Hey guys,
So, when I was little, my favorite movie was the Sound of Music. On camping trips each year, we would make up our own"favorite(or in my mind favoritest) things", and today I realized; I am incredibly, INCREDIBLY blessed to be able to take this challenge of being happy for 100 days to the next level, and I decided that I would make my "favorite things" about Lenoir.
"Bees with my Blue Moose and trips down to Hickory,
Mission Impossible, no matter how slippery,
Walking my puppy and singing a song,
these are a few of my favorite things.
High school retreats, and setting new trends,
Goodwill, and youth group, and studying with friends,
Having the best bible study of all,
These are a few of my favorite things.
Costumes, and parties with campfire songs,
Traffic and stoplights that aren't very long,
Sittin' on my porch swing while rain tumbles down,
These are a few of my favorite things.
When the coffee spills,
When the turtles come,
When I'm not feeling glad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
and then I don't FEEL SO BAD!!"
Now, if you don't understand my song, it is sprinkled with inside jokes, so if it doesn't make sense, that's ok! I hope this inspires YOU to think of YOUR favorite things, it's not as easy as it seems!!
<3 Always,
Rose
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Day 105- Crafts :)
Hey guys,
So, when stress is REALLY driving me crazy, I usually do one of two things...either I play my ukulele, OR, I do crafts. I am not an incredibly artistic person, but I am a CREATIVE person, and yes, there is a difference. I can't draw to save my life, but I will color, paint, or (what usually ends up happening), I'll make bracelets. I've basically been making bracelets for my whole life, but my bracelet making skills entered a whole new level after camp, where I basically spent every bit of free time I could making bracelets. Most recently, I have been teaching myself how to make friendship bracelets with names in them, which is very difficult, but that's ok, because I was getting to the point where a lot of the bracelets I was making were pretty easy anyways. So, today I decided to start a new bracelet, and I've done almost half of it! Which is pretty impressive, considering that it usually takes me at LEAST 3-4 days to make one usually, which made me happy :)
<3 Always,
Rose
So, when stress is REALLY driving me crazy, I usually do one of two things...either I play my ukulele, OR, I do crafts. I am not an incredibly artistic person, but I am a CREATIVE person, and yes, there is a difference. I can't draw to save my life, but I will color, paint, or (what usually ends up happening), I'll make bracelets. I've basically been making bracelets for my whole life, but my bracelet making skills entered a whole new level after camp, where I basically spent every bit of free time I could making bracelets. Most recently, I have been teaching myself how to make friendship bracelets with names in them, which is very difficult, but that's ok, because I was getting to the point where a lot of the bracelets I was making were pretty easy anyways. So, today I decided to start a new bracelet, and I've done almost half of it! Which is pretty impressive, considering that it usually takes me at LEAST 3-4 days to make one usually, which made me happy :)
<3 Always,
Rose
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Day 104- Hickory Happenings
Hey guys,
So, if you don't live in Lenoir, you truly don't know the pain of having NO chiptole, or portillos, or panera, or five guys, or Starbucks, or basically any other food place you could think of besides Sonic, and KFC. Thankfully for us though, if we drive into the next big town of Hickory, all those wonderful things come back(except for Portillo's, that's a northern thing)! The only catch is that Hickory is a good half hour away, so we don't get out there very much. :( Today, my lovely youth leader and I decided to take a trip into Hickory for lunch, and I got to eat Panera for the first time in over four months...it was GLORIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!! After lunch, we stopped at Starbucks, which again, was GLORIOUS!!!!!!!! So today, I'm happy because...food, very good food...:) For those of you still in the Chicago area thinking that I've lost my mind, THE STRUGGLE IS REAL, don't judge :P
<3 Always,
Rose
So, if you don't live in Lenoir, you truly don't know the pain of having NO chiptole, or portillos, or panera, or five guys, or Starbucks, or basically any other food place you could think of besides Sonic, and KFC. Thankfully for us though, if we drive into the next big town of Hickory, all those wonderful things come back(except for Portillo's, that's a northern thing)! The only catch is that Hickory is a good half hour away, so we don't get out there very much. :( Today, my lovely youth leader and I decided to take a trip into Hickory for lunch, and I got to eat Panera for the first time in over four months...it was GLORIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!! After lunch, we stopped at Starbucks, which again, was GLORIOUS!!!!!!!! So today, I'm happy because...food, very good food...:) For those of you still in the Chicago area thinking that I've lost my mind, THE STRUGGLE IS REAL, don't judge :P
<3 Always,
Rose
Day 103-The group that started the legacy that we left.
Hey guys,
So reading today's title might be just a tad bit confusing, but bear with me. Before there were the "senior girls" that I talk about so often, there was another group of seniors that rarely get recognized. As freshman, the seniors embraced us, mentored us, talked and laughed with us, and above all, they set the standard for what it looks like to be godly women, and godly friends. I honestly cannot imagine our time in the high school youth group without this group of girls leading the way, so on behalf of the "baby" seniors, thank you to all the wonderful "senior seniors" who set the expectation for us!
Although I love each of the senior seniors so very much, I want to talk about of the senior seniors in particular, my dear friend/mentor Olivia Heath. Olivia and I met in a sort of round-about way, but just bear with me. My best friend's sister who was also part of the senior group at the time was studying abroad in Malaysia, and my best friend was having a difficult time with that, so these girls took it upon themselves to adopt and watch over my best friend, and in turn, me while her sister was gone. I have seen 3 years of high school classes go through the youth group, including my brothers, and I would STILL have to say that our freshman/senior class combination just had a very unique connection. It paired sisters together(my best friend Katie and her sister Laura), it paired life long friends(Kelli and I), and it took complete strangers and brought them together, and amazingly, there was very little drama! But back to Olivia, so Olivia was actually my best friend(Katie)'s sister's best friend, so it was a bit of a paradox, but we basically hit it off pretty instantly. Through the year we laughed, snacked, talked, and really learned to love each other truly as big and little sisters. One of my favorite memories of big and little sister bonding time was one night where we had all met up at Katie and Laura's and just gathered around their laptops and just watched Brian Regan, so simple, but so fun, and frankly, it made the little freshman feel super cool. ;) Olivia and I had a pretty strong connection from the get-go, we lived very close to each other, we are both very similar in personality, and we both had Van Oss's as our best friends!!! Through the summer, we spent a LOT of time together, grabbing lunch, exchanging clothes, watching movies, it really didn't matter. Livvy and I were and always will be the BEST Senior/Freshman mentor pair in the history of Blanchard, and I am forever grateful for that. But, all good things must come to an end, and that it did. Livvy left for college, and I started my sophomore year of high school, but somehow, we didn't really ever LOSE that connection that we'd had since we'd met. It is such a blessing to have a mentor, or SOMEONE(who's not your brother) to look up to when you enter youth group as a freshman, and Livvy was JUST the right person for me. She was incredibly patient with my pre-diagnosed ADHD self, but she is also very possibly the SWEETEST person I know. She loved catching up with me every week and sharing high and low points of our weeks, and it in turn, became something that I looked forward to every week.
As I began to plan my trip back home, I knew that I would get to see Kelli, my other mentor/childhood best friend, so for some reason, I assumed Livvy would be there as well. But tonight it hit me like a freight train, Livvy's not going to be there, she's at college! Of all the people I miss from home, Olivia's definitely in the top 5, so I know it's going to be hard to come home and NOT see her. I am so blessed and grateful for the mentorship/friendship/sistership that we have Livvy, you loved me and have continued to love me so well, and I can't wait to be that mentor for someone else! I miss you, I love you, and HOPEFULLY we will see each other in the general vicinity of the near future!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Some how, some way, some where, it's GOING to happen!!
So reading today's title might be just a tad bit confusing, but bear with me. Before there were the "senior girls" that I talk about so often, there was another group of seniors that rarely get recognized. As freshman, the seniors embraced us, mentored us, talked and laughed with us, and above all, they set the standard for what it looks like to be godly women, and godly friends. I honestly cannot imagine our time in the high school youth group without this group of girls leading the way, so on behalf of the "baby" seniors, thank you to all the wonderful "senior seniors" who set the expectation for us!
Although I love each of the senior seniors so very much, I want to talk about of the senior seniors in particular, my dear friend/mentor Olivia Heath. Olivia and I met in a sort of round-about way, but just bear with me. My best friend's sister who was also part of the senior group at the time was studying abroad in Malaysia, and my best friend was having a difficult time with that, so these girls took it upon themselves to adopt and watch over my best friend, and in turn, me while her sister was gone. I have seen 3 years of high school classes go through the youth group, including my brothers, and I would STILL have to say that our freshman/senior class combination just had a very unique connection. It paired sisters together(my best friend Katie and her sister Laura), it paired life long friends(Kelli and I), and it took complete strangers and brought them together, and amazingly, there was very little drama! But back to Olivia, so Olivia was actually my best friend(Katie)'s sister's best friend, so it was a bit of a paradox, but we basically hit it off pretty instantly. Through the year we laughed, snacked, talked, and really learned to love each other truly as big and little sisters. One of my favorite memories of big and little sister bonding time was one night where we had all met up at Katie and Laura's and just gathered around their laptops and just watched Brian Regan, so simple, but so fun, and frankly, it made the little freshman feel super cool. ;) Olivia and I had a pretty strong connection from the get-go, we lived very close to each other, we are both very similar in personality, and we both had Van Oss's as our best friends!!! Through the summer, we spent a LOT of time together, grabbing lunch, exchanging clothes, watching movies, it really didn't matter. Livvy and I were and always will be the BEST Senior/Freshman mentor pair in the history of Blanchard, and I am forever grateful for that. But, all good things must come to an end, and that it did. Livvy left for college, and I started my sophomore year of high school, but somehow, we didn't really ever LOSE that connection that we'd had since we'd met. It is such a blessing to have a mentor, or SOMEONE(who's not your brother) to look up to when you enter youth group as a freshman, and Livvy was JUST the right person for me. She was incredibly patient with my pre-diagnosed ADHD self, but she is also very possibly the SWEETEST person I know. She loved catching up with me every week and sharing high and low points of our weeks, and it in turn, became something that I looked forward to every week.
As I began to plan my trip back home, I knew that I would get to see Kelli, my other mentor/childhood best friend, so for some reason, I assumed Livvy would be there as well. But tonight it hit me like a freight train, Livvy's not going to be there, she's at college! Of all the people I miss from home, Olivia's definitely in the top 5, so I know it's going to be hard to come home and NOT see her. I am so blessed and grateful for the mentorship/friendship/sistership that we have Livvy, you loved me and have continued to love me so well, and I can't wait to be that mentor for someone else! I miss you, I love you, and HOPEFULLY we will see each other in the general vicinity of the near future!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Some how, some way, some where, it's GOING to happen!!
This picture is embarrassingly old, but we're super cute, so it's worth it :)
<3 Always,
Rose
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Day 102- FALL.
Hey friends,
So, I don't know about you, but fall is basically what I live for. The pumpkin patches, the colors of the leaves, the crunch of the fallen leaves on the sidewalk, bonfires, sweatshirts, and fuzzy boots, THAT is my life. Tonight, we have a fall party at one of the student's houses, and it was so much fun. We were able to ride in the bed of a tractor through their seemingly endless property, and it truly made my heart smile. It is becoming more and more clear that, when it comes down to it, I am a country gal at heart. Being somewhere where you can look up and see the stars and attempt to count them, somewhere where the mountains and rivers and forests seem to flow into each other seamlessly, and somewhere where you truly cannot help but think, WOW, how awesome is this? Sitting around the fire tonight, it almost brought me to tears, it reminded me so much of the things I loved at camp, the nature and the unmistakable beauty of God's creation. On the last day of camp, actually the last THING we did together every year will always be with me, and I will always remember the many emotions going on in my head, we joined hands as an entire camp body and sang one last song, "Let us adore, the ever living God, and render praise unto HIM. He SPREADS OUT THE HEAVENS, and establishes the Earth, and his glory is MANIFEST THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE WORLD, he is our God, he IS our God, and there is NO. ONE. ELSE!" As I sat around the camp fire tonight, even though I am 17 hours away from camp, I realized just how gorgeous the Earth is. Not only that, but God spent 6 days creating the Earth, that is perfect, marvelous, and gorgeous in every way. Therefore, how much MORE perfect, marvelous, and gorgeous are WE, his CHILDREN that he has invested millions and millions of years worth of work and patience and kindness in order to prosper us? For me, seeing nature is so humbling because I know, essentially God created that mountain, or this tree, or that sky, with a snap of his fingers, and yet, he cares for each and every one of his children! We are truly surrounded by beauty in nature, and that beauty will open our eyes to the massive power of the God we serve, amen?
<3 Always,
Rose
Saturday, October 25, 2014
Day 101-PLANNING!
Hey guys,
So, if there are two things you should know about me it's this; first, I am a planner, I always have been, I always will be, and honestly, I wouldn't function WITHOUT a plan. Secondly, my life is basically constant chaos, especially on the weekends. With 5 kids and 2 adults, there is always, ALWAYS at least one sports event to go to, church gatherings, date nights, and stuff like that. Today was no exception to those rules, but I was able to tell how fortunate it is that these two traits of mine, or of my family go hand-in-hand. Today, we had to be OUT of the house by 6:45 for a soccer tournament in Winston-Salem, we also had to have Shane's overnight stuff packed as well, because my sister was meeting us there and taking the little boys to her house for a "sleepover". To make things just a bit more interesting, Aedon had a swim meet in Charlotte not only on the same day, but overlapping times as well. So, when I woke up this morning and saw that my alarm had been going off for 20 minutes, I was NOT happy. By the time we had woken Shane and Jack up, it was 6:40, and we were shooting to leave in five minutes, and HERE is where planning comes in handy. Shane sits up out of bed and the first thing that happens is his nose starts bleeding, Shane is essentially helpless when he has a nose bleed, we haven't quite figured out why, but that's just the way he is...Anyways, so Shane is sprawled out on the floor with blood running down his face, meanwhile I'm getting him dressed while Dad is downstairs getting the dog's things ready to go, and I just stop and think, MAN, what would have happened if his stuff WASN'T all laid out and ready to go? For those of you just like, man, that's insane, this was only the START of our morning, it got much worse, but that's another story for another day. In conclusion, PLANNING IS YOUR FRIEND!
<3 Always,
Rose
So, if there are two things you should know about me it's this; first, I am a planner, I always have been, I always will be, and honestly, I wouldn't function WITHOUT a plan. Secondly, my life is basically constant chaos, especially on the weekends. With 5 kids and 2 adults, there is always, ALWAYS at least one sports event to go to, church gatherings, date nights, and stuff like that. Today was no exception to those rules, but I was able to tell how fortunate it is that these two traits of mine, or of my family go hand-in-hand. Today, we had to be OUT of the house by 6:45 for a soccer tournament in Winston-Salem, we also had to have Shane's overnight stuff packed as well, because my sister was meeting us there and taking the little boys to her house for a "sleepover". To make things just a bit more interesting, Aedon had a swim meet in Charlotte not only on the same day, but overlapping times as well. So, when I woke up this morning and saw that my alarm had been going off for 20 minutes, I was NOT happy. By the time we had woken Shane and Jack up, it was 6:40, and we were shooting to leave in five minutes, and HERE is where planning comes in handy. Shane sits up out of bed and the first thing that happens is his nose starts bleeding, Shane is essentially helpless when he has a nose bleed, we haven't quite figured out why, but that's just the way he is...Anyways, so Shane is sprawled out on the floor with blood running down his face, meanwhile I'm getting him dressed while Dad is downstairs getting the dog's things ready to go, and I just stop and think, MAN, what would have happened if his stuff WASN'T all laid out and ready to go? For those of you just like, man, that's insane, this was only the START of our morning, it got much worse, but that's another story for another day. In conclusion, PLANNING IS YOUR FRIEND!
<3 Always,
Rose
Day 100- I'M GOIN HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey guys,
So, here's the question....could I BE any happier on friday? Actually, no I don't think I could!! Thanks to my best friend, Charis who offered to let me stay with them, I am OFFICIALLY making good on my birthday gift of a plan ticket home! (It only took 4 months...) When Dad finally got the ticket Friday night, I spent at LEAST 45 minutes jumping and dancing and screaming and crying and just BESIDE MYSELF with happiness!! It is officially official, in EXACTLY 10 days from now, I will be in WHEATON, ILLINOIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Aww man, so, SO many sweet and crazy beyond belief reunions will be waiting for me, and I am so, SO blessed!
"I'm staring out into the night,
Trying to hide the pain.
I'm going to the place where love
And feeling good don't ever cost a thing.
And the pain you feel's a different kind of pain.
Well I'm going home,
Back to the place where I belong,
And where your love has always been enough for me.
I'm not running from.
No, I think you got me all wrong.
I don't regret this life I chose for me.
But these places and these faces are getting old,
So I'm going home.
Well I'm going home.
The miles are getting longer, it seems,
The closer I get to you.
I've not always been the best man or friend for you.
But your love remains true.
And I don't know why.
You always seem to give me another try.
So I'm going home,
Back to the place where I belong,
And where your love has always been enough for me.
I'm not running from.
No, I think you got me all wrong.
I don't regret this life I chose for me.
But these places and these faces are getting old,
So I'm going home."(Chris Daughtry, Home)
Seriously, I am BEYOND excited to see all the wonderful Wheaties, and it will be a weekend to remember for sure!
<3 Always,
Rose
So, here's the question....could I BE any happier on friday? Actually, no I don't think I could!! Thanks to my best friend, Charis who offered to let me stay with them, I am OFFICIALLY making good on my birthday gift of a plan ticket home! (It only took 4 months...) When Dad finally got the ticket Friday night, I spent at LEAST 45 minutes jumping and dancing and screaming and crying and just BESIDE MYSELF with happiness!! It is officially official, in EXACTLY 10 days from now, I will be in WHEATON, ILLINOIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Aww man, so, SO many sweet and crazy beyond belief reunions will be waiting for me, and I am so, SO blessed!
"I'm staring out into the night,
Trying to hide the pain.
I'm going to the place where love
And feeling good don't ever cost a thing.
And the pain you feel's a different kind of pain.
Well I'm going home,
Back to the place where I belong,
And where your love has always been enough for me.
I'm not running from.
No, I think you got me all wrong.
I don't regret this life I chose for me.
But these places and these faces are getting old,
So I'm going home.
Well I'm going home.
The miles are getting longer, it seems,
The closer I get to you.
I've not always been the best man or friend for you.
But your love remains true.
And I don't know why.
You always seem to give me another try.
So I'm going home,
Back to the place where I belong,
And where your love has always been enough for me.
I'm not running from.
No, I think you got me all wrong.
I don't regret this life I chose for me.
But these places and these faces are getting old,
So I'm going home."(Chris Daughtry, Home)
Seriously, I am BEYOND excited to see all the wonderful Wheaties, and it will be a weekend to remember for sure!
<3 Always,
Rose
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