Today, I am grateful for...

I just wanted to say that I am grateful for:

My husband who was purposefully kind and good to me yesterday (and today too, but he started yesterday.) I am blessed to have a husband that cares for me and loves the Lord.

My new job, even with its difficulties. I found out if I work over 16 hours a week, I get paid a very good wage hourly. I'm grateful for God putting us in this position and I know that He will give us the strength we need to do the job.

My new bosses, Cindy and Dale. I know God is going to use them to teach me a lot and I hope and pray I can be a blessing to them and show the love of Jesus to them.

My family. My mom sends me encouragement texts every morning. It's a wonderful thing to wake up to.

My new phone. Thanks, Tosha, for selling us your old phone for a very fair price.

Our T-mobile credit that took $9.99 off our bill for this month. Little things like that really encourage me.

Chris's job. He's off to work now and I'm so glad he gets to work in an environment where God is given glory and magnified. I pray that today He will be blessed in everything He does, that He'll be anointed to serve and bless everyone he encounters, that he will support the manager and encourage him, and lead the other employees that he "assistant manages." and encourage them today.

Our new Christmas tree. Pictures coming soon. I got it for $3.75 at a thrift store.

The ornaments on our new tree. They've come from my mom, the thrift store and from a lady who randomly gave them to my mom to give out to "new couples that need them." Isn't it like God to bless me with free ornaments? How silly and wonderful that He cares about those details in our lives.

Christmas Break. I am officially done with class until the start of January. Praise the Lord for getting me through another term! Just 2 more to go until I have my AAOT.

More money than we anticipated this month. Praise the Lord that we could afford to pay our very high electric bill (Darn you, winter!) our cell phone bills and my foolish credit card that I pray God will give me wisdom and self control NOT to use!

Knitting. I picked up my knitting for the first time in about 6 months. It feels good to have yarn in my hands again.

World of Warcraft. I never thought I would say it, but I started playing with my hubby and it's really fun. I am also starting to better understand why boys like the game. I can ask him more specific questions and I am actually interested this time around. :) Who knows if I'll keep playing but thank you, Jesus, for new perspective.

My wonderful friends that encourage me. Hannah, my bread fairy. Chelsea, my coffee fairy. Karina who always encourages me at just the right time. Abby, who always has the right thing to say and makes me feel like the coolest girl in the world. Jessica, whose silliness is refreshing and reminds me to acknowledge the Lord in everything I do.

My first pair of knit socks on my feet. These are my favorite socks and I finally accomplished the "sock mountain" that I was so worried about climbing. i have 1 more sock almost done, then 1 more to do, and i'll have my second pair.

Lord, you made it so we could pay all our bills this month, even with the ones that were unexepected. Psalm 36:5-10

⁵ Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens,

your faithfulness to the skies.

⁶ Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,

your justice like the great deep.

You, LORD, preserve both people and animals.

⁷ How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!

People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

⁸ They feast on the abundance of your house;

you give them drink from your river of delights.

⁹ For with you is the fountain of life;

in your light we see light.

¹⁰ Continue your love to those who know you,

your righteousness to the upright in heart.

The End of a Season

First, let me say how excited I am that this term is almost over. Fall term always flies by for some reason (I won't complain.) I'm extremely excited to only have 2 terms to complete before my Associate's degree is finished.

Right now, I'm waiting for my boss to return from the other apartment complex so we can finish our training. The only bummer is that I don't know when he's going to be back so I can't stop to take my last quiz in Speech just in case he gets back earlier than the 1 hour they say to set aside (it never takes that long.) The fact that my new method of study is "read only as much as you need to, skim the lectures online and hope for the best!" doesn't exactly fill me with confidence but they keep turning out alright so I'm not exactly being deterred from this method.

Chris is at work all day today. I'm so proud of him for working so hard.

Um....it's cold here (stupid winter!) Quincy's in his crate so I can actually focus on something besides playing with him every second. The new foster lady is going to meet with me today

after work to transfer him over. She has a lot of experience with Chihuahuas so that's really good. She'll know what to do. :) I pray that Quincy finds a really good home that is just right for him and his energy level.

I've been watching a lot of makeup videos lately and getting inspired. Here's my most recent inspiration picture.

I'm loving hot pink lips right now! LOVE.

A $360 lesson

Hello,

A lot has happened in the last week and a half. My bosses went out of town, leaving me alone to run the office with only 1 week of training. That went as well as one can hope! With tons of applications, the first HUGE snow and managers that leave you for a week, what can a fledgling assistant manager do to cope?

Complain a lot, that's what!

haha. I shoveled snow, made tons of phone calls and bundled up at 7 in the morning and 9 at night to go try not to fall while walking the property to lock up.

Phew. I'm glad the managers are back!

So as you know (or maybe you don't,) Chris and I have wanted to get a dog. Our reasoning was this: We're married, we're grown ups, we do what we want! Chris used to have a dog, I had a dog that I had to leave with my parents. Then, when the pet policy changed we decided, nah, lets not just take the great dog I already own (she's a "grandma" dog according to Chris!)

Nope, we decide that we cant take that sweet bundle of cute to our house but instead should get a different dog!

Again, our reasoning: we're grown ups, we want a dog!

So we get Quincy, a Chihuahua mix that is supposedly sweet and loves to sleep and cuddle. The only true part of that sentence is "sweet." Here's Quincy:

Isn't he adorable? Yes, he's adorable. He's sweet, friendly, loves people and other animals and is the cutest thing. The down side? He's a Chihuahua/Miniature Pinscher. I read after we got him that Min Pins have the most energy out of all the dog breeds. Loves to sleep and lay on your lap? Not.

So, after just about 2 weeks of seeing if we could make it work, we decided that we can't. :(

We love Quincy to death but he's making it so we cannot relax unless he's crated. So this is what his life would be like if he stayed with us:

Morning: go potty, eat his breakfast. Get crated for us to eat breakfast since we have to stand and eat if he's out. He boing boing boings up to get food or if you're sitting, he'll crawl all over you to get whatever you're eating.

He's crated while we're at work.

Once I get home from work, I let him out to go potty. Play a litt,e Then it's dinner time, back to the crate. Then we let him out for a little bit when Chris gets home, back to the crate for Chris's dinner. Then, stay in the crate while Rachel does homework.

Back to the crate after going potty and then its bedtime - in the crate again.

We realized that this isn't much of a life for little Quincy. He deserves a family that can really play with him, use up all the energy he has and take time to train him. There's no doubt that he'll be an amazing dog once he's trained but unfortunately, Chris and I just don't have the time or energy. :(

So, we're sad. But the lesson learned?

Pray!

Ask the Lord before making decisions!

Talk!

Talk things out, discuss things before just jumping to whatever you want to do!

So, a $360 lesson learned. We're giving him back to the foster program we got it from, no refund of course. But hey, lesson learned! God is faithful to teach us even though sometimes it hurts, our wallet and our heart. But God is good!

love,

Rachel

Snow Day

Today is the first true day of snow on the ground (that hasn't melted off.) And the only thing I can say is this: it is making me grumpy.

I do love seeing snow fall outside my window, I love the beautiful fresh blanket that lies untouched and glittering on the ground.

However, the beauty is greatly overshadowed by the fact that my miniature sad excuse for a car (honda civic 2 door) cannot, even with the aid of snowtires, safely get out of the parking lot at my apartment complex. That's right.

There's a little hill that you drive up and over to get onto the street. My toy like car does not have the guts, weight or grip to get up over that hill.

Also, a big thank you to the fact that now my apartments are responsible for our own snow removal but have not been equipped with the equipment to scrape the driveway, and thus enable tenants to safely leave the premises. One option: back up, gun it and pray to the Lord Almighty that there are not cars coming from both directions ready to send me to the pearly gates.

*sigh*

Anyone wanna lend me a jeep??

The Adventures of a Wintery Day

Because I'm not yet a camera-wielder, all the pictures here are from google!

My day:

-Get up at 7 to unlock the laundry rooms and workout room (the perks of being a manager? boo!), slipped twice AND FELL on the:

-Realize that if I don't hurry up and get to les schwab, they'll be packed with Round 2 of the people that waited until the 2nd snow to get snowtires put on.

-Thank Jesus for having me in bed early last night so I had enough sleep to get up and out in the

cold.

-Go to my parents house to get my snowtires, greeted by my handsome father all dressed up for the office and pulling my tires out of the shed. What a good dad.

-I finally get to Les Schwab - Three hour wait! yep, that's right. 3 HOURS.

Thankfully, I brought entertainment:

I thought this book was going to be a comedy when I first got it from the library - nope, not a comedy. However, it is an excessively good book. I'm almost done with it and I'm excited to read more of his work.

After 2 and a half hours of waiting, my papa brought me coffee and took me to sonic for breakfast while we waited for my car to get finished.

Then, i came home, showered the cold away and took a nap. What a great way to spend an hour, I tell ya.

Now, I'm sipping on:

and attempting to do

(doesn't that look exactly like me?! I KNOW!)

I haven't procrastinated as badly as I normally do, so I'm proud of myself. However, my laziness is manifesting itself in a new way: Both my toes and tea are cold and I haven't had the motivation to turn the heat on or go reheat my tea. :) Oh well, one step at a time!

Love

Rachel

The Journey of the year 2010

It's been about 11 months since i've updated. Being a surprisingly diligent blog follower, I am not nearly as diligent of a blog writer. But I want to start documenting again.

Over the last year, I've had a lot of transitions. One of them has been in my body shape/image/identity. Last year on Weight Watchers I lost just about 40 pounds. Hurray! What an accomplishment! I felt so good and I looked so different. But then, once January hit, I stopped losing. My motivation faded and once I got married in August, i started to gain. I've gained probably 10-12 pounds back. In the course of the past 6 or 7 months, my situation has changed and put more focus on outer be

auty. I started doing makeup artistry and my love of makeup has reached nearly obsessive (youtube, you have not helped this.) I started working at a fashion boutique where appearances REALLY mattered. The things I had learned on my summer of no makeup/fashion had started to fade and I began to need my security blanket of makeup and clothing again.

When I stopped wearing makeup, my skin cleared up and I felt comfortable in MY face.

This face, with NO MAKEUP!

This

(This was 1 week after EuroQuest in 2008)

I felt so happy and beautiful here. It's prophetic that my hair dye washed out, too (the blond in my bangs was purple before I left for EQ) God was changing my image of myself - not only physically but in every way. I learned that I am a lot more capable than I thought I was. I learned that God

was SO big, in control & so much more faithf

ul than I had thought. He rocked my world. When I look at that picture, my heart gets a little sad. I miss that summer so much but even more than that, I miss having such a vibrant relationship with the Almighty. In the last 2 years, my life has changed so drastically. I've gotten engaged, quit 1 job, started another, planned a wedding, got married, moved out of my parents house, started a new job, held both for a while, started a new term at COCC, started a freelance makeup business and gotten hired as an assistant manager for a property management company.

I suppose it makes sense that in this year, I'd get a little lost.

So that's where I am right now. Feeling a little lost in the whirl of all this transition.

"Where are you in all this, God?" I've asked. Even more than the asking, I have seen God move so much in this year. He has led Chris and I through so much even in the first 3 months of our marriage. I've learned that God is faithful, that He provides. I've learned that His hand is upon us and He is a God full of Grace! I've learned that His eyes are on us and leading us even before we realize it. With this new job as the Asst. Manager, I had no intention of leaving my boutique job. I loved it, I thought the business was doing well. Then out of the blue, I got offered the job with the property management company. Chris and I had interviewed before we even got married and someone else had gotten the job. Well, he didn't work out so they offered the job to us. I was set on saying no and turning it down until I learned of the tough financial situation my job was in.

I had no idea my job wasn't secure....but God did, and he made arrangements to provide before I ever knew I needed his provision. What a good God!

In this transition, I've lost a bit of who I thought I was and I think I'm finding it. I plan on starting Weight Watchers again in January. I want to take care of the body God has given me in a way that would honor Him. It's so hard in this world we live in where bodies are ugly if they are big and we are bad if we are overweight. Even the skinny girls can have such skewed views of their bodies. Our culture trains us to hate our bodies, to force them into submission at any cost and dislike them enough to be motivated to pursue perfection at any cost. But this view is one that I want to reject. In my pursuit of weight loss, I want "feeling good" to be my main motivator. I want "being physically able to do wh

at I want" to be a motivator. I want "to live a long time" to be my motivation. I realized tonight that the mental energy I will spend on planning healthy meals and eating mindfully will be equal to the negative mental energy I spend on regretting choices, feeling overweight and being dissatisfied with my appearance.

My handsome husband is wanting to work out and lose weight too. What a great motivation!

(Look how cute my hubby is)

So, long story long, I'm excited to pursue wellness for my body. Even more importantly, I want a vibrant relationship with Jesus again. Praise the Lord that He is patient and good and understand the process. Oh, He is good!

I hope to blog more about my progress, for myself (even if no one reads this.)

Dear Jesus,

I surrender this process to You. Please help me be patient and full of grace for myself and Chris as we seek to honor You with the condition of our bodies. Put us in a place where we can be filled by you and then pour out to others. You are SO good. Thank you for your hand on us this year and in the future. Help us know the real You, beyond speculation or just our own ideas.

We love You and want to honor you

In Jesus's name,

Amen.

2010: A Year of Prioritizing

One week in and it's time to write down some of my goals for 2010. The things that will happen in 2010!

My Prayer for 2010:

"Lord, Teach me what's important."

I've spent a lot of time worrying and being concerned with things that aren't important; Inconsequential people's view of me is the number one thing that I waste energy worrying about. This year, I long for and am expecting God to teach me what IS important: My relationship with Him, being a good steward of my time and money, accomplishing more things of importance.

I want to know when to work and when it's okay to rest. God is faithful, He's teaching me.

My Motto for 2010:

"I can't control what other people do but I can control what I do."

It's easy to hold other people to my expectations and be disappointed when they don't meet them. I can't control how well the girls I work with do their jobs, I can't control what my boss does, I can't control my friends or pastors or customers or family or boyfriend. But I can control myself; I decide how hard I work, how kind I am, how flexible, understanding and patient I am. I can't control what other people do but I can control what I do, and I'm going to do what God expects of me and let Him take care of the people that don't do what I think they should (and in all honesty, that might be a good thing at times!)

As for my list of things I'd like to accomplish (beside those 2 big ones up there...)

0) Exercise More! Go to a fitness class 3-5 times each week.

Obviously, everyone in the entire world wants to exercise more. The cool thing is that I've been doing these Zumba classes that are the most fun thing ever. My gym has tons of really fun classes so I want to try more and do more!

0) Really Study God's Word

'Nuff said.

0) Cook More! Try New Recipes!

My tentative goal is to try a new healthy recipe every week!

0) Invest in Playing Guitar & Songwriting

I want to get better at both so it's time to make it a priority!

0) Make More!

Photo courtesy of one of my favorite blogs.

Knit, Crochet, Scrap book, paper craft, decorating. :) I want to build more crafty skills this year.

That's it for now :)

Wisdom from Reign Ministries

This was from the Reign Ministries website. Really good. :)

At the end of every year, millions of people take time to look back at the previous year and then look forward to the future. It is a time to see what worked, what didn't, and what needs to change in order to make this next year run smoother and more efficient. As for the youth worker, making resolutions is a great way to accomplish your goals. Just be sure to keep them...

Keep the Gospel First, Share it at Every Event

In my early years of a youth worker, I had always thought that the most important part of youth ministry was to get students coming to youth group and Sunday school. To make that happen, I thought I needed an entertaining night/morning, great games, comfy couches, and a pool table. After about three months, I realized that I was accomplishing my goal to get students in the church doors but failing to provide the Gospel. I was reminded that sharing the Gospel at every opportunity is the most important part of youth ministry! Share the Gospel message at every event. It does not have to be new or jazzed up, but it does need to be consistent. You never know when someone may be ready to receive it. It is our job to provide it.

Read Through the Bible Every Year Continually

As a youth worker, you need to continually be taking care of your spiritual needs. If you are pouring out into students, you need to be filled up. Daily reading of the Bible is one way that you can be poured into. If you expect to share the Gospel, you have to know the Gospel. The best way to know it is to read it, study it, and apply it. It also sets an example we want our students to follow.

Love Students the Way God Loves Students

Love should be a great way to define Christianity, but it often is not. It is by God's love that we are saved. God has commanded us to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves. God's love for His sheep has no limits. It has no end. I have often seen youth workers and Christians in general say that they love their neighbors, yet it has limits. They love the people in their life, yet they are not willing to go the extra mile for them. It is a convenient love. Youth workers must extend their love to all students without limits. We do not simply love someone to win souls, but because we adapt God's compassion in our lives. Developing a genuine compassion for youth should stem from an understanding of the compassion God has had and continues to have on us. If are love is played out in a way that only seeks to win souls to Christ or make us look good in front of the sr. pastor, then we are not really loving. We are merely looking good to those around us.

Be who God created you to be, not what Christians say you should be

Students are looking for someone to be real. Be open with who you are. You don't have to put on a show. If you mess up, be honest about it. It will show students that you are relatable. Be happy with who God created you to be.

Help students see the importance for missions and understand the Great Commission

Missions are often known by students as the one week trip to Mexico with the youth group. You go to Mexico, build a church, and then spend a day at Disneyland. While a one-week mission trip can be great for helping students understand poverty and difficulty, a single week out of 52 is not fulfilling the Great Commission. Teach students to understand missions should be happening year round. It is in their schools, their homes, and even their churches. Encourage students to remember that missions takes place in their life now, not just in Mexico. Lastly, encourage students to be involved with missions all year long.

Pray, and choose 6-12 students who you can train to be leaders within your group

Passing on responsibility should be one of your main goals as a youth worker. We are called to make disciples. We want to equip students with tools to be leaders within their peer groups, schools, and families. Pray and choose 6-12 students to meet with 1-2 times a month. Give them responsibilities within youth group and events as well. This will give them ownership and the ability to meet a high level that you set for them.

Recruit reliable people to help you reach youth with the Gospel

If you have more than 8 students in your group, you need help. The more people you have pouring into the lives of students, the more students will be able to be filled up. Recruit quality people who want to work with youth. Give them responsibilities. You will most likely have to teach and train them. Set up quarterly meetings where you can give them direction as to what they need from you and what you expect of them. Cast your vision upon them. You want people to help you make your vision become reality.

Stay updated and current with what is going on in students' lives and in the world

While the world is rapidly changing, it is important to stay in tune with where it is and where it may be going. This does not mean that you have to like it or conform to it. It does mean we need to understand how to work the Gospel into a world in a relevant way. In order to be effective, we must proclaim the Gospel message in a way that students can understand it. We need to be able to apply life application in a way that is challenging and engaging.

Stay focused on what really matters

In order to stay focused, it may help to change up routines. Routines can often become a way of living. Youth workers often run into an inability to keep focused on reaching students. Programming, meetings, and dealing with parents becomes habit. Change up your normal week. Go to a new coffee house for your study. Establish a day of prayer every month. Get outside!

Never Give Up, Run the race with endurance

Burnout seems to be a huge factor within youth work. It is quite often a thankless job that involves dealing with more church politics than wanted or necessary. When doubt, frustration, and depression kick in, remind yourself that it is worth it. When all is finished and you stand before God, you will hear the words "well done my good and faithful servant." That is worth fighting for. Those words are worth the fight. We do this not for earthly gain but because He is worthy!