I realize that some of the people who read my blog don't really know me, so I thought I would post something telling a little bit about myself. My Sonlight writing assignment last week was to write a two-page autobiography, so I thought that fit the bill. So without further ado, here is everything you need to know about me... almost. :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Hats I Wear

I’ve never liked wearing baseball caps. I don’t know why, really; for some reason, I just find them uncomfortable. Same with other types of hats – cowboy hats, beanies, bandannas (not really hats, but close enough), and even winter hats. I try to get out of wearing hats whenever possible. There are, however, some hats that I can’t escape. Let me tell you about a few of them.

One hat I wear is that of “student.” But not just any student – I’m a homeschooled student, which means that this particular hat is very unique. I’m the oldest of four, so I get to be the guinea pig for all of Mom’s homeschooling experiments. Sometimes it’s cool being the first person to do everything… but sometimes it’s not so cool. Right now I’m doing an American history/literature/composition course (cool), Spanish, algebra II, and chemistry (not so cool).

I am a good student, and when I was 12, my score on the standardized test qualified me to take the SAT early. I did well on the test overall, but better in the math section than in the English section. This surprised me because I abhor math and science, but I really enjoy reading and composition. This leads me to another one of my hats: “author.”

Mom is a very good writer, and I suppose I have inherited that gene from her. I especially enjoy combining my interests in composition and history by writing historical research papers and essays. I won my first writing competition at the age of 13, with a paper on a 17th-century shipwreck that I wrote for the Missouri Archaeology Challenge competition. Since then, I have entered just about every writing competition I can get my hands on. This year, I entered a research paper on Elijah Lovejoy, an 1830s abolitionist, in the National History Day competition. During the course of my research, I discovered many interesting facts about Lovejoy that I could not fit into my paper, and I came to admire Lovejoy for his courageous battle for freedom for the slaves. I decided to write a biography of Lovejoy. This book is currently a work in progress, but I am hoping to finish the first draft by the end of the summer. I am very excited about this, and I wear the “author” hat proudly.

Another hat that I wear is that of “leader.” I have been involved with a ministry called ACTION Impact Missions (AIM) for almost a year. AIM is composed of local teams all across the country that use mime and drama to share the gospel. AIM emphasizes maturity and excellence among the students on the team. Each team has a student leadership team, known as the SALTeam, which is responsible for helping teach songs, leading Bible studies, and mentoring students. I have been a member of the SALTeam for six months, and I have loved (almost) every minute of it. It’s been a great experience.

There are two more important hats that I wear: “daughter” and “sister.” My family is immensely important to me, and after the Lord, is the number one priority in my life. I was born to Scott and Patty Roberts on May 21, 1990. Our family lived in Little Rock, Arkansas, until 1996, and it was there that two of my younger siblings – Jessica (now 14) and Josiah (12) – were born. We moved to Branson, Missouri in the summer of 1996. It has taken me ten years to completely discard my distinctive Arkansas accent.

Dad pastored a church in Branson for several years. Then that church merged with another church in town. Less than a week before the planned merge, Mom miscarried what would have been her fourth child, a 14-week-old baby boy. Just days later, we received a phone call from an adoption agency that we had previously tried to adopt with, asking “Are you still interesting in adopting?” Were we?!?! Two weeks later, we met our new brother, a biracial boy whom we named Andrew Alan Roberts. He is now a handsome, stubborn, seven-year-old bundle of joy (and testosterone). He has forced me to start wearing one of my newest hats, “babysitter.”

Space does not permit me to discuss “chauffeur,” “webmaster,” “tutor,” and many of my other hats. Suffice it to say that I am never bored, and I have a hat to go with every outfit.