Prayer Request

The Roller family needs prayers. Berverly Morrison (Granny) was diagnosed with breast cancer 4 or 5 years ago. At one point she was cancer free but then it came back. Now has spread to most of her major organs. She's been going through all sorts of treatments that have caused her to become weaker and weaker. Just last week we found out that she's being put on hospice. But now the family is meeting with different nurses to see if she needs to stay in a hospice home. Just over the weekend her health has plummeted. Thankfully, she's not suffering. We're all going to be spending as much time as we can with her these next few months. I just want any body and everybody out there to pray for her, and the family.

Most Recent Happenings

I know. I've been a slacker at blogging. But I promise you don't want to read about our boring lives. We haven't done anything in a long time that is worthy of blogging about. But since Christmas and New Years just happened we've been more busy than usual. Before I go any further, I just want to let you know I'm on some heavy drugs at the moment so please ignore any strange typo's or sentences that make no sense. I do apologize.

We had a great Christmas this year! We stayed the night at my folks Christmas Eve and watched movies and enjoyed a quiet house. My brother wasn't there this year, which is super sad, because he was visiting his childhood friend in Oregon. Him and his wife just had a baby and Justin is the Godfather. It was our 1st Christmas without everyone there. Weird. We woke up Christmas morning and did our usual opening of presents. I think everyone was pretty pleased with what they got. We then enjoyed a nice big breakfast and just lounged around till about noon. I'm glad we got the day started with lot of peace and quiet because the Roller household was CRAZY!! A good crazy, of course. Lots of kids running around with excitement, adults trying to cook lunch, and me trying to stay out of the way. :) We ate lunch just as soon as everyone got there. Me and Scotty struggled because we JUST had a huge breakfast, but we managed. After lunch we then opened all sorts of gifts. It was a lot of fun. When I married into this family it was small. Scotty had 2 nephews and now we have 5 nephews and a niece. And a couple extra sister-in-laws. It's still small compared to my family, but this big house feels a lot smaller with everyone in it. Instead of giving everyone a gift we draw names and just give ONE person a gift. Scotty's cousin drew my name and she got me Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin for 4hands!!! I'm super excited about it! The only problem is no one will play with me. :( I have to find someone brave enough. Scotty got a gift card to Vintage Stock, which is a movie/video game store. He really wanted a video game for our gamecube.

After Christmas time really flew. We dog sat the next night and had a game night with Scott and Stefanie! I'm not sure what happened on Monday or Tuesday of last week but Wednesday my best friend, Megan, came to town!! She got here right in time to have a Mary Kay party. I got suckered into it. I like Mary Kay good enough, but I'm too poor to buy it. Until these loans are paid off, Mary Kay isn't getting my money. It was fun though. Then that night we took Megan to Fast Lane. We had some free passes because of a close out a couple of weekends ago so we used them. We played some lasor tag, go karts, and played some games...all for FREE!! That's the way to do it.

The next day I had surgery. I think I talked about it in my last blog. I'll review. My gum in the front 2 bottom teeth had receeded way too much. It was really painful and I had to have a gum graft. The surgery went well. It took about an hour. Because it was too much money to put me out I only did the numbing. Which turns out was no big deal. My mother was worried beyond belief about that, but I've gone through worse. I've got my happy little pain pills, along with antibiotics, and gross mouth wash. I still have some pain and am REALLY hungry but I can deal. After surgery all I wanted to do was play Mario with Megan and Scotty. I love that game. We went to see Harry Potter 7.1 on Friday. Then went home to play more Mario. It's hard playing that game on drugs. Late Saturday night we beat it though. And even though we beat it, I still want to play, but it's Megan's game and it went back to OKC with her. :( It was a great visit, and we enjoyed spending the New Year with her.

Can anyone believe that it's 2011? Me either. What the heck happened to 2010? I'm not going to complain about time going by so fast because that means we're that much closer to paying off our loans!!!!!!!!! 2 years from today we will be in our own place. I'm really starting to see a small light at the end of the tunnel. Whereas before, I was convinced there was no end. We'll be half way done pretty soon. Would it be really conceited to throw a party when we're done? Hmm. It might happen.

I hope everyone had a wonderful new year!! I can't wait to see what 2011 brings.

Birthday Week

Tuesday, November 16th was my birthday. I turned 24. I’m not much of a birthday person. Let’s have one small shin dig with family and close friends and be done with it. I’m not depressed about getting older I just don’t like the attention. It makes me feel very uncomfortable. But for some reason this whole week there has been some kind of birthday celebration.

It started last Friday when my inbox flooded with birthday notices from restaurants I subscribed to. If you sign up for eclubs these restaurants will give you free meals, free desserts, a percentage off the entire meal, etc. The specific ones I received were from Chilis, IHOP, McAlister’s, and Red Robin. When Scotty got home Friday night, he suggested that we use one! There weren’t any arguments on my end. So we chose IHOP because I LOVE LOVE LOVE breakfast. I could eat it for every meal. So that was my first celebration. Of course, the waitress there kept telling Scotty happy birthday and tried to guess his age. Lol. Better him than me! We never corrected her.

Saturday we were busy preparing for our bonfire with the teens so there wasn’t really a celebration of any kind, but the teens wished me a happy birthday, which was really sweet.

Sunday was a celebration day but not for me. It was my mother-in-laws birthday. We got her a small gift card to her favorite restaurant and spent some time with her. I think she enjoyed her day.

Monday I got to use some of my birthday money and bought some hair products...wild woman...I know. I also got a phone call from my good friend Megan!! It was nice talking to her since we hadn’t talked in for-ev-er. So that was a nice gift.

Tuesday (my actual birthday) I tried to sleep in but I was woken up my text messages and a lot of commotion downstairs. I started off the day normal, but I had a doctor’s appointment so I left for that. And this kind of ruined my day, to be honest. The dentist told me I needed to see a specialist about my gums. I put it off as long as I could, but my gums started bothering me so I made the appointment. The specialist said my gums on the bottom front 2 teeth are really thin and receding. Well, great. So I have to have surgery...again. I’ve had thousands of oral surgeries. So here goes another. It’s like doing a skin graft. The doctor will take the gum from my palate and place it over the problem area. It sounds worse than it will be. I’m more concerned about the cost. I cried all day. When I got to work I knew no one knew it was my birthday so I could get by without any embarrassment, but I was wrong. A good friend whose daughter I teach came in with a delicious cookie cake and sang to me. I was thoroughly embarrassed. But it was so sweet and I wasn’t expecting it. After work Scotty took me to Red Robin (free birthday burger) and to the AT&T store to fix my phone. He gave me a very pretty bracelet to!! After dinner we went to get our Harry Potter tickets for Saturday! Overall, it was a good day but I could have done without seeing the specialist.

On Wednesday my dad took me to Shoguns to get some yummy sushi! I love sushi (thanks to Daniel & Staci) but I don’t get to have it that often. Scotty is not a fan of oriental food so we don’t eat it much. I could eat it just as much as breakfast! It was a nice, delicious treat. I have a good dad. That evening we had bible study with the teens. A couple of other kids had November birthdays so a parent got us a cookie cake! The 2nd cookie cake of the week! It’s a good thing I like them better than regular cake.

On Thursday my good friend Andrea took me out to eat. It wasn't just for my birthday though. I’ve been borrowing the Harry Potter books from her to refresh my memory and I found a savings bond in book #5!! I guess she was using it as a bookmark and forgot about it. Lol. I got to looking at it and realized it was dated back to 1998!! We were 12 in 1998. HA! I dropped it by earlier in the week so she can take care of it and she told me she’ll take me out as a reward for finding it. So I had a wonderful evening with her celebrating a birthday and finding lost money. Lol.

Friday was a great day. I was waiting for months to be able to go get my hair cut! And with the birthday money I got I decided to go! I even went to a different lady. I’ve had the same hair lady for a long time and she’s always known me to have long hair. So when I tell her I want it short she never gets it short enough. I still love her though. This other lady did a GREAT job. I’m still trying to get used to it. Others say they really like, and I hope they’re not lying. Friday evening I celebrated my birthday with my family. My mother made a cookie cake for me (#3) and we ended the evening playing wii.

To top the whole week off me and Scotty went to see HARRY POTTER 7.1!!!!! It was amazing! I laughed, I cried, I wanted more. I’m beyond sad that there is only one more. I haven’t read book 7 yet so everything was a surprise! There is going to be a serious void in my life after the last one. Before we saw the movie Scotty took me to Red Lobster. It was so yummy.

It was a good week. Thanks to all my family and friends for making me feel very special and loved. This week I am very excited for Thanksgiving. I’m going to see family that I haven’t seen since my wedding. And this is Scotty’s 1st Treadway Thanksgiving! I hope everyone stays safe over the holidays and enjoys their time with family!!

Where you at?

Hey, it is Scotty!

I don't normally post on here, I usually leave it up to Summer to post things, but she is hanging out with a friend tonight, and I am at home watching TV. You may have noticed a new addition to our blog recently, the map that tells where people are viewing our blog from.

There are some dots on our map that we can pretty easily guess who they belong to...there are others that take us by surprise. So I just wanted to ask everyone to check in...which dot on our map is you?

Click on the map that is to the right of this post, find where you are located, and then leave a comment letting us know who you are and where you are reading our blog from. We are shocked everytime that we get a new dot. Not only because we can see that there are people all over the world reading our blog...but also because you are reading our blog even when we have nothing exciting to say.

In summary...leave a comment to let us know WHO reads our blog and WHERE you are reading from.

Thanks!

525,600 Minutes

It official. We've been living with the Roller's for exacatly one year. It really doesn't feel like a year, that's for sure. It's gone by a lot faster than I've anticipated which is a blessing. A BIG blessing!

It's interesting to look back to this time last year. If I knew then what I know now....we wouldn't have moved in. And that sounds bad, yes, but there are a lot of factors to me saying that, that I don't need to get into. BUT we are very thankful that Scotty's parents have been so kind to let us live with them (without rent). That's kind of a big deal. Which leads me to the 1st thing I've learned while living here:

Never look a gift hourse in the mouth. There are times that I just want to complain about everything. I get so frustrated, but I have to stop and think...I could just as well be living on the streets. Scotty's parents so graciously invited us in. So I have to deal. I've gotten lots better, but I still have days.

I've also learned that I'm WAY more sensitive of a person than I thought I was. I knew I was sensitive...but honestly, it's ridiculous. I worried myself physically sick when we 1st moved in because of something someone had said to me (it was mean). I need to develop thicker skin and quit taking everything so seriously. I've done better at that too. Work in progress, really.

Another lesson I've learned, which has been the hardest, is there are just some people in this world that AREN'T going to like you...and you simply aren't going to like back. And it makes it worse when they're in your family. Oh boy, does it make it worse! At least with others, you can avoid them, but when they're in your family you can't. At one point we were even told we HAVE to get along with these people. And we tried...but some relationships are very poisonous, and we deemed that one of them. I had an anxiety attack one evening just from trying to muster up the courage to be in the same room with them! (Which goes back to the sensitive thing).

And on a lighter note, we've also learned that mice come in packs (read Feburary's post to get that story) and food is a special commodity. That's a story for another time, though.

I have had several moments when I think "I'm not going to make it another 2 years" "I can't handle this environment, I have to get out for my own health and well-being." But really, I can handle it, because God wouldn't have given us this opportunity if I couldn't. On those days I'm ready to move out, I just tell myself, I'm building character and growing as a person. God is clearly teaching me so much about myself and what I can handle. And this goes for Scotty too. I've learned a lot more, but I won't bore you with it all. I'm just anticipating what He has in store for me these next 2 years. I have a feeling there will still be lots of tears, and frustration but I know that it will all work out in the end.

"I love Jesus...But I Drink A Little"

Okay....nothing exciting has happened around here so I just thought I'd let you know what's on my mind and share a little laughter. For labor day we visited our VERY good friend, Megan, in OKC. We did lots of fun stuff but on Monday (actual labor day) we visited the OC campus since they don't celebrate labor day. It was SO NICE being back. All sorts of memories came flooding in. We didn't recognize many students, but we got to chit-chat with lots of former professors. Super fun. BUT ANY WAY! It got me thinking about how much I miss it there! But, recently, a few things have stuck out in my mind. First off, I miss all the friends I made there and I wish I spent more time with them than my books. Second, I rrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllllllyyyyyy miss the independence we had. Our loans weren't in repayment yet, all we had were silly little bills, and more importantly, WE HAD OUR OWN PLACE! Oh, how I miss it. And finally, I miss one tv show. I know what you're thinking "tv show...really? Like you can't watch tv in Arkansas?" I can, BUT the show I always watched was Ellen. I never had an early morning class and Ellen came on at 9:00am. So of course, that's what I set my alarm to and I turned the tv on first thing. She is so funny and uplifting! Love her. Well, Ellen comes on tv at different times in every state. Just so happens it comes on at 3:00pm here in Arkansas. And it also just so happens that that's the exact time I work. Of all the luck. And to top it off, Arkansas doesn't even show new episodes. So if I were to ever get a chance to watch, it'd probably be an episode I already saw. Which, that's okay, I guess. So, to wrap this up, I'll leave you with one of my favorite Ellen moments.

Misophonia

People...this is HUGE!!!! All of my life I have been annoyed at the silliest things...mainly noises. I thought I was just easily annoyed. But it's becoming more and more of a problem as I get older. I don't know what prompted me to do this, but I looked it up. I simply typed "irritating noises" and I read blog after blog of people experiencing THE EXACT same thing I was. I was in shock. Turns out, I'm not easily irritated (I'm sure Scotty could argue that) but I have MISOPHONIA!!! Holy cow. There is actually a name for it!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misophonia
I know wiki isn't the most reliable source but it provides a good summary. It started when I was pretty young. I simply got super annoyed at my mom chewing/popping her gum. I constantly was nagging her about it and eventually she just wouldn't chew in front of me. As I've gotten older it has gotten worse. It's not just gum chewing, it's ANY noise made with your mouth, the "clicking" of a mouse, keyboard typing, clanking spoons/forks on plates and bowls, ceiling fans, etc. Those are the ones that really enrage me. But there's a lot more. This will help all my old college roommates. LOL (mainly Megan) The thing of it is, it's not just an annoyance, it's rage. I've never acted out in rage, but I've come close. I raised my voice at my dad once. TOTALLY made a fool of myself, but I was so mad I lost control of myself. I mean....pure rage. I have felt so guilty for saying things to my family that I will just leave the room till they are done eating or playing on the computer but that really cuts into my quality time. Some of you may be reading this and thinking "what a ding-bat" but I promise this is real!!! If you are around me and start making those noises, you will see an immediate characteristic change. I probably won't say anything to you because I don't want to be rude...but know, I'm picturing myself punching you in the face.
I'm still reading and doing a lot of research about it, but as far as I've seen, there isn't any treatment. Maybe someday, when I have money, I'll seek professional help (that's really funny to say). So in the mean time I'll invest in some really good ear plugs and just deal with it like I have been for 23 years. I am SO relieved that there is actually a name and there are others (very few) out there in the world who suffer from the same thing.
Special note: I haven't been diagnosed by a professional, I have definitely self-diagnosed. But there is NO DOUBT in my mind that this is what I suffer from...and I'm sure Scotty and my college roommates would agree.