♫Turn up the music!♫

So, I had my last choir concert this last Wednesday. For those of you who don't know, I've been in choir FOREVER and it is very much apart of my life. I was crying with girls I've been singing with for six years straight! I'll never forget our last song. All of the Madrigals held hands. Jackson on my left, Jonny on my right. Tears streamed down our faces as we began, ♫ "Yesterday is done... See the pretty countryside... Merrily we roll along, roll along..."♫ I remember looking out into the audience, although I couldn't really see anyone due to the lights. Thats one thing I've loved about performing. The lights are so bright you can't really see who is watching you. It has always made it easier for me. I remember at one point I stopped singing and took a moment to look around at the Mads... And how each one of them has touched my life. I took a deep breath and counted to ten... cherishing the moment... then I finally accepted the fate, and brought myself to  finished the song along with them... ♫ "Never look back, never look back, never look back..."♫

Now that there is only a weed left of school I am beside myself with worries of finding jobs, wedding plans and graduation plans!!!

As for Miss Abbie Lynn Furlong, our little puppy has grown up so FAST!!! She's huge!!! For a week or so her left ear stood straight up like a regular Boston Terrier, and the right ear flopped down like a Collie. We thought this might be permanent since it was that way for so long (and it was pretty darn cute!) but just this last week it has perked up. She now enjoys cuddling with Ty and hopping around the yard like a bunny. And just like a Boston, she thinks she is so big and bad. :)

My mom has this new App on her iphone that you can sing into and it will fix your flaws like it does to the pros... I can't decide how much I like it yet. But it sure is fun to play around with.

There is a rumor going around at school that I am only getting married early because I am pregnant... Really? First, I am getting married IN THE TEMPLE! Second, I'm getting married in September... So wouldn't that mean that by the time I got married I'd be 7 or 8 months along? I'd be huge and noticiable! Really people!!!! Think of the logic before you lie!!! I hate to say that people are just jealous because I don't want to make myself that cocky, but I will say is ♫ All you are is mean! ♫

More than a name.

As I walked down the halls of my high school, I can't help but look into the faces of the people passing by me. The jocks, the dancers, the nerds. Everyone has a label. Everyone has a place. As I watched them during lunch it was almost as if there were invisible lines between the groups. They were all so careful not to cross one of those lines, onto another groups "territory". I did notice there was one spot where all the groups had equal ground. Where everyone had a right to go. The trash can to throw away their food. Isn't it funny that the trash can is the one place everyone can go without being mocked, or emotionally bruised in some way?

As I watched the faces pass by me, I tried to see them as people, not as a label. I tried to remember that they are not just faces that are going to show up in my year book. They are not just names that I will hear and later forget. They are people. Real people. With stories. With backgrounds and futures. With lives. People that love them. With different likes and dislikes. And no two people were the same. It was a funny thought, but I began to wonder how they'd see me. To them, I'm probably nothing more than a face  in a yearbook. What would I mean to them?

Then I tried something else. I smiled at everyone. And the response I got was amazing! I smiled. The boy held the door for me. I smiled. The girl's face lit up. I smiled. He said hi. I smiled. She handed me my lip gloss when it fell out of my pocket. I didn't know a single name. I didn't know their stories. But I did know that in that moment we had something in common. Something we could share on equal grounds. A simple little smile.

As I kept walking I thought, "how many of these people will remember me? How many people will walk through the halls and think that Ree Furlong went here. That I was a living, breathing soul that walked these halls." I have a story. Maybe I'll blog about it sometime. I'm a real person behind the picture in the year book, with hopes and dreams for the future. Someone who loves sunsets and oreos. Someone who adores christmas lights and long runs in the dark. Someone who loves summer and families and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints with all of my heart. And not everyone will know that. Heck, how many people would really care exept those that love me? Probably not a lot, but I will always remember to think of people as real people. Because they are more than a name or a face in the yearbook. They are children of God.

Oh, Marilla, how Much you miss."

Growing up, my mom always played Anne of Green Gables whenever it was showing on PBS. I always remembered p paticular part whre Anne asks Marilla, "don't you imagine things different from what they are?" And to Marilla's curtious, "no," Anne says dreamily, "Oh, Marilla, how much you miss." And that is when I fell in love with the idea of seeing things different than what they are, which is probably what inspired me to be a writer.

In later years, I begged Daddy to buy me the Anne of Green Gables book series. And to my delight, he did. And I thoroughly enjoyed them. I even learned how to spell "Chrysanthemum" correctly, and I imagined myself with red hair and a pretty nose, which was just as hard for me as it was for Anne to imagine her red hair away, because my biggest insecurity is my nose.

To this day I wonder how children with so much imagination could grow up and be serious adults with no imagination at all. As I've gotten older, I've matured, but my imagination has never left me. I like to say it's just moved to a different location. Instead of dramatic acting with my toys, my imagination plays in my writing. I create my world with lined paper and a pen. (Actually, I LOVE to write in pencil, but it smears A LOT!) And I can still imagine things different from what they are.

It's nice to be important, but it's even more important to be nice.

Alright, today's subject is on one thing that I think every human has experienced. One thing every human also is guilty of. Bullying. Gossip. Back biting. How much more blunt do I need to be? Humans can  be cruel. Especailly to each other. And as much as I hate to admit this, girls seem to be mostly guilty of it, although I have dated plenty of guys that do things like this as well.

I want to cry when I see a girl at school, so sweet, so quiet and shy. She doesn't wear the same clothes as everyone. No make up. She does her hair the best she can, but it's not "in style." To see this sweet girl's smile fade as another person who deems herself as "cooler" or "better" tears her down. They call her fat. They call her ugly. And they laugh. How do they know what she's going through:? How can they not see how much it hurts her? And what bothers me the most is that the bullies are usually the people we as students are supposed to look up to. The football players and cheerleaders. Now, I'm not saying every jock person is this way. I was a cheerleader myself. I still remember girls being so shocked that I ate lunch with the choir nerds. Really?

Humans can be so cruel. Especially when a bunch of people get in on it. It breaks my heart. I always try to smile at everyone, and give them a sincere compliment. I've even attempted to stand up for a girl in class when a popular dancer called her fat. I ended up with death threats and was kicked out of the classroom for the day, but really? I thought we got over that in Jr. High!

I've been a victim of bullying. Once, just after I made the cheer squad my freshman year, someone left a message on my phone that said, "U-G-L-Y! U-G-L-Y! YOU UGLY! YEAH, YEAH, YOU UGLY!" I knew I wasn't as pretty as the other cheerleaders that made it. But I vowed I'd never ever EVER be that mean. I've had my driveway covered in nasty writing about me, all in permanent marker. I've walked into a girl's bathroom and seen writing about me all over the stalls. And although it broke my heart at the time, I learned to forgive, and with the support of friends and loved ones, it has always been a reminder to me that everyone has feelings. Everyone wants to be loved.

As humans, we all feel emotions. But I think more oftn than not we are selfish and always forget how the other guy is feeling. So next time you are with a bunch of people, see who you can reach out to. Look for someone who needs a smile. "Always be careful of what you say, for you might regret it someday. In every heart is a silent plea, 'Somebody, please love me.'"

You should have seen it in color...

We got the puppy!!!! Her name is Abbie Lynn Furlong. She is 6 weeks old, black and white Boston Terrier, and is soooo tiny. She cried when we first picked her out of a cute litter of six. We wrapped her in a blue snuggie Ty had in the back of his car. I knew which one she was because her nose is white except for the very tip, which is black. Mom says we should have named her Button. But Abbie fits her so well. My grown Boston, Molly, has been a big help and example. She'll watch over Abbie and play with her. Abbie lets her know when she tends to smother her. She lifts a tiny pink and white paw and lets out a high pitch growl that is so cute we all laugh. Atleast Abbie has spunk to her. Mostly she just plays with her rope and eats and sleeps like a normal, healthy puppy.We love to take pictures of her.

I have the responsibility of sleeping with Abbie during the night and taking care of her. I quickly learned that she wakes up between 1 and 1:15AM to go to the bathroom and play, and then again at 3:30. I also learned that if I dont wake up when she pats my face, she will pee on my head.

My parents find it funny how much Ty and I act like she is our real baby. And to us, she is. When we have my sister or dad watch her, I give them instructions and call to check up on her. :) I'm so glad she's doing so well. Who knew so much love could be for a tiny little ball of black and white... but she sure is the color of our lives.

Life's like an hour glass glued to the table.

No word on the puppy yet, but hopefully soon!

I'm taking my senior pictures this week. It is strange to think I'll graduate one month from today. I think of some of my friends and calssmates from first grade. Look at us now. Ready to graduate high school. We'll go to college, serve missions, get jobs, get married, (I'm getting married EXACTLY four months from today!!!!!) have kids, (whoa... thats weird.) and change the world. Sadly, we may never see each other again. So this next month I am really trying to soak it all in. I don't want to forget.

It's funny hwo somethings happen, and at the time you aren't sure why. You may even be angry or upset by it. And then later, you look back and ralize that if it wasn't for that very thing that you thought had ruined your life caturally got you somewhere even better. I always complained about being the youngest in my grade. Until I met Tyler. If I had been delievered nine days later, I'd have to be a junior in high school right now. And if I was a junior, Tyler never would have dated me, and I wouldn't have all the adventures and blessings tha he rings in my life. Thank goodness my Dr. followed the prompting to deliever me nine days early!!!

It's the little things

Yesterday my fiance, Tyler, and I babysat for some close friends. They have one baby boy and he is SO STINKING CUTE!!!! I played with the baby for a loooonnnng time and loved every second of it. I loved how he'd smile wide when I touched my nose to his. I loved how he was so facinated with my long dark hair that he just HAD to taste it, as much as I tried to keep it out of his reach. It's hard when it's so long. I loved how the simplest things made him stare in wonder and awe. He had to touch it, taste it, shake it, and eventually got bored with it. He'd whimper and look up at me with a smile as if to say, "This is nice, but what else can we play with?"

For the most part, Tyler played video games and watched movies. Mom says thats a glimps of married life. Don't get me wrong, he's far from lazy. I think he did it because he knew just how much I love playing with babies. Tyler works in a hospital and gets to play with the babies there every morning, and I think he was just letting me have my turn to play with one. He did play with the baby when I needed a break here and there. The baby adored him. He'd smile and giggle and grab at his nose. My favorite part was when Tyler held the baby while we ate our pizza dinner. I took a mental picture to keep forever. Tyler was sitting on the couch, the baby bouncing in one arm, a pizza in the other hand, his eyes glued to the T.V. He's going to be a great daddy!

We are looking to get a Boston Terrier puppy tomorrow, hopefully. She's a cutie, so we need to try to get there before anyone else does, and tomorrow is our only chance. We wanted to call her Mickey, but Ty is also liking the name Becky. Personally, I want a brindle one and name it something like Penny or Rusty. Or name the one we are going to get Winefred and call her Winnie. Like Winnie the Pooh! I think the puppy attempt was to help me not get baby hungry once we are married. Tyler already has a husky dog of his own. But getting this puppy is so exciting!!! We even went to PetSmart to look at collars, toys, beds, and food! I really really REALLY hope we can get this one, AND agree on a name. Tyler is paying for it, so I'll let him name her.

The puppy is going to have a crazy schedule. My family and I will take her nights and mornings. Tyler works until noon, so he'll pick her up then and spend time with her until I get out of school. Then Tyler and I will both train her and play with her until it's time for me to go home, and I'll take her with me. Except Tyler gets her on the weekends. My family already has a Boston Terrier named Molly. She's a cute little nut, but we're curious to see how she reacts to the puppy. Once, we tried to see what would happen if Molly met Ty's husky, Sierra. Molly's hair stood up as if to make her bigger, and she stood her ground. Sierra, who may be big but is usually afraid of everything, seemed more confused and curious by my little dog. Molly thinks she is so big and bad. Sierra cocked her head and placed her paw on Molly's head as if to say, "Why is it so little??" Molly didn't like that too much. They got along for the most part.

My fingers are crossed for the new puppy!!!!