Refresh

So, I decided it was time to update the look on my blog. I was really tired of the boring brown. It was dark. And getting kind of depressing. And so, not me. So I switched. And the new template actually helped clean up the clutter and re-worked the sidebars and links and posting without extra work! Yeah for me! (well, actually, yeah for Blogger...but anyway...)
I feel refreshed. At least Blogwise.

Thoughts on Friendship

“ A friend is one to whom one may pour out all the contents of one's heart, chaff and grain together, knowing that the gentlest of hands will take and sift it, keep what is worth keeping and, with the breath of kindness, blow the rest away.” – William Penn

"It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival." - C. S. Lewis

Family Camp is over --- let the post-camp therapy commence

Well, we went to camp. And it was wonderful.
And now I'm tired. But it's a good kind of tired. As I told my friends, you're allowed to be tired at camp - because you're doing stuff! :^)
I hope that Heaven is a little bit like Family Camp - minus the sore legs. Someone told me that they think Family Camp is little bit of Heaven. I'm glad.

Talent Night 2010 - Three of us sisters in a "Music Man" skit

Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre. 2008 Masterpiece theater edition.

Two Words: Loved. It.

The end.

I suppose I could elaborate a bit more. Keep in mind, this is coming from someone who once did not like Jane Eyre at all. I reformed my opionion of the book about a year ago when I re-read it. I decided I thought it was pretty good. I think this movie has changed my opinion again. The actors did such a manificent job playing their parts. It wasn't like watching actors, I felt I like was watching the Mr. Rochester and Jane Eyre - I felt they captured the characters so completely. Now I want to re-read the book to see how much creative license they took with the screenplay...I'll try and do a follow up post after I've finished.


In other news - 11 days until Family Camp!

Movie Review #2

Daniel Deronda.

Don't waste your time. Story was weird. Happy ending is basically nil. Characters go around looking tortured. Or depressed. Or psychotic. Seriously.

I wasn't convinced of who Daniel Deronda was supposed to be falling in love with - the Jewish girl whose life he saves when she tries to drown herself (this attempted suicide is never really addressed...it's kind of brushed of....) or the young married woman who married a man for his money while knowing he had a mistress with several children. This same young woman thinks she can control her husband, like she has controlled men before, only to find out he's playing her game - and is abusive (?) You never see anything, but that is what is definately portrayed. Oh, and then she feels sorry for herself and wants Daniel to pity her situation. (apparently forgetting she put herself there.)

Daniel is a young man who's been raised as an English gentleman by an English gentleman, but apparently is unhappy because he doesn't know who his mother is. (He assumes this English gentleman is his father and he is the illigimate son but we don't find out until the very end.) He save a young woman from drowning herself - she turns out to be a Jew and an incredible singer. Her tragic story inspires Daniel to help her find her lost family - which leads him into the Jewish community in London and the aquaintence with one Mordecia who upon seeing Daniel is convinced he is a Jew and the next chosen leader of his people. (*scratches head*) Daniel isn't convinced. The rest of the movie is him going between the Jewess and the married woman, like he can't make up his mind who he's in love with. Then suddenly- at the very end- he finds out who he is and gloriously (and again) suddenly, has new purpose in his life. Wahoo. Cheers. Everybody goes home happy, etc. The End.

I will say this, the costumes are fantastic, the scenery beautiful, and Romola Garai (who plays the young married woman) is a very good actress, who can go from tragic distress, to cool indifference, to wild hysteria, to extreme haughtiness. Kudos to her for her performance. That's about the only good thing I can say about this movie.

I'm on to Jane Eyre.

Movie Review

I've kind of been on a period drama binge lately. It's all Youtube's fault really. I go to finish a movie (Little Dorrit) that a friend recommended me (which, btw, is very good), and I spend oodles of time looking at other period drama clips, montages, etc. Which then sends me looking for the complete names and authors of said period dramas. Which sends me to my local library to place holds on every single one of them. At this point, I realize I have a problem, and cancel 3/4 of the holds because of time constraints. But never fear, I do have them all on a list, and I mean to watch them. ALL of them.


Ok, so....um....where was I going with this???


Oh yes! Movie reviews. I just finished watching "Our Mutual Friend" based on the Charles Dickens novel by the same title.


I used to hate Dickens, I've only read I think two of his books, but I feel more hopeful about reading more of them after watching this film. The BBC produced this version and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

While full of darkness, despair, and death, this movie has a strong themes of sacrifice, true friendship, redemption, and resurrection. The story centers around John Harmon, a young man set to inherit his father's fortune on the condition that he marry Bella Wilfer, a young woman he has never met. Unfortunately, John drowns on his way home to England to collect his inheritance and marry Bella. The fortune then falls to the Boffins, a kindly old couple who run the dust heaps (our modern day version of landfills). The Boffins show the first display of sacrifice by offering to take Bella in as their ward, since she so sadly disappointed out of a fortune. Bella as we learn, is a good girl, though wants money and hates being poor. She loves her father very much, but her mother, not so much, though I was never quite sure why. She agrees to the opportunity to live with the Boffins and be introduced into society. At this time, a young man, John Roquesmith, makes his way into the Boffin's home and becomes established as Mr. Boffin's secretary (the latter being unable to read or write except for numbers). John is a good, honest, quite and very secretive young man who as we find out is really John Harmon - he's not dead! He's been going along with the "John Harmon is dead" routine, because he wants to see if Bella will fall in love with him for who he is - not for the fortune he was supposed to inherit. I say "was supposed to" because it appears that John has no intention of coming back to life and claiming his inheritance. He sacrifices his original self because of his love and care for the Boffins and for Bella. There are secondary characters throughout this story, that, in true Dicken's style, don't really seem to be connected to one-another in any way, until their stories weave together in the end. One theme I caught onto was a juxaposition of Lizzie Hexam and Bella Wilfer - Lizzie is entirely unselfish towards her father, brother and friends, to the point of refusing the man that truly loves her, because of their class differences; whereas Bella is looking for a fortune, whether to inherit or marry into in a seemingly selfish manner. Through the movie, both women progess towards the opposite direction of their mindset until they meet in the middle - one learning from the other. I really love the themes of death and resurrection in this story, the contrast in father/daughter relationships with Bella and her father, Lizzie Hexam and her father, and Jenny and her father, the story of friendship, obsession, and what true love really looks like.

All in all, this was a great story, and has inspired me to read the book...I know, I'm going about this in a rather backwards fashion.

One final note: at the end of the film, it seems that the "mutual friend" is still somewhat of a mystery...is it John Harmon? Is it the distinctions of class and society? Many commentators seem to think the friend is the Thames River - the central location where the story takes place. I'll leave that for you to decide.

23 Days until Camp

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY AH-MAZING SISTER Rebekah!!! I love you! :^D

24 Days until Camp

Is it Friday yet???

25 Days

until Camp.

Panic may not ensue until 21 days. I will let you know what that is.

New Stuff

Have you ever heard of this product? --->

My sister told me about it; she'd been trying it and liked it. I decided that since I was squeezing the last drops out of my old bottle, I'd give it a try. I'm on day 5 of using it. My reaction so far: I like it. And here's why.

1) I have fine hair - not thin, but fine and can get oily pretty fast, or dry out just as fast depending on the products I use. I like the idea of using a shampoo that doesn't have harsh sulfates in it that strip my hair and dry it out.

2) It leaves my hair feeling clean and soft and my scalp mosturized (but not overly).

3) It's a little bit cheaper as the Tresemme, or Pantene products I've used in the past.

4) It smells really good! It's got a light minty, rosemary, juniper fragrance. Which, really, shouldn't be a factor, but it is for me. :^)

I also bought the conditioner when I bought the shampoo. So far, me and my hair are happy. :^)

For Once...

26 days until Camp.

That means that for the only time during the year, this blog's URL is actually accurate. I keep thinking I need to change it, but what if people can't find me? What if they think I've disappeared? What if I have something really extraordinary to say, and no-one is around to read it?

I know. I know. "Cheeez Rachel! The ego? Yeah, needs to come down a notch."

Oh, Ok.

But still, it seems so big and scary and, well, just darn inconvenient.

Joshua 1:6-9

“Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

I've read this verse so many times, and this is nothing that someone hasn't probably already said; but sometimes the same words can strike me in a new way.
God calls us to follow Him. He leads us into strange and new places where we will be challenged by new circumstances, by enemies, and by our own weakness. He knows we are frail. He knows we will get scared. Just like He knew the children of Israel would. I wonder if Joshua felt apprehensive and inadequate for the job ahead. God uses the phrase "be strong and courageous" 3 times. I think He really wanted Joshua (and us) to take this to heart. When we do as He commands, when we walk in His ways, God will be with us. Always. And we have NOTHING to fear. Jesus will win the day.

"Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death"

235 Years ago today....


Patrick Henry, March 23, 1775.

No man thinks more highly than I do of the patriotism, as well as abilities, of the very worthy gentlemen who have just addressed the House. But different men often see the same subject in different lights; and, therefore, I hope it will not be thought disrespectful to those gentlemen if, entertaining as I do opinions of a character very opposite to theirs, I shall speak forth my sentiments freely and without reserve. This is no time for ceremony. The questing before the House is one of awful moment to this country. For my own part, I consider it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery; and in proportion to the magnitude of the subject ought to be the freedom of the debate. It is only in this way that we can hope to arrive at truth, and fulfill the great responsibility which we hold to God and our country. Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the Majesty of Heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings.

Mr. President, it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and, having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it.

I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience. I know of no way of judging of the future but by the past. And judging by the past, I wish to know what there has been in the conduct of the British ministry for the last ten years to justify those hopes with which gentlemen have been pleased to solace themselves and the House. Is it that insidious smile with which our petition has been lately received? Trust it not, sir; it will prove a snare to your feet. Suffer not yourselves to be betrayed with a kiss. Ask yourselves how this gracious reception of our petition comports with those warlike preparations which cover our waters and darken our land. Are fleets and armies necessary to a work of love and reconciliation? Have we shown ourselves so unwilling to be reconciled that force must be called in to win back our love? Let us not deceive ourselves, sir. These are the implements of war and subjugation; the last arguments to which kings resort. I ask gentlemen, sir, what means this martial array, if its purpose be not to force us to submission? Can gentlemen assign any other possible motive for it? Has Great Britain any enemy, in this quarter of the world, to call for all this accumulation of navies and armies? No, sir, she has none. They are meant for us: they can be meant for no other. They are sent over to bind and rivet upon us those chains which the British ministry have been so long forging. And what have we to oppose to them? Shall we try argument? Sir, we have been trying that for the last ten years. Have we anything new to offer upon the subject? Nothing. We have held the subject up in every light of which it is capable; but it has been all in vain. Shall we resort to entreaty and humble supplication? What terms shall we find which have not been already exhausted? Let us not, I beseech you, sir, deceive ourselves. Sir, we have done everything that could be done to avert the storm which is now coming on. We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated ourselves before the throne, and have implored its interposition to arrest the tyrannical hands of the ministry and Parliament. Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have produced additional violence and insult; our supplications have been disregarded; and we have been spurned, with contempt, from the foot of the throne! In vain, after these things, may we indulge the fond hope of peace and reconciliation. There is no longer any room for hope. If we wish to be free-- if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending--if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained--we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight! An appeal to arms and to the God of hosts is all that is left us!

They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot? Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. The millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave. Besides, sir, we have no election. If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest. There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable--and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come.

It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace-- but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!

St. Patrick's Day

"Christ within me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ above me, Christ beneath me, To my left and my right, Christ where I lie and where I arise, Christ in the hearts of all who think of me, Christ on the lips of all who speak of me, Christ in the eyes of all who see me, Make me Your instrument Lord."

Confessions

Good morning. It's Tuesday. And I feel like confessing. It is Lent after all.

Which brings me to Confession #1: I had a piece of dark chocolate the other morning (I think it was Saturday) before I realized what day it was.

Confession #2: I'm really behind in my Read the Bible in a Year program. Not so good, especially if you're supposed to be leading the online segment of the Bible study. I'm failing at this.

Confession #3: I had two Dr. Pepper's yesterday at lunch. I did not give up caffiene for Lent so I'm not sure if that's really something worthy of confessing, but now you know.

I feel better now. Thank you.

And now here is a sunny little thing just up from California to make you smile on this day. She made me smile even though I had to take her out at 6am this morning - and I assure you, I was in no mood for frolicking about the yard when I rolled out of bed, but frolick we did.

It's a beautiful day

so I thought I'd share a picture of my new car. Well, actually, this isn't MY car; my car is dirtier than this one ...this is what my car looks like.

It's Ford Escape. And I love her. Seriously, I do a little happy dance whenever I go somewhere. It makes me happy to drive. :^)

What's new

I went to the laundromat yesterday for the first time. Our dryer is busted and it'll be about a week before it's repaired. I realized I was out of stuff and didn't have time to wait for it to air dry. So, off the laundromat went I. Frightfully expensive I might add...$1.50 for 36 minutes of drying time. Thankfully, the clothes were dry by the end of the time. Otherwise, I might have just had to have worn wet underwear.

Yes, I did just say that. My apologies. To all 3 of you.

I also found my library card - again. And there was much rejoicing and putting things on hold at the library. Mostly books on cassette. Because my car is old and is still living in the 20.9th century. I like listening to books. I often catch things in them that I missed when I was reading it myself and it's almost like reading the book for the first time. I like that.

Lastly, I found this on one of the websites I like to visit: Despair.com. If you ever want a good dose of reality, here it is.

I'm so glad I found this. This keeps me grounded.

"...that there is nothing better..."

I know I've told this to some people already - I am so excited about this year. Yes, we're half-way through January, however, I was excited before the new year began - this isn't a new developement. :^) I can't remember when I was this excited about a year. Generally, I like to go into things with low expectations so that A) I'm not too disappointed or B) I'm pleasantly surprised. I'm not entirely sure what is I'm excited about, or why. But I am.

2008 was a year of changes and growing and finishing.
2009 was a year of DOING things and GOING places; living some dreams and loving it!
2010 - no idea what it's going to bring! Whatever it is, I'm ready!


Ecclesiastes 3:9-13
"What gain has the worker from his toil? I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man."

Today. It's Thursday.

Today I am going to do the following:

10:40am - Wake up. Seeing as how I got out of bed at 6:00 this morning, this shouldn’t be an issue, but it is.

11:59am - Complete the orders that need to be entered.

12:30:13pm - I will organize the pile of paperwork on my desk. I WILL…even though it is almost 4 inches high and seems to me an Everest of paper.

12:53pm – Stare out the window at passing birds, airplanes, and the police car that keeps patrolling past the abandoned vehicle on the street. Sigh and turn back to the pile of paperwork.

1:17 pm - Catch up on my Bible reading…I missed one of the days this week and am behind as a result. Not good if you’re on a “Read through the Bible in a Year” program.

1:06pm - Not drink any more coffee. Green tea and Dr. Pepper are still options however.

2:37pm - Smash the radio that keeps playing the same songs on the same station all day. (Ok, maybe not since it’s not mine, but I feel like it.)

3:12pm – finish whatever else has happened during my day, emails, phone calls, etc.

4:24 - leave work for school

4:46 - arrive at school. Proceed to the computer lab and check out a laptop to do homework on.

6:00pm - Chemistry Lab. I love chemistry. Pray I don't blow something up.

8:07pm - leave Chemistry lab for home.

8:34pm - put stuff away at home. Put away any remnants of clean laundry in my room while listening to the "Far and Away" soundtrack.

8:58 - bemoan current car situation while searching Craigslist for new one.

10:13pm - "I shall take my father's advice. I shall go to bed at once."

*name that movie :^)

thoughts after my Bible reading

*after a long absence---I'm trying to get back to blogging. We'll see how I succeed. :) *


This morning I was reading in the book of Genesis. Genesis, the book of beginnings, is full of genealogies; well, the whole Bible is really. God gives us detailed accounts of who His people were, their children, where they lived and travelled, and how old they were. The whole chapter of Genesis 10 tells about Noah’s children and their descendants.
And then in chapter 11, these same descendants decide to “make a name for themselves” (Gen 11:4) in order to keep from being scattered across the face of the world, and the Lord, because they didn’t acknowledge Him, confuses their tongue and scatters them anyway. Thinking about it, they already had a name- weren’t they part of the Sons of God? What name in the world could be better than that? And yet, they thought they needed something better. But God, in His providence, didn’t end it there. He showed His faithfulness throughout the generations – something we see in the story of Abraham. At the time, Abraham was a man without children but God promised to make him a great nation. His descendants would fill the earth; more in number than the stars in the heavens.

Just last night at dinner, our family was talking about our ancestors and heritage. Who they were, the kind of people they were, the circumstances they came out of, where they settled, etc. I suppose it’s easy to get wrapped up in where we came from. “I’m descended from so-and-so who was the Grand Duke of Wherever” or “My great-great-grand-uncle-twice-removed-on-my-mother’s-side was the Prince of Somewhereorother”. (I’m exaggerating for effect here, but you get my point) Thinking about our family history, I’m reminded, again, of two things: 1) I am really blessed to have a Christian heritage and 2) it’s by God’s grace I have that heritage and (I suppose this would make it three things) that the privilege of bearing the name of Jesus Christ is far better than any name I might have.