It Only Takes One Person

When we moved to MA, we came from a small town in CT, and when you did your daily walk everyone would wave at you and you would wave back, and it's like that in most of the towns in CT. But when we moved up to MA, no one wave, even when you waved at them! So mom and I decdied we're going to change MA, and make them a waving state! Yesterday I went on my daily walk, and I decided to go a little farther than usual, just to see who would wave. Everyone waved! We have changed MA from a "Cowboy-nod State" to a "Waving State", as I told mom. People have actually waved at me first! Which, I think is great :) This is proof that it does only take one person. If we all became that one person, and all waved, smiled, asked how your day was and listened, how diferent would the world be? I have noticed that people don't go out of their way to make some feel at home, because it "embarrassing", but what if we over come that embarrassment and just did it? Why should saying "hi, how are you?" be an embarrassment? If we all went out of our way, just you who are currently reading this post. We could change the world for the better!

Cae ♥

April 19-20, 2009 to April 19-20, 2010

Since I moved a year ago, I figured I would write a comparison of April 19-20. The two days that when I moved.

~.:April 19, 2009:.~

I woke up early, sat up on my mattress (my bed's in storage). Today mom is going to give the sermon today at church. I grabbed a pair of jeans, my dark blue & white stripped shirt, and my hot pink wedge heals out of the blue travel duffel bag. We left for church at 9:15. I wasn't singing in the choir today, because I knew I was going to cry, so I sat next to Jill instead. I waited in the narthex for Squid. I was always asked about the house, if I liked it, and if I wanted to move from people who knew my family. Squid never showed, so around 9:50 I walked over to the pew next to the organ. i sat on the red pew cushion, and waited for Jill. I kept my composure, until my mom went up and started her sermon.

"People use the phrase bittersweet to explain such a time of change in one’s life, but perhaps for us it is a little more bitter than sweet. But such a move is just another part of our faith journey." My mom said. Jill gave me a tissue then said "Cae, look at the congregation. . .They're crying. Cae, your dad is crying."

"Jill, my dad doesn't cry, he never cries," I said as I looked, sure enough some of the members of the congregation were crying. I looked across the church and looked up to the balcony. Sure enough my dad was crying, I lost all of my composure when I saw my dad crying, he never shows emotions. After church Erika took some photos of the family with Jill & Elven, the As, and the Ts.



We were just about to leave at 12 when mom said she needed to head to the market. She went over and saw Mrs. A (Squid Moms). Squid was with Mrs. A, so she and I hugged and cried in front of the church. "Cae, don't cry, because then I'll cry" Squid said as I cried and hugged. "Too late" I said as we hugged. "I'm going to miss you" I said as we hugged more. Finally when we were semi-composed we said goody. Once back home, I was sad, but as mom said "bittersweet"

~.:April 20, 2009:.~

I got dressed, pulled out jeans, hot pink wedge heals, My blue v cut short sleeve shirt, and my pink University of Hartford sweatshirt. Mr. Dattilo (our Realtor) came to the house around 8:00 as we were trying to pack the vehicles up and find our cat. At 11:00 the house was completely empty, well except for one basket and our cat. Just as we left the home owners pulled in to do a last walk through. We drove to Perk on main, to have a visit with Erika & her mom. Squid left a gift for me, since she had a horseback riding lesson. I opened my first and it was a pair of lounging pants with the towns name on the left pant leg. After mom and I went back to our house, to see that Bandit (our cat) came out, so mom got the cat and I changed into my new pants. We made it up to Massachusetts by 1:00 we had my grandfather follow us up, with stuff in his car. When we pulled into the driveway my new next door neighbor came over with her mom.
"Hi, I'm Meagan," Megan said "Hi, I'm Cae" I responded I just stood. Meagan and I talked until Meagan's mom said that they should let us unpack. Once I knew that there was a girl my age next door to us, I knew that we moved to the right place.

~.:April 19, 2010:.~

My hair was in two braid from last night. I took the braids out, and my hair was immediately wavy. I found a pair of jeans, my 3/4 sleeve shirt, and a pair of flip flops. I had work today until 5. It was also Patriot's Day (the day that messed up the whole house buying process up here), so it was a slow day at the library. I spent the day doing stuff I loved, reading, writing, cooking, and watching Survivor! I went for a long walk down my street, realizing what I gained up here in Massachusetts.

~.:April 20, 2010:.~

I woke up and dug around my closet for a pair of jeans, and a tee-shirt. Once those were found I went and took a shower. I got dressed and quickly braided my wet hair, and walked downstairs. Today is a boring day, not doing much of anything. I went on another long walk down my road, just thinking about moving and that since moving here, it was a really good thing for me, and that since moving I've been able to do much more things than, when I lived in Connecticut. I spent the rest of the day reading and playing outside with my next door neighbor. Compared to last year, this year was a lot more easier, and less stressful.


Since moving, I have learned a lot of things about life, and my relationship with God. Most of it because I moved, and it was hard on the teenager I am. I also have been able to excel in thing, and be able to do stuff that I wouldn't be allowed to do in Durham. I've gotten a job, written a book, made new friends, and gained a whole second hometown.

When I first moved to Massachusetts, I just about found something wrong with everything, and when I couldn't find something wrong with it I could just say "It's not like Connecticut" and I would be right. I have now realized that Massachusetts isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, I've been able to grow in many ways, and I love it here!

Cae ♥

Living the Christmas Spirit

As you all know Christmas is upon us. This past weekend was a very busy and Christmasy weekend. My library was doing a Breakfast with Santa, my church had their Christmas Pageant, and then my mom and I went down to my old town to see my old church's Christmas Pageant. Since we had a snowstorm Saturday night, my mom and I were going to shovel out my grandfather. On our car ride down we noticed that CT got a lot more snow than we did at home, and not only was there more accumilation, but it was the wet heavy snow, while at home we got light and fluffy, powdery snow. While driving down mom looked at me and said "I hope someone shoveled him out, and we just need to do the walkway and the deck." I nodded. When we pulled into my grandfathers driveway it was plowed, someone from town plowed his driveway for him, we knew it was a blessing. We later learned that it was friends up the street that did it, and they also did it last snowstorm, when mom and I couldn't make it down. If that doesn't show the generosity from people and the Christmas maybe this other story will (it happened on the same day).

My library did a Breakfast with Santa, with the snowstorm Mrs. Tower was worried that the Santa would say he couldn't make it to the breakfast, but she called and he didn't say he wasn't. Come 8:30 (only 30 minutes before Santa arrives for the breakfast)Mr. Tower gets a phone call from Santa that he doesn't have 4-wheel drive and won't be able to make it, Mrs. Tower offers to pick him up, but he says that he isn't being Santa at all today. So now Mrs. Tower needs to find a Santa Claus in 30 minutes, before kids show up and ask for Santa. Within the 30 minutes a member of the towns Police Department, showed up in suit and everything to play Santa. Not only was he not asked to, but he stayed there longer than the first Santa would.

These two stories are true, they both happened on December 20th, 2009. In two different states, with two different people, but it shows that the everyone should live Christmas, and not just buy presents and attend parties, but to be kind, do things for other people without them asking, and to go the extra mile if it be plowing an elderly's drive or showing up as a Santa.

Remember He is always watching.

Merry Christmas!
Have a happy and safe holiday and new year!

By~C

Conneticut to Massachusetts Comparison 7

The State



This is the final CT to MA Comparison, and I have to say I'm sorry for not getting this up early, but the holiday season is upon us, if you haven't figured it out already. While we were moving, I was upset that it wasn't the next town over, but now that I have lived in MA for the past 7 months, I'm glad that we moved, sure we lost some things, but we gained some more. I've been thinking about what if's in life, and just being me I came up with a quote, that explains it all.

"Think about the "what ifs" in life, because if you don't,

you don't know how blessed you really are."

Conneticut to Massachusetts Comparison 6

Church

I still find myself calling UCD "my" church, instead of BCC. I still participate in the old church, I get emials, I'm hopefully going to see their Xmas Pagent, and I'm hopefully going to their KY Trip next summer. With the new church, I haven't found my place in it yet. I'm helping out with the Sunday School, and just last Sunday my mom and I brought Operation Christmas Child into the church, and we delievered all the boxes Monday, but it stil doesn't feel like home. I've been asked multiple time what I like about the new town, and I respond the Library, but then I always get ask, "Have you found a church yet?" I wan't to answer "no", but we're part of the church, weather I like it or not. If it wasn't for UCD I wouldn't have 90% of religion in my life as I do today.

Conneticut to Massachusetts Comparison 5

My Love of Horses

In CT I started Horseback riding when I was 10ish. The late quit when I was 12ish, because I was a busy child inbetween baseball, Girl Scouts, soccer, basketball, school, Sunday School, Jr. Choir, Church, My job, and homework, there wasn't much time for me to horseback ride, and plus the owner of the barn focused more on selling the horses then having the rider build up a relationship with her horse.

Now in MA, three doors up my road there is a horse recuse. CNEER is the best! CNEER buys horses from slaughter, helps the horse to become well behaved, and healthy, and then the horse is put up for adoption. The owner of the rescue is glad that I live so close, because eventually we'll build up a relationship and when she is going somewhere, and can't remember if she put the horses in, she could call to me double check. Even though we don't have land for a horse, and dad doesn't want a horse, I can have seven horses three doors up, and I can play with them and give them all the love that they need!

Conneticut to Massachusetts Comparison 4

Choir

The church choir in CT, is larger than the church choir here in MA, 12 more people bigger if you start counting. The choir in CT was directed my Jill. Jill has known me for ages. I was in Jr. Choir, and when I dragged my mother into Sr. Choir, I was dragged with her, but Jill has a way to conduct us that helps you, unlike in the MA choir, mom and I have gone home some times saying "Jill wouldn't have done that" or "Mom, I miss Jill". When you sing with Jill and mess a part up she would stop playing, and then go over the part for each section. Needless to say, the church choir up here in MA, is very small, very diffrent, and there is no Jr. Choir for me.

Conneticut to Massachusetts Comparison 3

Girl Scout Troop

I love Girl Scouts, my mom has been through it, and has brought one troop through and has another troop with her daughter, me. Up here in MA it was very hard to find an "older girl" troop, needless to say we still haven't found one, but there is a Girl Scout troop in the area, but they're 1st years and 4 years younger than me, so there isn't really a friendship there, it's just "oh, well you're the only troop in the area." The main troop in CT has been together since Kindergaten. We've built huge friendships, we laugh, cry, and laugh some more when we're together. The friendships that I've built in CT, I hope I can make then up here.

Conneticut to Massachusetts Comparison 2

The House

The house in CT was a small raised ranch, and we've upgraded for a huge reproduction colenial. When we were moving, I hated my parents. I couldn't believe that they were uprooting me, I'm a teenager! I have friends, and now I need to leave them! I couldn't believe it! With moving up here, I've learned a lot of new things, met new people, and growing stronger in my faith. While moving I prayed to God nightly, always asking him "why?" I never got an answer back, or maybe I did and I didn't realize it, but with the past 6 months in the new house I think I've answered that question all by myself.

Yes I did lose one closet while in CT, but I got a larger closet! Then again, if I move to the other bedroom, not only would I get a bigger bed, a larger room, two closets, and a t.v., but I would also be helping someone. My family is in the process of becoming a foster family, and my parents want the foster child in the main house, so I'm moving above the garage, to the bigger room. I've slept over there the past couple nights and I love it!

With moving, I might have lost a small home, a hometown, but I've gained a larger home, a second hometown, a second library, a second life!

Conneticut to Massachusetts Comparison

I'm going to start a week long project that shows things in my life that has changed with moving. I'll explain each item and how it's affected my life.

The Library

As you can see the major fact is the size. The library in CT is larger that my current library. This past weekend I was back in my hometown and I dragged my gandfather to the library. I was bombarded with questions from the librarians. The YA Librarian was happy to hear that I'm volunteering at the library, and that I applied to become a Sub-Professional Librarian. I'm glad that I was able to go back to my library, it was nice, but for some reason the small library I have back at home has a strong connection with me.

The library up here is small, bbut it has character. I know the whole staff and %70 of the board. I've met patrons, and I've made friends.

The past couple days I've been thinking of the "what ifs" in life. The major one for me is "what is the library on the other side of town wasn't closed?" The only reason that I'm volunteering at the library I am now, instead of the one on the other side of town, was because that one was closed, and when I learned that we had another library I pestered my mother to drive me. Even though my first words in my library was "mom, it's small". I've learned that size doesn't matter, its who works there that matters.

I might have downsized my library, but I've learned more here than I would have in CT.

By: C

"My" Blank

Since I moved I’ve learned that I called everything in my old town, “my”, for example
My Library DPL
My Church UCD
My minister Elven
My Choir Director Jill
My Hometown
With moving, and being in limbo, I’ve been able to drop the My blank, I now say “My old minister Elven” etc, but I’ve only been able to replace one “my” in the new town, and that’s been the library, I now call WWPL “MY” Library. I was recently informed by the director of the library, that I talk less and less about DPL (my old library). In between my real life and the life I’ve been portraying in my story, I have written myself a four year contract as a volunteer to the library (even thou they don’t know it). Since I was entering H.S. I was debating if I should go back to school, and it ended up being between the Publc School, a Private school, and being homeschooled. One day in Kentucky on our way back home I called my mom, she said that she stopped at the library and talked to the director, and the director told my mom that she didn’t want to give me too much work, for fear that the library will lose me, and I would decided to go to school. Needless to say, that made my decision. I figured that if the library loves me that much, I don’t think that I could watch myself “give up” on my library. The moral of the story, for whoever is reading this is well, go to the library in your town, and make you “your” library, not the town’s library.
By: C

Found a Church?

Well I think the church hunt is done, which is funny at the same time. Last Sunday mom and I went to the Church on the Hill, and the conversation went.

Mom: “C, I think we’ll bring M, B, and R here on Sunday, don’t you think?”
Me: “Ok, so this is our church?”
Mom: “No. Look at my calendar and check what Sunday is good for Coffee Hour.”
Me: “MOM! You just said this wasn’t our church, but yet you’re signing up for Coffee hour! That means this is our church.”
Mom: “Well ya I guess you’re right.”
Me: “But we still need to go to the church with the huge Organ. I want to take a picture of it, to send to J.”
Mom: “Ok”

See, it’s funny, mom doesn’t look at the Church on the Hill as our church, but yet she’s able to sign us up for Coffee Hour, sign her and I up for a Blood Drive, offer to join the choir there, I don’t really like this church, but I can live with it for the next 4 years.

By <3 C

Having Family Come Out?

My Aunt, Uncle, and my Cousin, are coming out to visit us for the last week in July. This is my mom’s Birth Half-Sister, I didn’t know if you guys know, but my mom was adopted. She has seen her mom, her half brother and sister, and so have my brother and I. They currently live out in Oregon. Let’s just say my Aunt M. likes to plan ahead . . . A Lot! We got an email from her, and it was funny, she is trying to shove a whole year into 7 days, we love her dearly, but to read one of her emails for planning is just funny. I remember the last time she came out she was just pregnant with my cousin R., she said that they will come out in 10 years, when R. is big enough to ride an airplane, well let’s just say, it hasn’t been 10 years yet, but they made it out all right. My mom and dad picked them up Saturday night, and well, now we are just going to go with the flow, and see what we are doing for the week.

I recommend, if you have family that you haven't seen in a while, plan a visit, or invite them over, mom, tired of getting the question "How is the house?" decided to throw a family picnic while Aunt M, Uncle B, and R are out, so that is what we're going to do today.

<3 Caelyn

Church Hunt

Well since we moved over an hour half away from my “hometown”, so going to the same church wouldn’t work. We have now been looking for a new church. This is something that I don’t like to do, I’ve grown up in my old church, and it’s weird not to see E. or J. at church, but now there is a church that I like, and we’ll this is our second week going. The church almost….Key word Almost! looks like our church



But it’s nice…..it’s a good as it’ll get, well except for going to our original church.



Well next Sunday will be BWM (Before We Move), We’re going to our old church because it is our minister, E.’s, birthday and well we want to celebrate it with him and the congregation.
By C

My Small New Little Library

Well I don’t know if you guys know, but we moved. Our house finally sold, and we moved. We moved to the smaller town (half the size), but it’s cute and I’ll live. The only thing that I’ll complain about is the library. I used to volunteer at my old library, but now, I’m volunteering at my new small library. We always said that our old library was small



but small just got a whole new meaning. I now volunteer there every week, and slowly I’m figuring out what’s going on and why they’re trying to close it. I sent a letter to the editor, because this library might be small, but it’s grown a lot within the past 5 years, and well it has a huge collection! I think that people just don’t see what it has to offer. For those reading this, go check out your public library, and go see what you can do, or what they offer. You’ll see its fun to go to the library.

Luv,
♥ C

Moving Won't be So Bad

How can you explain to someone who has never experience a move that they will resettle and be ok?

This move seems so shocking to the kid’s system because they know nothing else. Both DH & I grew up in this town. We lived elsewhere for a few years but only by a town line or two and truthfully we only slept there, we still lived here. We moved back when DD was just shy of two and I was pregnant with DS. This town is all they have known.

They are somewhat excited about a new house and more land, but they are horrified by the idea of new Scout troops and new churches (as evidenced by DD’s entry “My Church”). She cannot fathom that although it will be different at first, it may be even better than it is here. DS doesn’t seem to understand the implication of moving. Every so often he’ll come out with a comment like “when we enter the fair” or “when I get my Eagle Scout with the Troop”.

Of course, even I must admit I’m a little apprehensive.

Have any of you endured moving to another state? How have you made it easier for your children? If you have any stories about “surviving” a move, let us know.

My Church

Okay, okay it isn’t my church, but I qualify it as my church. My mom and dad were married in that church, I was baptized in that church, I grew up in that church, and I even spent over 5 summers a total of 1 month 1 week with the 40 odd number or people that went to the Kentucky Summer Trip (including the minister) from our church.

In my church, we get confirmed at 9th grade (being confirmed means that you become a member of our church and afterward you can take communion). With the recent new about my dad taking a job up in Massachusetts and selling our house, I told my mom there has to be a way for me to be confirmed in “my church”. Once our minister Elven heard the news about us leaving, he told me that he would be glad to allow me into the confirmation class a year early as long as I was able to be confirmed at the church. My mom told Elven that we would think about it. I don’t know why she makes the decision since she is already confirmed and all of that, but this is me we are talking about. I am going to get confirmed in “MY CHURCH” as I call it. I then told my mom that I will use her laptop with the webcam and go via webcam to get confirmed. My mom and I then have a conversation in the Car.

“What happens if Elven doesn’t have a Webcam??”

“I will buy a $20 webcam for him and he will download it……or I will ship your laptop down every Wednesday to him and I will use dad’s laptop and we would use the built in webcam. Plus you were married in this church, I was baptized in this church, I grew up in this church, I have spent 1 month 1 week of time with most of the church, I will get confirmed, and my husband will suck it up and we will get married in that church, and my funeral will be at that church.”


My mom only laughed, a couple days later my mom and I are in the van and she brings up that she might take Elven’s offer for letting me go into confirmation class. I just looked at her like ‘I was going to do that no matter what’. Right now Elven is away, but I told her that once he gets back I will either tell him in person at church, or I would email him to let him know. I can’t wait until Elven gets back. I want to be confirmed in my church……..and now I can!!! : )