Joy Comes in the Morning

"Weeping may endure for a night, but Joy comes in the morning"-Proverbs 30:5

I literally woke up today with a song in my heart: my hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus' name (On Christ the Solid Rock).

I know it is very easy to worry about all things-big and small. As I've mentioned before, the Lord is continually reminding me all is according to His will. While some outcomes lately may not have been what I wanted, I am so grateful MY future lies with He who knows and controls all. I need not worry when I acknowledge God has my life planned to a T. In this I continually find peace.

Lately I have been trying to figure out where I belong in this married, college grad, career life. God has been constantly reminding me it's through Him that I find my identity; not because I'm a conservative Aggie, dog-owning Texan, lactose-intolerant blonde, paleo diet and crohn's diagnosed wife, homeowning health nut, sanitary Star Wars loving marketer, or 23 year old pro life shoe enthusiast. I am a chosen daughter of God and I need not put my trust, future or identity in anyone or thing of this world.

No outcome can bring the inner peace found by trusting God completely. While I remain passionate about certain values, I've learned an important lesson this election-cycle: when your hope is in the right place, your world won't come crashing down when events and situations in your life aren't ideal or what you wanted most. A simple, almost silly, lesson, but one which I know I needed a refresher course.

Always learning,
RR

Worry is interest paid on trouble before it comes due. -William Ralph Inge

3 Types of Love

When James and I were going through pre-marriage counseling, my pastor gave us the workbook Before You Say "I Do". While this book was originally written in 1977, it was a great tool for us to learn more about each other and God's desires for our marriage (and the old pictures were a comical bonus!). One particular lesson really stuck out to me, as I discovered the lesson was about a topic I had realized before, but I was unaware of its Biblical references.  This lesson talked about the 3 Types of Love.

While a marriage should be based on love, our engagement was legitimately based on love, as James read 1 Corinthians 13 from the Bible to me as he proposed last summer. We acknowledge love is from God and what better way to learn love than from God's word?  The workbook had a chapter entitled 'Love as a Basis for Marriage' and in it, besides studying verses about love, we learned of the three Biblical forms of Love: Eros, Philia, and Agape. 

1. Eros: "a romantic love, sexual love."

2. Philia: "as in a friendship: companionship, communication and cooperation."

3. Agape: "self-giving love, gift love, the love that goes on loving even when the other becomes unlovable; it's something you make happen; Agape is kindness; it is being sympathetic, thoughtful and sensitive to the needs of your loved one."

As the workbook discussed each type, James recalled a devotional video discussing these three types, in easy to understand language and examples entitled "Nooma Flame".

All of these types of love are necessary for a love that lasts forever, an eternal love. These three types create a fulfilling love and combine to create the strongest form of love. Without one type, the 'love' fails.

This description of love explains why certain relationships fail: 'friends with benefits' will not last as it misses the final commitment aspect; a love without romance fails as well as a love between individuals who cannot get along as friends. While these aspects seem to be perfect common sense, I'm surprised at just how many people I see attempting to create a love with only 2 of these 3 requirements.

I was reading last night from a book my cousins gifted us as a wedding gift, Fall in Love, Stay in Love by Willard F. Harley, Jr. The author explains his findings of two kinds of love in marriage: romantic love, "the feeling of being in love-finding someone irresistible," and caring love, "a decision to try to do what you can to make someone happy-a willingness and effort to care for someone". I found his descriptions interesting and built upon the three Biblical descriptions of love.

I am grateful for the true love I have found with James, my soulmate, and I look forward to the rest of forever with him! Identifying the aspects of love will help us develop our love and be capable of working on an aspect that may become weak over the years.  Also being able to recognize these 3 parts of long-lasting love can help us help others. Realizing these types of love could be the saving grace for marriages world-wide.

~RR

"He is the love of my life, my constant companion, my partner, and my best friend..." -Cindi Griffith describing her late husband, Andy Griffith

Losing Pounds, Harvesting Herbs & a Growing Puppy

Is part of growing up feeling like life whirls right past you? James and I skipped August-or you'd think so if you saw our pantry calendar that was still on July the first weekend in September.. We blinked and now it's the fall!


Before I share about my adventure of harvesting herbs I figure I'll give updates on 2 major aspects of our lives: James has lost 6-8 pounds since we changed our diet to eat allergen-free foods, and Rocky now weighs 37 pounds (I could barely hold him and stand on the scale-guess I need to up the iron at the gym, again). James is full of energy and is losing that 'gluten-belly' as we call it (same theology as a beer-gut, but just caused by gluten in various foods. Or in his situation, a combo of all the allergens his body couldn't digest properly).  We'll be adding new pants to his Christmas list, if not sooner. Rocky hasn't chewed through anything major (knock on wood); although I do wonder why we buy him toys when he loves empty water bottles and paper towel rolls... He had a glamor shot photo shoot a while back, check out this beauty:

Thank you Senora Neale for such wonderful shots of Rocky!

Now onto harvesting of the herbs! I searched online for the best method to harvest herbs. I finally decided on harvesting the herbs, washing & drying the herbs, then combining the herbs and olive oil in a food processor.

 

Finally, scoop the herbs into ice cube trays and let them freeze/set-up for a few days. (Yes I am using some heart shaped ice cube trays) Then, transfer frozen cubes into a labeled freezer bag.

So far, we have enjoyed the cilantro I froze with rice, even though I haven't bought fresh cilantro since we made salsa earlier this summer!

I am also trying simply harvesting the herbs and putting the herbs straight into a freezer ziplock bag (after washing and drying of course-so many other critters enjoy herbs!).  I am mainly trying this method with Rosemary, as I read an easy way to get the Rosemary off the branches is to roll a rolling-pin over the bag after they've been frozen for awhile. I'll let you know how this turns out!

Additionally I have been harvesting seeds, so that next year I can grow more herb plants and eventually be able to stock up and share my fresh herbs with friends and family! And Rocky enjoys smelling the herbs every day, so if nothing else he can have some air fresheners.

Until next time,

RR

"The quickest way to know a woman is to go shopping with her."
~Marcelene Cox

Allergy-free pancakes!

(I'm going to recap here a few sentences in case you haven't read my previous allergy free cooking blog):

A few weeks ago we got James's blood-work back and discovered James is allergic to dairy, eggs, gluten, peanuts, soy, citric acid...(I think I listed them all). At this point, most people ask why we tested James for allergies. Easiest answer is a combo of headaches and stomach aches and the curiousity of an allergy possibility. I am also allergic to eggs and am lactose intolerant, so we decided to attempt to be nice to our bodies and get rid of these food allergens from our diets.  Having a younger brother who's allergic to soy, gluten and eggs, an older brother allergic to peanuts, eggs and is lactose intolerant, and a sister-in-law allergic to beef and dairy (ie the whole cow), I thought I was ready to jump right in. I may have been used to the diet, but I was definitely not knowledgeable about how to cook for said dietary restrictions! (And everyone thought I was the hard one to cook for; I just can't eat corn/salads/extremely spicy foods! Cooking for someone who has 3 feet less intestines is SO MUCH EASIER than cooking for someone allergic to the common foods!)

So besides for purging our pantry of all those foods and purchasing more expensive allergy-free foods, we have begun researching allergy-free recipes. While our dinners won't differ much (we tend to eat meats and veggies for dinner), we realized breakfasts and snacks will be our challenges. So, I found a pancake recipe that is gluten-free, egg-free and dairy-free and thought I'd give it a try. 

The recipe is as follows:

Protein Packed Pancakes

http://www.realfoodallergyfree.com/2011/12/protein-packed-pancakes/

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Navy Beans, drained
• 1 2/3 cup Water
• 1 Tbsp Honey (Don’t substitute as this gives the pancakes the golden color.)
• 2 tsp Oil (I use olive)
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 1/2 cup Rolled Oats

Directions:

1. Add ingredients to blender in the order listed. Blend until well blended. Set aside to thicken while you heat the skillet to medium.
2. Cook on until golden brown, turning as needed.

The first challenge, besides purchasing the items, was getting over the fact that navy beans will be a main ingredient of pancakes. 

I compiled all ingredients into a blender and heated the griddle:

I used coconut oil to grease the griddle then began cooking. The first round of pancakes didn't turn out as pretty as the second and third.  These pancakes take longer to cook than the gluten filled Bisquick ones, but tasted practically the same! (Believe it or not!) The texture wasn't as light and fluffy as "normal" pancakes, but we enjoyed them!

I'm excited to find more recipes, hopefully ones that work out better than the waffle recipe I attempted the other day.... You win some, you lose some, right?

~RR

"There is no remedy for love but to love more." 

-Henry David Thoreau

Craftroom Creations

While I'm still working on making the craftroom usable (the other day I unloaded 3 boxes into the drawers/shelves/closet) and redoing some chairs for the craftroom, I'd like to share my first craft in the house: a door wreath!

I "cheated" by doing my first wreath with a wreath that already had yellow balls/flower formations. This helped blend in the other flowers! And as the summer draws to an end at craft stores (Hobby Lobby has Christmas decor out already-it scares me 2012 is more than halfway over, but excites me that Christmas is coming!), spring and summer decor goes on sale! So, this wreath was a great find! With the addition of some of my wedding flowers and a maroon R, my wreath turned out pretty well! I've already bought another wreath to begin fall or Christmas decor-I'll take awhile to decide though...there's too many ideas on Pinterest!!

Anyone else create something exciting lately?! I love seeing the creative juices flow!!

~RR

Cooking Adventures of the Paleo/Vegan Diet

We recently learned my husband James has quite a few allergies: dairy, egg, gluten (to name a few).  We've decided to change our diets for awhile to see if the change affects headaches and stomach aches he has recently been having.  In our attempt to find allergy-free recipes, we have decided we are really adapting a paleo/vegan diet: eliminating processed foods and staying away from dairy and eggs, but still eating meats.  So far we have cleaned out our pantry, restocked it with allergy-free ingredients and products, researched appealing recipes and have started adapting to our new lives.

As my doctor told me, allergies are like a cup of water: as you are exposed to an allergen, imagine pouring some water into a cup; the more allergens you are exposed to, the fuller the cup, until your body goes completely haywire and your cup overflows.  When my younger brother was in the 8th/9th grade, this is exactly what was happening. He was skin and bones and had stomach issues.  We did a blood test on him and found he was severely allergic to soy, gluten and eggs, basically the only food groups he was eating.  Since he has changed his diet, he feels great, looks great, and is now a healthy senior in high school. I admire him; I couldn't imagine being 18 years old and not eating cake, hamburgers, drinking pepsi, and so much more.

With my brother's experience, my whole family changed our diets, so this new diet to accommodate to my husband's newly found allergies wouldn't be too different for me. The change, however, will be the cooking of the foods, as I have rarely cooked many allergy-free foods.

Today I changed up my usual crock pot roast so that it would be soy and gluten free. Normally I plop the roast in the crock pot, empty about half a packet of Lipton Onion soup mix packet on top and add some water. Today however, I used some different ingredients:

Roast from the 'Lewis Place', half of a small cooking onion, half of the package of dried portobello mushrooms, and half of the carton of organic, allergy-free mushroom soup.

We absolutely love returning home from work to the smell of a crock pot creation, especially roast! 

The roast tasted the same, if not better, than my traditional onion soup mix recipe; the main difference actually comes with the higher cost of the allergy free ingredients. I altered my mashed potatoes to use only Original flavored Almond Milk (normally I pile in the butter and regular milk).  The mashed potatoes were creamy and tasted just the same! Of course the gravy from the roast would have masked any odd flavors if there were any!

All in all, we had a successful dinner and, besides for the initial 'full' feeling, felt amazing! No discomfort or drowsiness at all. I look forward to adapting more of my recipes and trying new ones as we experiment with our new life change!

Is anyone else trying a new diet due to dietary restrictions? Any suggestions or recommendations out there?

Yours truly,

RR

"Do not live life attempting to make your presence known, 

but live in a way which makes your absence felt."

Our New Love

Meet our new bundle of joy and energy: our 8 week old black lab puppy, Rocky. We picked him up from a breeder in Abilene, Texas last weekend, and this week we've been busy keeping him occupied and not chewing on the furniture.  So far, so good *knock on wood*.  He is still timid, not wandering far from our side when we are outside and inside, and he loves all of his toys.  On that note, he currently whining downstairs and I'm afraid of what he'll find to chew!

~RR

Reflecting on My Post Surgery Life

For the past ten days (between the 4 year anniversary of the my entering the hospital and leaving the hospital), I couldn't help but relive those days, contemplating all I have learned since my stay.  I have pondered all the events  that piece together the road I took that has led me to where I am now.  After re-reading my journal entry from 4 years ago, I realized how some of the small details I had left out, made the largest impacts in my life.

Fish Camp:
In my journal entry, I failed to take note of a very small detail, only because I did not realize its importance at the time: The doctor in the ER who diagnosed me with Crohn's (because he had a son with colitis and a daughter with Crohn's who underwent my same surgery) asked his daughter if she would visit me in the hospital, because she was also an Aggie.  Following the surgery, after the extreme morphine days when I can actually recall who visited me, this girl came and talked to me.  She talked about her life post-surgery (probably one of the calming conversations at the time-to know other people had this operation and were doing fine).  She discussed her ability to eat 'good' foods again (ice cream and pizza!).  But most importantly, she mentioned how she was a Fish Camp Counselor, and she told me I HAD to go to Fish Camp because it'll be a lot of fun and the 'Ice Berry Blue' was to die for. [I later found out this was a drink in the cafeteria at the camp; anyone who has gone to Fish Camp will most likely be able to share about its wondrous tastes. In my experience, counselors and freshmen returned from camp with Nalgenes filled with this stuff].  Her willing to share with me, a random girl in her dad's hospital, was truly the first experience I had with the Aggie Family and my first glimpse of Fish Camp.  When I left the hospital, I was told I needed to stay at home, rest and recover for 6 weeks. And on the 7th week, I went to the Fish Camp I had registered for months before. I enjoyed the Fish Camp experience so much as a freshman, thanks to my wonderful Camp, DG, Counselors, and friends I made from Fish Camp, not to mention the first impression the doctor's daughter made on me, I applied for Counselor the following spring.  In the Spring of 2009, I became a counselor for Fish Camp Olvera; little did I know God had much more in store for me than just being a counselor; this was the camp I met and became friends with James, my husband of almost a month. This small detail of my surgery story still amazes me and brings me to tears; how God can make one single event waterfall into so many blessings, all in His time and according to His schedule. 


The Diet:
Before the surgery, while I was having intestinal issues, my diet consisted of plain bread, plain pasta, boiled vegetables, plain chicken or turkey, ground turkey, and butter and salt as the only "spices". The day before being admitted into the ER, I had eaten a can of olives, because I found that was about all I could eat.  We now joke about the infamous can of black olives that set me over and sent me into the hospital; Black Olives are still my favorite foods. I had lost much weight my senior year of high school, and later I heard many people believed I had an eating disorder. When I left the hospital I weighed 100 pounds (for a 5foot6 girl, that's way too light).  I often joke about my 'freshmen 30' that I gained during my first year of college; however, gaining back my weight and maintaining a consistent jean size has been THE best feeling.  Knowing I can buy a pair of jeans and still fit into it in 3 months has been a great achievement since my surgery.  Since I lack 3 feet of intestines, I must take Iron pills and eat foods high in Iron (since the large intestines is where Iron absorption occurs).  I can't eat corn, popcorn, or large amounts of salads due to the high amount of fiber in the foods. I believe this compromise (with my intestines) is quite acceptable; although there are times when I truly miss corn-on-a-cob or a big dinner salad.  I also have a new perspective on ridiculously skinny people; those individuals one would normally pick out of a crowd and ask one's friend, 'do you think he/she is anorexic?'  After having health issues that led me to be extremely skinny/look borderline eating disorder, I can't help but stop myself from thinking along those lines and wonder if they are having health issues. God has opened my eyes to care for people in a way I hadn't before.


My Scar:
The surgery left a noticeable scar; an approximate 3 inch vertical scar under my belly button.  Most of the time I can ignore the stares and glances from other people when I venture into public pools or beaches.  All of the time I wish I could stop and share with every single person what that scar means to me.  When I see the scar every day, what it reminds me of:

-The physical memories: pain before the surgery and all the times I spent throwing up due to eating food my stomach just couldn't digest, inability to eat normal foods, the inability to drink yellow Gatorade now after I had to consume so much of it for my CAT scan, watching 4th of July fireworks from my hospital room, how bad it hurt to sneeze for months after my surgery, the 'hand grenade' that was practically attached to me to soak up everything during the week after the surgery, how it took me almost 4 years to gain back my ab strength I had before since I could barely do crunches for a year following my surgery.

-The mental: knowledge I have acquired about intestinal diseases, learning how to reduce my stress and focus on a carefree life (I wish that could happen completely!), my learning about allergies and foods.

-The Angels in my life: the people and friends who have been there to help, to offer support, to ask questions and want to hear my story, the woman who walked into Jason's Deli one of the last days I worked before I went to college and was able to share her Crohn's story with me and my dad when I was getting off work, the scholarship donor who called a month after my surgery when he learned why I had missed the scholarship reception: he was also living with Crohn's and warned me of the pains of popcorn.

and most importantly:

-God's miraculous healing- falling asleep the night before the surgery feeling nothing but peace and feeling Jesus holding my hand during the night and through the surgery, telling my parents right before I left into the surgery that they won't find what they were looking for because God had healed me, hearing after the surgery that the doctors indeed did not find the 10 feet the CAT scan revealed needed to be removed, only a smaller portion (Humans only have 30 feet total of intestines, 10 feet and 3 feet are a huge difference).


There are days when I feel down, stressed, worried, etc., and on those days, my Lord only has to remind me of my scar, my memories, my experience, MY story.  I immediately feel ashamed I have doubt in His ability to take care of me.  I can't explain why this experience has happened to me; I believe some people, like myself, have miracles happen to them, some get to see them, and others just get to hear about them.  My healing miracle didn't just happen for my own healing; every time I share my story, I am able to bring glory to Him who heals, who keeps His promises, who brings joy and peace.  I feel compelled to share, for all of those people in my world who have not experienced a miracle [yet], so that they too may hear of God's greatness and faithfulness. 

I was raised with an evangelical pentecostal foundation in church.  My miraculous healing story only solidifies my belief in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, speaking and praying in tongues, laying on of hands, and of miracles. I have been in church Sunday School classes in college where a group discussion leads to opinions about these topics.  I have heard that 'miracles don't happen now a days because they don't need to'; I have been told 'speaking in tongues was only for the church in Acts, because people don't need to hear it to believe' and 'speaking in tongues is only used to show to outsiders about the Holy Spirit'.  At this point of the conversation, I share: I stand a healed woman, steadfast in my beliefs that actually Baptism in the Holy Spirit, speaking and praying in tongues and miraculous healing DOES occur in the 21st Century. I can share my story and my experience, but only those with open hearts seeking God can take in all that I say.  These events DO happen now-a-days, I come from a church where they DID occur, I have a story where they all played a large role in my healing.  It makes me sad to think Christians deny these gifts of the Spirit exist or NEED to exist, but I always ask, "Are you seeking them? Are you knocking on God's door for them? Are you steadfast in asking for them?" Who's to say this world does not need these gifts? I see a world full of pain, individuals searching for answers and peace, lost people desiring the wrong things to try to feel satisfied.  This world needs God and all of His gifts of the Spirit. I need them.


My walk with the Lord since the surgery has led to changed attitudes, perspectives, friendships and my relationship with Him.  He has led me to and away from people, places, and things.  I have been humbled and acknowledge I am nothing without Him.  He gave me Godly friends, a wonderful, fully scholarship funded college experience, an amazing degree, a job near home, a perfectly placed home next to Aggie neighbors who bring us to church, and a driven husband following my Lord.  He has also taught me everything goes according to His plan, all in His time.

I sometimes find it hard to share every little detail of my stay; I find it hard to talk about my experience without forming tears of joy.  I had wondered in high school what my testimony was; I thank God for it now.  And all it takes is a quiet whisper from Him or glace at my scar to remind me of His love for me, and all mankind.

Support

Last fall, during one of my cross Texas road trips between College Station and Dallas, I spotted the most beautiful tree.  Maybe this is my nerdy horticulture side coming out, but this tree looked to be the most perfect tree.  It had a perfect shape, a good proportion of trunk to brush and was in the middle of a gorgeous field off the highway.  However, it wasn't until I approached this tree that I actually realized this tree was comprised of at least three trees, growing close together.

I was initially bummed; what I thought was the perfect tree was really 3+  scrawny trees. Then the Lord revealed to me how each of those trees worked together to form perfection. One grew thin and tall and had all of its leaves in the upper canopy.  One tree grew on the left side, another grew more towards the right.  These trees would be incomplete on their own, but rather were a perfect fit together.

This realization came during a time when I was facing frustrations and thought I could handle everything on my own (surprise, surprise).  Instead, I realized I needed the support from my friends and family; their expertise, advice and guidance for my hiccups in life.  I wasn't alone in the game of life; rather, I had a handful of friends to help form a complete support group.

Up close we all have our issues, troubles, problems, inefficiencies and lack of knowledge.  But when we combine our experiences, love and knowledge with others, we can help create the perfect form of friendship to help each other out during our times of need. Someone will be there for you when you need an answer, a shoulder to cry on, a pat on the back or just need to rant.

Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

Blessings,
RR

Learning to Delegate

About 3 weeks ago/mid May I reached a point of pure exhaustio . All I wanted to do was sleep all day, and the wedding to do list was oh so daunting. It was at this point (and maybe after suggesting eloping instead), that my fiancé took over for me. He contacted my friend who will be acting as wedding coordinator, my maid of honor, and took my list and helped me prioritize. I deligated tasks to my parents and recovered from this level of 'burnout'. This being said, it was then that I realized I could have deligated earlier-so many people were waiting to help. I could lie and say I don't know why, but I am pretty positive my decision to try to do this a lone was mainly due to my pride, confidence in myself, doubt in others, fear of any end result I don't like, and of course, the desire to want to plan it all myself. Of course at this point I realized all will go well and if it doesn't, I probably won't remember! I am so grateful to have so many helpful friends and family wanting to share this "burden" with me. (In church this past weekend, the pastor discussed briefly our "burden" we can share with others vs our own personal "load". One is meant to be shared to have help carry it, while the other the Lord has personally given us to handle. Or at least that's what I understood-thought it was a good perspective.) So a few weeks ago when I finally felt relief from the stress and didn't feel bad about admitting to my friends I needed their help, the big guy upstairs spoke to me. You see, this isn't JUST a wedding planning control issue, it's a Rachel control issue. I've tried to do everything myself, and I don't stop to realize I don't have to carry the burdens of life/my stress/my fears by myself. Just like my good friends, my God is waiting for me to give Him tasks, my stress, my fears, my burdens. He's waiting with open arms for me to admit I cannot do it on my own and I need His help. What a lovely realization/yet another one of those ah-ha/slap in my face moments. How many times do I need to wear myself out from stressing and stretching myself thin before I present my worries to the Lord? What a great realization this situation was! 3 days until the wedding! Hoping I will allow myself to relax and not play the host of this event I've planned (which is such a weird feeling). Blessings to all, Bride-to-be

As Miranda Lambert said, "Forget your high society, I'm soakin' it in kerosene"

A weekend or so ago, my parents came over to help me with yardwork, as James was tending to the family ranch. Of the yardwork tasks, taking down a dead tree was high on the list, so my dad starting digging as mom and I planted flowers. The tree was a live oak, maybe 3 years old, and since we bought the house, the tree had died. We assumed it was affected by some disease. However, we noticed the grass at the base of the tree was dead, and there was a strong petroleum odor as my dad broke ground. Could it really be? Was this a nice way to ask us to cut down that particular tree? (we have approx 15 trees onbour lot, 8 of which in the front yard. This particular tree was close to our and our neighbor's front door, so we planned on removing the tree prior to his death anyways). "hi welcome to the neighborhood, I'm going to douse your tree and kill it so you must remove it?!?" Any suggestions or advice? What on earth do we say? I hope more trees aren't killed in this manner! Normally I habe pretty good advice for people, but I completely lack wisdom for this situation. Previously I just used to ignore people; isn't it too early to start ignoring or holding a grudge against my neighbor?! I had absolutely no idea the "hardships of home ownership" everyone warned about included dealing with odd neighbors; I thought people meant killing bugs and replacing appliances! Any suggestions?! ~Rachel

Stopping to smell the Roses

Lately I have been way too caught up in wedding planning and house remodeling/decorating. Just the other day I realized how quickly March and April have gone by. Looking forward to the future, whether it's being married, having furniture, having a garden, having our friends back in DFW is actually addicting. I've been constantly focused and wishing it was the summer that I've let almost a third of 2012 fly by me. What could I have done instead of looking toward the future? Spend more time with friends and family here? Visited college friends more? Learned to play the piano, again?

My point is, I personally get ahead of myself by planning in my calendar, checkbook and to-do list. I spend so much time planning I forget to enjoy the present time. I've been this way for years: "once I'm in college... When I have an apartment...after I get a job...when I'm living in my own apartment...after I've graduated from college...when we have furniture...after The wedding... THEN I'll be able to do this/enjoy life/relax."

My goal for the rest of the year? Learn to slow down, stop and smell the roses. I only live this life once, I need to stop planning for the future and live in the now.

So, how do I add that in my to-do list? Should I schedule smelling the roses every Tuesday evening? How much will that cost me to buy roses? ;)

Constantly learning and looking towards Heaven for help in this life.

~Rachel

Green Means Go Cautiously

One of the scariest moments of my life happened about two weeks ago. As I was approaching an intersection while driving, the light turned green, and I continued driving into the intersection. I had barely made it halfway through when a larger SUV barreled behind me, barely missing me, as the driver ran the red light. I am very fortunate God has provided me with exceptional guardian angels and that He has His hand around me, because that was too close of an encounter for me; I did NOT want to be t-boned that day (or any day really).

However, this incident got me thinking about how often we act on our own selfish or egocentric ambition, and we never realize the affect it could have on others. The driver who blazed through the red light (as I have mad it completely through that intersection on a yellow light coming from the same ways as that driver) was either not paying attention to the light change or chose to just make it through the light (maybe he/she was late for work?). Either way, the driver was solely thinking of him/herself and not about any other driver who could be driving according to the laws.

How often do we think "I can get away with this small thing because I want it or I should be able to do it"? The actions we take can affect innocent bystanders without them ever crossing our mind. In a world where we focus solely on ourselves and how our actions will affect us, we need to take a step back and realize who else we are affecting. This is not a controlled experiment where we are the only changing variable in this world. There is a myriad amount of extraneous variables in life, and all of those people are thinking about themselves and how they can get ahead in life.

I learned two lessons that day:
1. When driving, I have to take an extra step to make sure every one else is abiding by traffic laws solely for the purpose of my own safety. Has everyone stopped at a red light before I enter into the intersection? It doesn't matter who's at fault if you're dead.
2. I need to start thinking about other people more and how my actions affect them. When I try to cut the corner, am I causing someone else pain? frustration? danger? When I try to make it through on a yellow light will I hit someone who pops the clutch when the light turns green?

Just because we can, doesn't mean we should without taking proper caution. Look out for yourself AND others in ALL the actions you take!

~Rachel

Trouble falling asleep at night? Is there an Ap for that?

Yesterday I was on the brink of falling asleep around 12:30am, when i heard a thud in my room. Jack, our 9-month old Carin Terrior (think: Toto) occasionally sleeps at the foot of my bed, and last night, right as I was falling asleep, Jack rolled off the bed. This incident wasn't what caught me off guard. Rather, in the dark of the night I called out to the dog "Sparky are you okay?" of course, Jack was fine, maybe a bit confused as to what happened, but eagerly got back on the bed and fell asleep. He didn't even get mad at me for addressing him with the wrong name.

The realization of what I did made me so sad, to remember my grumpy, 13 year old Torkshire Terrior who passed away last spring. I don't think anyone or thing can ever truly replace Sparky in my heart; I just hope as time goes by, that portion shrinks as my love for my family, friends and new pets grow. I almost think this entry may be silly, a 22 year old girl still upset about the loss of a pet after a year, but there are times when I truly miss his cuddling when he knew I was upset, his persistance in sitting between me and anyone else who came to the house, his creepy smile he had when you returned to the house, his absolute hatred for any other animal, and his lack of ability to retrieve a ball. I truly believe God takes care of all of his creation, including animals. Whether that means I am greeted at the pearly white gates by Peter and Sparky or just knowing he lived a good life, I do not know, but in due time I suppose I'll find out that answer.

Until then I have an adorable Carin Terrior who can roll over, play dead and high five, and he enjoys coming in and out of the kitchen via the window (we don't have a doggie door, so I improvised. Needless to say my parents weren't happy about that stunt...). I hope Sparky isn't too mad that there's a new man in my life! (Or rather, two when you include my fiancé!) This is just another aspect of my transition from being a child to becoming a wife! Above all, I am so eager to experience the next chapter of my life with James by my side rather than just a dog! Thank you God for a fiancé who embraces me when I'm upset, stands beside me in my life, has a smile that melts my heart, enjoys being around my friends, and can retrieve a ball..... Oh wait. ;)

~Rachel

Road Work in Life

As I begin blogging, I thought it was fitting to start with a thought a had a few years back. I am continually reminded of this insight God gave me, and it only seemed fair to begin my blogging career by revisiting these thoughts while on the road from DFW to College Station.


During a 3 hour excursion back home to College Station, I had an epiphany. It wasn’t an hour into the drive when I drove through road work in South Fort Worth. There were road signs signaling the road work ahead, and these signs prepared me for any slow-traffic and naturally, road work. However, it wasn’t until I actually read the signs that I received the breakthrough God had for me. The ‘Rough Road’, ‘Shoulder Drop Off’, ‘No Center Stripe’ and ‘Loose Gravel’ signs really stuck out to me. Why did these vibrant bright orange signs stick out? Because they alerted me of the dangers and obstacles ahead as I traveled; these signs acted as a guide as I traveled through the road work. It wasn't until I reached the end of the construction that I received my slap in the face. The ‘End of Road Work’ sign came, and I was ready to return to the regular speed limit. However, as I returned to the normally posted speed limit, I passed by the ‘End of Work Zone’ sign, where one is then instructed to return to the speed limit. Why had I never paid attention to this sign before? Although I knew it existed, I never really read it and followed the sign’s lead. I was too busy returning to my normal speed limit to continue watching for these road construction signs.

And then it dawned on me. These signs were aids in the travel, just as God is in life. Except, we don’t get neon orange signs to let us know of the dangers or mysteries of this travel. We are expected to just trust in God and know He has everything under control. He will help us when there is no shoulder, loose gravel or no center stripe on our path. When we have faith in His lead, He will guide us through the road work in our life.


What stuck out the most to me on this drive was the last sign, the ‘End of Work Zone’ sign. Lately, I have been growing in my walk with Him, in my relationships with my friends, and in my own self discovery. I had made it through the road work in my life, and I am in comfortable and amazing place in life. I couldn’t be more grateful for the people and circumstances in my life. Additionally, I have been eager to begin new journeys; whether that’s finding prince charming or pursuing my new major and life plans, I have rushed to look out for these events, hoping that every moment is the deciding factor in my life. What I have not realized, and what God revealed to me during the remaining 2 hour drive, is that I haven’t made it through the ‘Work Zone.’ Although I have made it through the road work of loose gravel and shoulder drops, I am not ready to return to my normal pace and embark on the rest of my journey, so to speak. I’m still in that work zone and need to adapt to all the new changes in my life. I should not be racing back to my normal speed, but continuing at the recommended speed, giving a ‘brake’ to the workers and watching for the police monitoring the work zone. God has everything planned out perfectly; He knows when and where every little detail of my life will unfold, all I have to do is trust in Him and obey the rules He’s laid down.

Sometimes it is easy to wonder when life will play out perfectly, and when you will meet the right person or come across the right situation that will determine your career in life. But these things shouldn’t be the focus of your life...not until God has cleared you of your work zone and set you back onto clear road.


He’s instructed us:
“Do not be anxious in anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, submit your request to God and the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your heart and your soul in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:13
We can’t worry about the road ahead of us, just have faith in Him, and He will see to it that everything will go perfectly.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6



I wrote this entry after I changed majors, was between relationships, was adapting to taking care of myself in college, was making new friends and was learning more about my personal walk with the Lord. Quite frankly, I was changing in a lot of areas, and I reached a point where I thought I was ready to move on to more exciting adventures. I couldn't figure out why I seemed to be a stand still. What I have learned is that I was still recovering and adjusting to these new changes and was not ready to jump back in to new challenges. For example, I could not understand how I could know so many nice guys yet my dating life be at a lull. A couple of months after writing this entry, I actually started dating the man who is now my Fiance. God has a perfect timing for everything in our lives, and when we are completely out of our work zones, He will allow us to resume traveling at our usual speed. Until then, we must trust in Him to keep us away from dangerous road conditions. Every time I drive through a construction zone I am reminded about His hand in my life and on the road in which I travel. I cannot be more thankful for the joys He has given me, despite the trying work zones I have had in my life.

~Rachel