Quick Update

Well, lately things have just been...up and down. There have been a lot of fears and a lot of doubts. But for every fear and doubt, there has been a joy and a triumph. I've gotten back to journaling, which I love. It is a way for me to take what I'm feeling and put it down on paper, something tangible that I can look back at. And it's organized, which is not exactly a trait that my mind can brag about. There's actually a lot that's been going on since the last time I blogged and I'm going to try and get it down for you the best I can.

God:

As far as spiritual things go, I would say that I'm learning a lot. I've come back to the place where I am content to sit at God's feet and have Him teach me. For the longest time, I was playing Martha, so busy bustling around and trying to make sure things got done, that I lost sight of why I was working and who I was working for. God is teaching me now what it's like to come to Him in times of need, to lean on Him for my comfort, and to just trust in Him no matter what. It's a beautiful experience. <3

School:

To be quite honest, nothing much has been happening with school because 1) we are out of school for Christmas break and 2) even if school was supposed to be in session, we'd be considered snowed out. But before I left for Christmas, there were a couple awesome things going on. First off, my US History class is getting easier. I have a quiz the day I come back, though, which I'm not looking forward to. My speech class got our bucket-fillers (nice stuff that we all wrote about each other and were then gather, sorted and delivered anonymously , and they were absolutely amazing. Some of the stuff that I read on those feel-goods made me cry :'). The FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) was planning to do an assembly, which got cancelled due to snow, but it's still awesome that we got it approved. Who says God isn't allowed in schools? And lastly, interims had just come out and I was very excited about the grades on mine :)

Driving:

I only have 6 hours of driving left until I have my full 45 hours that I need to get my license!! This is, of course, good news. The bad news is that it doesn't look like my dad will be willing to take me any time soon. We'll see how things go.

Friends:

Right now, one sentence will sum up how I feel about most of my friends. I miss them. Some are farther away than others, some I'm closer to than others, and some I've seen more recently than others, but between missing church, school being out, and being snowed in, the majority of my friends I have not seen in a while. I miss them, and I hope to see them all again soon.

Writing:

My novel that I was previously working on, Ella's Will, is on hold at the moment. I can't say right now if I will ever get back to it. It's not that I didn't like what was happening or that I didn't know what to write next, I just am not in a place where I feel capable of finishing it. Maybe I'll come back to it, maybe not. Everything else, though, is going on just as normal. I have written some new peoms and lots of short stories. If anyone wants to read them, just comment on this post with your e-mail and I can get them to you :)

If I haven't mentioned something here, it's probably going along just as normal. I hope to be posting more often now, but I make no promises. In any case, I wish everyone the best for the new year!

~Rachel <3

Busy, Busy, Busy...

So, wow...the past couple of weeks have just flown by. School started and so my life has felt kinda rushed ever since. Anyway, in the weeks that have gone by, a lot of important things have happened, not all of them good. First of all, I am doing much better with homework this year than I have in previous years. Second, I'm not doing so well with tests and quizzes. It's kind of a trade-off and I'm not sure if it's better yet...guess I just have to stick with it.

A lot of stuff has been going on at home as well that's not exactly happy. A lot of stuff has been coming at me lately. Difficulties at school, with friends, at home, and just in general. However, I've learned something from these trials. God uses all of these things to bring me closer to Him. I'm afraid that for the most part, I have failed these tests. But never once has God drawn back. He has stayed with me, offering the choice to follow Him or to walk on my own. I am claiming the power of God, that I will be able to overcome these temptations that the devil has given me.

A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

~Psalms 23

God bless,

~Rachel <3

Truth vs. Fact

In this day and age, people often use the words truth and fact to mean the same thing. However, there is a distinct difference between them. All truth can not be dimmed down into powerless facts, and fact can be overcome by truth. That is to say, the Truth can change the facts. For example, the facts can say that someone is sick, but the truth says that by His stripes we are healed. (But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. ~Isaiah 53:5) Fact is, I'm a sinner; Truth is, I am made clean, I am made worthy, by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Anything that is real in this world is fact, but fact is temporary and will one day fall before the ultimate Truth, which is our Lord, the one and only God. (For it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God." ~Romans 14:11)

Fact is how things appear now; Truth is what has been, what is, and what always will be for the rest of eternity. (And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. ~1 John 2:17) Let us not dwell on that which is passing away, but dwell in that which is eternal. When you are presented with "the facts" and find yourself anxious or depressed, look at the Truth. This is the only way to see how things really are, is to look at them through the lense of truth. (And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. ~John 8:32)

Camping Fun!!

So this weekend was the 29eleven campout, and it was so much fun. We left the church at around 2:30 or 3 and headed down to Pocahontas Park in Chesterfeild. After getting there and getting everything settled into our cabins, we came back outside for games and devotionals. Dinner followed shortly and then there was lessons and singing around the campfire. Saturday, we went to the waterpark and had a blast. There was devotionals and then we finished the afternoon with rolling in chocolate, chimp races, water balloons, and of course showers (Praise God for hot water!!) Sunday morning, we went hiking down a trail to a waterfall and had a sermon on God's grace. I think this was probably my favorite part of the campout, because I really felt God's presence right then and there. From the waterfall, we went straight back to the pool for some fun in the sun before heading home. It was a great way to spend the weekend and a great opportunity to get to know some of the people that are in the youth group, and even some that weren't.

I have to give a big thanks to Mrs. McCray, our wonderful youth leader; Mrs. Patti, our magnificent chaperone and camp mother; Mr. Taise, our excellent cook for the weekend (even if he did make us all fat :P); and Tony, who was willing to come out and spend the weekend with a bunch of crazy kids and make us even crazier ;) Love you guys!!

~Rachel <3

This is what it means to be held...

Two months is too little.

They let him go.
They had no sudden healing.
To think that providence would
Take a child from his mother while she prays
Is appalling.

Who told us we'd be rescued?
What has changed and why should we be saved from nightmares?
We're asking why this happens
To us who have died to live?
It's unfair.

This is what it means to be held.
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive.
This is what it is to be loved.
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we'd be held.

This hand is bitterness.
We want to taste it, let the hatred numb our sorrow.
The wise hand opens slowly to lilies of the valley and tomorrow.

This is what it means to be held.
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive.
This is what it is to be loved.
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we'd be held.

If hope is born of suffering.
If this is only the beginning.
Can we not wait for one hour watching for our Savior?

This is what it means to be held.
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive.
This is what it is to be loved.
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we'd be held.

	Various - Held - Natalie Grant .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

Pictures!!! :D

So, yesterday Claire, Christa, and I braved the sweltering heat and occasional sprinkling to take photos. Having never done anything like this before, I was a little nervous. But the pictures look great!! So, I've decided that instead of keeping them all to myself, I should upload some of my faves :)

All the credit for the photos goes to Claire Born, she did a wonderful job and was a very nice director :)

~Rachel <3

Take Every Thought...

"For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete."

(2 Corinthians 10:4-6 ESV)

Lately, I've been focusing a lot on spiritual warfare and our place in it. For years, I've heard the phrase "take every thought captive to obey Christ" but didn't know the context of the verse. I looked it up last night, and this is what I found. Though I was initially excited by the fact that it specifically talked of spiritual warfare, I realized when I looked closer that several things can be learned from just these few verses.

1) First, it talks about our weapons. As Christians, we don't carry around guns or knives or anything like that to fight off Satan's attacks. What we do have is a divine power, granted to us by the Holy Spirit, who dwells in us. This power gives us the ability to break free of Satan's hold on us.

2) Second, it talks about how we are to come against the lies that people will surely bring up. It doesn't say that we are to come against them with our own intelligence, our own insight, or our own opinion, but we fight them by taking all of our thoughts and bringing them to God for Him to discern.

3) Lastly, verse 6 talks about us being "ready to punish every disobedience", but by no means stops there. It goes on to say this, "when your obedience is complete". To me, this points clearly to the fact that of our own strength, following our own ways, we have no power to do anything. However, when we lean fully on God, and we completely obey Him, we gain the "divine power to destroy strongholds" that makes us "ready to punish every disobedience".

So anyway, I guess that the main point I got out of this is that God has all the power, and the power that we have comes from Him. Quite frankly, I'm glad that this is the case, because I would hate to imagine what would become of this earth if we, as sinful humans, had divine power. Just something God showed me that I wanted to share.

~Rachel <3

Oh My God is So Good!

Well, over the past week or so, God has really opened my eyes to show me what He wants for my life. I feel that He is calling me to step up and live my life loudly for Him. When telling one of my friends about this, he asked, "So does that mean that God wants you to go preach on street corners?" and to this, I have to answer...I'm not sure. If that is where God leads me, then I will do it (though first I would have to find a street corner within walking distance of my out-in-the-middle-of-nowhere-house lol), but for now, I just want to live my life in a way that shouts God's name and His glory in everything that I do. His name will be on my lips, my hands will do His work, my feet will go where He leads. I will constantly lean on Him, and I know that I will fall sometimes, but I trust His promise to pick me up again. I'm learning what it is like to have passion for Christ, and to come to Him boldly with our praises and prayers. I love Him :)

~Rachel <3

And The Fun Continues!!

Wow.

So it turns out that the birthday celebrating wasn't quite finished. Today was the last day of VBS and normally, on the last day, all the guides go somewhere to eat and celebrate the ending of a great week. Well, this particular night, we decided to go to Luca's. I didn't object and we went through the day just like normal. When it was time to leave, we all piled into the car and headed to Luca's. Sara led us all into the room in the back and I followed without really questioning. As soon as I stepped into the room, my friends and family all yelled, "SURPRISE!!" I was totally shocked, and I never saw it coming. We partied for a long time, had pizza, cake, presents, and TONS of good times! It was simply amazing!

So tonight turned out to be pretty awesome :) I love my friends and family and all the great times we have together.

~Rachel <3

Happy Birthday To Us!! :D

So, yesterday was my sweet sixteen, and I celebrated it like this...

On Wednesday, after VBS at my church, Sara dropped me off at the Born's house. I was greeted by Hannah, Claire, John, Mr. & Mrs. Born, along with Krista Brown, who was also spending the night. We had cake that Mrs. Born made for mine and Hannah's brithday (She's my 10 year twin, you know) and sat around talking for a while. After that, we went into the living room to watch Mary Poppins and snuggle. At midnight exactly, John turned and wished Hannah and I a happy birthday (The first person to do so on our actual birthday) and we had another small celebration that involved hugs and more snuggling. Mary Poppins ended and Hannah and John made their way to bed (Claire had gone to bed earlier) while Krista and I stayed down to watch Ever After before bed. The movie went on, but I have to say that most of it went unwatched. Krista and I started talking and before we knew it, the movie was off and we were still talking. We talked about God and his plan, the spiritual battle surrounding us, and biblical teaching in our everyday lives. We talked about some really deep stuff and my eyes were opened to some of the things going on, not in our world alone, but in the spiritual world as well. It was such a great evening, and we got so caught up in talking that to our surprise, before the conversation was at an end, breakfast was ready and everyone was waking up! Without even meaning to, we'd stayed up all night! We joined the Borns for breakfast and Hannah and I opened our presents. Soon after, Krista took a nap on the couch, and Hannah and John left for DC so that Hannah could spend her birthday there with a friend. Claire left a little while later for work and to take Krista home. I went to lay down on the couch and Mrs. Born came to talk to me until I fell asleep. Claire got me up later in the afternoon and I went to keep her company while she cleaned her room. We didn't talk all that much, but it was nice to hang out with her anyway. Near 5:30, Claire and I got ready to leave so that I could go to VBS and she could pick up Krista and go to bible study. Claire dropped me off at the church after chatting in the car for a few minutes and I spent the rest of the evening with my kids. When I finally got home, my parents wished me a happy birthday and I opened a few more presents from family members. I talked to Sara some, wrote in my journal, and then drifted off to sleep right around midnight. It was a wonderful sweet sixteen :)

Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes!!!

~(a now 16 year old) Rachel <3

Out of all the voices...

"Voice Of Truth"

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of faith it takes to climb out of this boat I'm in
Onto the crashing waves

To step out of my comfort zone
To the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He's holding out his hand

But the waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again. 'Boy, you'll never win!'
"You'll never win"

But the voice of truth tells me a different story
And the voice of truth says "Do not be afraid!"
And the voice of truth says "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant
With just a Sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors
Shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand

But the giant's calling out my name and he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
Time and time again "boy, you'll never win!
"You'll never win"

But the stone was just the right size
To put the giant on the ground
And the waves they don't seem so high
From on top of them looking down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
When I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
Singing over me

I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

	Casting Crowns - Voice of Truth .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

Boredom, boredom...

Ahh, boredom, a wonderful and yet necessary part of Summer vacation, I do believe you've finally arrived at my doorstep. I would ask what took you so long, but to be honest I'm not really interested. For now, I will only politely ask that you stay as little time as possible before being on your way again. Don't even bother unpacking just yet. For you see, I'm going to have to kick you out for a night, because I have a sleepover planned tomorrow and you are not invited. I doubt we'll even see you lurking by the window tomorrow night, no sir, I don't believe that I'll be seeing you for a while. However, as is expected, you came today, stayed a while, even sat down and got comfortable for a few minutes sometimes. And with all of that boredom behind me, I can now confidently say that I enjoyed our time together. It gave me some time to rest...now get out.

Love,

Rachel <3

Close as Sisters...

So my friend from Maryland has been staying with me since Saturday and we've been having a blast. I can't begin to explain how awesome it is to have someone there who is like a sister to me be there all the time. I don't know how I'm gonna feel when she leaves, but I'm really going to miss her. For now, I think I'll just enjoy the time we have :)

Love you, Sierra <3

Days Like Those...

So yesterday was amazing, but not the kind of amazing I can describe with words. Matt came up from Texas and we went to Sebera's with John and Sara, then to the park to hang out before church. Though not a whole long went on, it was really good to see an old friend again, and the conversation that we did was pleasant and sometimes very amusing lol. Church also was fun, and we got to play with the kids some as well as with our own age group. Despite almost having my arms pulled off, amoeba was an awesome game with lots of laughs. After class, Matt and I talked by his car and looked up at the clouds which were extraordinarily pretty yesterday. We said our goodbyes and we both went home, but I don't think I'll forget this day soon :)

Just thought you should know...

To all my brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, little children and best friends in the world, to all of you that I have come to call my family,

I love you <3

"True or False: It's the little things in life." "True"

*Sigh* Sometimes word's just don't explain the joy, the love, and the comfort that you feel inside. Tonight was absolutely amazing. I got to go swimming with one of my favorite families and had an amazing times there. While I was there, I got to relax on a hammock with my sissy and read some of her school notes (believe it or not, this is fun for me). After that, she took me home and I made dinner for the covered-dish dinner at church (Macaroni and Cheese, yumm ^_^). We got to church and I spent almost all of my free time hanging out with some of cutest and most fun kids on the planet. We had a wonderful dinner, which included Caramel Apple Pecan Pie (calling it plain old Apple Pie does not do it justice, Michael!), then headed to the playground for our normal playtime until class started. However, the playground, when we arrived, was swarming with bees and so we weren't allowed to play there. Plan B turned out to be hide and seek in the back lawn of the church.

Now, let me first explain that the back lawn of our church is virtually open aside from 2 or 3 sheds to hide behind. This never stopped the kids. We ran and ran and ran in a game that was half hide-and-seek, half tag, and we kept running until it was finally just a free for all running match! But oh, the fun we had on that little open patch of grass. We had some falls, tumbles, and the occasional bumped head, but we all made it out alive and headed into our classes.

Once everyone had gotten into class and settled down, we played a trivia game and started class. There was something different tonight about the opening prayer. Almost everyone had something to say and they all seemed to be very open, including myself. I learned about people from the way that they prayed, and more importantly, I learned things (or rather, re-learned things) about God. I can't say right yet exactly what happened in that moment, but I know that it was a good experience, and one that I really needed.

When class was over, I picked right back up where I left off with the McCray girls...we went onto the front lawn and really just walked for a little while. At one point, I was standing with Faith and Marissa, the older two girls, and Abby, the youngest at 3, started wandering out into the empty parking lot. I called her name repeatedly, but she didn't even acknowledge that she heard me. She just kept staring off at something in the distance. I finally went after her and asked her why she didn't answer when I called her name. She looked at me, looked back at the sky, pointed up, and said, "Look! The moon's following me!" That was just about the cutest thing ever.

A few minutes later, I delivered all 3 girls back to their parent's van, and Abby says, "Will you come home with us, Rachel?". When I said I couldn't, she gave me this look that just made me want to cry. Little ones can sure be persuasive when they want, can't they? lol I gave her a hug goodbye and waved as I walked back to my truck to head home with the family. I will fall asleep happy tonight and dream wonderful dreams, this I am sure of. ^_^

So, indeed, it is the little things in life...and sometimes even the little people ;)

~Rachel <3

Today is the first day of the rest of my week!

Hey all! Just wanted to write a post saying that I am not going to sit around and waste today. First off, I'm going to start back on my novel that I've been trying to finish since November. Second, I'm going to work in a time today to go jogging around the neighborhood. Third, I'm going to upload pictures on to facebook (this may not sound like a huge accomplishment, but I'm a real procrastinator in this area). Anyway, the point is that I am going to make this day count for something. Maybe it will help in the long run and maybe it won't, but either way, I'm going to go to bed tonight with no regrets about today.

BYL!

~Rachel

Truer words were never spoken...ok, well maybe :P

Love Like Crazy

by Lee Brice

They called them crazy when they started out
Said seventeen's too young to know what love's about

They've been together 58 years now

That's crazy

He brought home 67 bucks a week

Bought a little 2-bedroom house on Maple Street

Where she blessed him with 6 more mouths to feed

Now that's crazy

Just ask him how he did it

He'll say, 'pull up a seat,

It'll only take a minute

To tell you everything..."

Be a best friend, tell the truth,

And overuse 'I love you'

Go to work, do your best,

But don't outsmart your common sense

Never let your prayin' knees get lazy

And love like crazy...

They called him crazy when he quit his job

Said, 'Them home computers, boy, they'll never take off.'

Well he sold his one-man shop to Microsoft

And they paid like crazy

Just ask him how he made it

He'll tell you faith and sweat

And the heart of a faithful woman

Who never let him forget

Be a best friend, tell the truth,

And overuse 'I love you'

Go to work, do your best,

But don't outsmart your common sense

Never let your prayin' knees get lazy

And love like crazy...

Always treat your woman like a lady...

Never get too old to call her baby...

Never let your prayin' knees get lazy...

And love like crazy

They called them crazy when they started out

They've been together 58 years now

Ain't that crazy?

	lee brice - love like crazy.mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

Tomorrow's It...

I have an English exam tomorrow, and I am not really that nervous about it. I think I'll do well, I just have to study the exam review and I should do fine. I'm hoping I can get a good grade on it, even if it's just to show my teacher that I can. This probably isn't the right mindset, but I have a side of me that wants to prove myself to her, because I came from a regular class into an honor's class. Even so, I'm learning more and more that I never really needed to prove myself. After talking more with my English teacher, I don't think she though less of me because I came from a regular class. Still, I'm hoping to do well on this exam anyway. I'm ready for it!

BYL!

~Rachel

Feels Like Summer!

So...

I was walking from English class to Health class today at school (a walk which requires me to go outside the normal school building and make a short walk, and I do mean short, to the trailer) I went in, dropped off my bag at my desk, and came back outside to enjoy the sunshine for a few minutes before class. I realized as I was walking around in my jeans and flip-flops that the grass felt especially good on my feet today. So, I did the obvious thing for me to do in a situation like this. I took off my shoes, closed my eyes, and walked around on the grass in my bare feet. Y'all all know what this means...

SUMMER IS HERE!!!

Ok, so maybe the actually season hasn't changed yet, but when I walk around school grounds barefoot, summer (at least in my mind) has arrived. I then proceeded to take some random pictures of people and things at my school (ahh, memories) hence, the picture at the top, for your viewing pleasure. Tah-dah!

Anyway, it's late and I've got to get to bed, so I'll write more tomorrow.

BYL!

~Rachel

Song of the Day!!!

Smile: by Uncle Kracker

You're better than the best
I'm lucky just to linger in your light
Cooler than the flip-side of my pillow (that's right)
Completely unaware
Nothing can compare to where you send me
Let's me know that it's okay (yea, it's okay)
And the moments when my good times start to fade

You make me smile like a sun, Fall outta bed
Sing like a bird, Dizzy in my head
Spin like a record, Crazy on a Sunday night
You make me dance like fool, Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold, Buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Oh, you make me smile

Even when you're gone
Somehow you come along just like a flower pokin through the sidewalk crack
And just like that
You steal away the rain
And just like that

You make me smile like a sun, Fall outta bed
Sing like a bird, Dizzy in my head
Spin like a record, Crazy on a Sunday night
You make me dance like fool, Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold, Buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Oh, you make me smile

Don't know how I lived without you
'Cuz everytime that I get around you
I see the best of me inside your eyes
You make me smile
You make me dance like fool, Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold, Buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Oh, you make me smile

You make me smile like a sun, Fall outta bed
Sing like a bird, Dizzy in my head
Spin like a record, Crazy on a Sunday night
You make me dance like fool, Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold, Buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Oh, you make me smile

(Oh, you make me smile)
Oh you make me smille
(Oh, you make me smile)
Oh you make me smille

Total Awesomeness!

Ok, last night was officially AMAZING!! Going to Mass was a really great experience, and it was really different, but totally comfortable. Then me and one of my good friends went out for dinner and to a luau at Pointe of Promise dance studio. We danced all night and it was just the most amazing feeling. I got home and I couldn't sleep because I was so happy :) Man, I wish I could say more about it, but there's really nothing to say other than it was just amazing. It was totally comfortable and it was so good to get out and dance again. July 9th cannot come soon enough!

BYL!

~Rachel

Can't wait!

Today, I have a dinner and church with a guy who has become a very close friend and I'm a little nervous, though I'm excited too because I know that no matter what happens, we'll come out closer friends in the end. The church service is going to be interesting, seeing as I've only been to one other Catholic service before. After the dinner and church, we've got a dance and I can't wait for that because I feel like I haven't danced in forever!! Anyway, for now I've gotta get ready, but I'll try to post more tomorrow, if not when I get home.

BYL!

~Rachel

Update

I went to the doctor's office today and I figured out that I'm not sick, just stuffy from an infection that I had recently. I'm not on antibiotics, just allergy meds for decongestion. I won't be on until sometime Thursday, but until then, I'll be posting short updates from my phone :) Gotta head to bed, but I'll post some more tomorrow!

BYL!
~Rachel

Leaving So Soon???

Dear Weekend,

You know I love you, but this whole week-long anticipation for your arrival and then the sudden moment when you decide to pack up and give way to another Monday is starting to aggravate me. I cannot tell you how many times your sudden departure has left me wondering if it was really time for you t leave already. I mean, just once, couldn't you just put your feet up, drop off your things, and stay awhile with me? I think I speak for most of us when I say that we all enjoy your company and wish to see more of you. But alas, I know you have a busy schedule and so I'll ask no more from you. I only wish you farewell and hope that your next visit is as pleasant as this one was.

Sincerely, Rachel

So this weekend, was pretty uneventful. Friday and Saturday, I did almost nothing, and Sunday, I went to church and then out with Jess and Ashley to the mall to get some shopping and eating done. The American Heritage Series at church was after that and now I'm home and about to get to bed. I'll probably get some reading done and maybe watch the rest of my movie, but other than that, nothing has really happened this weekend. I'll enjoy it while I can. ;) I know weekends won't be this restful all the time lol. Anyway, my dad is probably waiting for me to get in bed, so I guess I'll blog more tomorrow!

BYL!

~Rachel

Turning Pages...

So it's a peaceful Saturday afternoon at my house, not really much going on. My weekend has been great so far (though I have to admit that I slept most of it) Part of what has made this weekend so awesome is that I got a great new book to read. Yeah, go ahead and laugh at me. What can I say, I'm a bookworm. And this particular book is really amazing.

Titled, "Valkyries: Some Through the Fire", it's about a young Catholic girl named Tracey who is abused by her father and pretty much invisible to her mother. After becoming a Christian and claiming to be saved, her parents send her away to a strict Catholic boarding school. Finding the new school to be less than welcoming, Tracey quickly finds that she has been labled as one of the freshman outcasts. The book keeps up with Tracey as she struggles to find not only her place in this new school, but also her place in God's plan.

Pretty good, huh? Yeah, I just started it last night and I'm already up to chapter 27 :) It's one of those books that holds you and won't let you go. Speaking of, I think I'm going to get back to that really soon. :)

BYL!

~Rachel

Hurry Up, Weekend!

I am so excited for the weekend, though I'm not sure I could tell you why. It's not like I have anything really good planned. In fact, I'm kind of just going with the flow for this weekend. Maybe that's what I'm so excited about. Normally, I have something planned by the time Friday comes around, but this weekend is different. I will probably go to the beach with some of my friends on Sunday, but I've got to clear that with the rents first. They should go for it. This probably sounds stupid, but I'm a little worried about missing church. I mean, even though I wouldn't actually mind that much, it would just feel weird to have a weekend without going to Sunday service.

Though I will say that doesn't scare me nearly as much as the prospect of being seen in a bathing suit. Ugh...yeah, that's not really something that I look forward to hardly ever. Though I will have the opportunity for a great tan and I know that it will just be girls, it still bothers me. I hope I can somewhat get over that by Sunday and have a good time. Until then, I'm just going to relax, enjoy the weekend, and let it happen.

In other news, I just realized that I have not e-mailed one of my best friends in almost a year. He moved to Texas last year and we've found some ways to keep in touch, but never e-mail apparently. I just sent him a short message, and now I'm looking forward to his response :) Anyway, I think I am gonna go and read some more on my book before dinner.

BYL!

~Rachel

Almost There...

So today I finally finished my SOLs and now I feel so much closer to Summer! Tonight I've got a family dinner with my grandparents, Dustin, Mary Beth, and Mackenzie, and Uncle Dale and Abby. We're meeting at Great China Buffet and I can't wait! It's going to be so much fun. Until then, I think I'm going to read for a little bit. :)

BYL!

~Rachel

So We're Back To That...

So today my parents got home from Shenendoah. I'm not sure what I was expecting when they got home, but whatever it was, that's not what I got. Usually after a campout like that one, they are tired and pretty quiet for the rest of the day. I stay out of their way and they stay out of mine, no big deal. Today, they came home and (although I spent the last couple of hours before they got home cleaning house) the first thing they did is complain. First it was the fact that I had the music turned up, then that I'd forgotten to put some dishes in the dishwasher instead of the sink, and a couple other little things. They said absolutely nothing about the house being clean or even ask me about my weekend without them. I know that shouldn't bother me as much as it did, but it kinda hurts when they come home and pay more attention to the cat than to their own daughter. Idk, it's whatever.

On the bright side, I got my room cleaned and I'm about to settle down with a book that I got today at Books-A-Million. I'll probably blog some more later.

BYL!

~Rachel

P.S.~ I apologize for my most recent post, I was just curious, but apparently it sounded drug induced :P

What if...

What would you do if you woke up in a story? What would you do if one day, you climbed out of bed to find that your whole world was something different and that the things you'd always been certain about were now as clear as mud? Suppose you woke up to find that the ceiling was where the floor should be and the floor was where the ceiling should have been and instead of falling down, things fell up. Suppose that after discovering that your world had turned upside-down (quite literally), you found that when you tried to walk, your feet wouldn't touch anything solid, so that you were walking on air. After all of this strangeness, someone suddenly appears before you and hands you a jar filled with what look like glass marbles and tell you that if you don't keep the jar of marbles with you at all times, it's very likely that you'll shrink away into nothingness. Then just as quickly as they came, they've gone. Now here you are in an upside-down world, walking on air and holding a jar of glass marbles so that you won't shrink and shrink and shrink until you disappear. This is quite a predicament, wouldn't you say?

So imagine that everything I've mentioned thus far has happened. You walk out onto your street (with the jar, of course) and see that nothing is quite the same, though it all seems completely normal in your mind. Though you can plainly see that people are walking with hats on their elbows and whistling backwards (don't ask me how to do that), it only seems slightly off. Suddenly, you realize what's been making the world act so strangely today. You quickly make your way to the nearest post office, only to find that they've run out of the type of light bulb that you need. No matter! Heading just as quickly to the park (this time doing cartwheels, though you've never been that agile before) you find that they have exactly what you are looking for at the top of the slide. The only problem is that this is a very steep slide and it has no ladder, so after making your way up (this is surprisingly easy, even to the point where for the most part, you're just walking normally, though the slide is almost at a 90 degree slope) you find what it is that you need. This turns out to be a very goopy looking orange slime. Seeing nothing else to carry the slime in, you begin piling it into the jar of marbles until it's completely full of this marble-slime mixture.

You slide back down the slide (backwards, while sitting on the jar) and have run half skip to the candy store where you trade the jar of marble-goo for your pillow (which you lost at the beginning of the story, but I forgot to mention that). With the jar of marbles gone, you begin to rapidly shrink and just before you've disappeared, you manage to sit down comfortably on the pillow. In the next second, poof, you're gone.

Several minutes later, your eyes flutter open to see that everything is back like it should be.

Wouldn't that be something???

~Rachel

Back from Wonderland!!: Part 2

Hey, so I told you there was more and here it is.

As you all (should) know, this weekend is Memorial Day weekend. My family has gone to Shenendoah, and I am staying behind. But don't feel sorry for me, on the contrary! Instead of going camping, I had a wonderful day with my grandmother and my cousin Abby at Grand Caverns yesterday. After that, I went to Hannah's house and had a wonderful girls night in, which included Pride & Prejudice, some awesome friends, and cookies!! That's what I call an awesome girls night. I actually ended up staying up 'til around 5am, and then sleeping until near 2pm. So my sleep schedule is a little off lol. Regardless, it was an amazing night. Now I am back home and just getting some more stuff together before I head over to Sara's for what I am sure will be an awesome night. :) So excited!! I've got church tomorrow before I head back home to meet my family. Monday should be awesome, as I am meeting up with Josh, Micah, and Sara for breakfast and then coffee at Books-A-Million. As you can see, my weekend is absolutely jam packed, but it is going to be so fun :D Anyway I'll update later!

BYL!

~Rachel <3

Back from Wonderland!!

Ok, so I think it's fairly safe to say that I have not blogged in far too long. And so, to remedy that, I'm going to post something right now lol...which is kind of what this is...ok, so here we go.

Wow, a lot has happened since I last posted. First of all, church stuff has been different. I've begun feeling more distant from my church, but I don't think this has necessarily affected my relationship with God. If anything, it has shown my that I can stand alone and have a personal relationship with God, while at the same time opening my eyes to the importance of good Christian fellowship. This also is in part of my growing friendship with Josh Justice who is definitely becoming one of my close Christian friends and brothers in a way that I haven't known before and it's nice.

Then there is school, which is always interesting. Grades have been pretty good so far, and I am learning a lot more than just book lessons from the teachers. Every year, it never fails that I learn not only dates and formulas and books from the teachers, but life lessons as well. I have learned about the amount of influence I give people over me, about what things make a lousy argument when making a point, and even about innocence and learning. My history teacher has probably taught me the most, but even my English teacher has begun to open my eyes to new things. Seeing as she was not exactly my favorite teacher at the beginning of the year, this is a pleasant surpise. :)

Then there is family, which is pretty normal. It doesn't much change, though I think I may have changed some in my understanding of it. I understand now that I place a lot of emphasis on family, which is perhaps why I am so critical of mine. I expect a family to be the ultimate show of love and support and loyalty in one's life, aside from that of God's love, both the family that you are born into and the family that we will one day create. Perhaps this is too high an expectation for any family to live up to, but for the time being, this is what I believe.

Well, there's more that I'll post soon, but for now I've got to get to bed.

BYL!

~Rachel <3

Sunday Thoughts

Well, my life is going better. I know that God answers prayers and he answers them in a lot of different ways. He's a helpful God, but he's also a creative God. I've found that prayers can be answered in the form of a badminton tournament, a girls night in, chick flick overload, or even a crowd of little kids. I'm thankful that God was with me during this time and I now just need faith that this will be the case every time I come along a bump in the road. I guess that's what our time here is for, right? As we sit here in the middle of a storm, God doesn't want us to waste our time building to protect ourselves. He simply wants us to stand firm and prepare for the day when the sky clears and the storm stops, because he has promised us that that day is coming and it is coming soon. That's why I'm waiting for.

Love,

~Rachel

Prayers

Please pray for me. My faith is being tested in ways that I don't think it has before and I really need strength right now.

Love, Rachel

Full Weekend :)

Ok, so I've had kind of a jam-packed weekend. It started Friday night when I went to a Civil War dance with two of my friends, Sara and Josh. The ride there was cool, filled with some good conversation and a few wrong turns (yes, Miss GPS, I know I missed the exit, stop telling me you're recalculating. lol), the dance was nice and I met a few new people along with some old friends. The best part of the trip, however, had to be the ride home. We had some deep conversation and some of my hardest questions were answered. I'm going to take a leap and say that God really spoke to all of us through Josh. He said things that were just plain amazing. So I get home at about 2 am and my dad's mad, but we got everything straightened out.
The next day, I went to City Point with John, Jenny, and Tony. That was awesome and we visited Sara at her work and later we all hung out a John's house and got in lots of snugglin'. ^_^
Sunday I woke up and came to church, just like I normally do, but when I got there, we made pancakes! We had a whole pancake supper after church and it was delicious! Not to mention it was fun to make. After church we went to my neice's B-day party and after that was Barnes & Nobles, where I got 2 new books!! Yay! After that it was straight back to church for the American Heritage Series, where I learned what the TRUE history of our nation is. And I'll tell ya, it's not what they teach in the history books nowadays. Man, I am gonna have some talk with my history teacher tomorrow. But for now, I've gotta go, cause it's almost bedtime. I'll blog again as soon as I can!

Love,
~Rachel

Guess Who's Back!!! (just so you know, it's me) ^_^

Hey all! Just droppin in to say hi and apologize for not having written in so long. I should really do something to fix that. Hmm...well how about for now, I just fill you in on some of the things that have happened since I last wrote. Well first of all, Matt, one of my best friends left for Texas. I don't know if this was actually after my last post, but I don't think I really mentioned it. In any case, I've missed him a lot and I still smile when "Piano Man" plays on the radio. Church is going great, but I've been struggling in my relationship with God lately. It's not that I have made idols of objects, but rather of people. I feel that in searching for the ultimate love and comfort, I've settled for less than perfect, therefore cheating God, myself, and several around me. That's something I'm definitely working on. My friends have been really great :) I mean, we have our issues, but we use them as growing experiences and we are stronger because of it. I am sad to say that I have lost at least one of my friends because of the fact that they didn't want to learn from our struggles, but rather dwell on the pain and point fingers. I do hate that I had to break off the friendship, but I believe that God has a purpose for both of us, and that when we are both farther in our walk, perhaps we may discover a deeper and better friendship for the both of us, with God in the center. Until then, I still love her as if she was my sister. As far as family goes, we are struggling, but we are making it through. It is amazing to me how many times I overlook the simple fact that despite all the pain and suffering and scars that we have all endured, our family is still together and for that, I cannot thank God enough. I've learned in the past few months to be thankful for suffering because that is the ONLY way to beat the devil at his game. Fight darkness with light, fight lies with the truth, and fight creature with creator. Without the light, there cannot be darkness (the absense of light), without truth, there cannot be lies (the absence of truth), and without a creator, the creature of the devil could never be; If the creators are ever to turn against their creation, the battle is already won. This is what we have to keep in mind at all times. The battle that we fight is already won. That's why every single struggle and joy that I've been through in these past few months has all been worth it. Anyway, I think I'm at the point where I'm just rambling. ;) I'll blog later, because I'm sure I'll have lots to talk about. :)

Love,
~Rachel