carry the cross and a song where i don't belong

'ello!

2011-09-21T19:57:00.000-04:00

so! i am now a fifth grade teacher at holly grove christian! crazy. never thought i'd be here. i love it so far! of course i haven't run into any issues, yet. but its great!

love is watching someone die

2011-07-09T22:40:00.000-04:00

The death cab for cutie song" what sarah said' actually came true for me this past thursday morning. My mom came upstairs to say her brother rick was not doing well, doctors thought it was a.stroke, and my cousin, amanda, told her that she needed to come up.this was @ eleven on wednesday night. I made a call.for.my work and hopped in the car. We made it to pinnacle hospital in harrisburg in 3.5 hours.@ 2:15 am, When amanda came down to get us at the lobby of.the hospital with red eyes I knew it wasn't good. We got up to the 7th floor and mom saw her uncle rich( we have ALOT of Richards in my family seven : to be exact.) She hugged him and lost it. We walked into the waiting room with red eyes staring @ us like oh no they don't know yet .. grief hung in the air like a thick fog. My aunt k, my mom's brother's (rick) took us to his room. And there on the bed lay my uncle rick, looked like he was sleeping with exception of the tube in his mouth. It seemed that we had to do was shake him andhe would wake. He just looked tired.mom and i talked.to.him, held his hnds, kissed him, asked him to wake but ... I hated calling my sister @ three am that our uncle was not going to wake. H asked what did the doctors say? Are you sure he wont wake? There is not a chance? He had a bleed on the brain probably due to a stroke and was not going to wake... the nurse said the ct scan was impressive as in impressive how much damage was done. The respirator was breathing for him but his heart with all its troubles marched on. And this is when I was reminded of that death cab song... and I rationed my breathes/ as I said to myself/ that i'd already taken too much today/ ... every beat on the lcd took you a little further away from me. Thursday morning, my aunt and cousin, R, after consulting anoher time with the neurologist that there was no sign of recovery, took my uncle off the respirator. We gathered around, prayed, sang amazing grace and watched him slip away. It was amazing to see the color change.. what bothers me.is that both of his daughter in laws lost their fathers in tragedy and @ young ages. His granddaughters will not have grandfathers. I lost my grammam @ the youngest age and H and i lost our grandpa when h was three, the oldest granddaughter 's age. Its just plain aweful. I regret not getting up to his classroom to see him teach.you see we are both history teachers. Why didn't I go?

I aplogize this so out of order and grammatical incorrect...I'm typing on my phone.. I'll go on the computer to fix later.

I went back in the room by myself andprayed, and outloud pleaded the blood of Jesus to wake him. But as my cousin, his son, would later say, God called him home. He had been a faithful servant, he had fulfilled his purpose, and uncle rick had brought glory to God. He had called him home. My uncle had such health issues.. now he does not have pains, no more insulin, no more fear if stroke,and he can eat whatever he wants. Never before have I wanted to go to heaven so bad... I
told my uncle to say hello to my grandparents .. I just want to be with all my family where fear
and pain and tragedy can no longer get to us. It makes that song by switchfoot so much.more true to me... I don't belong here... I will carry the cross and song where I don't belong.

new chapter..

2011-06-07T01:25:00.002-04:00

New chapter on life.. I am SO READY for a new chapter. I wish this chapter would take me off the shore but new experience is a new one. I will be a fifth grade teacher at an undisclosed school. Stories will ensue. I am nervous to have 23young faced staring at me, relying on me for their education (not to mention the parents of said children paying to send their children to undisclosed school). Kids are like clay- and are formed by those with whom they.come.in contact with. Good and bad. O am terrified that an un-Christ like things will come out of my mouth. I am worried that I will not challenge them enough. But as I type, I can hear the key words "I" and " worry". My biggest wekness. What I need to put into place is The Lord and has control. I just need to fall on face and ask for His wisedom. He will give as He has done.

good stuff

2010-09-08T14:05:00.003-04:00

a huge fan of these guys. the black keys. yup, just two guys. a drummer and a guitarist. and they can rip. it. up.

they have a new album just released this... spring i think. maybe it was summer. but its AWESOME! its called brothers. you should check it out. its real rock and roll. the stuff that should be played on the radio much more. but since pop culture loves fake hip hop( note that i said fake, cause the stuff on the radio ain't the good stuff) i will just have to listen to the black keys on my ipod, grooveshark.com and pandora.com

they guys are pretty good too. i like real rock and roll. they put on a pretty good show too. no running away from birds either.

2010-09-08T13:59:00.002-04:00

oh yeah, i graduated.

just a little thing.

just framed my diploma yesterday. weird!

isn't she lovely?

2010-09-08T13:56:00.000-04:00

i found this on our computer... isn't she just gorgeous!!!

Josh & Britney

2010-09-08T13:50:00.001-04:00

For Kelly

2010-09-08T13:36:00.002-04:00

These are the yummmmm-but-not-chemically-filled-oreos for tummies.enjoy!
1 1/4 cups of flour
3/4 cup of dutch processed cocoa ( i use hersheys, is that dutch processed?)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
5 tbsp unsalted butter ( i use whatever is in the fridge)
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg

whisk together flour cocoa baking soda and salt; set aside. in another bowl, stir butter, sugar and egg. add dry ingredients. dough will form, and be pretty dry.

divide if needed, roll out between parchement paper ( wax paper works, just don't use flour as it will spot the dark cookie)to 1/4 inch thickness or thereabouts. refrigerate for 30 minutes. ( i found that sometimes the dough does not need to be refrigerated)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

cut cookies ( approx 2 in. in diameter) with scalloped or smooth round cookie cutter. bake 8-10 minutes, checking for firmness, and fragrance. cool on rack.

For cream filling....

4 tbsp of unsalted butter
1.5 cups of powdered sugar
.25 cups of sugar
2 tsps of vanilla
Beat with electric mixer until smooth.
*** store in frig for five days****
Could add peppermint extract to cream instead of vanilla!

well 'ello friends!

2010-05-09T21:35:00.002-04:00

its been a loooong time since i've posted. student teaching has taken over my life... and i have only eight more days with the hooligans. Praise the Lord!!! I picked up my graduation camp and gown saturday. as i was walking on campus, i spotted, well, rahter ran into- three groups touring the school. as i carried my cap and gown- at the other end of the spectrum of the college experience then these incoming freshmen, it gave me moment to reflect on my experiece.
I am sitting here typing in the lab whihc is now open 24 hours for those of us who cram things in to the last minute... i am here because we no longer have copies at hte high school so now i have to print all things here. super.
I hated this university and all colleges for that manner for quite some time. now i'm kind of fond of this university. do you knwo what they have in one of the offices? coffee and creamre etc. for all those who are staying up late!! is't that nice?
i think it is.
though i'm really glad taht the only paper i had to stay up till five in hte morning was done at the shelton household when hannah and i were pet sitting. much more comfortable.
okay well i ahve to get up at o- dark hundred. good night!

it's here!

2010-03-11T19:31:00.002-05:00

i shouldn't say it yet, for fear of cursing it, but.....

can you hear it!?!

frogs are croaking away as i drive down the road.....

when i walk out to my car at 6.30am, one or two birds are welcoming the morning...

the wet earth smells rich from rest of winter and is ready to produce life....

i got to wear my bright royal blue trench jacket today...

and the fog... oh glorious, dense blue fog that rolled across the road tonight.
it crept up from the bay and ocean and followed me home.
(i am praying for a delay- because we have fog delays here on the shore. isn't it wonderful!)

yes, my friends, spring is making its slow appearance this week. the first sign is the frogs.

another wonderful note about my drive home from berlin.
i drove through downtown berlin, past rayne's reef. the little diner was lit up and lots of people were inside chatting and talking, eating rayne's wonderful burgers. tuesdays are half price burgers. i don't like eating cow. its makes me sad, but rayne's bugers are THE BEST you have ever eaten. better then in and out. uh huh, thats right, i said it. better then in and out.

yumm.... i'm hungry.

for my southern friends..

2010-03-09T19:55:00.002-05:00

like sienna and michael..

curse student teaching.

curse the demand of HAVING to be there.

rachel, you say, you were just trying to positive about the whole experience!

yes i was. and i am. but... there's this thing called the hangout music festival. it's in alabama, at the beach. AND RAY LAMONTAGNE will be there. as well as...

ok go, john legend, BEN HARPER, alison krauss and union station, flaming lips and matisyahu.

um, hello!

take me! take me!!!

just another reason why i need to move south.

point out hte good things too....

2010-03-09T19:27:00.002-05:00

I'm going to take this moment to procrastinate a bit more and tell you about the good thing that happened today. I am naturally pessimistic when it comes to myself, a disease i contracted at an early age that i just can't shake.

but in a weak but amiable effort to change that, i am going to share the good thing that happened today in hopes that i might be a bit more positive and not so depressed.

dr. jenne, my methods professor from salisbury university came out to my school to observe my teaching. i knew he was coming but anxiety had the best of me. i was afraid he was going to tell me that i was aweful and that i needed to leave the program. (see, i told you i am naturally pessmistic then it comes to myself.)

but, he said he was impresed by my presence in the classroom, that my plans for stations were great, that i was helping out students, and that i dismissed the kids, not the bell.

he had only one tiny suggestion which will only help me out.

i am RELIEVED.

i wish i felt more satisfied about it all. i wish i still didn't feel so depressed. i have very little reason to be. oh well.

i am RELIEVED.

now to planning tomorrow......

walking through the flames

2010-03-07T16:37:00.002-05:00

today i went to bayshore community church in gumboro, delaware. i really like it there. everytime i go i feel uplifted/convicted/eyes opened. today pastor tice wrapped up his sermon on stress. (!!!) he discussed how we tend to make mountains out of mole hills. he said we need to compare our situation to the big picture and decide how life threatening it actually is.
he used hte illustration of shadrach, meshach, and abednigo. these men's lives were actually threatened. they were going to die a most painful death.

then, another man was seen walking around with them. there were three and now there are four!
the Son of God was in the fire pit with them! just as he was with them, He is with you and me.

Isaiah 43-

1: But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, and formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name: you are mine.
2: When you pass through the water, I will be with you; in the rivers you shall not drown. When you walk through fire, you shall not be burned; the flames shall not consume you.

I feel as though i am drowning. i can't keep up. but it is okay. because i am His, and He is mine. He is with me. i am not drowning. He is my life-preserver. whatever comes, whether i fail out the education program or i squeek by, i find a teaching job in a private school or a public school, i work at pier 1 or the federal government, i will live and thrive, i will not drown, i will not die by consumption of fire. He was with shadrach and his brothers, and He is with me. He has redeemed me, He has called me by my name, He has called you by your name, we are His.

i understand now

2010-03-06T22:15:00.002-05:00

i just read over krissy robins last blog...

now i understand.

the breaking point, the exhaustion, the never-ending planning, yet you feel like you haven't down enough.

its exhausting. especially to us perfectionists.

is there over a sense of reaching a point where you don't have to stay up till eleven at night and get up at five thirty?

IS THERE A POINT TO THIS?

i know i have only twelve more weeks... but friends, twelve more weeks feels like an eternity.

i don't want to quit. i've quitted to many times before. i am NOT quitting.

Be my Rock and My Fortress, Oh Lord!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

minus one

2010-02-18T20:37:00.000-05:00

we were missing one sister....

supervisors

2010-02-18T20:32:00.002-05:00

i am student teaching at a school forty minutes away (yeah, forty minutes, what?)

my supervisor came out today to do my midterm evaluation. ( which turned out to very good, but thats not my story here.)

my sixth period class (end of the day, we all are tired) the kids asked me if my parole officer came out to see me.

i said what?

your parole officer!

my supervisor?

yeah, your parole officer.

oh, okay. yes he came.

so, my supervisor will now be refered to as my "parole" officer.

ah, the eighth grade.

unattractive

2010-02-18T20:29:00.002-05:00

ya know what is really unattractive?

complaining, not just complaining, but whining boo-hoo-ing about nothing really.

super unattractive.

also, cursing.

sometimes those four letter and five letter words slip out, but listening to other people use them is just super aweful.

yuck.

fearless

2010-02-18T20:26:00.003-05:00

i just love taylor swift's newly released "fearless".

/ you take my hand and drag me head first/ fearless..

/i would dance with you in a storm/ in my best dress/ fearless

i don't know why but its just super cute and fun and makes me feel younger:)

songs that make you feel younger are always good!

Sienna and Michael '10

2010-02-09T14:15:00.001-05:00

i just love these shots.

Pearl Harbor

2009-12-06T19:39:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow is the 68th anniversary of that infamous day. Over 2,200 Marines and soldiers died that day. Pray for our Armed Forces!

Michael- U.S. Army
Rick- U.S. Navy

evan

2009-11-08T17:30:00.002-05:00

so i went down to princess anne last night to see kayla, ali, and evan.. who i have not seen in at least three months. we had a grand time playing games etc. it was time for me to leave, and i said my good byes. as i'm walking out the door evan says, " i'll miss you w(r)achel!"

jaw to the floor, heart sunk in my chest.

he should probably never know just how well he has me wrapped around his little finger.

really? really!?

2009-10-19T16:10:00.002-04:00

so i'm studying steps to correct behavior in my student. i think its absolutely ludicris (sp?) that they have spent thousands of dollars, years of research and wrote papers upon papers and came up with these psychological self-monitoring crap to correct student behavior. absolutely STUPID! what happened to the respect ofyour teachers, parents and authority? ugghhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!

stupid hippies.

25 years

2009-10-13T16:15:00.002-04:00

Mr. Richard and Mrs. Kathleen Townsend have been married twenty five years today. isn't that amazing?

they would tell you its all because Jesus.

as their kid, i would agree:)

Happy anniversary mom and papa! what a testimony to God's grace!

USNA

2009-09-27T16:36:00.002-04:00

I went to the Naval Academy yesterday to watch the Midshipmen play the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.

Yes they are the Hilltoppers. I wish i had a shot of their mascot. he looked kinda like the purple blob thing from McDonalds, but he was all red.weird.

anyway, it was spitting rain around game time but though nothing of it. (by the end of the game i was soaked! and jeans are NOT comfotable damp)

it was so much fun! i had never been to a live college football game. just fantastic! music blaring through the speakers, the midshipmen (and women) bringing in the air of excitement as they came into the stadium, and the third string players warming up on the field.

the one side of the stadium looks like a side profile of a ship with all its layers. averytime the navy got a touchdown, this horn blew like from a ship, the cannon boomed, and the plebes had to tun out onto the side of the field and so twenty pushups which of course they amde look so easy.

they paraded the live goat (the mascot of the navy) down the side lines. it was quite comical scene the goat did not want to walk, period. he just planted his feet and dug in. he even made a midshipman trip. poor guy.

my friend chelsea and her mama took me.chelsea's boyfriend plays for the navy. go molloy! chelsea wore one of his old jerseys and i was decked out in navy blue, head to toe:)

the moon

2009-09-23T20:17:00.002-04:00

the moon looks like the chesire cat's smile from alice in wonderland tonight.
i can picture the cat appearing to match the smile.

it reminds me of bonfires at my aunt's house (across the road). what grand times.

cold cold weather, but we didn't care; we were so little. when your little, you hardly mind how cold or how hot it is if you are having fun. roasting marshmellows, plenty of teasing from "mean dean", and hayrides.

oh the hayrides. pop-pop's tractor and the wagon with lots of hay of course! we rode through the swamp. so creepy! dark woods, trees overhanging the road,you had to look through the leaves (or the branches when the leaves were gone)to see the stars.
even creepier if their were no stars. fun times of scary stories. who could scare everybody the most?

yet no matter what time of the year it was, we always ended up singing christmas songs. thanksgiving may not have passed, but we still sang'em!

do you remember?

2009-09-23T09:24:00.003-04:00

summer 2006 (?)

nissan pavilion

coldplay

hannah rose, linnea, sienna, kyrie & hannah, do you remember?

when they started playing "yellow", i screamed like a little girl.

man alive, that was one of the best concerts ever. period.

wouldn't it be nice...

2009-09-16T16:42:00.003-04:00

i watched some podcasts today on youtube from switchfoot. (imagine that!) and i got thinking of all these bands who get to travel around in tight quarters, meeting all kinds of people, and strange places. how fun this must be! you go loopy at some points and just have the most fun! also, thinking about making movies.. people who get to make like a series of movies.. like Lord of the Rings, Narnia, Twilight, and Harry Potter (note: these are examples, not my personal preferences) you work together all day, you hang out after work doing fun things because your usually in fun locations... is so fun and bonding and like making a new family of sorts.

i miss being a part of these kinds of things. no, not a band or a movie, but like putting on plays or working at camp! such interesting times! i suppose opportunities like these will come about again. and i can't wait!

oh brother.

2009-09-16T16:36:00.002-04:00

okay, so i hate to give ANY celebrity commentary on my blog because i find it silly to be honest but i have a thought for this whole taylor swift- being-interrupted-by-kanye-west (who my professor called carlie today) business. (yes, i admit to watching those stupid award shows for an hour and half.... part of my life i'll never get back)Here is this cute little 19 year old accepting her first award from this particular venue, and, well, you heard. to mr. west, didn't your mama teach you to think before you act? is this not like the fifth time you have had to apologize for irrational rash action? actions speak louder then words. learn self control.

that is all.

wow.

2009-09-15T16:33:00.002-04:00

chalice found this but i just had HAD to share... Respect Life!

allysa

2009-06-07T21:49:00.002-04:00

this sweet little girl is my cousin rick and his wife jen's girl. she looks JUST LIKE rick when he was a baby. and i think she looks a bit like me when i was a tot. (this is what my girls will look like) she is very friendly, and SMART. she watched me click through my camera for five seconds, then grabbed hold and looked through the pictures herself, identify, daddy! pop-pop! unka mike! mommy! mom-mom! she is just so adorable! she partied with us until the polka (at 10!) then she finally crashed. so dear.

silly tradition

2009-06-07T21:37:00.002-04:00

don't you just love the older woman out there? too bad she didn't catch it. i was rooting for her.

so my cousin's boyfriend caught the garter, and they blindfolded him. michael sat down right next to the girl who caught the boquet, and rolled his pants up. he pulled up this hose and stuck his leg out. we were all rolling on the floor.

because my family polkas...

2009-06-07T21:24:00.003-04:00

yup.. we ARE Polish! what do you expect? every wedding my family has had, we polka-ed. let me tell you my friend, it may appear easy, but that is a work out! bouncing around on the floor twirling around... oh bless. that is my aunt bonnie and my cousin amanda, my mom with my cousin rick, and my uncle rick with his granddaughter alyssa.

the night was ended spendidlywith arms around one another shoulders, in a large circle, belting, and i do mean belting, "don't stop believin' " by journey. thats just how we roll. it was a fantastic wedding!

My love- The Bird and The Bee

2009-05-24T14:21:00.002-04:00

I just LOVE this song.. i heard it at work, and i think its been on a few tv shows. just LISTEN!

the black keys

2009-05-24T14:16:00.005-04:00

Okay, so the video may seem weird yada yada yada, but LISTEN to the music! i am just in love with this sound!

a movie

2009-04-16T20:08:00.004-04:00

so this is my first movie like thing i've created. it is for school and its kinda lame.. but it was really fun making it! don't laugh too hard..

highschool

2009-04-10T17:27:00.002-04:00

this is the old nanticoke high school. very cool place that ingrid and i got to explore on cheery saturday.

wood

2009-04-10T17:20:00.001-04:00

i find drift wood interesting. this one looks like an octupus, just with more legs. the other just looks like its posing. isn't it interesting to look at?

2009-04-10T17:11:00.001-04:00

ride to NDHS.

sunset on the bridge road.

funny doggy

2009-04-09T22:20:00.000-04:00

just in case you were wondering..

2009-04-09T22:16:00.002-04:00

spotted: the easter bunny.

carrying a basket o' candy and eggs.

in east new market, at a small deli & general store.

i went in for a newspaper, and in came mr. easter bunny himself.

2009-04-09T21:58:00.002-04:00

well the layout is horrible. i still cannot quite figure it out. anyway, these shots were taken on my way up to North Dorchestor H.S. in Hurlock... at seven a.m. i really ought to get used to this schedule.. i'm just really not a morning person. but takin pictures of the sunrise is nice:) that body of water is the Nanticoke River at the Vienna Bridge. sunrise is nice, isn't?

green grass

2009-04-09T21:49:00.002-04:00

i love lush soft green grass. ( and apparently, so do the doggies.)papa did an excellent job planting our new grass.

valuable lesson + atonement= freedom

2009-02-25T18:26:00.002-05:00

i was just reading annie huntington's blog.. which you should ALWAYS check out becasue she is just so smart and creative! anyway.. atonement was a word that popped out. what a great word! atonement. and the meaning is even better.

well kids, i learned a ver y very valuable lesson this weekend. if you really want to know you may ask. but all i can say is thank the Good Lord for redemption and atonement.

NEP vs. Stimulus plan

2009-02-16T22:03:00.002-05:00

i was just reading mrs. huntington's blog for February16. i totally agree with her concerning the hurry hurry to sign the stimulus plan that has a billion other horrible things tagged on becasue the liberal fundmentalist are just excited to get something through the house that they want for the first time in at least 8 years. now, i am not going to lie, i was excited to see what changes obama was going to bring. i am sick of the republicans soaking all the money up and feeding themselves fat, metaphorically. i am all for little governemnt, but the reality was folks, it wasn't little governemnt. they had their hand in everything, anything to grab money money money. i was hopful for a new administration that would be more careful of spending, that would LISTEN to the people!! well, i am not impressed. and thats what i really should have expected. pelosi hurrying the bill so she could fly to ROME, and the president in CHICAGO. reporters blatently said on cnn he was out west where the people were more friendly towards this bill as opposed to washington. so are we moving the capitol now or just when it's convienent.
the whole stinkin government is rotten with greed.
historically the nation has swung left and when we were sick of it we swung back to the right and so on. its been going on for a long time. i can't help but wonder, how far is the pendulum going to swing this time?
scary.
but as i said on mrs. huntington's blog, my history professor last semester (note pre-election) made president bush the butt of many jokes, relating him to the previous administration's mistakes, mostly those right wing fundamentalists. (because we are SO crazy didn't you know?)
well, the tune has changed. my russian revolution history professor made a correlation between Lenin's new economic policies to the stimulus plan. (!?!?!?!?!?!?!) then he made laugh like he was only half kidding; like he believed there was some truth in what he said.
huh.

60 degrees

2009-02-08T00:08:00.002-05:00

hmm i love this warm weather tease we are experiencing this weekend. its just so lovely. spring anyone?

so my cousin, josh, came down today from the pretty Amish land of Lancaster with his mom and pop. we were sitting around the table at my grandmother's, and decided after lunch that it was too nice to be inside. so, we thought, let's go check out the chicken houses. i hear you say what? isn't that full of chickens? and stinky?

well no, and yes. my grandparents no longer raise chickens. (they use to raise chickens, corn, grain of some kind, soy, hogs, and bison... yup, bison. oh and lots of dogs, cause a farm is no good without a dog or two.)

so now the chicken houses are like storage sheds... stinky ones. but regardless it's like a muesum in there. lots of random things.. and i mean RANDOM. so josh and i "explored" the chicken houses. he found his mama's old bible (from when she was a little girl.. 1967 to be specific) sitting on top of a truck hood. it's an old working farm, what can i say?

then josh decided to explore the old combine and shed it was in. we noticed two pipe things going into the ground, and on into a well... a very deep well. huh, i thought. i've never seen that before. it kinda freaked me out. here is this square hole in the cement floor that is a deep well. what has fallen in there? yeeuch.

i'm just glad we never found that when we were younger.

oh and it's really windy up there, and lots of semi loose metal making creepy noises.

then we saw the door to one of the grain bins. like big grain bins. so we opened in waiting for an animal to pop out at us. nothing did. i wish i had a picture to describe the eerie-ness inside this grain bin.
so it's large circular metal tall building thing that is completley hollow inside except for the long drill bit looking thing that was used to pull up the grain and put it into something else. there was still some grain on the floor of this bin. and wrapped around the drill-elevator thing was a light bulb socket and one lone light bulb. so we plugged it in.

curiousity got the best of us. how CREEPY and SCARY would it be to get shut in this thing!?!!? i immediatly imagined the scene from "the ring". ahhhh!!!!

we quickly shut the door, and unplugged the light.

so if you want to make a scary movie, i've got the perfect spot.

oh yea! and there is a really old graveyard down the road from us not to mention how spooky the swamp is.

ask hannah and linnea about chasing foxes down that road in the golf cart.

i passed!

2008-12-18T11:59:00.001-05:00

great news! i passed the praxis exam! praise the Lord! i guess i will be in school for forever..yay.

so much to be thankful for!

2008-11-24T14:27:00.002-05:00

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS (Instead of Sheep)
(Irving Berlin) from the 1954 movie "White Christmas".
When I'm worried and I can't sleep/ I count my blessings instead of sheep/ And I fall asleep counting my blessings /
When my bankroll is getting small/ I think of when I had none at all/ And I fall asleep counting my blessings/
I think about a nursery and I picture curly heads/ And one by one I count them as they slumber in their beds/
If you're worried and you can't sleep/ Just count your blessings instead of sheep/ And you'll fall asleep counting your blessings /
I think about a nursery and I picture curly heads/ And one by one I count them as they slumber in their beds/ If you're worried and you can't sleep/ Just count your blessings instead of sheep/ And you'll fall asleep counting your blessings/

with much going on, it is very easy to get caught up in the despair of every situation. i wish i would sing this song to myself so much more, and be thankful for all that i have.. becasue the Lord has given me alot. so here is my list.. not in any real particular order.
1. for the Lord's mercy and love on a pitiful person like me:)
2. for Christ-believeing parents who support me even when i screw up (and i do that alot!)and pray for me.
3. for a sister who loves Jesus and is my best friend .
4. for friends who seek to be like Christ
5. for ht health of myslef and my family(that is alot right there!)
6. for a working car
7. for a job that i actually enjoy
8. for good grades
9. a beautiful home that God built :)
10.for living so close to the ocean AND the bay.
well you get the general idea. God is great!
what are you thankful for?

songs

2008-11-24T14:18:00.002-05:00

the title of my blog is by the great band switchfoot, and if you know me, you know they are my favorite band for many reasons, but mostly becasue hte lyrics always seem to suit where i am. this is an old song from the learning to breathe album, which i rediscovered on our trip to colorado. i've had and still have alot of questions to god about where to go with my life and what is going on (!?!?!?!) but listening to this song reminds me of who i am , and underserving person, who God has given me new life through His grace and mercy. it humbles me when i think i deserve something... i most certainly derserve one thing, death, but Praise be to the Lord who gives us this amazing grace! so check out the song.. here are the lyrics. sorry idon't know how to upload music players and the like to my blog. i'm sure itunes has it!!

"Economy Of Mercy"
There's just two ways to lose yourself in this life/And neither way is safe/
In my dreams I see visions of the future/But today we have today/
And where will I find You?/
In the economy of mercy/I am a poor and begging man/In the currency of Grace/ Is where my song begins/In the colors of Your goodness/In the scars that mark your skin/In the currency of Grace/Is where my song begins/
These carbon shells/These fragile dusty frames/House canvases of souls/We are bruised and broken masterpieces/But we did not paint ourselves/
And where will I find You?/
Where was I when the world was made?/Where was I?/I'm lost without You here/Yes, I'm lost without You near me/I'm lost without You here/
You knew my name when the world was made

sarah'swedding

2008-11-24T14:06:00.002-05:00

sarah's wedding

2008-11-24T14:04:00.002-05:00

sarah's wedding

2008-11-24T14:02:00.002-05:00

tests

2008-11-24T12:51:00.002-05:00

so i took the big praxis!! it was intimidating.. not going to lie. i got this big fat book from claire to help prepare me for this life altering test... and no lie.. it was no different then the SAT. but i'm still very glad that i studied since i STINK in math. like i'm horrible! but i did okay! so thanks for thsoe of you who prayed for me. i'm still waiting to hear about the writing and essay part. fingers are crossed!

some more candids

2008-11-17T14:22:00.001-05:00

just some candid shots...

2008-11-17T14:18:00.003-05:00

after posing for many smiles.. silly came out. i know you all want to see pictures of sarah.. i don't have my camera with me now.. but they are coming! cross my heart! i gots lots of 'em!

it was a LITTLE blustery that day on look out mountain (yea! they have one too!) thats's me drinking the water from the creek... it was good! linnea said that i might tunr into a were wolf from drinking it... i do feel funny! (HA!)

get ready!

2008-11-17T14:14:00.003-05:00

here come the 300 + pictures we took between linnea, lindsay, and i. lots and lots of colorado and wedding pictures. here's what i've got ready so far.. also can be found on facebook.

i'm leaving on a jet plane...

2008-11-05T14:38:00.001-05:00

leaving EARLY to bwi! can't wait to see sarah and linnea and stephanie!! i've never been to colorado!
and i might not come back:)

The End...

2008-10-29T15:05:00.002-04:00

look out! we may be coming to a town near you!

Sunday Adventures part seVen

2008-10-29T14:53:00.003-04:00

isn't molly the cutest? we had fun. tahnks to molly for putting up with my singing in the car!!!

Sunday's Adventures Part 6

2008-10-29T14:47:00.002-04:00

swinging acrobatics. you should try it sometime.

Sunday's Adventures Part Chetiree

2008-10-29T14:40:00.003-04:00

isn't it beautiful? oxford is very pretty. not alot to do unless you have a sail boat but they have beautiful homes, lots of sail boats, and a cool park. its right on the water! as you will see, they have swings right on the water. very cool. this littel house was neat. i'm not really sure what it was but made for fun pictures!

Sunday's Adventures Part Tres

2008-10-29T14:32:00.002-04:00

here is east new market.. i thought it was very cute and quaint. they have put in brick sidewalks and lamp posts. just quaint! don't you just love that old house! i just wish we could have gotten closer. there was a no trespassing sign so we thouht it best not to go any further. but oh the possibilities of pictures! so much character! it reminds me of an old antebellum home, sort of.

Sunday's Adventures Part Deux

2008-10-29T14:23:00.002-04:00

from eldorado we proceded to east new market. i love bridges. i love all the creeks and rivers we have. great places to explore. don't you love that house right there on the marshy hope creek? beautiful. i wish i had the edited versions of my pictures. some look better in black and white. oh well. oh yes, pea hill road. we found this dirt road on route 16 and thought hmm.. lets! my car was sliding all about from all the rain we had saturday but it was fun. ( i was a bit worried that i might get stuck in the mud, but my good ol' taurus proved faithful!) that reminds me of the time anna peipon and i had to push the golf cart out of the swamp by our house. do you remember anna? it was like 1/2 a mile or more. ow, my arms hurt now just thinking about it.back to sunday... it was a fun little trek on that rode. i like dirt roads. they are isolated places where one can have adventures. though some people use them for bad( ask me about our dirt road) i like to go down them and wish for a slower time.

Sunday's Adventures Part One

2008-10-29T14:13:00.002-04:00

well i have no idea how these will show up because the program is being really screwy. anyway! molly and i have picked out a few places on the eastern shore that we have not been to though we are born and raised here. so this past sunday, our first adventure was to east new market, secretary, eldorado, cambridge and oxford. so i picked molly up at about two and we drove. got to mardela springs and headed towards sharptown. ah, the fair grounds. i miss summer. got up to eldorado. i think it is funny that we have an eldorado. it sounds too californian ot be part of maryland but then again we apparently have a california, maryland too! so we got to eldorado, and i just had to stop and check out hte old church and grave yard. you can learn so much about a place when you look at its church and graves. their were alot of WWII vets buried there. alos people buried there since the late 18oo's. there were older ones but i couldn't read the markers.

the townsend girls

2008-10-07T21:41:00.002-04:00

here we are! this is at daniele's weddign shower. left to right, bridget, hannah, blaire, allyse, daniele, catherine, and me. world-wind trip but it was nice to the family.

what do you think?

2008-10-02T00:27:00.002-04:00

okay so here is my game plan for my life.. i know i really do believe God laughs when we tekll him our plans.. i really don't count on this happening.. but my tentative plan..

1. graduate with my bachelor in history/education.
2.teach high school/middle school history.
3. while teaching, work on my masters in psychology to become a psychologist.
4. either go for my doctorate in psych OR go to med school to become a physicians assistant, or pediatrician, labor and delivery nurse, or E.R. doctor.

all this is subject to change to God's will for my life. this is just my temporary goals. why settle for one career? ha! not to mention i want to get married and have kids but that isn't happening right now so i've gotta work on something else in the mean time.

what do you think?

check it out

2008-09-30T23:59:00.002-04:00

okay i know i've been doing alot of this lately but.. you REALLY have to check out brad paisleys video, "waiting on a woman". oh bless, you wanna talk about a heart melting song.. good heavens. also, andy griffith is in it. seriously... watch it. go. now. www.cmt.com

oh yea 2

2008-09-28T17:19:00.002-04:00

i love taylor swift's song "love story".

oh yea

2008-09-28T17:11:00.002-04:00

one more thing... please go check out marc broussard on you tube or iTunes.. look for "home". INCREDIBLE!! i'm in love with his voice. (thanks to molly for sharing!)

one more for the road

2008-09-28T16:56:00.000-04:00

camp horizon

2008-09-28T16:33:00.003-04:00

so here are pictures from my job this summer. i look back now and say aw! what fun! it was but i will not do that again. what a great experience.
amy and i had the five year olds. it was great, exhausting but great. why the mexico sign? we were team mexico for olympic week.

"c-a-m-p h-o-r-i-z-o-n! camp horizon's cry! and we'll yell it and we'll scream it, its our way of saying hi!we are the b-e-s-t of all, the r-e-s-t rest, and we'll prove it anytime you wanna put us to the test! we like to play out in the sun, and sing till day is done, oh we love our camp horizon cause we're always having fun! c-a-m-p horizon is cool at o.c. elementary schooooool!! camp horizon, camp horizon, your the bast you'll always rule! hey!"

ali

2008-09-28T16:27:00.001-04:00

i love these faces. i wish she would have let me video her while she was singing "picture to burn" by taylor swift in the back of my car. she was singing her little heart out like some little boy had broken her heart, face expressions and all.

LB!

2008-09-28T16:25:00.001-04:00

she is in south africa!! i miss her. check out her blog @ www.lbinsouthafrica.blogspot.com

labor day

2008-09-28T16:22:00.000-04:00

good game of bocce ball till dark

knoebels

2008-09-28T16:16:00.002-04:00

childhood. this is the best park to take kids 12 and younger. there are two roller coasters. they have every little kid ride.and couple rides i used to be scared to ride cause of heights, but thanks to mandy, i'm no longer scared. i love this place. its not really expensive either. so check it out!

ocracoke, nc

2008-09-28T16:12:00.001-04:00

so han and i attempted to skin board and surf, respectively. it was fun, but probably funnier to watch.

2008-09-28T16:08:00.001-04:00

the family trip to ocracoke, nc. its like mayberry on the coast.(you get around on bicycles!) can life get any better? i submit that it can not!

sunflowers

2008-09-28T16:05:00.002-04:00

quite possibly my favorite flower. the bees would get so "drunk" off the pollen or necter (whatever they get from sunflowers) they would just sit on the flower even if you swatted at them. they were passed out.

shucking corn for 5 july

2008-09-28T16:01:00.001-04:00

i love this one. hot summertime and it's time to eat sweet corn and crabs!

i love this picture

2008-09-28T15:59:00.001-04:00

he is just soooo cute!!! i think he resembles his auntie linnea a little!

music

2008-09-08T14:55:00.003-04:00

music is a wonderful tool. it can be make you feel up when you felt down. it can make you feel down when you were up. (although, i usually skip those tracks when they come on) God made music, and i'm so thankful. Satan can use it to make you doubt, make you angry, make you depressed. but don't listen. skip the track. even the most innocent of country song can make you sad. some make me doubt God. isn't that crazy? but tehn again you'd have to understand how my 100,000 mph brain works. it's very tiring. but that is besides the point.
i'm being tested in my faith and hope and trust in the Lord. i want to listen to sappy, pitiful songs. but what good would that do? nothing. i'm just thankful for bands like switchfoot, dc talk and jars (hey, oldies but goodies! don't knock'em!) but especially for switchfoot. God uses that music to minister to me. there is a song that goes something like this... does it have to start/ with a broken heart/ and broken dreams/ etc. does it have to start there? why? then i realized, God humbles us so that we have no where else to go. only to Him. the song continues to lift you up and remind you to burn out bright for Christ. when your hopes and dreams seemed crushed, don't despair, God has a plan for you to do great things. hang on. cling to His word. strive to burn bright. another one is the beautiful letdown. there are so many things and people that will let us down in this life. it hurts. but it is beautiful because it only causes us to dig deeper, to hold tighter, to pray harder, to grow closer to the Almighty. thank you to hannah for showing me isaiah 43. the almighty called you by name. he will give nations for your ransom. he will give nations for your life. pray for me as i dig deeper, pray harder, cling tighter to the cross and our Father Almighty. i will pray for you to do the same.

and the stories just keep comin!

2008-07-10T17:39:00.002-04:00

so this pudgy, awkward kid named storm (no he doesn't have a sister named sunshine) has the hardest time keepin up his pants. we counslers are always laughing because they are so droopy on his awkward little body.

oh yea, he runs like a penguin with his head just a wobblin.

anyway, we were playing with clay today and storm went to the little sink to wash his hands. jonathan, a junior counsler said, rachel, look!

there's storm washing away with his drawers around his ankles and his "Cars" underwear smiling back at us.

i ran over to cover him up almost tripping over my own feet cecause of the tears coming out of my eyes from laughing so hard.

ah. you just never know what will happen next.

paper clips and six year old boys

2008-07-08T18:46:00.002-04:00

what is with boys and there dying curiousity of any and all things dangerous?

so, today was counsler switch day at camp horizon. i was NOT excited that i was leaving my safe little groups of eleven 5 year olds. i was being thrown into the den of lions, otherwise known as twenty four, yes twenty four, 6 year olds.

yay for me.

thankfully i was working with another counsler, bobby.

p.s. how do you spell counsler?

back to the story...

so we are playing musical dots (same idea as musical chairs but with plastic dots) and i'm running the game, and bobby is discplining a kid. garrett decides that he needs to get this paper into the little holes in the wall, ie., the outlet. how he manages to get the paper clip unwound and in not one but TWO outlets and not shocked is beyond me. he said post-shock that he was just trying to get it out. OK...

so bobby says to me rachel, i think this kid just shocked himself.

no way. what?

yea! he just shocked himself.

are you okay? let me see?

at this point he starts to cry. he is holding his finger sin his mouth because the air burns his fingers.

i take him to the office and explain the situation. their answer was the same as mine. what?!

so we place his hand in a cold cup of water. jenn, the director contacts the vice principal over in her office. they both come into our room and look at the outlet. the VP decides that the FIRE DEPARTMENT needs to be called in. yeah.

so then we all, as in the entire camp has to go outside for a fire evacuation. that's like 110 kids.

did i mention that there was also summer academy at the school at hte same time? oh, i didn't? well, yes, the was summer school in the building too. so they had to evacuate. oh the look on the teachers faces.

so we stood outside for fifteen minutes waiting for the word that it is okay for us to go back in.

bobby and i looked at each other and said, well nice knowing ya. guess we'll be getting those pink slips .

but good news the kid is fine. he should be a camp tomorrow and bobby and i did not get in trouble.

yay.

Charlie

2008-06-08T21:01:00.004-04:00

charlie is such a cutie! he wanted my camera so i'm glad i quick got this shot before he got a hold of it!
adalynn was loving that ice cream and cupcake at baby sisters shower!

he he he he! emma wanted to try cousin kyleigh's tiara on charlie. poor unsuspecting kid. we thought daddy would be SO pleased to see these pictures.. HA!

gabriel

2008-06-08T20:53:00.002-04:00

this is gabriel. isn't he a cutie? mommy said to feed him cereal, and he really liked it but he got a little messy.

he's so cute, those big brown eyes! he's a much happier baby now that they are feeding him cereal:)

memorial day

2008-06-08T20:46:00.002-04:00

memorial day at hannie and pat-rick's house!it was a great visit with tha gang! and special treat was to have pat and matt eubanks with us! patrick is quite the griller! those burgers were very good. there was so much yummy food, we could feed an army!

kiddies cont'd

2008-06-08T20:37:00.003-04:00

aahh, i thought my back may break but it iwas fun. so, kayla sent me a text message (yes, a twelve year old has a cell phone, not to mention a better phone then me!) here was our "conversation"..

Kayla:hey when am i going to see you again?

me: well, i'm free saturday or monday!

Kayla: monday... well i am out of school so i guess. i wish you were still baby sitting us cause our new babysitter is ... well.. boring.

me: aw what's wrong? she is a good babysitter! what does she do?

kayla: she doesn't do anything!!

me: give her a chance. she is trying to figure out the flow your home.

so, i'm taking the kids to lunch and a movie monday since they are sunburned.. and i might be burned too:)

kiddies cont'd

2008-06-08T20:30:00.003-04:00

here is the ham! CHEEEEZZE! and kayla and i, she looks so much older then is..., and she thinks she is older then she really is:) but she is really a good girl. i'm so proud of her!

kiddies!

2008-06-08T20:22:00.003-04:00

haven't they grown? this was my second to last thursday watching the kids. i have been watching them for 3 + years, almost once every week, sometimes more, sometimes less. they are near and dear to my heart. i love this top picture of the three of them, kayla, ali and evan. so cute! evan would not smile, bless his soul. and ali is just hamming it up!

birthday!

2007-12-04T14:17:00.000-05:00

happy birthday to patrick! (sorry i am a day late)

And happy birthday to annie and emma huntington!!

More birthday wishes to come!!!

Bootfox

2007-11-06T13:58:00.000-05:00

i'm making a special request for bootfox. haven't seen him in awhile. is it possible to for him to make an appearance?

2007-10-30T22:06:00.000-04:00

i'm not sure how well you can this picture but that is my dream car. and it was trimmed out too. oh well, one can dream yes?

we interrupt this program...

2007-10-30T22:01:00.000-04:00

i'm sitting here watching the movie about glenn miller who is played by jimmy stewart. i just need to say that i love jimmy stewart. he must be one of the best actors this world has ever seen.also, if you have never listened to glen miller, you must, must, must check it out. he wrote and conducted some of the finest music this world has ever heard. but hey don't take my word for it.. go listen!

2007-10-30T21:47:00.000-04:00

coronado, california. wow, this placeis BEAUTIFUL! can i live here? yumm.. sushi. thanks to claire, i now love the stuff. no more sushi.. back to coronado. the naval basae is actually situated on most of the island. it's like a mayberry. palm trees lined the streets. people walking around in all the little stores and restaurants. and people rode their bicycles to get around. it was wonderful. also the hotel del coronado is there. its one of most beautiful giganitc extravagent hotels i've ever seen. it is prettier then the cambridge hyatt. hmm, i thinkwe should all move there:)

notice something?

2007-10-30T21:45:00.000-04:00

hmm, claire don't believe your going to be able to talk to anyone with that phone.

in-n-out

2007-10-30T21:38:00.000-04:00

mmm... best burgers on the face of the planet.

claire and i thought we could photoshop this pic so that it looks like

we took this at the same time.

2007-10-30T21:34:00.000-04:00

peculiar name for a road. that or an understatement.

a WHOLE room to ourselves!!

2007-10-30T20:43:00.000-04:00

This is what happens when two girls get a hotel room all to theirselves. we can beGOOFY! it was so nice to sleep in(except for when family or friends called at nine am est, six am pacific time.) not have to be anywhere at any particular time, (except the morning of snorkeling.. we were running around.. literally.. la jolla) and it was nice to be in sunny CALIFORNIA!! should i tell the La Jolla story? yes, i will. so, we stayed in chula vista. south of san diego. la jolla is north of san diego. we had to take the trolley up to the old town stop, then take a bus up to la jolla. it took like an hour to get up there. we were late, very alte. then we didn't get off the bus soon enough. ah ha. so we ran down the hill, around this neighborhood in flip flops. we are asking these people, do you know where the la jolla kayak shop is? no. thank you! so we run and run. twenty minutes later... hey! there is ! the pacific is much saltier then the atlantic. i've always wanted to go swimming in the pacific. now, i have. it was wonderful. claire and i saw a sea lion and seals. she tried to pet the seals. yea, they wouldn't let her. andshe got really close to this sea lion. way to close for my comfort. it just alooked at her like, go away you crazy. then it would lay his big head back down on the rock. crazy.

2007-10-26T20:38:00.000-04:00

hee hee hee hee! ave and i were arm wrestling on the floor of her old house in fruitland. unfortunately, i lost:( she is stronger then she looks..

2007-10-26T00:49:00.000-04:00

stephanie (horner) keith's wedding was so much fun! hannah and i had alot of fun. i wouldn't have wanted to miss it! the reception was right on the york river. so beautiful! now, i'm really excited for christy and steve's wedding, which reminds me that i need to work on those table cards.... :)

Gotta Love Philly

2007-10-26T00:29:00.000-04:00

ooo, that's small. well, we are wearing those plastic ponchos.... yeah. it was POURING rain. we had just saw keith urban the night before.. awesome concert!! anyway, we toured independence hall and stuff, and we walked down to the garment district... we got soaked. we had a great time though.keith urban was on stage till 11.30. he was so good!