My year in review

Dear Everyone,

     With the chaos and craziness of summer schedule, I have really struggled to stay up to date with my blog, and I've realized that in the next couple of weeks, it's only going to get HARDER to stay up to date, so I figured that now would be a good stopping point. This blog has taught me so much during my year of transition, mainly it's taught me that there really IS always a silver lining. If you look back on days like the day I didn't make it into Wheaton, you can see just how fast people gathered around me, and loved me, and it has taught me so much about what it means to have a thankful heart. Secondly, it has given me a way to keep friends back home in the loop, I have heard over this year from so many different people how they love reading and seeing pictures of our new life here in NC. This blog was an incredible blessing for me, though if I'm being honest, I will say there were days where I did NOT want to sit and write about how my day was. I am so glad that God used my friend Kady, who first inspired me to do this, and put it on my heart to carry it out much longer than a month. I look around at my "new" life now, and I can see how God has provided for our family in so many awesome and unique and special ways. Take Adrienne for example, Adrienne is the ONLY person I know here outside of my family who understands the struggle of NOT having Tate's Ice Cream on a humid summer night downtown, so when I'm missing home, I go to her. If I'm confused, and I'm looking for direction as to where to go from here, I turn to Katie, the ultimate planner and most organized person I know. When I'm having a crap awful day, and I just need an extra hug and someone to listen to me rant, I go to Patricia. Lastly, when I need someone to just laugh and be goofy with, I go to Jae or Cassie. Each of the people that I have met here and truly gotten to know and love serve a different role for me in my beautiful mess called life, but like a magnificent puzzle, when all the pieces come together, they make something beautiful. Whether they are a corner piece, a side piece, or a middle piece, the puzzle wouldn't be the same without them. 

     Moving forward this summer, lots is going on with me, my friends, and my church, and we are in need of prayer for many things. Next week starts our annual Lenoir Area Missions Project(or LAMP for short) that is a collaboration of middle schoolers from churches all around Lenoir that spend the week together serving their community. I pray that God would give me strength and endurance and patience to work with these students all day every day, especially when the exhaustion and frustration begins to kick in. I pray that God would use me to break through and speak to at least one of these students, I pray that the joy that I find in Jesus shines for these kids. I pray for Adrienne, as she preps for LAMP, VBS(the following week), and the high school trip to Costa Rica in mid-July. I pray that you would give her peace of heart and of mind as she plans for these massive trips and projects, I pray that you would show her just how amazing she is at her job, and remind her of how much her students love her. I pray that I will continue to find peace and joy enough to battle each wave of grief and homesickness that comes this summer. Lastly, I pray for the church. Many of you don't know, but our church is in the midst of leaving the presbytery. I pray that even during this time of transition and uncertainty that we would continue to be a blessing to the community. I pray that the people in Lenoir would know, we are not bible-bangers, we're not southern baptists who will make you uncomfortable, we are not better or worse than you, we are PEOPLE who genuinely want to love and serve other people. We are people who have a heart to share the good news with other people, but we are ordinary people just like you. I would so appreciate you joining me in prayer for these things, I know it's a LOT of things to pray for.

     This coming year, I DO plan to create a new blog, though I probably won't be posting on there NEARLY as often as I have posted here. I will be taking classes at the Caldwell Community College, which means I very well might share classes with Cassie or Katie, or both, and I am very excited about that. I want to thank each and everyone of you who have read this blog, or lifted my family and I up in prayer, or sent letters, or talked on the phone, or video chatted, or even just texted, it means SO much to me that I have many back home who will always love and support me, no matter how far away I may be. This year has had it's ups and downs, good days, and bad days, laughter and tears, and trials and triumphs, but in the end, I have come out of this year a better, stronger, happier, more confident, and more independent person because of it all. "I can do all things, through Christ who gives me strength."(Philippians 4:13)

God bless!
<3 Always,
Rose

Day 376-Babysitting

Saturday, June 6th

Hey guys,

     Today, I got to babysit for someone outside of my own family! It was seriously a blast, and I am so happy to see that my name is indeed making it's way around Lenoir, and hopefully I'll be having MANY more babysitting jobs soon!

<3 Always,
Rose

Day 375- Panera!

Friday, June 5th

Hey guys,

      Today, we drove all the way to Winston-Salem so that Aedon could see an eye specialist. As exhausting as today was, being stuck in a car with 2 crazy boys for 3 hours, we DID get Panera, so that made my day. 

<3 Always,
Rose

Day 374-Library Card

Thursday, June 4th

Hey guys,

    So, amazingly enough, up until now, I have NOT had my own library card here...I figured that after almost a year, I should probably do that...So I took the boys to the library and was able to get my own card, AND get 3 new books for myself that I'm seriously excited about. :) It's true what they say, "Having fun, isn't hard, when you've got a library card!" 

<3 Always,
Rose

Days 372-373:LAKEHOUSE

Tuesday, June 2nd and Wednesday, June 3rd

Hey guys!

       This week, some of my friends from back home were able to make it down to visit Linda, so I got to spend a whole 2 days at the lake with them!

<3 Always,
Rose

Day 371-Relaxing

Monday, June 1st

Hey guys,

     There's no better way to start off your June than having fun outside with friends! Today, Adrienne was the first of any of my friends have met the chicks, and it was super exciting! We got to spend a whole hour and a half together before she had to head back to work. I so enjoyed just being outside and enjoying the wonderful weather with her.

<3 Always,
Rose

Day 370-Laughs

Sunday, May 31st

Hey guys,

      Tonight at youth was...interesting...on so many levels. It was easily one of the most hilarious nights I've had in a LONG time though, so I thought I would share some of the many quotes from last night...

(Talking about boundaries, a student raises her hand) "I have curfew as a boundary."
    Adrienne: "So, what's your curfew?"
    Student:"...well, I don't really have one..."

     Adrienne: "When you hear the word pastures, what do you think of?"
     Leader: "Sheep?"
     Jae and I: "BAAHHH!!!!!"

     Adrienne: "I am one of those who wants to go THROUGH the fence, it makes me who I am..."
        Student: "...who I YAM?
     Adrienne: "Oh shush, yams are good for you."

      Adrienne: "So none of you get frustrated with waiting to date?"
      Student sitting next to me leans over and says: "My parents haven't told me I couldn't date...it just ain't happening...the struggle is REAL."

So yes, tonight has shown me just how much laughter can change everything.

<3 Always,
Rose

Day 369-Pool

Saturday, May 30th

Hey guys,

     Today, we had our inaugural trip to the pool, summer has OFFICIALLY begun! The boys and I spent MANY days at the pool back home, we would ride our bikes there almost every day, and so many firsts happened there. In fact, both Aedon AND Shane's first "real" bike ride was to the pool, and their first bike lock was bought so we could go to the pool. These kids are both legitimately part fish, and honestly they can probably swim better than I can. Even though this summer is different, because it's not the pool we're used to, it was still equally wonderful as it has been in years past, and I am so glad that the pool is STILL one of the closest things to our house. 

<3 Always,
Rose

Day 368-Phone Dates

Friday, May 29th

Hey guys,

       There's something about talking with someone on the phone, and HEARING their voice that just helps to make your whole day better. Texting is great and all, and I'm not gonna lie, I do love me some texting, but when things are falling apart, if there's someone you can CALL and hear them encourage you or give you advice, or whatever else, THAT can change a day! Today, I not only had one phone date, but I had TWO, and it was wonderful beyond wonderful to hear both of their voices and be able to talk to them about my life and everything, and hear about theirs.

<3 Always,
Rose

Day 367-Goodbyes

Thursday, May 28th

Hey guys,

      So, today is one of those days that I've been dreading for a LONG time, today is our LAST bible study/the sending off party for Katie and Patricia. These girls have been SUCH a blessing for me, and just a blast to be around. Though we may not always get done what we're supposed to, we ALWAYS have fun, and have laughs. This group has become one of my highlights of every week, and basically my core group of girls who know me, and what's happening in my life. It makes me sad to know that this is the end until next fall, because I will miss seeing these girls every Thursday, and laughing with them every other day of the week. What makes me even MORE sad is the fact that two of them are LEAVING! Patricia is going to Germany to visit her Aunt for 2 weeks, and Katie, probably the one I'm closest to in this group is going to work at Eagle Lake Summer camp for 5 WEEKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I honestly don't know what I'm going to do with my life without these two...:(

<3 Always,
Rose

Day 366-PEACE

Wednesday, May 27th

Hey guys,

     In today's modern society, things are constantly moving. We are constantly going to one place or another, and if we're NOT, then we don't really know what to do with ourselves. Today, I experienced just how TRUE that is, especially with me. In my life, I have about a million different things to do, and responsibilities to uphold, I am not used to having a WHOLE DAY to do one thing. Today, however, I got to experience that, I had nothing to do, all day, except for worship practice tonight. I'm not gonna lie, by the time I had to leave for practice, I was going just a tad bit crazy. This all just reminded me though of how hesitant I am to slow down in my life and just relax. I need to learn how to just be STILL, just enjoy the moment, with nothing to do, no where to be, just having a few moments, maybe even a few hours of peace.

<3 Always,
Rose

Day 365-My Katie

Tuesday, May 26th

Hey guys,

     First of all, I'm not dumb, I KNOW there are 365 days in a year, and this SHOULD be my last post going by the numbers. However, somewhere along the way, over the course of the year, the numbers got screwed up. I did look back to see the date of my very first post though, and that was July 12th, so I will have my last post on July 11th.

    Now that that's sorted out, let's get down to business. Today, I am saddened to say was my LAST quality one on one time with Katie for the next FIVE WEEKS. In the past year, Katie has been so much MORE than a friend to me, she has set an example for me of how to lead others, she has been one of those who is ALWAYS there when I need it, she knows the days when I might need a little bit of extra encouragement, and she truly LOVES me. Quite honestly, I have NO idea what I'm going to do without her for these next 5 weeks, but I DO know that she is going to be having a BLAST serving God, serving others, and bringing the word of God to people who may not have ever heard it. 

<3 Always,
Rose