Day 46-IT NEVER ENDS!

Hey guys,

    So, all week, I've kinda been dreading the day 50...because I'm not an idiot...I know that's half way. But here's the thing, I'm a talker, I want to tell people how my day was, I want to tell them how many crazy things we got ourselves into today, so it makes me sad to know that these hundred days are almost up. But this morning, I was thinking about it, and a thought came to mind...why one hundred? A year has 365 days in it, right? Wouldn't it be cool to look and see my first post, and then my last post a year later? I think it would...so, I'm not saying that everyone I know MUST read them, heck, I don't give a care who reads them, because it's not for others, it's for me to have an outlet, if other people find it obnoxious, they don't have to read them! Anyways, I've decided, I'm going to do the FULL year. This has been such an awesome experience for me, and a stretching one as well, on days when it seems like I have nothing that particularly made me happy, it forces me to count the little things, to count the little blessings God shows me every day. Heck, I should be happy just to wake up in the morning, I should be happy because I get to live on this earth, and then go live an eternity in Heaven with HIM! Anyways, this experiment has been awesome for me, so I don't want to stop it at one hundred, why should I? If you struggle with a depression, or you are just at a really bad place in your life right now, I want to encourage you, at the end of each and every day for at LEAST a hundred days, make a list of the things that made you happy. It will remind you that this life isn't really ALL bad, it's just that, as Christians, we know our reward is in Heaven, which obviously makes this life look terrible, because come on, who can compete with Jesus? But I would encourage you to stop and smell the flowers, stop your busy life for just 5 minutes, to enjoy being human, and the joy of life!

Will you?

<3 Always,

Rose

Day 45- Greensboro

Hey guys,

    So, fair warning, a lot of the events I describe in todays post seem similar to something you would see on TV, but I swear to goodness, it happened!! Apparently, living in the country for the past 2 months, the boys have forgotten some VERY crucial laws of going to "The Big City", as exemplified today.
Rule number 1: Please, always have shoes! So, today, as we got in the car to begin our trek to Greensboro, we were completely unaware that Aedon, the youngest had no shoes on. It wasn't until about a half hour into the trip that he finally piped up and said, "Guys...where's my shoes?". So, this eventful start to our day should have been a red flag, but for whatever reason, it wasn't. When we finally got there, Caroline graciously offers her ONLY pair of flip-flops for Aedon to wear, only for him to break them within the first block of walking. In summary, if you are headed into the city with your family, DO A SHOE CHECK!
Rule number 2: When you're crossing a busy intersection, keep in mind you only have about 25 seconds MAX, so please, for all that is good and right in the world, PLEASE don't take your time...you will get hurt, I promise. Another thing to keep in mind with this rule is the other side of it, trying to "race" through the intersection when the sign says you have 5 seconds...As we passed a busy intersection today(after buying Aedon a new pair of shoes that were a tad big), the boys decided to race across the intersection to see who was faster. Aedon, being as clumsy and footwear challenged as he is, literally ran RIGHT OUT OF HIS SHOES!!!!!!!!!!! Of course, at the same moment that both boys reached the other end of the intersection, the signal changed, and we had to wait there on the sidewalk for the sign to change again, meanwhile, Aedons shoes are sitting in the middle of the street.
Rule Number 3: Always be prepared to walk. Of course, with our family of 3 boys under the age of 13, a puppy, and an adventurous 23 year old, getting our family to walk in a straight line for ANY given amount of time is virtually impossible, however, sometimes that is necessary. As parents of young children will tell you, family walks require LOTS of patience, and very frequent stops. Also, it didn't really help today that it was 95 degrees out today, and there was no shade, AT ALL, and none of us were really accustomed to the heat, it was kind of a disaster in the making.
Rule number 4:(Probably the most important) 5 little ducks isn't always a bad thing! Our good friends who are missionaries overseas have many, MANY airport stories, but I would have to say, my personal favorite is the 5 little ducks. Whenever they are in an airport of any kind, because they do have a large family, the Dad ALWAYS insists on leading the back, while having Mom bring up the rear. Now, please just stop and picture this for a minute. 5 little blonde girls, all lined up and following single file behind one another, with probably enough luggage and travel bags to know that they have essentially packed everything they would need for at LEAST 3 months, in a crowded airport. I can't remember how old the girls each were, but I'm going to approximate about, 15, 11, 9, 7, and 3 ish, but they were traveling through a busy airport, and a man comes up to the Dad and just whispered "5 little ducks went out one day..." and they have never been that strict about what is now known as "the five little duck rule" since. As embarrassing and humiliating it was for the girls, it's days like today that get me thinking, hey, maybe that's not such a bad idea...maybe we need one of those giant ropes that they use in kindergarten classes to teach the boys how to walk...either that or leashes.
All this to say, YES, today was very stressful and exhausting, YES, I wish that the boys could actually walk in a straight line, but NO, I wouldn't want it any other way! Our chaos and craziness is what makes our family unique, it might be frustrating at the time, but I am happy to be a part of it! I love the way each and every one of the three younger kids compliment the personalities of my sister and I, I was exactly like Aedon when I was little(ok, maybe SIMILAR to Aedon), and my sister, although I'm not one to judge because I am so much younger than her was much like Shane, the middle one, because they are both constantly looking for adventure. Each and every day of each and every one of our lives is an adventure, and we have two choices; we can either try to micromanage the kids every moves and just make it through, OR we can embrace it, we can learn to laugh at ourselves, and laugh at the crazy things our family gets into, because THESE are the moments that last!

After a good 30 pictures, we actually got one where everyone was smiling and no one had their eyes closed...it's a miracle!

<3 Always,

Rose 

Day 44- Wheaton College.

Hey guys,

    So, growing up 15 minutes from Wheaton College campus, I am very familiar with it. Ever since I returned from my first year of camp that was run through Wheaton in 6th grade, I loved the people, the atmosphere, and most of all the community there. Unfortunately, there is also a price to pay living SO close to Wheaton. As a teenage Christian girl in Wheaton, if you tell someone you are interested in going to Wheaton, it is basically assumed that you are a genius. For people like me, where that's not necessarily true, it can be INCREDIBLY intimidating to even apply, because you KNOW how hard it is to get in. Despite the intimidating aspect of it, I took the plunge tonight, and I began my application. Being away from Wheaton, while at the same time seeing all my friends go off to colleges that they loved showed me that there was a deeper reason why I loved to be on campus so much, it wasn't just because that's where my friends were, it's because I truly, TRULY loved the college. Now I know, the chances of me being accepted are very, VERY slim, that is God's will and I'm ok with that, but I just feel like the fact that I feel that I am not smart enough or talented enough to get into Wheaton should NOT dictate whether I apply or not. If it is truly where God wants me, than so be it! God's plan is not dictated by MY educational standings or abilities, if God wants me at Wheaton, who am I to say, "Nah, I'm to scared?" Anyways, it gets me very excited to know that there IS a chance than God might be calling me back to Wheaton, I would love to "officially" become a member of the 3E floor where I know so many dear friends, and I would LOVE to continue my youth experience at Blanchard by leading new students to Christ. I know, I'm getting ahead of myself, I haven't even FINISHED the application yet, but I am going to take this moment to rejoice in the little things, in the fact that God HAS put Wheaton on my heart to begin with. I want to close out this post by saying (and using Wheaton's motto), Whatever happens, I will live my life, unashamedly "For Christ and His Kingdom."
<3 Always,
Rose

Day 43- Muchkins!

Hey guys!

     So, I was incredibly blessed this past school year to be able to babysit for a mom's bible study at my church. From day one, I met these three little fireballs and their Mom, and realized, hey wait...I know you...I think? Turns out I did, their Mom's good friend taught my acting class that I took in middle school! How crazy is that? Well, as the year progressed, I became more attached to the girls, and more connected with their Mom as well. I loved seeing their smiling, adorable little faces every Friday morning! It never ceases to amaze me how God connects us with so many AMAZING people, at just the right time. Anyways, I miss the triplets, and their whole family a LOT, and the girls turn 4 tomorrow, which makes me happy. I am happy to just be a part of this amazing families life, even for a little bit! Leaving these kids was one of the hardest goodbyes I had to say, but I know, when I come back, I will (hopefully) see them again, and that reunion will be a sweet one! Happiest birthdays to Chloe, Cailynn, and Cadence, my FAVORITE four year olds in the world!!! Miss Rose loves you girls! :)

 

<3 Always,

Rose

P.s. Yes, Cassidy, I'm totally creeping on your pictures...embrace it, it's out of love!

 

 

Day 42- wonderful blue moose date!

Hey guys,

    So, today I got to spend the afternoon with the youth leader at my church, Adrienne, to get to know each other more. We have SO much in common, we are both from Illinois, we're both very social, even our HOUSES look similar. Anyways, we enjoyed spending the afternoon using "ChicAgo-isms" like, calling a semi-truck a semi-truck instead of a "hatch-back trailer"...or wondering how it is that there is NO chipotle, Panera, or Noodles?? I see many trips to Hickory in our future...But seriously, she is one of the sweetest people I have met here, and I am SO pumped to be working with her ALL year! It's such a good feeling to be getting involved in a church, because when I left Wheaton, I HAD no life outside of church, and as sad as that may sound, I LOVED it. All my friends were friends that I could be genuine and honest with and talk about the "real" things in life as opposed to the ever cliché highschool, "Did you hear who Judy is dating?...she is SO out of his league..."Anyways, this was my first time going out with a friend since we've moved, so it really just felt good to NOT BE HANGING OUT WITH 6 AND 8 YEAR OLDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well, that's all for now!

<3 Always,
Rose

Day 41- LICE FREE?!

Hey guys,

    So, today I had an appointment with just a general doctor. We realized last night that the Chicago trip would NOT work unless I am COMPLETELY lice-free, so my Mom and I agreed that we would ask the doctor, and if she saw lice and/or nits(their eggs), we would go to a treatment place to get LICE FREE!! So, this morning she looked at my head and she said she saw a few dead nits, but no live lice OR live nits, in other words, after I do the last treatment on Thursday, I will be LICE FREE!!!! For anyone that has NOT had lice, you are lucky. It is literally impossible to be sure you've gotten rid of them, it is incredibly contagious, and it is INCREDIBLY time consuming for both me and my Dad, who has to do the nit-picking(literally, that's where the phrase nit-picking comes from). Suffice to say, I am SO glad that I am on track to be lice free in just two short days, and HOPEFULLY, the Chicago trip can still work :)

<3 Always,
Rose.

Day 40- First day of college? No biggie...

Hey Guys!!

    So today I started "college" or taking two online college courses, and I am very proud of myself. For my sociology class, I sat for 7 and a half hours reading and annotating 30 pages of sociological history. In the end, I had five pages of notes, front and back, BUT I passed my first college test using those notes(ok..it was an 80, but still!!...). So, I feel very accomplished and proud of myself today :)

<3 Rose