A Letter to my College Self

Dear Madison,

You are embarking on one of the greatest times of your life. Many will try to discourage you from attending a small college. They say you have many more options, and it’s true. There are many colleges to choose from, but you have to do what’s right for you.

You will form lasting friendships over your love of writing. You will push through many days of physical pain, proving to yourself and others that NOTHING is impossible if you just try.

Even though you want to finish your degree program in four years, it will take a little longer. But remember, preparation time is never wasted time. This last year will prepare you for your career in ways you never imagined. You will be stretched by creative assignments, even amazing yourself at the work you’ve produced.

Don’t worry about the financial aspect of college. It will all be taken care of. You studied and applied yourself throughout high school and it paid off. Scholarships with your name on them will come rolling in on Awards Day at your high school. Even for students with loans, there are several companies like Earnest that offer student loan refinancing help.

You are at college to learn, but don’t forget to have fun. Take time to go to events on campus. Watch a play. Go to a book signing. Do things you wouldn’t normally do. You might be surprised at how much you enjoy yourself.

One of the biggest blessings in my college experience was my internships. I learned so much about life and how the things we do really matter when the magazine got shut down for copyright issues. It was a mistake that could have been easily corrected by the editor.

An online internship with an independently owned publishing company in New York led me to a lifelong friendship that I will forever cherish. Sure, I learned about editing manuscripts – and how much I didn’t know – creating ebooks and how to publish a book on Kindle, but I learned how to apply what I’d studied for years in college. It was so neat to actually USE my communication skills to make a difference!

My 500 Words: A Writing Challenge - Day 31

Today's writing prompt is to write about finishing. 

Today is the last day of the writing challenge. There's nothing quite like the thrill of finishing something. I will never forget when I finished college.

On graduation day, I could hardly believe it. The day I had longed for was finally here! There were times I didn't think I'd ever finish. So many days my body hurt. So many long nights doing assignments.

When I got my diploma, nothing could wipe the smile off my face. I did it. I finished a goal I'd set for myself in spite of adversity. 

I finished not only because of my determination to complete my degree and better myself, but also because of my support system. I could not have done it without help from my Mama and Papa. They both took turns taking me back and forth to campus for classes.

Graduation was as much a victory for me as it was for them. Even on challenging days, we didn't quit. We stayed the course, and it paid off.

I celebrated with my family afterwards. I did something that a lot of people don't do. I wanted to finish my degree program in four years, but I wasn't physically able to do many classes when I first started. It took me five years to finish. My mom always said, "All you've got is time." She was right.

Had I finished in four years, I wouldn't have grown in the area of graphic design and published an awesome magazine that I still get compliments on today. Had I finished in four years, I wouldn't have grown as much as a person. I learned some valuable lessons in patience during that time. 

I learned not to rush through life. I learned to embrace the season I am in. And perhaps the most valuable lesson of all: I learned the true meaning behind a slogan my high school has... "It's not how you start that matters. It's how you finish."  

No one knows the extent of my physical struggles and pain at the beginning of college, but I finished STRONG. I finished fourth in my class. 

I don't know what you are struggling to finish. Don't let your circumstances overtake you. Rise up! Whether you realize it or not, you have the strength within to finish your course with joy!

Giving Back to Greenville Memorial Hospital

Today I took a large donation to Greenville Memorial Hospital and the Ronald McDonald House of the Carolinas. Longtime readers will remember me mentioning them in my About Me posts. This is where everything began, so I was honored to be able to give back to them today.

Without God and the help of knowledgeable doctors and nurses, my brother and I would not be alive today. This was also another way of saying thank you to Dr. Griffin and all of those involved in my care after my surgeries related to cerebral palsy.

 A local school gave generously. I was able to buy lots of nice journals for the teens at Greenville Memorial.

I also want to thank my grandmother and Aunt Gwen for giving money so I could buy journals. My mom and I had a lot of fun shopping for them!

Several other companies agreed to donate. Each one is listed below.

 Studio Oh! sent some of their journals. These were perfect for teens because of their compact size. The pages inside had colorful drawings and inspirational quotes throughout. I loved that these journals had so many pages!

 Linda Singh, owner of Sitara Collections, was generous enough to donate a second time. These are a few of her fabric covered journals. Aren't they beautiful?

 Paperblanks blew me away! These journals were each unique and well made. Many closed with magnetic flaps. If I were buying a gift for my mom, these would be at the top of my list!

 W.S. Badger Company sent some of their all-natural lip balm. I know the teens will appreciate this often overlooked item. It was a necessity for me during my hospital stays.

 Scout Books is another generous company. They sent a wonderful selection of their various journal designs. These are perfect for doodling the hours away.

Elum Designs sent these beautiful fabric journals. I am continually in awe of what great stationery companies produce. Eye-catching designs and quality products. It doesn't get much better than that!

Last but definitely not least, Thimblepress sent a very fun package of a few of their notepads. The "Do Something Awesome" notepad and a couple of floral notepads.

When starting this journal project, I never dreamed I would meet so many great people. There really are great businesses if you search long enough. My goal has always been to put a smile on other people's faces, but each one of these companies has put a face on mine. I appreciate your generosity more than I will ever be able to convey.

I already have another donation planned tentatively for November or December!

Hart County High Gives Back to CHOA

My alma mater, Hart County High School, has gotten in on donating journals to CHOA! After an email to a teacher approval from the principal, the ball was rolling full speed ahead. I was just asking to see if any of the clubs wanted to donate, but some classes actually wanted to help. 

Mrs. Pratt's  freshman STEM class raised $140 in THREE DAYS!!! Do you know what this means?! I can buy five cases of journals in addition to what I already have! This is fantastic and yet another reason my small town is special! 

They made this jar. The whole group met my mom today, which was a surprise. I hated I missed it, but I wasn't feeling well. We had some pictures of the class, but mostly everyone wasn't looking. So, I am not going to post unflattering pictures. No worries, I will get my mom to take more on a different day!

HCHS, YOU ROCK! 

What I've been up to

It feels like it's been forever since I have been able to find time to write a blog post. These past few weeks I've been more than a little overwhelmed with school work and projects.   I have to do a public relations portfolio on raspberries, so I've learned some very interesting things about that fruit lately.  It's been fun getting to learn new things, though.I just have to keep reminding myself that it's only been a month since Christmas break, so it takes a little time to get used to the new schedule.

As soon as this month's magazine issue of Athena Magazine or Girls comes out, I will post it here so everyone can see a little bit of what I've been up to!

Happy Friday, everyone! 

True Success

Even though I'm not graduating from college just yet, people are asking, "What are you planning on doing?"  "You need to go get a master's now so you won't loose the rhythm you're in now..."  The short answer is get a job.  Just because I have a few limitations doesn't mean I can't be a productive member of society.  It just takes me a little longer to do some things.

Success for me is not measured in dollars and cents or degrees.  To me, success is waking up every morning with a sense of purpose.  I'm here on this earth for so much more than to just do a job.  I'm supposed to spread God's love wherever I go, which is why I can be content not pursuing a master's degree right now.  If I'm so busy filling my schedule with lots of "stuff", I may miss an opportunity to spread God's love to someone in the workplace.  In short, my life isn't about doing something just because someone else thinks it's a good idea.  I'm more committed to God than I've ever been.  Yes, I will continue to write.  That's part of the talent God has blessed me with, and I'm determined not to waste it!

 I'm looking into some online options for master's degree, but I'm in no hurry to do anything.  I want to be doing what God wants me to do where He wants me to do it.  I've been spending a lot of time praying and listening to His voice, because I know I am nothing without Him.  

I just wanted to write this post to let everyone know they don't have to be pressured by people.  Let God direct you.  He has never let me down yet, even when I was confused and doubting the dream I had in my heart.

What I've been doing

Thanksgiving was wonderful.  We got the awesome opportunity to serve people in our community.  Below is just some of the desserts that people made!

Later on that week. I went to visit my Memaw. I cuddled my little nephew, who is now six months old.  He is learning so much!

I've also been designing some things for my adobe illustrator class Here are two of the projects I've been working on.  A logo for the outreach ministry of our church and something fun that I may use as a desktop background. I'm also working on a poster, but it's not done.

I'll be done with this semester next Tuesday. I can't wait! 

Page by Page

I've been busy working on my novel for my creative writing class.  I have thirteen pages as of right now. I've committed to having at least thirty pages done by December. One thing I have learned is that it sure is tough writing from the perspective of mother, especially since I'm not one. Tears threatened to spill over onto the keyboard this morning as I finished up the fourth chapter.  So, I'm taking a break for a few days and look at it again with fresh eyes.

I have so much that I want to say that I'm afraid it's going to end up being well over thirty pages, but I guess that's why they call it an ongoing project .I plan on continuing even after this course is done because the characters and situation mean something to me. I don't want to just tell a story. I want to tell it well. What's your favorite kind of novel? Is it suspense? A thriller? A romance?  Tell me in the comments!

 P.S. If you are not a fan of my Facebook page, click the Like  button on my left sidebar. I want to make it to 100 before the end of the year!  Come on and make your mark with me!

Busy as a Bee

Hey, everyone.  I wanted to offer an explanation as to why I haven't blogged.  I have been SWAMPED with school work and other things that require my time and energy. One of those things is the beginning of a novel for my creative writing class.  It's coming along page by page. I've also been in a significant amount of pain these past few weeks, but I'm trudging along.

I'm having some issues with my wheelchair cushion, so be in agreement with me that the problem will be resolved quickly.

Hope everyone is having a good week!  Tomorrow is Friday! :)

Sunshiny Semester

I've just finished my first class of the new semester.  7:00 sure did come early this morning after a three month break!  The sun was shining as my mom and I left for school this morning. It's a new day filled with possibilities. I'm excited to start learning new things.  I'm still a junior, although I previously said I would be a senior.  It's just because I can't sit long enough at school to have 17 or 18 hours worth of credit each semester, but I am getting it done.

*I know sunshiny isn't an actual word, but it reminded me of that song "I Can See Clearly Now" and the lyrics that say, "It's gonna be a bright, bright sunshiny day!"

Just wanted to check in with everyone. Hope you're having an awesome Monday!

Studying Too Much Means Crazy Dreams

You know you've studied too much theatre when...

You go to bed and have a dream about you doing a play with some classmates and you forget all of your lines. It was bad, my friends. I woke up wondering if I really had been THAT bad in the play. I was stumbling over my words. Plain and simply put, it was bad.

I must have come to my senses a little bit in the dream because I started making up lines instead of standing there with my mouth gaping open. In my dream, the audience seemed to love my improvisations, but my teacher was so sure. I guess she was just glad we finished the play even though it was different from the script At least I didn't look like too big of a dummy.

Anyway, I just wanted to share my crazy dream with all of you. Hope it made you laugh!

Learning New Things

My summer classes have officially started. I'm really enjoying my Theatre Appreciation class so far. I never would have thought of my daily interactions with people as theatre, but according to what theatre is, are. Think about it. We change outfits depending on where we are going(school outfit would be different than a party outfit). Most of us talk different in front of our grandparents than our friends. These were just a few of the things my professor pointed out in her lecture. I just thought that was so interesting because I had never thought about it!

I'm working on some new posts. I just haven't gotten everything together yet. Hope everyone is having a great week!

Another Semester is Ending

Well, my junior year of college is drawing to a close. Wow, that is just mind boggling to me! I thought I was not going to graduate in four years, but as of right now I'm on schedule. :) I have one more final tomorrow, and I'll be done for a little while. I'm doing two online classes this summer, so that will get me a few steps closer to graduation.

This next year will be filled with last classes, senior project, and many other things. Lasts always bring firsts, though. I'll have my first job, first paycheck...

I'm excited and a little nervous. Then, I'm reminded that God has been with me every step of my journey and will continue to be. When I think of it that way, I can smile knowing the best days are yet to come!

A Day in my Life

I won't be publishing Memories Rewind posts for awhile because I'm incorporating them into a school project and don't want to give everything away. Don't worry, they are not going away.

One of my readers recently suggested that I do a post about what a day in my life is like. I thought it was a great idea! Jillan, I've been trying to think of more ways to incorporate some personal pictures. :)



I listen to history lectures online and take notes. We have lectures in class, too, but this is a great resource because it enables me to really soak in the information. I do this from the comfort of my own bed. :)






Here lately, you can find me editing photos in Adobe Photoshop because I'm working on a final project for my graphic design class. The above picture is an example of one of my edited images.







My long time readers will know that physical therapy is a big part of my life, so I couldn't do this post without including that. I'm there for about an hour each time.





I also write. The montonous sound of my fingers hitting the keys is almost a therapeutic thing for me. I write papers, short stories, etc. If I'm not on my laptop, I'm either sleeping, eating, in the shower, or at church.


I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into my life!

A Digital Story about NYC

As promised, I'm going to share the digital story that a fellow classmate and I have been working on with an education major at our school for about the past month. A digital story is a short video with narration and special effects, thanks to iMovie. We edited the pictures in Photoshop and created the pages using a software called InDesign. (If you've never heard of InDesign, I highly recommend it for creating brochures, magazines, etc.)

Our education major loved history, so we incorporated different landmarks in New York City throughout our story. The story is called My Trip to the Big Apple. Bobby and his family decide to take a trip to NYC over the summer, and now he is telling his class all about it! Click the link to read it!

This was a fun, yet sometimes stressful project that combined communication with multimedia. I'm really pleased with the finished product, though. :)

Breathe in, breathe out

Some days, you just have to put one foot in front of the other. Well, that's what I'm doing. These past few weeks have been tough. I'm not going to sugarcoat things and make you think my life is all roses because it's not.
I'm very restless with where I'm at right now. I want to be able to do more in physical therapy. I absolutely hate it when I don't have the energy to do my work. Some people think I'm crazy for having to lay in the bed and rest, but what they don't realize is I'm trying to recoup from the previous day's activities.
Each day, I try to remind myself that God gives grace for the moment. I'm so glad He has mercy on me, even on my weakest days when I'm a little too snappy about little things that shouldn't bother me.
No, I'm not satisfied with things right now, but I'm trying to be content. Oh, that is easier said than done, my friends. I know that even when it seems like I'm not getting anywhere, I am. If I can just hold on a little bit longer, I know I'll turn the corner. My prayer is this: "Lord, help me to be patient. When the work seems endless, help me to realize how much I've already accomplished. Most of all, help me to always remember to be thankful for where you have brought me from." Amen.

Thanks for letting me vent today. :) That was like taking a big sigh of relief because I know I don't have to keep everything inside of me.

What do you need to let go of?

P.S. Don't forget to vote for me! I'm in a contest for the top cerebral palsy blog. Go here (link removed) to vote. Just type in http://dropletsonajournal.blogspot.com/!

Moving at a Snail's Pace

I haven't forgotten about Memories Rewind this week, I promise. I have been unusually tired these past few days, so I just came home and crashed when I got home from school today.

Maybe I will post it this weekend instead of on Wednesday. How does that sound?

It's kind of frustrating when you have things you want to do, but your body has other plans. Just say a prayer that my energy returns soon.

P.S. Here's your daily reminder to nominate me for the top cerebral palsy blog of the year. Go here to vote. I now know that you can vote multiple times a day, so feel free to do that. This is easily done by just typing in the website again and re-entering my blog's URL, which is http://dropletsonajournal.blogspot.com/ Thank you to everyone who has taken time to vote!

Spring Break Fever-Party of One

Well, I'm in the middle of another week. I'm one test, one presentation, and one speech away from Spring Break! Woo hoo! I won't know what to do with all of my free time. :) You all know that's not true. I'll probably write some blog posts, read a few books, and just enjoy getting out of the routine of homework and tests for a little while. It seems like I've been swimming in history dates, lots of facts about the World Wars, etc. This class is actually enjoyable because the teacher really loves teaching it.

I have some exciting things planned for this blog, so stick around. What has everyone been up to lately?

Time is Fleeting

Things are moving along on my end. There's not much to report really. I'm just going through a little fatigue as I'm adjusting to this new schedule. If I could insert a pair of rechargeable batteries in my body at the beginning of each day, I'd be dangerous. :) There's no telling what I could get done in a day. But the reality is, I only have 24 hours, so I'm just trying to get my body on the same schedule.

On another note, my brother is getting married in just a few weeks. Yes, that's right. Not months, weeks. We had a shower for them this past weekend and they got some really great stuff.

I'm writing this during a break in school work, so it's short and sweet. Hope everyone is having a great week despite the somewhat dreary weather!

Adjusting Again

School has started back, so will take me awhile to adjust. I came home yesterday and slept for a few hours because I was so tired.

I'm excited about this semester because I'm going to be learning some really cool things. For example, I'm going to learn how to create digital stories. So, maybe I will post one on the blog when I get the hang of it.

My blog posts may be somewhat limited as I get back in the swing of things.