(Saturday)
Hey guys,
So, today was an AWESOME day! I essentially had a "Katie Day" and spent more than 5 hours together, which didn't even seem like a lot! She had gone out to lunch with some of the other high school students, so I went to meet them at Cook Out, and enjoyed watching the Pam and Jim wedding montage on Michael's phone sitting in the backseat of Anna's car in the parking lot...We came home and decided that we wanted to do something crafty, but we couldn't decide WHAT, so we decided to drive into Hickory for some inspiration. Katie took me to this FLIPPING AWESOME place called the resource warehouse, I like the way she described it, "It's basically a 24/7 craft oriented yard sale..." Places like this are seriously my dream come true, I could have spent the entire day in there if she had let me! We also went to Hobby Lobby to finish finding the materials that we didn't find at resource, which was also a blast for me. We got home and got to work working on making a tutu, which she had never done, but don't worry, I've officially inspired her to make one of her own! We got done with the tutu and still had time before dinner, so we decided to watch "Friends", because she had never seen it, and it's like one of my favorite TV shows. We enjoyed dinner of baked spaghetti with Katie's sister Rachel, and their Mom, and it was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!! After dinner, we STILL had time before we were planning to head out again, so we watched some more friends :) Then we left to go see Jae and her sister Trystan perform in their duo dance competition, which in my opinion, they KILLED!!! AND then, we finally parted ways. Today was so much fun doing stuff we both equally enjoyed doing, getting to have "serious" talks, and also just getting to have fun with each other and enjoy being around each other. I love you Katie!
<3 Always,
Rose
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Day 226- Boys
(Friday)
Hey guys!
So, today I spent ALL day with the boys as Mom was in Charlotte visiting her family. It was...interesting...it definitely had it's challenges, but overall, it left me feeling so blessed to be a big sister. For a long time, I wanted so badly to be a big sister, and now that day is here, and yes, it's not always rainbows and butterflies, but it's LIFE. Life is messy, ugly, and frustrating, but life is also fun, beautiful, and filled with blessings, it's just a matter of taking the time to look for them in our everyday life. I am so happy to be an older sister, and I am so aware that it is likely that this time next year, I WON'T be at home, being able to spend time with them everyday, so I need to savor the moments I DO have with them, because there will come a time when all I want is to go back to this day, that I spent with my brothers.
<3 Always,
Rose
Hey guys!
So, today I spent ALL day with the boys as Mom was in Charlotte visiting her family. It was...interesting...it definitely had it's challenges, but overall, it left me feeling so blessed to be a big sister. For a long time, I wanted so badly to be a big sister, and now that day is here, and yes, it's not always rainbows and butterflies, but it's LIFE. Life is messy, ugly, and frustrating, but life is also fun, beautiful, and filled with blessings, it's just a matter of taking the time to look for them in our everyday life. I am so happy to be an older sister, and I am so aware that it is likely that this time next year, I WON'T be at home, being able to spend time with them everyday, so I need to savor the moments I DO have with them, because there will come a time when all I want is to go back to this day, that I spent with my brothers.
<3 Always,
Rose
Day 225-Patricia
(Thursday)
Hey guys,
So, we found out late last night(9ish or so...) that school for today was cancelled, and since Patricia had been wanting to come sled at our house for a long time, and we were together ending Wednesday night church when we found out, I invited her over. Her parents and her were worried about how the roads would be, so she suggested that she sleep over, and my parents agreed! So, we woke up this morning, and had the whole day to do whatever we liked whenever we liked, which included; watching Full House, laying in my overly comfy bed, building a snowman with Shane, and going sledding later in the day with Katie and her sister Rachel. All in all, it was a pretty fantabulous way to spend a snow day!
Hey guys,
So, we found out late last night(9ish or so...) that school for today was cancelled, and since Patricia had been wanting to come sled at our house for a long time, and we were together ending Wednesday night church when we found out, I invited her over. Her parents and her were worried about how the roads would be, so she suggested that she sleep over, and my parents agreed! So, we woke up this morning, and had the whole day to do whatever we liked whenever we liked, which included; watching Full House, laying in my overly comfy bed, building a snowman with Shane, and going sledding later in the day with Katie and her sister Rachel. All in all, it was a pretty fantabulous way to spend a snow day!
We felt pretty accomplished...
<3 Always,
Rose
Day 224- Kids!
(Wednesday)
Hey guys,
So, today gave me a bit more perspective of just how sweet and kind and wonderful the little girl that I watch is. :) We decided to go and meet some friends from her school at BO's for the afternoon, and it was absolutely adorable! She was on the younger end of the kids there, but she was also the oldest of the girls there, and she showed her kindness to the younger ones as they climbed through the tubes and slides, we could hear her little voice saying, "C'mon Abigail, you can do it!"(Abigail was one of the younger girls...) It just made me smile. At only 3 years old, Alora has a heart for others, and cares about her friends, and wants to help them in any way she can :)
<3 Always,
Rose
Hey guys,
So, today gave me a bit more perspective of just how sweet and kind and wonderful the little girl that I watch is. :) We decided to go and meet some friends from her school at BO's for the afternoon, and it was absolutely adorable! She was on the younger end of the kids there, but she was also the oldest of the girls there, and she showed her kindness to the younger ones as they climbed through the tubes and slides, we could hear her little voice saying, "C'mon Abigail, you can do it!"(Abigail was one of the younger girls...) It just made me smile. At only 3 years old, Alora has a heart for others, and cares about her friends, and wants to help them in any way she can :)
<3 Always,
Rose
Day 223-Adrienne
Hey guys,
So, today we had a snow day, AGAIN. I was supposed to meet with Adrienne today though, so we talked about it and both decided, eh we're from Chicago, snow's got nothing on us...yeah, BAD IDEA! As I was on my way to church on 321, I hit a patch of black ice(or something), and skidded across the next lane of cars, and spun into the median of 321. Luckily, no one else was there, so I was ok, but it was definitely one of those things that you would see in a movie, and I was flipping terrified. Being from Chicago, I DID learn what to do when you're skidding, because it was on our driving test, but it was definitely scary! Anyways, I made it to the church safe and sound, and surprisingly in one piece, but Adrienne just about had an anxiety attack on the spot when I told her what happened! I am so lucky to have a friend who cares about me, and essentially is a mother hen looking after her little chickadee, and it makes me smile. :) Any time spent with Adrienne is a good time, but today in particular, I was so grateful for the wonderful friend that she is, but also for the protective instinct she has when it comes to me, or to any of her other students or leaders for that matter! When it came time for me to leave, she wouldn't let me. She INSISTED that either she follow me home, or she could take me home, and we could come get my car later, and THAT is a quality friend!
<3 Always,
Rose
So, today we had a snow day, AGAIN. I was supposed to meet with Adrienne today though, so we talked about it and both decided, eh we're from Chicago, snow's got nothing on us...yeah, BAD IDEA! As I was on my way to church on 321, I hit a patch of black ice(or something), and skidded across the next lane of cars, and spun into the median of 321. Luckily, no one else was there, so I was ok, but it was definitely one of those things that you would see in a movie, and I was flipping terrified. Being from Chicago, I DID learn what to do when you're skidding, because it was on our driving test, but it was definitely scary! Anyways, I made it to the church safe and sound, and surprisingly in one piece, but Adrienne just about had an anxiety attack on the spot when I told her what happened! I am so lucky to have a friend who cares about me, and essentially is a mother hen looking after her little chickadee, and it makes me smile. :) Any time spent with Adrienne is a good time, but today in particular, I was so grateful for the wonderful friend that she is, but also for the protective instinct she has when it comes to me, or to any of her other students or leaders for that matter! When it came time for me to leave, she wouldn't let me. She INSISTED that either she follow me home, or she could take me home, and we could come get my car later, and THAT is a quality friend!
<3 Always,
Rose
Monday, February 23, 2015
Day 222-Growth
Hey guys,
It's hard to believe that we've been here for over SIX MONTHS. Moving has brought a lot of tears, homesickness, and just sadness, but it has also given me the opportunity to grow, to discover the person that God is calling me to be, to unleash my FULL potential, and to succeed. No disrespect to Wheaton, I love you all, and I couldn't ask for a greater place to call home, I loved growing up in Wheaton, but growing up in Wheaton also had its drawbacks. If you knew my brother well, you know that he was basically a child prodigy from day 1, he excelled at everything and anything he put his mind to, and I so wanted that, I was always one of those kids that is THIS CLOSE to being exceptional, I was the kid that scores a 95% instead of 100, and that was hard. Especially because of the fact that we were so close in age, all my teachers remembered him(of course), see that I was related to him, and expect perfection, I was expected to follow in his footsteps and blow them out of the water. I am definitely my own biggest critic, and an intense perfectionist, so every time I failed, it just cut deeper and deeper in my heart, even as early as middle school, I had convinced myself and I truly believed that I wasn't EVER going to measure up, I wouldn't ever be good enough, I would be a disappointment. That hurts. After he died, I held tight to the fact that he believed in me, he was proud of me, and he knew, eventually, I would get to my dreams, despite my brothers faith in me, and the lingering memories of his encouragement, his death spread like a wild-fire, and soon EVERYONE knew just how special my brother was. I'm not saying that that's a bad thing, I love how special and talented my brother was, I just hated being seen as nothing more than Graham's little sister, or the girl who had an amazing big brother. When we left Wheaton, quite honestly, had no idea what God had planned for my life, what I was being called to do, where I was being called to do it, or why God would choose to take my perfect brother, yet leave me, the one with what looked like nothing to offer. I felt inadequate not only educationally, but musically, but at the same time, I never let my dreams out of my sight. When we moved here, it was a clean slate, no one knew my history, no one was comparing me to my brother, it felt like this was my time to finally step OUT of my brother's shadow and show the world(and myself for that matter!), what I'm capable of. Since moving, I have changed, grown, matured, healed, and discovered who I really am, who God is calling me to be, and what I am capable of. Quite honestly, I have surprised myself, in my grades, in my musicality, and just in my maturity. If you had told me six months ago what was about to happen in my life, I would NEVER believe you, because the maturity, faithfulness, happiness, academic performance, and just my character was not reflective of the person I was six months ago, and I am so grateful for that. Everyday, I am being given new opportunities and chances to excel, I'm proving to myself and to my family and friends that I DO have what it takes, and I never cease to be amazed. I know that the person I am today isn't me at all, but rather, it's Christ living IN me, it's HIS holy power making itself prevalent in my life, and I am so blessed.
<3 Always,
Rose
It's hard to believe that we've been here for over SIX MONTHS. Moving has brought a lot of tears, homesickness, and just sadness, but it has also given me the opportunity to grow, to discover the person that God is calling me to be, to unleash my FULL potential, and to succeed. No disrespect to Wheaton, I love you all, and I couldn't ask for a greater place to call home, I loved growing up in Wheaton, but growing up in Wheaton also had its drawbacks. If you knew my brother well, you know that he was basically a child prodigy from day 1, he excelled at everything and anything he put his mind to, and I so wanted that, I was always one of those kids that is THIS CLOSE to being exceptional, I was the kid that scores a 95% instead of 100, and that was hard. Especially because of the fact that we were so close in age, all my teachers remembered him(of course), see that I was related to him, and expect perfection, I was expected to follow in his footsteps and blow them out of the water. I am definitely my own biggest critic, and an intense perfectionist, so every time I failed, it just cut deeper and deeper in my heart, even as early as middle school, I had convinced myself and I truly believed that I wasn't EVER going to measure up, I wouldn't ever be good enough, I would be a disappointment. That hurts. After he died, I held tight to the fact that he believed in me, he was proud of me, and he knew, eventually, I would get to my dreams, despite my brothers faith in me, and the lingering memories of his encouragement, his death spread like a wild-fire, and soon EVERYONE knew just how special my brother was. I'm not saying that that's a bad thing, I love how special and talented my brother was, I just hated being seen as nothing more than Graham's little sister, or the girl who had an amazing big brother. When we left Wheaton, quite honestly, had no idea what God had planned for my life, what I was being called to do, where I was being called to do it, or why God would choose to take my perfect brother, yet leave me, the one with what looked like nothing to offer. I felt inadequate not only educationally, but musically, but at the same time, I never let my dreams out of my sight. When we moved here, it was a clean slate, no one knew my history, no one was comparing me to my brother, it felt like this was my time to finally step OUT of my brother's shadow and show the world(and myself for that matter!), what I'm capable of. Since moving, I have changed, grown, matured, healed, and discovered who I really am, who God is calling me to be, and what I am capable of. Quite honestly, I have surprised myself, in my grades, in my musicality, and just in my maturity. If you had told me six months ago what was about to happen in my life, I would NEVER believe you, because the maturity, faithfulness, happiness, academic performance, and just my character was not reflective of the person I was six months ago, and I am so grateful for that. Everyday, I am being given new opportunities and chances to excel, I'm proving to myself and to my family and friends that I DO have what it takes, and I never cease to be amazed. I know that the person I am today isn't me at all, but rather, it's Christ living IN me, it's HIS holy power making itself prevalent in my life, and I am so blessed.
<3 Always,
Rose
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Day 221-Attitude Adjustment
Hey guys,
So, I'm going to be honest. Today was SUPPOSED to be a great day filled with independence from my family and a fun time with friends, and it wasn't...I had been planning to drive up to Asheville to go see my friend Kady, get to see her dorm and the place she calls her second home, and we were both VERY excited. All week, I was trying to get into my bank account to make sure that my paycheck had indeed made it to the bank, but due to technical difficulties, I failed. Finally, at 11:30 last night, Dad successfully logged into my account, only to find that the check from LAST WEEK had NOT arrived yet. Just like that, my plans went down the tube. So, I went to bed last night upset, frustrated, sad, angry, just wanting to see Kady, and absolutely NOT looking forward to today. However, this morning, I made the decision to have a positive attitude today, to enjoy my day, even though it wasn't what I wanted it to be, I needed to realize that yes, this plan fell through, that's kind of what plans do, but I need to move on, and make the best of the situation I have. I'm not going to say it was the best day ever, because it wasn't, there were times when I just thought to myself, "I could've been with Kady right now...", but what I will say is that each and every day, you and I have a choice regardless of whatever situation you find yourself in; you can either make the best of it, and even maybe have some fun, or you can have a poor attitude, be miserable all day, while also making others around you miserable. Life happens. Plans fall through. Friends get in fights. Hearts get broken. Not everything in life is always rainbows and butterflies, and no one is asking you to act like that, because if you did, we'd all go crazy, however, having a good attitude, taking life as it comes, making the best of situations, and simply looking on the bright side of life sometimes really does make a difference. Obviously this is all easier said than done(if anyone knows that it's me!), but when bad days come, we can still count our blessings, we can be grateful for what we DO have, rather than what we don't, and that will change everything, I promise. Today was hard, I really didn't want today to turn out like it did, but I have two wonderful parents and a wonderful family and wonderful friends who helped me make the best out of my day today. They knew that I didn't want to be here, they knew I wanted to be with Kady, exploring Asheville, and they wanted me to know that they knew. For instance, this morning, as I led worship and was walking back to sit with my parents, my Mom realized that my heels weren't fitting right. I told her that I thought they were too small, and maybe we'd need to go out sometime to get new ones, so she took me to Belk this afternoon, and not only got me heels, but also zebra print rain boots. Another example, after the service, as I was standing with my friends, Dad came up and gave me a hug and said I looked beautiful and sounded beautiful up there singing. These little things obviously didn't measure up to my expectations of what today would look like, but that's life sometimes, you win some, you lose some.
<3 Always,
Rose
So, I'm going to be honest. Today was SUPPOSED to be a great day filled with independence from my family and a fun time with friends, and it wasn't...I had been planning to drive up to Asheville to go see my friend Kady, get to see her dorm and the place she calls her second home, and we were both VERY excited. All week, I was trying to get into my bank account to make sure that my paycheck had indeed made it to the bank, but due to technical difficulties, I failed. Finally, at 11:30 last night, Dad successfully logged into my account, only to find that the check from LAST WEEK had NOT arrived yet. Just like that, my plans went down the tube. So, I went to bed last night upset, frustrated, sad, angry, just wanting to see Kady, and absolutely NOT looking forward to today. However, this morning, I made the decision to have a positive attitude today, to enjoy my day, even though it wasn't what I wanted it to be, I needed to realize that yes, this plan fell through, that's kind of what plans do, but I need to move on, and make the best of the situation I have. I'm not going to say it was the best day ever, because it wasn't, there were times when I just thought to myself, "I could've been with Kady right now...", but what I will say is that each and every day, you and I have a choice regardless of whatever situation you find yourself in; you can either make the best of it, and even maybe have some fun, or you can have a poor attitude, be miserable all day, while also making others around you miserable. Life happens. Plans fall through. Friends get in fights. Hearts get broken. Not everything in life is always rainbows and butterflies, and no one is asking you to act like that, because if you did, we'd all go crazy, however, having a good attitude, taking life as it comes, making the best of situations, and simply looking on the bright side of life sometimes really does make a difference. Obviously this is all easier said than done(if anyone knows that it's me!), but when bad days come, we can still count our blessings, we can be grateful for what we DO have, rather than what we don't, and that will change everything, I promise. Today was hard, I really didn't want today to turn out like it did, but I have two wonderful parents and a wonderful family and wonderful friends who helped me make the best out of my day today. They knew that I didn't want to be here, they knew I wanted to be with Kady, exploring Asheville, and they wanted me to know that they knew. For instance, this morning, as I led worship and was walking back to sit with my parents, my Mom realized that my heels weren't fitting right. I told her that I thought they were too small, and maybe we'd need to go out sometime to get new ones, so she took me to Belk this afternoon, and not only got me heels, but also zebra print rain boots. Another example, after the service, as I was standing with my friends, Dad came up and gave me a hug and said I looked beautiful and sounded beautiful up there singing. These little things obviously didn't measure up to my expectations of what today would look like, but that's life sometimes, you win some, you lose some.
<3 Always,
Rose
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