Truth

"I can get my head turned by a good-looking guy as much as the next girl. But sexy doesn’t impress me. Smart impresses me, strength of character impresses me. But most of all, I am impressed by kindness. Kindness, I think, comes from learning hard lessons well, from falling and picking yourself up. It comes from surviving failure and loss. It implies an understanding of the human condition, forgives its many flaws and quirks. When I see that in someone, it fills me with admiration."
Lisa Unger, Beautiful Lies

My 23rd Birthday

 ~ 23 Random Acts of Kindness for my 23rd birthday ~

I had originally seen this on a blog somewhere and I've seen it a couple times online since. You spend your birthday doing nice things for other people. My birthday this year fell during my spring break so I was off and had the whole day free. Plans to go out of town fell through so I thought I should try this. It was really rewarding, although it was a lot more work than I thought! Not the being nice part but the running around town part. I would highly recommend doing this on your birthday (or not on your birthday) but I would suggest getting an early start and planning your day based on the locations of your acts. I prepared a list of ideas, some from online and some of my own, but I was looking forward to opportunities that arose unplanned, and those were the best.

Here's how mine went down: 

1. Leave cookies for the mailman

I attached the general note I made up that briefly explained my doings and then based on who or what I was doing I would personalize it or write a note like "enjoy coffee on me!" etc.
 

I also picked one thing (baking cookies) to do for several people. You can bake whatever you want or give as much money as you want but for me personally this was what I could afford, and making one huge batch and then dividing it up seemed easiest. The whole day cost me about $20-25. I'd say it was well worth it :)

2. Leave coins on a playground for children to find

This was fun! I felt like I was scattering food for the birds lol. 

3. Give cookies to construction workers

There happened to be a bunch of men working on the road near the playground I went to, and since it was FREEZING and gross on my birthday, I figured they were in need of cheering up. So a plate of cookies went to them.

4. Deliver thank you cookies to the police station

5. Donate books to the local library

6. Deliver cookies to the fire station

I especially enjoyed this one- they were a little confused at first when I wandered in there but once I explained, their reaction was great! They were so happy and nice. (And plus I feel like men appreciate the cookies more than women... a lady police officer greeted me at the police station and her reaction wasn't as fun, it was actually quite awkward, haha.)

7. Pay for someone else's coffee

This was great. A worker in an electric van pulled up behind us (this was where my mom joined me) in the Tim Horton's drive thru and after I paid for his I had the tim ho's worker give him the slip with my note on it :) He was nodding and waved up at us.

8. Donate clothes to the Salvation Army

9. Leave an uplifting sign on a community board 

We ended up leaving this in the fitting room at the Salvation Army... it seemed more fitting (no pun intended haha)

10. Bring cookies to Pam at Buff State

This woman in the financial aid office was so wonderful to me last fall, went out of her way to help me and made it possible for me to graduate this semester when things got messed up, and even though I already thanked her I wanted to visit again... she was so touched and got all teary eyed and we had a moment. It was probably in my top 3 moments of the day.

11. Put cash on someone's parking ticket (Can I get an AMEN all you Buff Staters??!)

This was something that I specifically wanted to do because I can't tell you how ruthless those Buff state po are and how many countless tickets I got... I thought for a moment maybe it would be hard to find a car with a parking ticket but no, who was I kidding! We found 6 right away with no problem. Several in the Burchfield of course. I put ten bucks inside one and left a note with their ticket... :)

12. Put change in an expired or almost expired parking meter  

13. Leave coins on a vending machine

Left money in a bag taped with a note to the front so the next person would see it.

14. Gave cookies to the hostess at Fridays

We went to dinner for my birthday and the hostess happened to be an old member of our church! We had a great time talking and laughing with her- she is a riot. I had an extra bag of cookies in the car. :)

15. Helped hold the doors open for two families and a girl on crutches

16. Send a card to someone in need

In this case, my friend's mother who has cancer. 

[Day 2] 

17. Call grandparents and tell them that I love them

18. Leave a dollar bill in the toy section of a store for a child to find

19. Bring cookies to the Salvation Army guy

He had just left when we tried to bring him coffee the day before, but I still wanted to do something for him since it was so cold those few days.

20. Pay for someone's toll fare

This also was a lot of fun. The car had several people in it and when they went by they honked and were waving and flashing the note in the window. This would be easy to do any time you go through a toll booth, why not do it every time?! The worker also seemed to enjoy taking a part in it, although next time I need to do something for them.

21. Go to the SPCA and donate money

Those dogs are so cute :)  

22. Apologize to someone for something you did wrong

I wrote to someone and apologized for something mean I did 11 years ago. This had been on my mind for a while, several years in fact. I think this one thing brought me the most satisfaction out of all 23 things.

[Day 3]

23. Donate blood

Ahhh!!! I did it! It was my first time. I got lightheaded after, which I thought would happen, but they took care of me and I got through it. 

 
I didn't get everything done exactly on my birthday so I did some things over the next two days here and there. I really wanted to get to my goal of 23 so as long as I did that I'm happy.

Thank you to those of you who participated in my RAK day by doing something nice for someone else and letting me know via facebook or text. You helped make someone's day a little brighter and I'm sure they appreciated your kindness! My personal favorite for creativity goes to Caleb, who said he held the door open 23 times for strangers. :)

Overall it was a great experience. What would the world be like if we were like this all the time? How many people would we effect? Especially as Christians we are called to love our neighbor as ourself, but are we REALLY doing that? I know we try to be kind and let Christ's love shine through us, we smile at people, help others in need, take that extra step and go out of our way to help someone, but how far are we willing to go? We get so wrapped up in our own worlds that we may be walking right by someone that needs us. I encourage anyone that has the time and energy to do this for a day to definitely do it, but please, don't just do it on that one day. Be kind every day. Be kind one to another. - Ephesians 4:32
   

Disclaimer: Based on a comment I feel the need to say- the purpose of this is not to receive any credit or glory for what I did. Please. The purpose for this post is to inform others what I did because there were many that expressed interest in doing this on their own birthday and asked me what specific things I chose to do. So I hope it helps. :)

Vintage Valentine's

Happy Valentine's Day!
Even though I'm single I don't mind this day. Never really have. Most people know that I'm content with my life right now and and happy just trusting in God and His plan. The season of singleness can be a blessing and I don't need a man to make me happy.
I'm normally not one of those sappy girls, I've never lamented how I'm alone and need a boyfriend, but on this day this song came up and I thought it was quite applicable for today :) "The Man I Love" by Gershwin has always been one of my favorites. Gershwin in general is one of my all-time favorites. I'm now watching Gone With the Wind for the first time... I'm feeling quite vintagey tonight. :)

"The Man I Love"

Music by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin

You know I love me some Benny Goodman :)

But I love my ladies too... Billie and Ella... here's Billie:

And some of my favorite old [romantic] photos:

Quotes from our Spain trip

So while going through some notebooks and such I came across my school notes from the classes I took in Spain, and in the back of the notebook I found our quote list! ;) It's too bad we started the list somewhere in the middle of the trip, because there was some funny stuff!!

1. POR CASUALIDAD (Por Cathualidad)
2. I need ice cubes on my eyeballs! - Rachel
3. God I hate Buff State with my whole being. - Melissa
4. Lady, get OFF ME!! ... Her armpit was on my FACE!
5. My eyelids are peeling!! - Rachel
6. How long is a gestation for a goldfish? - Melissa
7. NO JÁMON! - Mary (And everyone else)
8. Adrienne: I wanna go out.
   Mary: I want a yogurt.
   Adrienne: How are we friends?!
9. I think I have the flu... - Mary
10. I'm eating flowers right now. There are LILLIES in my mouth. - Mary

More accent phrases:
- influencia francesca = influenthia franthethca
- entonces = entontheth


And some quotes from the rest of Melissa and I's adventure:
- You're drowning in a sheet of weirdness!
- I have so many croissants in here I can't even close my purse. - Melissa
- You know you're in Paris when you have a cheese sandwich, 2 croissants, and 3 packets of nutella in your purse.
- I'm sick of being thirsty! I've been thirsty for six weeks!!! - Melissa
- Are you guys Canadian? (girl in hostel in Venice)
- WAIT! I'M NOT DONE BEING UN-AWKWARD YET!!!


(I'm laughing out loud right now. Such good memories!!!)

My space

I got a new summer coverlet and I just love it :) I just felt like posting some pics of my room. Not the whole thing though... that's just weird.

My cozy little niche

The only item I purchased in Paris - painted along the Seine River :)

Fan purchased in Madrid, Spain

Chinese umbrella lampshade purchased on Martha's Vineyard, Cape Cod, MA

We all know where this is from ;)

Painted my old fan white and then my sis painted this lovely design that you see :)

Duelling piano bookends - purchased online

RIP Andy Griffith

I just found out that Andy Griffith died today (well, yesterday). I loved that show. What I find kind of neat is that I have seen where some of Matlock was filmed and I sat on those actual courthouse steps. Then I have also been to Mt. Airy, the town where he was born, raised, and where filming for the Andy Griffith Show took place (known as "Mayberry"). We went in the replica buildings and we even met Floyd the Barber in the old barbershop! This was maybe five years ago, but just last week we drove by Mt. Airy once more while we were on our way to Myrtle Beach. We didn't stop this time but it brought back memories and I had to listen to Rascal Flatts' "Mayberry" on my iPod just for kicks. Maybe some people have forgotten this show, or have never heard of it, but I sure haven't. It's kind of a part of me now. Needless to say I am saddened at his death.

Of course I just googled him for more info, and according to Wikipedia, he was a singer (a gospel singer!) and he played the trombone... he even went to school for music and has his bachelor's degree in music. Yeah!! One more reason why he was awesome. RIP Andy Griffith.

Via Andy Griffith's Wikipedia page: 

He began college studying to be a Moravian preacher, but he changed his major to music and became a part of the school's Carolina Play Makers. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and graduated with a bachelor of music degree in 1949. At UNC he was president of the UNC chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, which claims to be America's oldest fraternity for men in music.^[6] He also played roles in several student operettas, including The Chimes of Normandy (1946), and Gilbert and Sullivan's The Gondoliers (1945), The Mikado (1948) and H.M.S. Pinafore (1949).^[7]

My Sisters

 Well as I lay here being sick, my sisters are doing some pretty exciting things! [Yes, everything caught up to me and I have some upper respiratory/cold thing. :( It could partly be allergies but I think it's mostly my crazy busy life - I just go and go and go, not getting enough sleep, not taking time to rest when I need it. And now it's turning into a cough. meh. One thing's for sure, I'm resting now, hopefully catching up on some reading and some more re-runs of Fresh Prince. woot.]

On Thursday I mustered up strength enough to make it to New Life Christian school's spring musical, Aristocat Kids. And guess who had one of the lead roles? Hope! She was Duchess! I am so glad I was able to go. She, along with everyone else, did such a fantastic job!! Way to go, everyone!!

Duchess and Marie

Duchess and Thomas O'Malley

Photo-op after the show :)

Hope and I after the show!

My big sis, on the other hand, is not even in this country anymore! Yesterday we took her to the Toronto airport and I am happy to say that she is safe and sound in Istanbul. She will be spending the summer in Turkey and hopefully doing a little bit of traveling around the Middle East. Yeah Ang!! This is just the break you deserved! :) I just spoke with her on the phone although she's pretty exhausted, she's excited and it's all finally starting to sink in that she's there. Ps, did you know that Istanbul is two times the size of NYC with 15 million people? That's insane!! I guess the traffic there is ridiculous, too.
She's gonna have such an amazing time.
God bless and protect her every day. Please, if you can, remember her in your prayers this summer!

yay Turkish money!

Ang at the airport in front of the cool floating cube thing :)

Istanbul is known as the crossroads of Europe and Asia, as it is actually located on both continents! The Bosporus Strait runs between them and the city is on either side.

Other cool pics:

7-STORY UNDERWATER HOTEL!!!

I can't wait to see all of her amazing pics! :)

Ciao for now~

A Re-Vamp

[Fearlessly entering into the unknown... Why? Because He holds my future safe and secure in the palm of His hand.]

Well, I haven't posted in a while (so long that I didn't even notice my blog has had visitors from Great Britain, Canada, Sweden, and France... sweet!). This semester was beyond busy for me. My main goal was to get through the semester successfully - I was initially aiming for a 4.0, which didn't happen - and host a successful bridal shower for Katie. I'd say I achieved both of these goals, but I just barely made it with my sanity still intact! I learned a lot this semester; no, not just the educational stuff they pump into our heads, but I learned some valuable life lessons (most of which are not being published here). The important thing I learned that got me through this semester was of course, my God. Especially this last month. Ya know, He really comes through right when you need Him! By the end of the semester, one week ago, I kinda felt myself crumbling. Parts of my life just falling to shambles. But God gives grace, grace ever so needed. I'm doing a little re-vamp in my life, thanks to His help. I feel like I was broken and I am being put back together, by the master fixer. Anyhoo, enough of my rambling. I came to say hello, declare that I am back - for several months at least - and say that there may be little changes to my blog coming soon. It'll be one of my many little re-vamps. I have several blog posts/ideas stored up so stay tuned! For me it is bed time - I am taking a two-week summer class: an intense Italian 101! 4.5 hours every day! It takes a lot out of me mentally but I enjoy it. Then after that I'm off to the church consignment shop where I work in the afternoon. I enjoy that too :) More to come on that. Well thanks for listening/reading/taking a minute out of your life to read this not-so-interesting post... more interesting posts to follow.


I'll leave you with another amazing video. Hope you've got a minute (or 8) for this one. It's worth it.

Ciao~

Angel of Music

I've been thinking about my senior recital a lot lately. Maybe because I am actually getting excited for it. Weird. I've always loved The Phantom of the Opera and when the movie came out I was obsessed with it. I loved everything about it, even bought the sheet music and learned every song - not only the voice parts but the piano too. Now I probably won't sing anything from the show at my recital... I feel like it's so well known that I wouldn't do it justice. Everyone knows it. Well who knows, maybe I could attempt. But what I may do is draw some inspiration from Emmy, my supposed doppelganger. People tell me I look like her, and my aunt once told me that my cousin watched the movie and during the scene pictured above said, "Mom, look it's Rachel!" and he insisted we were identical. I'll take that as a compliment. Singing "Angel of Music," she looks pretty angelic to me! I also feel more connected to this show now because I was able to actually go the the Paris Opera House this summer, where everything was actually filmed, and even went inside this very theatre... talk about surreal. [Side note: the opera house was by far the most ornate and opulent place I have ever been to. Even beat out the Palace of Versailles and the Royal Palace in Madrid. Simply unbelievable.] So, for my senior recital I may be drawing some inspiration from this... I may just have to find a pretty dress like this one and perhaps leave my hair down and curly... I may already have an idea... :)
Although you never know, I don't want to give anything away now do I?
Stay tuned... recital this fall... heh heh heh

12 is My Favorite Number

As we begin a new year, it's common to look back and reflect on the previous year. Sometimes this stirs up a mix of emotions - painful, sad, thankful, happy, appreciative, and so on. Some people don't even like to think about the past; just keep moving on and be hopeful for the future. There's nothing wrong with that. When I look back at 2011 I feel nothing but thankful. I was extremely blessed to do so many wonderful things last year. Obviously my trip to Europe was the ultimate experience of a lifetime and I got to do so many wonderful and cool things that people only dream about. I won't begin to list them, but I know I am extremely blessed. I also had the opportunity to go to Tampa for spring break with Katie and her family and that was also a blast. Last year I was used to help win a soul, and that is absolutely priceless. At the beginning of last year I also got a new little sister, Hope. We've so far spent a lot of fun moments together and I look forward to many more years of fun! 

Something maybe not so great that happened last year was my dad's injury at work. On April 1 he fell and hurt his back and was unable to work for the rest of the year. It may have been hard here and there, now with both my mom and dad unable to work, but we made it through. What I take from the situation (you know me, always being optimistic) is that neither of them working meant more time we all got to spend together. After my trip last summer I came home with a deeper appreciation for my family, friends, and our great country. I could spend some quality time with my parents in Allegany before school started, and throughout the fall semester I was able to spend a lot more time with them in the evenings. Since I didn't have a job (aside from teaching some lessons on the weekends) most of my evenings were free and my school load wasn't that bad. I am very thankful for this time we got to spend together, especially since it was only temporary. My dad did have back surgery in the spring and then underwent therapy for his drop foot, which is slowly getting better. He was able to go back to work last week, only for a few hours a day. This is both good and bad, depending how you look at it, or should I say who is looking at it. I start school in less than two weeks and this semester is going to be a little crazy (21 credits, anyone?) but I have some things to look forward to along the way. I guess all in all I'm just thankful for my family. 

Man why am I telling you my whole life story?! I don't know, I just wanted to write about it, and I guess maybe encourage someone to look on the bright side even when they may be facing a dark situation. When God gives us trials He is sometimes testing us, to know He can trust us, and sometimes He gives us trials in order to make us stronger and/or bring us together. Over the past couple years a lot of tragedy and hard times has befallen our church but in talking to my friends/those that were affected, almost everyone said that their family has gotten so much stronger and the situation brought them together or fixed a broken bond. Just keep trusting God, trust that He knows what He is doing, and remember that He has a purpose for everything!! And he will bring you through.

What does 2012 hold? Well, no one knows the future except God, but I feel that something is going to be different this year. There's change in the air and I can feel it. It's time we wake up and get ourselves on fire for God like never before! Time is of the essence. 

I do know that some exciting things are gonna be happening this year, Lord willing - Ladies Conference in Lake George, Katie and Caleb's wedding, a trip to NY in the fall, my cousin's wedding, of course camp and youth convention, and probably more that I am forgetting. But who knows what else! Bring it on, 2012!

You are Autumn

The slight chill in the air, visible exhalations, the emergence of jackets and cute boots, hot apple cider, the smell of the autumn air... Each year I love fall a little bit more. When I was little I loved the fall season because it meant raking up all the leaves to create giant leaf piles to jump into and making awesome leaf forts. It meant picking the prettiest leaves to press. Back to school and drinking cider. As I became "too old" for playing in the leaves, fall lost it's flavor and just served as an unfriendly reminder of the soon-coming cold weather. Although this reminder is true, lately I am learning to appreciate our weather more and to find joy in every season, in every day. After just typing that I am actually reminded of a song by Nicole Nordeman called "Every Season." The song talks about the changing of the seasons and how we can find God in every season. Check out her beautiful lyrics:

Every evening sky, an invitation
To trace the patterned stars
And early in July, a celebration
For freedom that is ours
And I notice You
In children’s games
In those who watch them from the shade
Every drop of sun is full of fun and wonder
You are summer 

And even when the trees have just surrendered
To the harvest time
Forfeiting their leaves in late September
And sending us inside
Still I notice You when change begins
And I am braced for colder winds
I will offer thanks for what has been and was to come
You are autumn 

And everything in time and under heaven
Finally falls asleep
Wrapped in blankets white, all creation
Shivers underneath
And still I notice you
When branches crack
And in my breath on frosted glass
Even now in death, You open doors for life to enter
You are winter 

And everything that’s new has bravely surfaced
Teaching us to breathe
What was frozen through is newly purposed
Turning all things green
So it is with You
And how You make me new
With every season’s change
And so it will be
As You are re-creating me
Summer, autumn, winter, spring

God can be found in every season. Every day. All we have to do is look for Him; He is everywhere.

 

"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:"

- Ecclesiastes 3:1

What do you love about the fall season? 

Wearing socks and cozy sweaters? The sound of crinkling leaves? Maybe it's apple picking, apple pie, or apple cider? Pumpkin spice candles? Carving pumpkins? The corn maze? Hay rides? The return of football? A new school year? Trees turned vibrant? 

Let’s put it this way- what is not to love about fall?

1997

Alleghany ~ 2008

Fact: You're never too old to play in the leaves. 

~ Now please excuse me while I go curl up in a blanket with some hot chocolate ~

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Welcome to Moe's!!

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[America, how I've missed you!]