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| I've been thinking a lot about friendship the last few weeks...about what makes a good friend, and what makes a friendship last for a lifetime, as opposed to just a season. There have been many friends cross my path over the years. Wonderful people who have each left their footprints on my life in big ways and small ones. Some I have known only for a few days, and others whom I have always known. Each of these people are precious to me in their own way. Still other friends, some of my nearest and dearest, I did not meet until my early adulthood, and during some of my not more shining moments of life. And yet, they have stuck with me. We don't even live in the same cities, and yet somehow we do life together. In my opinion, these kinds of friendships are the most precious. They are the people who know you at your best and at your worst. They see you with no makeup on and still talk to you. They call you for no reason, and they call you for big reasons. Talking to them is like picking up where you last left off, even if its been a month. They open their homes for fun weekend getaways, and when you're so devastated you don't know where else to go. These are the people who know the real you and love you anyway. So, to these friends, you know who you are...I just want to say thanks. Thanks for being there, and for caring, and for doing life with me. You are treasured and loved and appreciated and prayed for more than you know. | | |
| Hello Faithful Readers! (yes, I'm just being witty, but come on, its not hard to be a faithful reader when I only post twice a year.) I don't really have anything particularly life altering to share. I pretty much shared all of that in my last post. I'm just in the mood to write. If you want to read something that will change your life, you should really subscribe to my best friend's blog. She's quite the talented writer, and she posts frequently! I did, however, get the brace off my knee last week which was quite eventful. I'm supposed to start physical therapy soon and I'm very excited to speed on down the road to recovery. In fact, the Doctor was so pleased with the progress of my knee that he knocked my time until I can play sports down to 6 months. (It was originally 10-12, so I'm happy.) In other news, I am redecorating my room here at home. Somehow, (and I'm not sure how this happened that I wasn't at all consulted) my room was painted not one, but TWO lovely shades of poop brown in my absence . If you know me at all, you know I'm a big fan of decorating in black and cream (and Eiffels!). I lean towards a Parisian theme in much of my decorating and I like black and cream because its simple, clean, and elegant. ALL of my bedroom decorations, curtains, bedspread, sheets, and so on and so forth are built around this theme, so as you can imagine, I was a little distressed with the poop brown. After a few days of hard negotiations, (read: I asked nicely...twice, then dad and I went to Home Depot and bought paint), the bedroom has been painted a neutral shade of eggshell soon to be followed by a trim of three black stripes. I also have a couple white shelves I'm going to paint black and hang my PARIS letters from. (Truthfully, the stripes are getting painted tomorrow, but if that shelf ever gets painted, it may be some sort of a miracle. What can I say, I dream big.) I'm hoping to have this project finished and my furniture moved in before the big trip to Minneapolis in a couple weeks. We'll see. I am VERY excited to head up to see my very favorite second-family, witness the long-awaited marriage of Sarah and Micah, and spend time with the Crewies who will be present. PLUS, I will get to do a roadtrip with the previously mentioned best friend, which will most likely be the highlight of my year thus far. Lately, I've been having a charming time dating someone oh-so-handsome and fun to hang out with. I'll post a few pictures, so you can all rave about his cuteness.  Ah yes, there he is. SUCH a charming fellow.
 We're quite the pair.
 There we go...try 57.
That about exhausts my blogging itch for tonight...happy weekend! | | |
| Hello to the two and a half people who actually read this blog. Hope you're both doing well! :) Life here is looking up, inspite of a rather rough start to the year. I am now six weeks out from knee surgery, still wearing the oh-so-attractive leg length brace...but only for two more weeks! I am looking forward to graduating to a much smaller brace and starting physical therapy. In other news, I've decided to start moving back towards the things the Lord has really given me passion for, rather than settling for things that are more acceptable in the sight of modern society. I've put notice in on my apartment in Ft. Worth in favor of moving back home and spending more time with my family. I'm going to continue working for NAUMS part time and move into helping mom with the home schooling and responsibilities at home. I've said for a while that it would be really hard to move back after having been gone for so long, but after six weeks in the study with a 50 inch plasma tv, cable, and internet (that I don't have to pay for!!) I am finding myself rather attached to the home life. :) Truthfully though, I have greatly enjoyed and been blessed to have this time with my family. They have been gracious to me in the emotional rollercoaster of the first few weeks after surgery, and taken such good care of me during my time here. I am looking forward to spending more time being around my mom and am hoping to emulate perhaps even half of her godly womanhood. As most of you I'm sure know, Sean and I ended our relationship two weeks before my surgery. As difficult as that has been, every day I am more thankful for the Lord's grace and protection. He is a wonderful man, but the further I get from our relationship, the easier it is to see so clearly that he is not the one God has for me. Life without that stress has left me quite happy and surprisingly content and I am looking forward to seeing where God will lead from here. May has been a busy and exciting month so far, and its only half over! Luke turned seven this month and is growing up much too quickly for my tastes. He is quite the energetic guy. Mike came home from school in Florida, turned eighteen, AND got his driver's license! It has been great to have him back, he has really grown into a good friend and I am so proud of all that God is doing in his life. Dad turned fifty today, it was the non-party that he wanted, but the Stallings did make it in town for the birthday celebration and a little golf which was the highlight of his year, I am sure. The sisters are all doing well, Tricia is working on her MBA at DBU and has landed an internship at a prestigious firm in Dallas. Alyssa is finishing up her semester at TCC and is headed to work at a Christian camp in California for several weeks this summer. Kerry is a tall and athletic volleyball player, every day more beautiful. She is headed to Siberia this summer for a missions trip. Grammy, my mom's mom, has been here in the DFW area since February dealing with a staph infection in her foot. It has been wonderful to have her here and she is finally being released from the hospital/nursing facility to come back to our house. We are so thrilled to be able to spend so much time with her, normally we only get to share her company for a week out of the year, if we are lucky, but we have had her for a few months now and I get to see her every few days and I have loved it! She is such a positive person and inspite of her continued medical difficulties she has had a great attitude and I have learned a lot and been very encouraged just to be around her. I'll end this epically long (middle of the night and I can't sleep) post with a few recent pictures. :) 
rare picture of all the sisters together, in age order. This is from Mother's day. 
The brace. Its huge. I know you are trying not to be jealous right now. 
Luke's seventh birthday 
Mike is home! *(and I am not the tallest one anymore! Both he and Kerry tower over me! Hooray for small victories!)  Date night with one who is not taller than me just yet :) | | |
| I know many of you will be shocked that I have updated...but don't worry, I don't really intend to make a practice out of it. Just a late, sleepless nights with too many words tumbling around in my head begging to be let out before I am to have any peace. The grad school venture is currently behind me. I am working with the National Association of University Model Schools and spending a couple days a week out in Weatherford at Greenwood Baptist Church where Sean is the Children's minister. I love working in ministry with him. It makes me realize more and more how much God has called us to be together, how wonderfully we compliment each other's strengths and weaknesses. My latest escapade has been blowing out my knee...why I am currently awake in the middle of the night. I injured it on Sunday night playing ultimate frisbee (at least it wasn't doing something klutzy like falling down the stairs or slipping in the shower!) I was playing defense and had my foot planted when the guy I was guarding faked left and ran right, the top half of my knee went right and the bottom half went left. Playing it back in my head, I vividly remember counting six loud pops in all just before I crumpled to the ground. Sean ran over and made me talk to him during several awful moments where I desperately wanted to pass out. He took excellent care of me, gathering things from my second story apartment and driving me back to my parent's house that night. Xrays the next day showed no dislocation or broken bones, and so far the doctors are predicting torn ligaments. I have an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon on Tuesday and most likely will need an MRI to determine what exactly is wrong. Joy. In the mean time, I am rather stranded (but gratefully so) at my parent's house seeing that crutches and second story apartments do not meld well...and I cannot walk at all without them. Other than making my home in the living room and going from my own cozy, independence to having virtually zero privacy, I am really glad I am here. Kerry and Luke have voluntarily taken on meeting my every need and are constantly checking on me to see if I have any need or want. Kerry makes me breakfast every morning and they have both been really wonderful. Mom also has bent over backwards to make my stay here enjoyable and has been cooking some of my favorite dinners. Sean has been by almost every day bearing roses, words of encouragement, and best of all just coming to keep me company. He has even busted me out a couple times for a movie date. :) I'm telling you people, he's way beyond great. The other nice perk about being here is the recently installed 50 inch plasma tv with cable channels...finally, "What Not To Wear" and "Top Chef" episodes to my heart's content. :) Life as a "crip" as my family has so affectionately deemed me, has been pretty rough. I hadn't realized how much I love my independence and space. I love my family, but am not used to such large doses...I haven't lived with them for several years. Patience, with myself, my injury, my family, and a hundred tiny things that keep stacking up is becoming the anthem lesson of this ordeal. Sean keeps reminding me that trials have the opportunity of producing blessing and joy, but it is not a guarantee- it is for those who trust God to work things out and choose a patient and positive outlook throughout difficult times. So much easier said than done. I am working on it, but have a lot to learn. I am hoping this will be like those mini-terms I took in college. A semester's worth of information crammed into a really tough week. Somehow I doubt this lesson will come that easily. Anyway friends, that is the general update on life as I currently know it. Your prayers are greatly coveted. I'm signing off now cause the hydrocodone is finally kicking in and luring me towards a much preferred state of unconsciousness. :) | | |
| Hey Friends... Its been a while. Life has been crazy busy- but rather wonderful. Graduated from DBU in December and it was wonderful to have some of the Crew here for a few days. I met Sean, an amazing guy, back in November, dated/got to know each other through December, and made our relationship official on January first. He's taking me home to Arkansas to meet his family this weekend. :) January also brought the launch of a new job, a move to a new apartment in Ft. Worth, as well as another schooling venture. I started work for the National Association of University Model Schools and began my master's work in Marriage and Family Counseling at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Still working nights for Gladney, so all in all I stay more than busy. Hope all of you are doing well, I enjoy reading up on your lives both here and on Facebook. Missing my second family up in Minneapolis a lot lately. I would love for you to meet Sean, Mom and Dad Stranz- maybe next time you're down this direction we can catch ya in Houston or something. New pictures soon...hahaha...hopefully. :) Love You Guys! Rachel | | |
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