How Pepperton Celebrated Christmas

Every Page (& Goniea)

Down in Pepperton

Liked Christmas a lot…

All the Page girls slept in slightly

ready to make their yearly southern breakfast. They'd rush around brightly!

And then! Oh, the joys! Oh, the joys! JOYS! JOYS! JOYS!

It's one of the only days you'd see Arica happy in the morning! The JOYS! JOYS! JOYS! JOYS!

Then the Pages, young and old, would sit down to a feast.

And they'd feast! And they'd feast!

And they'd FEAST! FEAST! FEAST! FEAST!

They would start on liver-pudding, and most things you find only greased!

Which was somethings the Johnston children couldn't stand in the least!

And then

after a couple of people say "let's go, y'all"!

Every Page down in Pepperton, the tall and the small,

Would snuggle close together, enjoying the pleasants.

They'd sit side-by-side. And the Pages would open their presents!

Arica Page exclaimed: "How could it be so?

They included all I wanted! It included amazing things!

It came including running clothes, a poetry book, and matching remembrance rings!"

And she left her home; yes, she left through the door.

Then the Arica recalled something she heard once before!

"Maybe Christmas," she thought, "doesn't come from a store.

"Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!"

And why did she think this as she walked away?

Well…in Pepperton, they say

That the Arica's heart

Grew three sizes that day!

And the minute she got to Trevor's house, her heart was ignited,

She was greeted with warmth and felt so invited.

She spent time with her boy! And enjoyed her blessing feast!

And she…HERSELF…Arica Page…

remembered her Savior, who was never last, nor least. 

To Spell it Out: 

*I hoped to make this post fun. To clarify, I want all to know that I count my blessings daily. I'm so grateful for my Savior, for His birth and also His sacrifice. He has given me so much and helped me through everything.  It's through Him that I was born into the most amazing family in the world. It's through Him that I can be with that family forever. It's through Him that I became closer to Trevor and the whole Baker family. It's through Him that I have my employment and an understanding of what I need to do with my life. I owe Him everything. 

I am grateful for all of my gifts, but really I'm grateful at the thought everyone put into their present to me. The thought really shows me how much you care.

 I love you.*

It's a Psychobelly Freak Out

Henry Faust Goniea.

My Nephew.

So over the last month I've learned more about the birthing process than I ever thought I'd want to know before I have my own children. Okay, let's be honest…I was freaking out a little bit.

I've always been someone who thought pregnancy was beautiful and giving birth was natural. Then Ashleigh got pregnant and it started sounding weirder and weirder. I wasn't sure I could handle it. 

Ashleigh made all kinds of plans before she delivered Henry. She asked me if I'd be in the room with her. I kindly told her HECK NO! The nice image of pregnancy was fading over time and in came reality. 

As it worked out, no one was waiting in the waiting room, and I didn't want to be in there by myself…so I stayed. Ashleigh had been in labor for over 24 hours and was so tired but not ready to push. I was on the side of the room just minding my own business so that I didn't have to get too close. Then the nurse said "How about your sister comes to hold your hand…" Of course I did, I wasn't going to leave Ashleigh hanging. I got closer….and you know what…it wasn't bad. 

The reason it wasn't bad is because there was a bigger goal here than pushing through some pain…she was working for Henry. After he came out he was given to Ashleigh and the look on her face told me…it was all worth it. After hours and hours of her saying, "I can't do this." to the nurse….she realized why she'd worked so hard. She said, "I did this." Henry is so adorable and I'm so glad to be his aunt. 

I'm sure there will still be things that freak me out a tiny bit (medical things in general aren't my strong suit), but now I have something I didn't have before: perspective. 

Sadly This is Not Fictional

Gently turning back and forth, she wakes from a deep slumber. She was out for the count! After incomprehensible dreams, she sits straight up in her bed, she screams in her head "I over slept and I'm late for work!!!" Strangely, it's not work. It's apparent something went awry when she noticed her light still blazing above her.   She looks at her phone to check time and the damage. It's 4am. 

4:00am EST.

Why was she panicking about 4am?

If it wasn't work, then why did she feel like she was late?

Looking once at her phone she new. She'd received three text messages and one phone call…from him. 

At 11pm the night before, he mentioned that he'd be off work soon. Naturally, she wanted to see him, and offered for him to come over after he was done. He concurred with this plan. They were pretty like-minded in most things. 

He ran home, changed, and came over….and waited.

From the time he got off work, to the time he came to her door, she had fallen asleep.

 She'd fallen in a deep sleep. 

She didn't hear the texts, the calls, and I'm sure the knocks.

And when she realized this….she was mortified.

Now she sits up at 4:30am wide awake, wishing she'd never laid her head down.

BLAH! Worst way to wake up ever! 

My Life As of Late

Unexpected twists and turns

Never staying the same

Life isn't what I thought it'd be,
it isn't just a game.

You wonder if things are right
but they turn out how they should.
I never thought after a loss so great
I could feel this good.

Blessings are everywhere,
I cannot count them all.
It does not matter what their size
some are big and some are small.

People of each variety.
Look at the sight to be seen
friends, family, and fellowship
but some are in-between.

Rising to the occasion
to make this holiday sweet.
I can't stop beaming
and my worries take a backseat.

They ask me the reason,
of this I have no shame.
But I will give one hint...
it's all in a name.

A Rant Before Thanksgiving

Lately I've had spiritual things on my mind and my posts have been pretty inspirational due to that. So I'm warning you that today I'm taking a turn.

It feels that everything goes back to my brother, but as my mom has said, "I never want to go back to who I was on October 9th." Since Andrew passed I've been thinking 'What is the point of the daily struggle?' I'm talking about the day to day small things like going to work, coming home, paying bills, and all the humdrum of life. What's the point of all of that when I know what the most important things are in life? Family and the gospel. As I've been pondering this, I think God cares about what we dedicate our life to…and I think He'd like us to go through out our day and still be able to remember Him and do as He would do amidst trials and even the ordinary days of life. 

That being said, since I have found that temporal things do matter, I wanted to talk about Obamacare. Yes, that's what all this was leading up to. I've always been interested in politics and I've always had an opinion, whether shared or not. I want people to see how it's directly affecting my life. 

I am a single 25 year old woman. I will be 26 in January. Ding ding ding…I'm on my mom's insurance until that point. I have a job as a special needs teacher for a private school. Yes, I got my degree and I'm putting it to use. But I work 29.5 hours per week, therefore I do not receive benefits with my "part time" job. I need to figure out something fast and it's weighing on my mind. I could go the route of just not caring about the fines and just go with out insurance.

Oh wait…yeah…I have Type 1 Diabetes.

Something I couldn't have prevented with diet and exercise, just to debunk any myths about that. I can't just take the penalty and hope for the best on my health. I need quarterly check ups, yearly eye exams, prescriptions, and insulin pump supplies. It would be very costly with out insurance, and already is WITH insurance.

More and more businesses are cutting back hours so they won't have to provide insurance. More and more jobs are less likely to have benefit options. It's all because of the "affordable care act". I'm sure there are more out there who's job options have been limited because of Obamacare. There are a lot more people who work two part time jobs with no benefits to make ends meet. It's "helping" those who don't have employment but hurting those who do. The job market is suffering because of this tax, because it is a tax, to help those who are NOT working to get coverage. Obamacare: "No job required!"

So why shouldn't I just get Obamacare? Are you kidding me!?! Have you seen the glitches in the website?? You know why? They're trying to cover up the cost. I'm opting out. If I don't have to get it, I won't. All in all, the federal government shouldn't have any say over my health and the cost of it.

Now I'm in a pickle. It's either seek new employment, or pay out of pocket for individual insurance.

It'll all come to pass too soon…

Just being me,
Arica