carolinerose880-blog

[carolinerose880-blog]

I always wished I had the kind of talent that was concrete and tangible.  Something that could impress a crowd on America’s Got Talent like singing, dancing, juggling, or some sort of acrobatics.  While I love to sing, I can assure you I am not very good at it. Over the years I tried to learn from my brother how to do magic tricks, do special effects videos, and tell jokes.  I soon realized that those were his unique talents and I did not share his aptitude for them.  I do make a good audience for him though and appreciate his talents. Needless to say throughout the years I pursued many activities that I have enjoyed such as playing the piano, tennis, and field hockey.  While I did have fun with these I certainly never excelled at any of them.  

What I have discovered in recent years is that I do have a few talents and traits that I am especially proud of and make me unique.  I am an unusually organized person.  Well maybe not my closet, but more in terms of my life and goals.  I am a serious student which often surprises new friends. I am diligent, hard working and driven.  I use a paper planner that is color coded and keeps me on top of my assignments.  I have honed my system over the years and it has helped me reach my goals.  I am not afraid to work hard and I think being extremely organized has helped me succeed in many areas of my life.  

Probably the trait I am most proud of is my ability to be a true friend.  I pride myself on being present and really listening to a friend that is struggling.  I try to go the extra mile to make my friends feel appreciated and supported.  While gossiping is inevitable I try to keep it to a minimum. There is a Jewish concept that prohibits Loshan Hara that I try to abide by.  It forbids speech that can harm someone else physically, emotionally, financially or in any other way.  This is a value I was taught growing up and I clearly see the wisdom of it as I get older.  Of course I enjoy celebrating good times with friends as well, but loyal friends help each other in bad times as well.  While you may not see me on the athletic field or performing on stage, I am confident that the traits I described are something I pride myself on.

#whatido

[carolinerose880-blog]

My name is Caroline Rose and I have come to love my name.  I must admit I had a phase, somewhere around middle school, where I disliked it and imagined having a different name like Jane or Emily.  However, I now appreciate that it was carefully chosen for me and I would not change it for the world.  In the Jewish tradition you are given a Hebrew name that usually correlates to your English name. The name is chosen to honor a relative that has died.  My Hebrew name is Shoshana Chaya which means rose and life. I was named after my mother’s grandmother Rose and my father’s grandmother Hannah using their Hebrew names.  At my baby naming ceremony, my father delivered a speech about these two special women.  He discussed Rose’s compassion and grace and Hannah’s wisdom and kindness. I feel deeply connected to my name and try to honor their memory through embracing these qualities.  

Now that I have explained my Hebrew name it is easy to see why my middle name is Rose, but the Caroline choice is still up for debate.  My mother tells me that she always loved the name Caroline thinking that it sounds beautiful, timeless and was well suited throughout life. My father tells a different story.  He is from Boston and is a huge Red Sox fan.  During the seventh inning stretch the song “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond blares over the Fenway Park speakers and the entire stadium sings along in unison.  As a small child, I thought they were singing to me and it made me feel very special.  So while my parents had different motivations for naming me Caroline, they both unanimously agreed.

According to different countries the name Caroline can mean many things.  In France it means song of happiness and in Italy it means strong. I think they both describe my name and in some ways my strengths. Through the years I have been called Carolyn more times than I would like to remember. As I have gotten older I always correct someone, but I used to feel shy doing that.  It is important that my name be said correctly, because I cherish it. Naming someone is a tremendous responsibility not to be taken lightly. I will definitely choose my child’s name with care and hope they will love their name as much as I love mine.

#myname

[carolinerose880-blog]

My pink ballerina themed jewelry box is for sale and will make an ideal gift for a lucky little ballerina in your life.  The interior contains a storage area, small mirror, and rotating ballerina figure.  The outside is hand painted with ballet slippers on all sides. The jewelry box is approximately fifteen years old, but remains in excellent condition.  I received this as a birthday gift from my cousin and over the years it became a treasured possession where I would hide my most beloved items. As a young child I loved everything pink and everything ballet, making this jewelry box an exceptionally perfect gift for me. I still remember the feeling of excitement that washed over me as I tore open the wrapping paper.  I chose a special place for my jewelry box, right next to my bed, and I eagerly peeked inside almost every day.  At first it contained my growing collection of mighty beans, and in later years it held a variety of items including my kooky pens, gameboy cartridges, secret candy stash and my beaded friendship bracelets.  Whatever was important to me at the time was given a special place of honor in this jewelry box. Before I left for college I opened the box and had the bitter sweet realization that I have outgrown this beautiful jewelry box.  This jewelry box deserves a new owner that will love it and treasure it as much as I did over the years.  This is a perfect gift for any ballerina between the ages of three and eight.  She will most definitely love the design and the ability to have a special place to store her most valued possessions.  The ballerina still rotates with grace when the cover is lifted and this never fails to make me smile. I am ready to pass this on to someone that will appreciate this as much as I did.  While the memory of this meaningful item will remain priceless to me, I am offering it for the reasonable price of $10.00 in order to share the joy with someone 

#allmylifeforsale

[carolinerose880-blog]

By far the coolest thing I own are my Chanel moon boots.  I first saw these boots sitting in the back of my grandmother’s closet when I was probably around three years old.  I think it was the gold chain that caught my eye at first and I slid them on immediately.  They came up to my thigh and I could not believe how comfortable they were.  Of course at the time I had no idea about brands or what Chanel was but I knew these made a big statement.  This would be the first of many times that I tried on the boots when I would visit my Grandma Susie.  She was fashionable, chic, and above all cool.  Her closet, just like her personality, was endless fun.  Unfortunately Grandma Susie passed away over a decade ago.  When I turned sixteen, my mother presented me with the boots.  I was overcome with excitement and emotions, and flooded with warm memories of my grandmother.  As I slid them on and gazed in the mirror I admired how truly cool they are.  My grandma was not afraid to have fun with fashion, and was truly unique which is clear from her choice of snow boots for her ski trips.  I could not wait for the first snowstorm of the season, which happened soon after my December birthday.  I have proudly worn them many times since. While hey obviously did not make the trip to Miami with me, I know they will be waiting for me when I go home for winter break.  They definitely are a conversation starter, and countless people have asked me where I got them.  That’s when I smile broadly and say, “They don’t sell these anymore, but I was lucky enough to have a cool grandma!” 

#coolhunt

[carolinerose880-blog]

Here is a picture of a small portion of my post-it collection.  Most people do not give much thought to post-its or contemplate the cool ways they can enrich your life.  In the interest of full disclosure, I am probably the last person under the age of twenty-five that actually uses a paper planner.  While I embrace technology fully in every other area of life, when it comes to the act of organizing and studying, I am definitely old school.  It works for me though, and it might work for you too.  My planner is a kaleidoscope of post-its, that help me easily and efficiently organize my life.  Different colors and sizes stand for different activities and projects.  I have honed my system over the years and find the visual depiction of my sometimes hectic life extremely soothing.  I have converted serval friends from skeptical users to fully embracing the beauty of the post-it.  While they may still make fun of my paper planner, it is not unusual for them to adopt my post-it methods for reading textbooks, articles, and books.  It is the best way to take notes and quickly be able to revisit passages that are important.  If you see my psychology textbook or the novel I am currently reading for anthropology you might laugh at first.  The post-its definitely make my books stand out from the crowd.  However, if you stop to think about it, post-its are truly a cool invention and an amazing study tool.  I for one think doing well in school is cool, and post-its have helped me achieve this success for years.  I know it sounds strange and possibly even uncool, but I would definitely recommend trying post-its for yourself before dismissing the idea.  They come in amazing colors and shapes, including the lips post-its in the picture. Post-its are the coolest way to stay organized in our increasingly hectic lives.  Try it and let me know if you agree that post-its are the epitome of cool and not just another boring office supply,  

#coolhunt2