I hope you are doing well, also…. I got my final plea offer — 12 years. I flipped out a little, which I think anyone would. I sign my plea Wednesday. I feel like God gave me that much time for a reason. There must be something I’m meant to do in prison. I want to help others with their faith while strengthening my own faith…. I’m nervous about the change, but I will adjust. I make friends easily, so I’ll be okay.

My favorite uncle passed away. Losing family while in jail is hard. It hurt but I am healing.

I was excited to see that one of my letters got published [in Feedback]. Things are pretty much the same in here. Medical is still $20 and reluctant to do much. It is not the medical personnel. They are restrained by unfair regulations. There is a girl in here now with an absess over her eardrum. They give here Tylenol and amoxicillin. She’s in agony.

On the milk, only pregnant women and girls under 18 get milk. I agree that everyone needs milk or a calcium pill. In truth, we all need a multi-vitamin.

I sleep a lot due to the lockback, and I think I was up at 4am because I couldn’t sleep anymore when I wrote your last letter. I have the luxury of a single cell. It gets lonely at times, but I enjoy the privacy…. For that reason, prison will be a different experience.

In here, we somewhat get along. It is exactly like high school as far as its social structure. There are about 3-4 arguments a month. Physical fights are rare, though. There is a lot of malicious gossiping, sadly. I try my best not to be a part of it. As women, we should stick together more. We should use our words to build up instead of tear down.

On the plus side, there is a lot of camaraderie, too. We have Bible study, play cards, watch TV, talk. On birthdays, we do cards and sometimes we make swoles and state cakes. I did a gift bag for my last friend to have a birthday. I took a sandwich bag and filled it with candy, pb, animal crackers, etc. I’m lucky to have such loving friends in here.

There is more tension as the population grows. We really need a 2nd women’s pod when it gets over like 55 women. The summer was bad this year. They had to open a 2nd women’s pod for a few days, but they only open it after the multi-purpose room is full. ….

I haven’t seen any more really good movies. During the day, we watch Family Feud and Maury. Then, at night, it’s BET or Lifetime. Sometimes, we watch a movie on FX. …

The last book I finished was Private Down Under by James Patterson. It was a little too gorey in spots, but it was otherwise good. My new favorite author is John Green. He writes young adult fiction, but his writing is so hilarious and captivating. …. I love To Kill a Mockingbird, as far as classic literature… and Shakespeare. A good Shakespeare play turned movie is Much Ado About Nothing, with Emma Thompson, Keanu Reeves, and Denzel Washington. Other great authors are Carl Hiaasen, Walter Mosley, Janet Evanovich, W.P. Kinsella (He wrote Shoeless Joe, the book Field of Dreams was based on), T.S. Eliot, Carl Sandberg, and Dean Koontz. As you can tell, I have a wide range of literary interests… lol. What type of books/authors do you like? I’d love to discuss books with you. I rarely get to in here.

The 20 minutes in the library is definitely a lie. A cart of books is brought to the pod once a week. Why would DCJ lie about something so trivial?

I will probably be shipped out before you get this, but I have your address in my bible. I’ll write you my new # and address when I get there.

Keep fighting and take care of yourself,

A.C.

Philippians 4:6-7  [Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God,which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.]