attention Deficit HYPERACTIVITY Disorder or two different things, yes, they're similar, but they are NOT the same thing. Most people with ADD struggle with paying attention for long periods of time mainly because they have a shorter attention span, some might call it being "flakey", but that's incredibly rude and disrespectful, so don't ever do that. On the other hand, most people with ADHD struggle with paying attention/doing anything for a long time because they simply can't sit still for long periods of time. They HAVE to be doing something, either doing something with their body, or multitasking, as long as their body is moving as quickly(or slowly) as their brain is moving. For me, it is very typical to find me on a school day drowning in books, because I simply can't focus on one subject for a long period of time, so I start one subject, and when I get bored or frustrated with that one, I switch to another, and come back to it later. Personally, I have a pretty noticeable sight-effect of just HOW quickly my brain is moving. When I'm sitting in church, in the car, or really ANYWHERE for an extended period of time, my right leg literally starts to shake. Anyways, now that we've established the difference between ADD and ADHD, and how it effects me personally, let's get to the subject of this post! I have been COMPLETELY out of my medication almost all of Christmas break, and have had at LEAST 4 tries to the pharmacy with something else wrong with the prescription each time. This means either; I get very loud, and very hyper, and tend to just be very obnoxious, OR, I feel like crap. So, this break has been...interesting. But today, as I FINALLY got my medication after the 5th trip to the pharmacy, I cannot even explain to you in words what a relief it will be to be back on it tomorrow, and it will be a huge relief for my parents too, I'm sure! I want to end this by saying, if you know anyone that has ADD or ADHD, please, PLEASE don't judge them, they're normal people, just like you. They just get a little overexcited about things, or are a little bit louder than most people, or they have trouble concentrating. But I want to tell you, people with ADD and ADHD are not stupid, they see it when people judge them or just flat out avoid them, and that hurts! I know because you're reading this that you know me fairly well, so just think, "How would I feel if I knew that someone was treating Rose like that?" Please, treat them with respect, love them, and don't look down on them because of their "disability".

<3 Always,
Rose

Day 170-GREAT friends!

Hey guys!

      So, today I went over to the church, for what I THOUGHT was going to be a few hours of decorating the youth rooms with a side of homemade doughnuts, but those "few hours" somehow morphed into EIGHT hours!! Honestly though, I enjoyed every minute of it, I couldn't ask for a more wonderful group of people to spend my New Years Day with(well...ok. That's not EXACTLY TRUE...if I could get on a plane, I'd be back in Chicago with the LaRusso's and all my friends in a HEARTBEAT! But since that obviously can't happen,I can't think of a better group of people to spend New Years Day with IN LENOIR...), I truly enjoyed my day of seeing the youth work together to make their youth room the best that it could be. With every painting finished, or with the discovery of a hammer, or with the completion of the Christmas lights, the excited, loving, encouraging atmosphere was contagious! I cannot wait for another "decorating day" with the youth :)

<3 Always,
Rose