bye there's no way-

it's my one year anniversary on agdn. time really flies, doesn't it?

i remember i was so excited my mom was going to let me join this site. we had been following it for american girl news for a while then and i just really wanted to talk about dolls with other girls who loved dolls. i remember the first thing i did was comment on @CourtneysBiggestFan 's post about how many dolls you have. she liked my comment and i literally almost fainted, i think, because i was squealing so much. this blog had brought me so much happiness. back then i was MyAGLife.

i was 11 then. now i'm almost 13.

i've packed up all my dolls except three. i don't play with them anymore. but i miss them. i really do. i'm just... i'm really scared of what people will think. sure, they knew last year that i played with them but this year i'm in the seventh grade and that's like... the hardest year. people at school like me this year and that's never happened before...i'm just- i can't risk it.

but then i remember how happy american girl made me feel. i remember how i never came home and cried. how i never had to fake a smile at school. because i had real friends. i had them and they were always there for me when no one else was. because they don't ask questions. they just like you for you and i miss when i was myself. i miss when i didn't care. i miss my dolls.

because they gave me joy. and i don't feel much joy anymore.

so i want to thank @Sydney for inspiring me to always play with my dolls no matter what anyone else thinks. i want to thank @CapeCardamDolls and @Is@bellaThePhotographer for when we used to talk on all-nighters. because i remember when my dad would be like "bailey, what are you doing?" at 10:30 on a school night and i would reply "i'm talking to ivy on agdn!!!" because i loved those things so much. i want to thank @Potato and the doll for just being a really cool person. you joined my google classroom, you commented on my old blog and your just really cool. and everyone else on this blog i would like to thank because y'all are all awesome and i love you all. thanks for helping me survive this past year.

-bailey