Walk In The Rain With Me

May Is For Moms-

Sunday, May 12, 2013

"Very few writers thank their mothers for keen editorial insight. I'm proud to be the exception." -Rebecca Mekkai

May is the month for moms. And I think they really deserve it.

So, in honor of May, my Mommy, and mothers everywhere, I have decided to do a special addition post about moms. Each day or so until May 12th (which just-so-happens to be Mother's Day), I will add onto this post. Hopefully, by Mother's Day, it will be a really long and awesome post dedicated to my mom and mothers everywhere. So... have a wonderful time reading this super long post!

______

April 30th, 2013

One of the things I want to do is tell you about my mom and what makes her so amazing. To do that, you need to know a little bit about our family.

First of all, I am the second out of five siblings. I have three sisters, and a brother. (Poor little guy!) My oldest sibling is sixteen. She's amazing, but we're not really here to talk about her. I am, as I have previously stated, fourteen. My next sibling is an eight year-old sister. My one-and-only brother is six, and last but not least, my littlest sister is nine months old. As I'm sure you can tell, my mom has her hands full. (And believe me, we are a handful!)

I think I forgot to mention that she is also a stay-at-home mom. She homeschools all of us except my littlest sister, who is obviously too young for schoolwork. I've been homeschooled pretty much my whole life. I was technically in a public school for a few years when I did an online school that was connected to the state system, but I don't think anyone except the state considers that public schooling.

I really appreciate the fact the my mom decided to homeschool me. I love getting to be a big part of my school planning, and having a lot of control over what I do. I love being able to sleep in (nearly) as late as I want. I love getting to miss out on all that bullying, and other stuff that goes on at a public school.

And I love that, in spite of being homeschooled, I never feel like I'm missing out on anything. I'm not old enough for prom yet, nor do I have a date, but my mom offered to create a prom setting for my older sister and her date (plus a few friends) if they so wished. She has taken us on field trips that, I think, could rival those of a public school. She has done a lot to make my school years the best they can be- both academically and extra-curricularly. (Is that even a word???)

Thank you so much, Mommy!

______

May 1st, 2013

All of you teens out there who have been blessed with moms, this part of the post is for you, too.

It seems like so much these days, teens don't tell their moms "I love you" enough. Since when did loving your mom go out of style??? I should hate to see the day when loving your teen goes out style! (I should think you would too, anyone who's mom or dad graciously allows you to reside in their house!)
And hugs- what happened to those? Did they go extinct? Why is it suddenly embarrassing to be seen hugging your mom? What kind of idiot decided that once you reach the annoying- I mean, amazing age of 13, you should no longer hug or be seen in public with your mom?

So teens, I challenge you to just go do something nice for your Mommy this week. Tell her "I love you", take her on a nice date (or watch your younger siblings so she can go without you!), or even just give her a hug! I bet she would like that a lot. And maybe, while you're at it, put away the phone (or computer, or Kindle, or whatever), and just have a nice conversation with your mom. She wants to know what's going on in your life. Maybe you think it's nosy, but it's just because she loves you. (And I bet you'll want the exact same thing when you're a mom.)

Well, now that I'm done with my little tirade, I feel like I ought to keep you updated on my mad search for a Mother's Day present. I really want to do something special for my Mommy this year to let her know how much I love her. I understand that gifts aren't really the only way of doing that, but I do want to give her something nice. I'm thinking I'll crochet something, as well as write her a poem.

So, I guess that means I should go get started on that instead of writing about it...

______

May 3rd, 2013

Well, I finally decided what I would give my mom for Mother's Day- an Amazon gift card. She gives me so much, and rarely gets to buy anything for herself. This way, she can get some nice book for her Kindle, or anything else she wants. I think I'll crochet a little envelope to put it in. And of course, a nice letter. (For anyone who doesn't know, I love writing and receiving letters!)

As we get closer to Mother's Day, I've really been thinking about my mom. About all of the things she does for me. It's amazing how much she really does. How much she deals with.
______

May 10th, 2013

Well it's been a pretty busy week. A lot of stuff has happened, and because of that, I haven't really had as much time as I'd have liked to work on this post.

I guess I just wanted to say something in case I don't have time to say it before Sunday- I love you, Mommy. You're amazing, and I couldn't ask for anyone better. I love the fact that you ask about me, even if sometimes it seems a little odd. I love the fact that you are always supportive of me. I appreciate the fact that you answer all of my strange questions. (At least, the best you can.) I'm so happy that you and Daddy are still together and going on dates for your anniversary. (Happy anniversary, by the way!)

I guess what I just want to say is thank you- for being my Mommy. I love you so much!
______

May 11th

Tomorrow is Mother's Day, so I decided to add one last post before it gets published.

I don't really have all that much to say except this- all of you who have mothers should give them a hug, today. If you can't give them a hug in person send them a card, or call them up to say I love you. Superheros don't wear capes. Mothers are superheros.

I love you Mommy!

family

Single and Imperfect

Thursday, May 09, 2013

"I like being single, I'm always there when I need me." -Art Leo

So, in one of my last posts (click HERE if you haven't read it yet), I talked about how the years seem to have just flown by. And it's true- they have.

One of the other things that clued me into this was the fact that, by most people's standards, my sister is no longer considered "single". She actually has a boyfriend now! (I've been instructed- nay, commanded- not to elaborate on this. She says that if anyone wants to know about her relationship, they can come ask. If you'd like some details, feel free to ask. (Her, not me!) But be warned- you might not get the answers you're hoping for. My sister is skilled in the art of evasion...)

Now, we were at an event together, and at one point in the day one of the speakers said, "Are there any single ladies in here?" And what does my sister do? She cheers... Being the wonderful sister that I am, I had to give her a hard time about it. (What else are sisters for?) She said, "I consider 'single' to mean 'not married.' Doesn't everyone?"

Now I don't know about "everyone," but it seems to me that "single" is commonly synonymous with "looking for a relationship." If you're single, you're available for a relationship- a date. If you're not available for a relationship (a.k.a. TAKEN), then you're not single.

But you know what? I can be single without looking for a relationship. I don't need to be dating. In reality, what good is a date at fourteen? Well, except to complicate things and perhaps cause unnecessary heartache.

OK, I guess it's time now to admit something- I'm a girl. (Whew! Glad I got that off my chest...)

Now that we've got that very difficult admission out of the way, you can probably figure out what I'm about to say. Go ahead, guess. I'll even give you a minute to think it over.

Think you have it now? You probably do.

Part of me thinks it might be neat to have a boyfriend. Shocking, I know. I guess that's the part of me that's a normal teenager. I work hard to keep my "normal teenager" self in control and under wraps. In fact, sometimes I'm even a bit prideful about the fact that I'm not a "normal" teenager.

I suppose this leads to admitting something else- I am human.

For any of you who know me and think I'm an angel who never does anything wrong, who never makes mistakes, and is always perfectly perfect, think again. Sorry to burst your bubble, but sometimes... I spill the milk, too. (No need to cry about it, though.)

Sometimes, it's hard to remember that other people aren't perfect. Sometimes, we get so caught up in how amazing, beautiful, funny, graceful, unique, or whatever we think they are that we forget they're only human, too. We let their "amazingness" make us forget that they're human like we are. They make mistakes, they slip up. We spend so much time admiring them, that we forget how amazing God made us. We compare ourselves so much to them, that we cease to accept ourselves as adequate.

So next time you look at that certain person in your life, the one you think "has it all" (money looks, grace, etc.), remember that they are human, too. Their life has ups and downs just like yours. They have their insecurities and shortcomings just like you do.

Don't let some else's apparent perfection stop you from seeing your own awesomeness. Just because you're not them, doesn't mean you aren't awesome!

life

Prayer & Doctor Visits

Wednesday, May 08, 2013

“Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden.”-Corrie Ten Boom

So, until now, I hadn't decided whether or not I was ever going to post anything about my rather unfortunate experience a couple weeks ago. It was pretty stressful, and I really didn't want to relive it any more than necessary. (Which, unfortunately, is quite often.) However, based on recent happenings, I decided that I would.

It all started about two and a half weeks ago, on April 19th. My little brother had one of his friends over playing, as well as his friend's two brothers. (It's rather cumbersome to keep calling him, "Friend", so let's pretend his name is **Bob instead.) Now, Bob's little brother came over before Bob himself, and was already playing on the Wii.

Well, Bob decided that he needed to play on the Wii and not his brother. I told him that he needed to wait his turn because his brother hadn't been on the Wii for very long. That made him kinda mad.

I don't entirely know what happened, but almost all of a sudden, Bob was in full blown rage. I told him multiple times that he needed to go home, and his older brother said the same. However, he kept running away. And when anyone got too close, he would kick or hit them. At one point he picked up and deliberately dropped the main piece to my dad's new sound system. He kicked my sister's laptop, threw a plate, and stomped on my toe. (Really hard.)

Well, after he got destructive, I called my dad. (Did I mention that my parents weren't home during all of this???) My eight year-old sister, six year-old brother, and I went outside while my dad talked to Bob's brother over the phone. Eventually, Bob went out of the house and we went back in.

The sound system was trash. The computer screen was cracked. My toe hurt like crazy.

Well, even after about two weeks, my toe was still in an incredible amount of pain. We had seen a doctor a few days after the incident, and she said that since it was the toe that was hurt there was pretty much nothing they could do. She just said tape it and keep off of it as much as possible. By this point (yesterday) it was swollen in a really weird place, and my mom was worried that the bone might have been displaced a bit. So we went back in for an x-ray.

Guess what they found?

My toe wasn't broken!!!

Since it's just soft-tissue damage, there's no need for six weeks in a boot/cast. Instead, we have it wrapped tightly with an ace bandage and I'm under strict orders not to do anything crazy on it for the next two weeks. (This would set the healing time back again.)

I think this is a good example of the fact that no prayer or problem is too small to bother God with. I mean, some people have trouble remembering that there is nothing so big that God can't fix it. I have more trouble remembering that there is nothing too small to bring before God. That God really does care about your hurting toe or your bug bites.

There is a quote that goes, "There is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper." (Corrie Ten Boom said that.) However, it's also true that "There is not hole so small that God's love is too big to fill..."

** This name has been changed to respect privacy.

change

Where Have The Years Gone???

Wednesday, May 01, 2013

“...what still blew them all away was time itself, the days and months and the years, oh yes, the years. They went faster than anything man had the capacity to invent, so fast that for a while they fooled you into thinking they were slow, and was there any crueler trick than that?” -Michael Koryta, So Cold the River

Time has a funny way of seeming to go so slowly until suddenly it's gone. I just realized that it's May. Can you believe that? May!!! It seems like just yesterday I was writing out New Year's Goals.

This year is not the only thing that seems to have gone so quickly- the past several years have just flown by as if on a subway train. It's crazy! It seems like just yesterday I was ten years old... And look at me now!

The main thing that made me realize how fast these years have gone by is this... When my older sister and I were maybe 8 and 10 (or younger), my Grandma brought home these two dresses for us to play in. One was a 70's prom dress, and the other was a wedding dress.

We used to play in those dresses anytime we were at our Grandma's house. Now, these dresses were full-sized adult dresses, so they didn't fit very well. (If you know what I mean.) We used to stuff the chest of the wedding dress with socks and underwear trying to make them fit. They didn't, but we kept trying. I distinctly remember thinking that those dresses would never fit me.

Now, fast-forward to the year 2013, the month of April. I'm 14, my sister is nearly 17. We were looking for tutus (don't ask me why) in my little sister's dress-up box, and happened upon these dresses. Thinking it would be funny, we both tried on the dresses.

Wonder of wonders, they fit!

Well, sort of. The wedding dress, due to some messed-up boning, looked a little odd in the bust, but it did fit. My sister went to show my mom how she looked in the wedding dress, and mom said that while the boning could be fixed, she wasn't old enough yet to use it for anything except dress-up. Being the nosy little sister that I am, I asked how long it was until she could use it for real. You know what my mom said?

Three-and-a-half years.

Can you believe that?!?! My sister is just a little more than three years away from being twenty...

Where have the years gone????

complaining

Something(s) I DISLIKE About Facebook

Monday, April 29, 2013

“Facebook has been spreading across the continents faster than a highly contagious Asian bird flu!”-Gemini Adams

Sometimes, I just strongly dislike Facebook.

Don't get me wrong! Most of the time, Facebook is a wonderful invention. It gives you a way to keep in touch with people you don't get to talk to very often. It allows me to share my blog posts more easily. Not to mention an excuse to avoid physical contact! (As if I need an excuse.)

However, there are times when I really dislike Facebook. So, I've compiled a list of two things I dislike about Facebook. (I was going to say hate, but hate is a pretty strong word for me.) Pretty impressive, huh? Well, here you go!

Two Things I Dislike About Facebook

1. Selfies. (To use a Blimey Cow term. [Google it]) I do not understand the extreme fascination some people (namely teenage girls) have in taking pictures of themselves making duck-lips. I wonder if, when those girls are no longer teenagers, they will look back at all those pictures they took and realize that duck-lips are really not as attractive as girls think they are.

And while we're still talking about selfies, what's up with the bizarre posture that seems to be all the rage now? You know what I'm talking about, right? Hand on hip, chest pooched out as far as possible...?

2. When that party you weren't invited to is plastered all over your "friend's" pages. Yeah... You've probably experienced, at some point, the hurt that comes from being the only one not invited to a party. And all your friends are talking about it the next day. Maybe you've even been the one reprimanded for handing out invitations somewhere that not everyone present receives an invite.

Well, nowadays, it's almost impossible to get around this unfortunate situation. Because of social networking like Twitter, Facebook, etc., you will most likely see all sorts of pictures and posts about that party you weren't invited to. And it usually feels like they're rubbing it in your face, whether they are or not. My advice for avoiding a situation like this?

Never post anything- ever.

Just kidding.

I guess this is where I should make some witty remark about the situation that makes you laugh, and (hopefully), think a little more about your life.

However, I really don't have anything to say here. I can't think of much that I could say that would fit the criteria for an ending paragraph. (Witty, funny, thought provoking, etc.)

Instead, I'll leave it at this- it hurts. It hurts a lot. Maybe you know, deep down, that it shouldn't bother you, but it does. Or, at least, it does me.

Perhaps it is only me, but when something like that happens, I get really frustrated. I wonder if maybe there's something I should be doing differently. If maybe I should become more outgoing, loud, extroverted, or something. In short, I wonder if maybe I should become something I'm not. Cause who I am doesn't seem to be enough.

But you know what? I'm wrong. I am so wrong. I am who I am. I'm not more outgoing, loud, or extroverted. I'm just... me. And you know what? Apparently, God thought that who I am is enough. He made me, after all.

So next time you feel like you're not enough, just remember this- God thought you were enough. And He's the only one who really matters...

family

Family, Stupid People, and Laughing (At Yourself)

Sunday, April 28, 2013

"Laughter is great medicine!" -Unknown

I love my family. They're amazing. We're amazing. We're funny, we're crazy, we love each other, and we're weird. Really weird.

Sometimes, I forget how weird we are. I forget that not everyone eats dinner together every evening. I forget that not everyone reads bedtime stories with their daddy at age 14. I forget that some in some families, people fight over the last chicken leg and not the last brussel sprout. (True story!) I forget that not everyone has five children, and that five children isn't a small family.

(At one point in time, I really did think we had a small family. After spending some time with our cousins, who have seven children, and some other friends, who have six, I was under the impression we had a small family. Then my dad pointed out that most families only have one or two children. And that we were considered "big" when we had three kids...)

(Speaking of being a weird family, I don't understand why most people seem to think that the "perfect" family is a boy and a girl. Not only does that seem like a small family to me, but that also leaves you with two kids who don't have a play-mate in their family of the same gender. That seems sad. I couldn't even imagine growing up without my older sister to play with.)

One of my favorite parts of the day is dinner with my family. Dinner, for us, is a really crazy deal. And, apparently, one of our biggest eccentricities.

My older sister and I go over to this one particular friend's house quite a bit, and have been for a long time. We've eaten a countless number of dinners at their house, and we always laugh. A lot. It wasn't until recently that I realized something- we bring the laughter to them. I had always been under the impression that our friends always had dinner like that. I mean, it was just like our dinner! Why would it be any different elsewhere? Evidently, dinner at their house is a lot quieter when we're not there.

I can't even begin to imagine what a boring time dinner must be in houses where talking at the table is discouraged!

When the table gets too quiet at our house, something's wrong. And I usually try to fix it. (The silence, I mean. Not the problem. There's very little I can do about the kind of stuff that makes the dinner table go quiet.)

Today was just a normal dinner (eerr... lunch, I mean.) except for the fact that it was at 5 o'clock in the evening... That's right! We were eating lunch/dinner at 5 pm. That's really late for lunch, and really early for dinner. (At least in our house.) Lunch is usually closer to 1 or 2, and dinner is usually closer to 8 or 9. Welcome to my world.

Anyway, we were just not-so-calmy eating lunch/dinner, and talking more than normal on account of the fact that I've been gone all weekend. I really don't remember what we were talking about, except that it had to do with my blog. My older sister, gesturing at me, said, "Speaking of stupid people..." I couldn't believe what she had just implied!

Just kidding. I know her too well to think she would, in all seriousness, imply I was stupid. She'd really been referencing my post about stupid people (Click here if you haven't read this post already), but it looked like she was implying I was stupid. (Much to her own chagrin.) Needless to say, we had a great laugh about that!

Sometimes though, we hear something like that and don't laugh. Sometimes, we let it get to us. Maybe if we all laughed at ourselves a little more, we wouldn't get hurt by it so much.

Do we really take ourselves so seriously that we can't find it in ourselves to just... laugh at ourselves? Are we really all that?

I'm sure you've heard this before. (Maybe a lot!) But have you really tried it lately? Have you laughed at yourself this week? Have you tried just... letting it go?

Before someone mentions it, I'm not saying you should put yourself down all the time. That's not what I mean at all! Life is hard enough without making it harder by being mean to yourself. But life is also hard enough without letting every stupid comment by every stupid person (and we've already determined that there are a lot of stupid people out there!) tear you down.

So next time someone says something stupid, turn it on its head. Laugh! Laugh in the face of stupid comments. Laugh at your own silliness, quirks, and awesomeness. Laugh at your irrational fear of bugs. Laugh at being spacey. Laugh at your corniness, your shyness, or even your own laughter. Just... laugh! Laugh like you haven't a care in the world.

Who knows? Maybe those "cares" aren't as big as they seem...

life

Almost 200 Views, But...

Thursday, April 25, 2013

"[This] scale can only give you a numerical reflection of your relationship with gravity. That’s it. It cannot measure beauty, talent, purpose, life force, possibility, strength, or love." -Steve Maraboli

Today has been a fairly crazy day. I went to babysit a little friend of mine around 10:30-ish, and I finished up around 6:30. People say eight hours is a long time to babysit. I agree with that. But you know, it's a lot of fun anyways- bloody noses and all. I really love getting to watch my little friend grow up. I love being a part of his week, and I love hearing him tell me we'll get married one day. (I love you too, Baby Josh!)

Other than babysitting, I haven't done a whole lot this week that I really care to share on here. Mostly because it's uninteresting, but partly because I have something better.

This past weekend, I was able to attend a Girls Of Grace conference. It was an amazing experience, and any of you girls out there, I definitely suggest it! I will admit that one of the biggest reasons I wanted to go was For King & Country. (Can I just say, wow!) However, I think I would have enjoyed it without their performance, and I'm sure you would, too. (At least you'd better!)

Anyway, it was a really neat event. I got to hear a lot of people speak about various stuff. Some of the messages are a little fuzzy now (almost a week later), but one speaker in particular really stuck with me. Her name was Constance Rhodes. She was the first speaker of the day, and she was talking about how you are more than a number. We have lots of numbers all over the place, and most of the time they're good things. They help us tell time, order things, charge people absurd amounts of money for stuff, etc. etc. etc.

But we have a tendency to take things a step further. Instead of just letting numbers help us, we let them define us. We think our weight, our age, our height, make us who we are. That they define our beauty.

But you know what? You are more than a number. Because there is only one you, and you were made by only one God. So next time you're tempted to let numbers take over your life- your weight, the number of Facebook friends you have, whatever- just remember that you are more than a number.

My blog has almost 200 views. But you know what? I am more than a number...

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