Laheela's Paradise

What next?

2007-01-02T10:08:00.000-08:00

Beating me up is fun!! At least my body thinks so. The headaches are going down (yesss), and my insomnia has virtually disappeared. My lost pinky-toe nail is growing back quite nicely and doesn't cause me pain at all. Right now I am currently sipping a bottle of water and will probably get to eat two saltine crackers today. I'm also gonna sue Arby's for POISONING ME!!!! (okay, I won't sue them, but that's the last time I'm eating there for a while).

See, my Mom, my little brother James, and I went to see "Night at the Museum" yesterday (which was a reaaaaally funny movie, a lot funnier than I expected it to be!). Afterwards we stopped at Arby's to have dinner. We all got roast beef sandwiches, except I wanted cheese with mine, so Mom payed 56 cents for cheese ("You'd better enjoy it" she said....haha....). Apparently the cheese had been left sitting out or something, because I woke up (actually, I didn't wake up, because I didn't get a wink of sleep last night) at 4:30am to puke. I'm not a pukey person, so I knew SOMETHING was wrong, especially when I did it again at 6:00am. My headaches are worse today than they have been, and I've been experiencing other symptoms. Good news: I don't have anything in my stomach, so I can't puke any more up. Potential bad news: my jr high retreat is coming up this weekend, and I'd better recover enough to go on it, because I've been looking forward to that for months.

Anyway, HAPPY 2007!!!

~*~Rach~*~

Just a little update

2006-12-28T18:11:00.000-08:00

Christmas was GREAT. I got some really cool stuff: the Pirates 2 DVD, Ella Enchanted DVD, two huge bars of dark chocolate (MUY MUY!), a subscription to a magazine, and Wow Hits 2007. I've listened to it so many times already and I love it!! It's got a couple cute songs ("So Long Self" by Mercyme and "Dead Man" by Jars of Clay), some other really good songs ("We Live" by Superchic[k], "Everything You Ever Wanted" by Hawk Nelson, there are a ton of good ones), but there are two songs that are really powerful, they give me jibbers every time I listen to them. "Held" by Natalie Grant and "This Man" by Jeremy Camp. You heard either of them? They're great.

I haven't used a Band-aid in years (whenever I get a cut or something, I just wash it and leave it). I hate band-aids because eventually you have to take them off. And that hurts. But today I had to use a band-aid because I lost my little toenail. Yeah, I tripped on something and ripped it off. No blood or anything, fortunately, but I have to keep a band-aid on until the nail grows back. I've done that once before, except it was my big toenail when I was 5 years old. That one WAS bloody and it DID hurt, especially cuz my grandma (I was at her house at the time) sprayed it with something and it burned like crazy. I don't remember much when I was 5, but I do remember that!

So that's a lil update. Happy New Year!

~*~Rach~*~

Merry merry Christmas

2006-12-22T11:16:00.000-08:00

The kids around my town are real excited with Christmas coming up, especially since Santa has been visiting around town a lot for the past couple weeks. Our town looks really beautiful at night because almost everyone decorates the outside of their house and puts a tree in the window. We also have a thing out in the country called the Wonderland of Lights that is our town's tradition. Basically you drive through a...well...a wonderland of Christmas lights put up in different figures.

This will be the first year that we're not having a white Christmas (as far as I know). It's 50 degrees out right now, which is beautiful, so....it's gonna be warm! We're celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve this year, since that's the best time for my older brother and my Dad to come in. Steven has to go to Georgia to visit his mom and my Dad has to go to work Christmas Day, which sucks, but at least we'll have all the family time in a day early (my little brother James is very excited about that).

I am very, very happy about my headache situation, because they have been MUCH smaller and MUCH less intense. My old neurologist just kept putting me on pediatric doses and wouldn't stick with one, but the doctor at Riley's put me on an adult dosage of this one medicine that I had already "tried" and it's really working. The side effects are almost non-existent, my sleep has been much better, and so have my headaches. So, after almost 10 months, this trial is about to come to a close. There's no one to thank but God for this.

Merry Christmas and a happy new year!

~*~Rach~*~

I think I'll cry...

2006-12-11T12:15:00.002-08:00

Well, first of all, before we get to the big point, let me make a recommendation: watch the movie in theaters, "The Nativity Story." I've seen it twice now (once with a friend, and yesterday with my youth group). It is a GREAT movie, never seen anything like it. A really tough critic gave it 5 out of 5 stars and all the reviews I've seen have no negetive things to say about it (except for the wise men's timing in the movie...but they had to alter a few things to fit it all in). So, in other words, GO SEE IT.

More news before we get to the point: Christmas this year is going to be v-e-r-y small. Very small. We are broke, needy, destitute, poverty-stricken, indigent, penniless....in other words, pretty darn poor (credit to the thesaurus). First, the car broke down in November, so we payed more than it was worth to fix it. A day before it broke down, we bought a big wide-screen TV, and for Dad's birthday we all chipped in some money for a laptop computer (his one big birthday present). Now Dad just payed off a ton of hospital bills (my hospital bills), and even more came in recently that he's got to pay. Mom's going grocery shopping today, and normally we pick up a month's worth of food. Today we can only afford enough to get us by the week, and my hair is very much in need of a trim, but that will have to wait. In January, Dad has to take a plane to fly down somewhere....more money....right now, financially, things are not going our way. Christmas is gonna be very small this year, but hey. It'll be alright. Christmas is about Jesus, not presents anyway.

Alright, the main point: I went to Riley's on Friday. Didn't expect anything. My doctor, after seeing all my MRI and CT scan files etc., and after hearing all my symptoms, told me, "Well, everything is normal except for that little lesion on your brain they call a focal ischemia, but I'm not really sure thats what it is, but it isn't causing your headaches. Now, there are two different kinds of headaches, really: migraine and tension. All your previous doctors have been looking at migraine for you, but none of the symptoms really match. Your headaches sound more tension-like to me. And all these medications, you've tried, you haven't really tried them because a week after you were put on them you got taken off! That's not enough time for them to work! So, I believe you have tension headaches." She put me on a medication, and it'll take a week or two for it to start to kick in. She's ordered me back for an MRI in August, and sometime soon I'm going back to Riley's to get massaged and get relaxation tips from the psychiatric hospital (I'm not crazy, just to clarify things!!). But....this could possibly be the end of my headaches!!!!!! She looked very confident and was the most knowlegable doctor I've ever been to. And it makes sense, because when I was 12 years old, I developed and was diagnosed with anxiety, so that (along with my brother's potential cancer and my aunt's death) probably was the foundation for them. So....if this medicine works, PRAISE THE LORD!!! it's been 9 long months, I'm glad it might finally be over!!!

Happy, happy, happy.... ;D ;D

~*~Rach~*~

I think I'll cry...

2006-12-11T12:15:00.001-08:00

B-u-s-y

2006-11-20T15:58:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we had the Big Birthday celebration, because my Dad and my little brother James's birthdays are on the 20th, Mom's is on the 21st, and my older brother Steven's is on the 22nd. So we just celebrate them all in one day. As for big presents, Dad got a laptop computer, James got a DVD player (not bad for 12 years old), Steven got a bunch of shirts, and Mom....well, she gets big presents every year. She got a beautiful necklace from Dad and a beautiful glass piece from me (it says Mom, and it sits on a mirror and there's an engraving on the mirror that says, "I love you always"). So....I felt really left out, but it happens every year. Nobody even noticed as I slipped off to my room to pray, write in my diary, and play piano (3 things that will help raise my spirits).

I just checked the calendar. December's gonna be a really busy month for me. On the 1st, I have a dentist's appointment (the dentist is really nice and all, but I HATE having my teeth messed with, I almost pass out every time I go there because I have a bad reaction to someone putting her hand in my mouth). On the 7th, I leave for Indianapolis for a doctor's appointment at Rileys on the 8th. Then we have to rush back home because my piano/voice recital is on the 9th. On the 11th, I visit my usual doctor again (I could be put on steroids then). On the 13th, I volunteer for a special Christmas night at the library. On the 16th I leave for Georgia to go visit family for Christmas. Then on the 25th there's Christmas Day and on the 31st is New Years Eve. I can't wait till next year. I've got a Jr. High retreat in January with my youth group, a mission trip in June, and another special trip sometime during summer because I completed the Memory Verse Challenge that my youth group put on (you have to memorize 45 verses by May...I got them all done by November along with one of my 8th grade friends, except he got it all done the first month they announced it....he's really good at memorizing stuff).

So you'll be hearing a lot from me, I think. God bless you two. Your prayers help me get through each day with a smile on my face.
~*~Rach~*~

You know you're a singer when....

2006-11-14T10:43:00.000-08:00

You've got a cold and you love it!! Well, I don't love it. I could do without all the coughing and the sore throat. But the great thing about colds is that it broadens your singing range for as long as you have the cold! (At least it does for me, being a person who can still sing with a cold!) I'm already both an alto and a soprano to begin with (I can do both parts equally well), so now that I can hit even lower and higher notes, I love it! Although I can't wait for the cold to go away, I will miss my new range.....

Anyway, I went to a doctor's appointment yesterday. Ever been to the hospital so many times that you start to recognize patients? This teenage guy named Camden and I said hi to each other because we were both patients of the same doctor and we'd recognized each other from previous appointments! So, anyway, the doctor switched my medication (again). We showed her all the medications I've tried (which I think I'm up to 14 now) and even though she prescribed half of them, she said, "Wow, this is impressive...." The old medicine I got taken off of, the side effects were terrible. First, it changed the taste of food, especially soda. Soda tasted flat and watered down, and tomato sauce just tasted nasty. Nothing tasted right. Secondly, it made you lose weight. I lost ten pounds, and I couldn't gain it back because thirdly, it made me lose my appetite. When I was 11 and 12 years old, I was called the "bottomless pit" because I could eat and eat and eat and never get full (my friend called me the "gifted bottomless pit" because I could eat, never get full, and not gain a single pound of weight). Nowadays, Mom scolds me because I'm never hungry for lunch (or for breakfast, but she makes me eat something for that), and I eat very little for dinner.

So I'm glad to be off of it. I'm glad soda will have its kick again. But this new medicine has a side effect of weight GAIN. I'm perfectly fine with being 120 lbs, I don't really want to gain back much of what I lost! Anyway, this December I'm going to Riley's Children's Hospital in Indianapolis (it's a very well known hospital around the nation) and we're waiting to see what they say we should do, because the last resort (since we've tried everything else) is steroids. My doctor doesn't really want to do that because I'm so young and because of the nasty side effects, but if nothing else will work, then I will probably be put on steroids. We're just waiting to hear from Riley's.

That's where I am. Please keep praying!

~*~Rach~*~

P.S. Random question. Who's the tallest kid in your youth group? We've got a kid in ours who's 15 years old, 9th grade, and is 6'7". Grew 7 inches in one summer. And he's not even full height yet. He says he could possibly be 6'10" by the time he's done growing. He's the only 9th grader (well, he and the one that's 6'2") that the adults look up to talk to ;)

Birthday!

2006-11-07T15:33:00.000-08:00

Ah yes. I turned 14 last Friday. It was a B-L-A-S-T! They say 14 is the Blah Age. I hope like heck it's true! I need a blah age after 13. On Friday, because my Dad wasn't home (being a truck driver you can never predict his schedule), it was just me, my Mom, and my little brother James, but we still rented a movie that I liked and made stuffed pizza and creampuffs for me (and if anybody knows me, they know I will DIE for creampuffs. I LOVE them!). Saturday morning Dad came in and we drove to the city where my older brother Steven lives. We ate at a nice restaurant down there and celebrated my birthday. I got a lot of nice gifts and overall it was a great time.

Now, as of right now, I don't know if this is a bigger prayer request or a joy. I'll figure it out Monday at my next doctor's appointment (or maybe later if she schedules an MRI). But anyway, last Sunday, I slipped when going down the stairs and I fell, smashing my head, back, and arm. I'm very, very lucky I didn't break my arm (but I did bruise it pretty darn good), but ever since then, my headaches have been much worse. On a scale of 1-10, they've been 10s from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to bed, maybe going to a 13 or a 15 around 3pm. This could either be a joy (because if I did something to it, then maybe they could fix something and all my headaches would be gone) or it could be a bigger concern (because I could have worse headaches and not be able to do anything about it). None of my medications work. It really stinks. Please keep praying. :)

~*~Rach~*~

Doo doo doo....

2006-11-01T18:41:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was Halloween. Didn't go out trick or treating or anything (stopped doing that since last year), so I handed out the candy. Guess what I dressed up as? Well, originally I was going to be a college student, but I ended up looking like an Eskimo under all the layers I wore. It was 25 degrees out and the wind factor made it feel colder. But that didn't stop the trick or treaters (or any of the teenage punks scaring little kids). So I nearly froze to death handing out candy for two hours. Fortunately I had lots of leftovers, especially of Snickers, mm!

My birthday is in 2 days, and I might celebrate it this Sunday, if my Dad can make it in from the truck. He's struggling to make it in, and so is my older brother, he's trying to get off work as well. If everything works out, I can celebrate it this weekend, but the way things are looking, we might have to postpone it for a week. I'm feeling pretty disappointed about that. Dad and Steven gave me the option of celebrating my birthday without them, but I said no. I want them home.

That's all that's up. Going on my 8th month of headaches. My neurologist says that we probably will never find the cause of them, and they will either go away gradually by themselves, or I could be stuck for life with them. Wasn't too excited to hear that, but, oh well.

Sometimes it really just feels like God is picking on me, ripping me up, and then turning away when I cry out to Him, because I get no comfort and no answers with my prayers. Things only get worse. I'll just continue to trust in Him, though.

"Therefore we will not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. Our light and momentary troubles will achieve for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary. But what is unseen is eternal." -2 Corinthians 4: 16-18

"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God promises those who love Him." - James 1: 12

~*~Rach~*~

I would....

2006-10-08T19:27:00.000-07:00

....update more often, but there hasn't been anything going on. Same ole same ole.

26 days until I turn 14. Not that I'm counting. On November 1st, there's a writing contest in this magazine that asks you to write 1600 words on something that changed you for the better (maybe its friends, maybe its family, maybe its a bf/gf relationship). I'm entering that contest (since you win a scholarship, and being homeschooled, I'm gonna need as many of those as I can get!), and I thought long and hard about what I should write. I decided....I'm going to write all about the year 13.

Ever since I was 10, I had wanted to be 13. It was the year I could get my ears pierced. It was the year I would officially be a teenager. It was the year that my age might finally catch up with my appearance, actions, and height (it stunk being 11 years old and 5'7"). The closer I got to my 13th birthday, the more excited I became. I couldn't wait to become a teenager. Finally, the day arrived. I was sooooo happy. The day afterwards I got my ears pierced, and two weeks afterwards I got my hair done (which I don't have that done very often, with the tightness of money). For the first two months, things were going perfectly.

And then, at the end of December/beginning of January, my older 21-year-old brother went to the hospital to check out some problems he was having. After that visit, my Mom told me that the doctor was 99.9 percent sure that he had bladder cancer. I almost fell apart right there. For one month we were filled with worry, fear, confusion, frustration.....but, yes, there was still a .1 percent chance of it being something else rather than cancer. And that .1 percent pulled through: it happened to be a scab that he got in a bike accident 9 years before (it's a long story, but boy were we relieved that it wasn't cancer).

Then the next month....February....my aunt, 42 years old, who had been battling breast cancer (that ended up spreading everywhere) for as long as I can remember, was facing her final days. On February 13th, 8:43pm, the phone rang, and I knew she was gone. February 14th, Valentines Day, was spent in tears as we drove from Indiana to Georgia to attend the funeral. It was my first funeral (and as of now, the only funeral I've ever been to), and I didn't think it was fair that I had to experience a funeral before a marriage or the birth of a child (and I still haven't seen either). She left behind a husband, and 3 kids, ages 16, 15, and 10. It was hard, but with the grace of God, we pulled through, though her family is still struggling with life right now.

March was great. Nothing happened. Then April occured, and that's when my headaches started....and you know all about that....(update: 2 Mondays from now, I go to a doctor's appointment to view blood test results to see if I might have had an early stroke. I'm also going to Riley's Children's Hospital in Indianapolis sometime soon, which will have been my 5th doctor). Besides the headaches, I was also diagnosed with anxiety and depression, and we were looking at a possible eating disorder as well. When all this started, I wasnt strong enough to take it, I guess, and for one month began cutting myself, and skipping meals and trying to lose weight. Mom and Dad were fighting more because of my headaches (cuz Dad thought one thing, Mom thought another, you know the deal), and they both tended to snap at me and bring it out on me. For the time, I couldn't see all the good things I had in life, only the bad, and because I will NOT take my anger out on other people, I took it out on myself, since I thought I was worthless and meant to be in pain anyway. Depression is not a very nice thing to have.

But I've got medicine for that now. I'm feeling much better about myself, though I still sometimes tend to skip meals. I have lost almost 10 pounds (went from 130 to 120 in 2 weeks, I don't know if that's that bad for 5'8" or not), and I don't really want to gain it back....but I'm not gonna lose anymore. And, for the past....I don't know, 3 months, I've really chosen to trust God with my life and look at the bright side of things. For one thing, I've got the best friends in the whole entire world, and the best family, and a great life besides the fact that I'm in pain and am sick every single day now. It's great.....really. I started to think about all the people who were praying about me or concerned about me ever since the headaches started. I was getting cards from family members all over, and friends were constantly calling me and asking how I was doing (they still do). People all over my church tell me they're praying for me, as well as my youth group. One of the pharmicists at CVS in town, who always fills my prescriptions, asks about me all the time. One lady, who I didn't even tell about the headaches, asked about me, concerned, because she had heard it from so many people.

My 13th year.....how did it change me for the better? 1) It taught me trust. Everyday, I had no clue what was in for me the next day. The doctors, who at first thought they knew the cause of the headaches instantly, now are still puzzled and even frantic to find a cause. I had to trust that God would see me through another day, and He would put a stop to the pain soon. I'm still trusting. 2) It taught me patience. 31 days is a long time to worry about a brother, a young man just entering the world by himself, having cancer, worrying about his future, or even if he would have a future. One week is a long time to sob your heart out everyday from the loss of a family member. And 7 months (lessee....thats 214 days, I think) is a LONG time to withstand a medical mystery at the age of 13. I've had to patiently wait through all those things, knowing it would end soon. 3) Most of all, it has taught me to have strength. I've got strength I never knew I had. Whatever comes my way now, I have strength to try and get through, more than I normally would've had anyway.

That's all.....sorry for talking your ear off ::)

~*~Rach~*~

POWERFUL VIDEO

2006-09-30T07:01:00.000-07:00

Watch this video!!!! It's only about twenty to thirty seconds long, but after you've watched it, you'll feel like someone punched you in the chest.

http://www.youtube.com/v/SmLhyPjHVes

Now I'm going to be perfectly honest with you: I didn't want this to happen yet. For the past I-dont-know-how-long, I have been selfish (yes, selfish, I am ashamed to admit it) and been begging God to let us all stay here for another day, simply because....well....God said, "Delight in the Lord, and He will grant you the desires of your heart." The biggest desire of my heart was to grow up, get married, and have kids. And I really want to live to see that. And I used to fear about that every night I might not have the opportunity to do that. I've been asking God's forgiveness right now....I've been terrible.

But....for some of the rest of y'all who wants to do some more things with their lives before the world ends, it's okay: the Rapture won't happen yet. With all the studying my Mom has been doing, she thinks that it should be at least another 20 years before it actually happens (it could be 20, 30, 40, 50, maybe even 100, nobody knows, but I have a feeling that it WILL happen in our lifetime). Several things have to happen before the Rapture does, and those things haven't happened yet.

So.....whenever that time comes, I will see y'all in heaven!!

~*~Rach~*~

It's been a while....

2006-09-25T10:40:00.000-07:00

Alright....let's back up here. Saturday the 16th. Went to Atlanta to watch a Braves game. Braves won, and my favorite player was player of the game. Now how's that for coincidence?

Yesterday: my youth group had the Mess Fest. I think every youth group in the country needs to have a Mess Fest. We split into 7 different groups with 10-12 people in each group. Then each group had to compete against another one in different events. Our first event - the youth leaders spread 2 sheets of tin foil on the ground (1 for each team) and held them down with bricks. Then they squirted little rows of whipped cream. One person of your team had to get down on their knees, suck in all the whipped cream, then run back and another person of your team had to suck up more whipped cream and you did that until your whole team did it. It doesn't sound particularly messy, but I got whipped cream all over my nose and mouth. Our team won that event (in fact, our team won ALL the events). 2nd event - each team filled a bucket with mud, then the team lined up one behind the other and one person passed the bucket overhead, the next person under their legs, next person overhead etc etc etc. Then the person at the end had to dump the mud in a bin and fill it up again and the passing goes again. Our bucket's handle broke, and it got a crack in it, but we still won. 3rd event - a member of each team puts a harness on their head, and the harnesses have little spikes at the top. You had to run under a thing with water balloons hanging from it (but the water balloons were filled with mud, whipped cream, pickle juice, and syrup). I popped a balloon with pickle juice in it, and the thing holding the balloons almost came down on my head. Luckily I was running fast enough to get out of the way. 4th event - Egg toss. A person on your team was given 2 eggs and then a container. You held the container on your head and the other person on your team had to throw the 2 eggs into the container. If even a part of the egg got into the container, it still counted. And then you had to throw your 2 eggs into their container. I missed both eggs thrown to me, and when I threw my 2 eggs, one of them made it in the container, the other one broke on the kid's head....oops....

Anyway, 5th event, you soaked a sponge with water, put your team in a single file line, and each team member handed it down to the next one until it got to the end. The team member on the end had to run over to a chair with a bucket underneath it, put the sponge on the chair, and sit on it (the water fell through the cracks in the chair into the bucket). Then you rewet the sponge and whoever had the most water won. 6th event - Each person on your team takes turns putting an empty soda bottle on their stomach, and another team member takes a frying pan, fills it with kool-aid, and tries to pour it into the soda bottle. The kid who was pouring for me wasn't even careful and he pretty much just threw the kool-aid all over my pants and shirt, and ooooooooh it was cold. Anyway, after that, the two winning teams (our team and some other team) got to throw water balloons (and we all know what's in the water balloons) at a youth leader of our choice (of each individual person's voice). So all of them got mucky. Then different people, if they wanted to, could do jello eating contests, and yucky food eating contests, and stuff like that, but I didn't participate in those.

Anyway, today - I went to my doctor's appointment. My doctor decided to do some more blood tests to see if I had an early stroke sometime in my life. I hate blood tests. They filled up 4 vials, then sent me home (which is 30 minutes away). Right when we get home, the hospital calls and says that we need to come back and do a redraw because they got bad blood. So we travel 30 minutes to go back, and by now, I'm pretty aggrivated, because I hate having my blood drawn. I have it drawn again, and...here I am, both of my arms sore, along with my legs and shoulder from all the running and stuff I did yesterday.

So....that's the new update

~*~Rach~*~

Where am I going to....

2006-09-13T11:18:00.000-07:00

Well.....I visited the ENT today. Our theory made sense. Sounded correct. Mom and I really had high hopes. We really hoped this was where it ended. Well....it IS a cyst. And the cyst is not what's causing the headaches. I'm right back to square one.....to say I'm disappointed is an understatement. I really had hopes. But as the doctor was explaining, I just had to fight back tears. I've never had to do that in a doctor's office. This visit meant a lot to me, cuz I thought the answer would be found.....it's still a mystery....

The doctor wants a sleep test done. I'm almost positive it's not needed. My sleep problems occured 2 months after the headaches started, and the headaches are what's causing my insomnia, not the other way around. He also mentioned that my 12-year-molars growing in could be causing the headaches, because I'm almost 14 and the last molar is just coming in. My dentist said that was perfectly alright and it should not be causing that level of pain.

I've gone down every road, taken every test, gone every way imaginable....and yet, there's nothing.....the only thing we have to fall back on is that this might be from a virus I had in February, where all my symptoms were flu-like (I had a fever of 103.4 for 3 days), but nobody else in my house caught it, which is highly unusual. So....the only way to get rid of a virus is to wait. Time gets rid of it. And reading online, it's sometimes gone in 6 months, but that's not in my case, because it's been 6 months and the headaches are still strong. Mine might be here for a year to 5 years.

I guess we can't really pray for a cause now, cuz we've eliminated everything. It's pretty much a medical mystery right now. There's nothing I can do but wait. All there is to pray for now is a miracle. God is a God of miracles....and hopefully soon He will heal me. But for right now I have to stay strong, keep my chin up, and fight through the worst. Please keep praying....it means more than you know.

6 out of the past 10 songs I've written lately have been about this trial. I wrote another song just today, hope you like it ;)

Bright Side Of Things (One More Day)
Verse 1 - Here I am gain
I'm back to where I started
It seems like I have been here
A million times before
Every path I find
Takes me around in circles
It seems like I'm not getting
Anywhere anymore
Disappointed as I may be
I will choose to see
The bright side of things

Chorus - It's one more day for me to smile
Throughout this everlasting fight
It's one more day for me to shine
God's everlasting light
It's one more day for me to trust
The God who causes me to sing
It's one more day for me to look
And see the bright side of things

Verse 2 - Here I am again
Living through this struggle
Unable to give up
Unable to give in
So many times in my life
He's carried me through trials
I know now as I fall
He'll carry me again
Grieved as I may be
I will choose to see
The bright side of things

(repeat chorus)

Bridge - It's one more day to go through life
Whether I've got strength to live it
Every breath is painful, but a gift from above
So I'm gonna give it all I got
Though I don't have much to give it
It's just one more day to trust the God I love

(repeat chorus)

Thanks you guys, keep it up!

~*~Rach~*~

I think we found it!!!!!!!

2006-09-08T16:40:00.000-07:00

I had a CT scan today for my sinuses, because my doctor thought she saw a cyst. After my CT scan, the nurse asked me, "Hun, have you had any trauma to your left eye or the left side of your head?" I said no at first. I've never been to the ER, so why would I have any trauma? I had been asked that question I think twice before, if I had any trauma to the left side of my head. Then I started thinking.....

When I was 7 years old, I had a bike accident, and it's probably the biggest accident I've ever had. I was riding, and my helmet (I wore one at the time, I don't now) was loose and was sliding over. So foolishly, I took both my hands off the handlebars and tried to straighten it. The bike started swerving, and then the front tire hit a rock in the road. I flipped over my bike, and landed head first on the left side of my face on the ground. My helmet, which fell over on the left side of my head, protected me from having a serious injury.....or, maybe just an ER visit. I was thinking, "Why would it be causing headaches NOW instead of then?" But I remembered my older brother, Steven. He had a bike accident when he was 12, and recently in January of this year (he is 21 years old), he was having problems, and it was because of that bike accident. Same might be for me. Mom and I viewed all the pictures of the CT scan, and we definitely saw there was something on the left side that wasn't on the right side. It might not even be a cyst. It could be something more, something I got from that bike accident.

It all makes sense. My focal ischemia is on the LEFT side of my brain. The cyst (if that's what it is) is on the LEFT side of my face. My LEFT eye happens to be far-sighted, and it wasn't before I was 7 years old. And, if anyone's seen pictures of me smiling, the right side of my face goes higher than the left side. My smile, since 7 years of age, has not been even. The left side has been lower: my right gum shows more than my left.

It's making sense. I'll go back to the doctor on Monday, I think. If he says it's not what's causing the headaches.....I think I'll just cry. If it IS from the bike accident, I will probably have to have facial surgery to have whatever it is fixed. I don't like the sound of surgery (I've never liked the sound of surgery, and I've never had it before), but I'll do whatever it takes to get rid of these. You don't know how desperately I hope this is what's causing the headaches. I've been praying for this to be the cause. Although it's kinda funny imagining God saying, "Why, that's a funny thing to pray for. Normally people pray to NOT have a trauma accident, not to have one." Anyway.....please, keep praying! It's definitely appreciated, as always!!

And I just wanted to say, Chad and Cameron, you guys are SO AWESOME. Your support has had a tremendous impact, just to know that people care enough to pray for me. You guys may not know it, but a couple of simple, "Keep going, we're praying for ya" comments really make me feel great and help me get through the day. I've learned a lot with this period of my life, that maybe you guys can think about too:

#1: I've learned to trust God fully and completely. People need to do keep their focus on God in daily life, but I never really knew the meaning of "trusting God" until this happened. I don't know where I'm going with this. This road has taken a whole bunch of unexpected turns, often leading me back to where I started, and at times it can be frustrating, and at times it can be heartbreaking, and at times I cry out, "Lord, where are You? I've been calling out on You and trusting in You for so long, and nothing has happened. You haven't showed Yourself. Where are You?" But 15 minutes later, I will accept it as it is, that God will help me in His time, and continue to trust in Him. People don't really see how much they need to trust God with their daily lives. I didn't see it before I got struck with these headaches. I need to trust that God has something in plan for my life, in either the near or far away future. Maybe I'll impact lots of lives. Maybe I'll have something much worse than this, so He's been strengthening me. I don't know.

#2: I've learned to NEVER, EVER, EVER take being painfree for granted. It's so easy to. I mean, everybody does. You go through your daily life, don't even think about how you're not in pain. You worry about other things, like emotional things or *gasp* homework!! But nobody ever thinks about not having any pain, and end up moaning and complaining about a temporary stomach ache. I used to do that too. I'll never complain about a simple sore leg or a cramped up stomach, because I'll remember what I went through before (whenever this is over). Nobody should ever take being painfree for granted. Be thankful you aren't going through such a trial as I am.

#3: I realized that I AM touching people's lives. I tell friends, friends's mothers, even my own family....they know what I'm going through. They can't imagine how I could ever stand this. They can't imagine what THEY'D do if they were in the same situation. And they gape at me and stutter out, "And...and you're still smiling??! Bless your heart!!" I say, "It's better than moping around all day." But I just can't help but smile through it. God loves me!! I have Jesus on my side!! People see me shining His light, and they are amazed. So, Chad and Cameron....if you ever go through a trial you think you can't possibly stand....if you're in constant pain and you just wish it would end....people are watching you. People see your reaction to it. If you ever find yourself in that situation, keep your focus and trust in God, smile throughout your pain, and shine His light. People will see it. And you can impact a lot of lives for Him that way. :)

Thank you for the prayers, you two are great!

~*~Rach~*~

Tests, tests, and more tests!

2006-09-07T11:18:00.000-07:00

I went to the ENT doctor yesterday, and much to my dismay, he does not think the cyst is what's causing the headaches. He is ordering a CT scan of the sinuses anyway just to be sure, but he does not think that he will find anything. That will be done tomorrow. So now I've got a thing on my brain and a cyst in my sinuses, but we're just going to leave them there!! I really hoped that the cyst WAS what was causing the headaches just so I could've gotten it removed and gotten this done with. But apparently it's not.

What does the doctor think the cause of the headaches is? Sleep deprevation, of all things!! Although I don't know why not getting enough sleep would cause headaches this bad and that reach its most intense peak around 6:00-8:00pm. He's ordering a sleep test for me, so I get to stay overnight at the hospital (hey, it's become almost my home anyway, why not sleep there, lol!) If we went through all of this stress, all of this money for tests and doctors, all of this time (almost half a year of headaches), just to learn that it was something as simple as sleep deprevation....eccch. Anyway, it could be possible, because on average I get 4 hours of sleep a night, and when I DO get to sleep, when my Mom is watching me sleep sometimes, she notices that I jump around a lot: my body continues to move while my mind rests, so my mind doesn't get effecient enough rest so my head hurts and I can't function very well in the morning. And it just dawned on me just this minute....this might be why my back and my leg is sore!! I had no clue why my back and leg hurt sooo bad, but now that just might be the case....

That's really kinda weird! But simple! Now I'm hoping that THIS is what's causing the headaches!! Although doesn't it seem kinda wasteful to go through all that and learn the cause is just sleep deprevation? Of course, we don't KNOW that....but it's possible.

Anyway, any and all prayers are DEFINITELY appreciated, and they work to help me get through the day too! Thank you so much!

~*~Rach~*~

2006-09-05T15:47:00.002-07:00

Last time I posted a long blog on my vacation, but it didn't show....so....to make a long story short, it was amazing!! Got to swim in a humongous pool, saw a huge snake by the cabins (we stayed in a park in the woods in Sterling, Virginia), went to D.C....lots of cool stuff.

Although I did get one nasty surprise out of that trip. Earlier today, I was at the bank with my Mom and my little brother, and he asked, "Rach, what's that on your arm?" I glanced at what he was pointing at and said, "I don't know..." Mom looked at it and said it was probably a scab, cuz that's what it looked like. I looked closely and saw that the small flat black bump had legs. I took it off and saw it was a deer tick. Must've gotten it on one of my shirts on vacation, and it stayed there until I put it on again. Deer ticks are no good, I tell you. A lot of them carry around a virus called Lyme's Disease, which is where you are in complete pain all over your body (especially when someone touches or hugs you), and you have seizures a lot. So...I'm pretty mad at that deer tick right now, and praying that I don't have to deal with Lyme's Disease along with these headaches!

Speaking of which, tomorrow I see the ENT (Ear Nose and Throat) doctor to see about this cyst, and I honestly hope it's what causing the headaches, cuz I just want this done with! I don't care if I have to go through surgery, I don't care, it'll be so worth it!!

Also, I just received the Jump5 CD "Rock This Christmas" in the mail from my friend Stefanie. That's the only J5 CD that you have to order online cuz they didn't finish recording it and getting a record deal quick enough last year. I can't buy things online, so my friend went to a concert, bought one for me, and sent it to it. I really love it!! I like how their style is developing and maturing as they get older.

Not much else. School is okay. Today I did a couple of math lessons (BLECH!!), watched a couple videos on Plimoth Plantation and Holland (you know, when the Dutch came to New York City a long long time ago, which used to be New Amsterdam City). Started reading "Witch of Blackbird Pond." I like it so far. I also took a couple of surveys and stuff researching what kind of jobs I would be best at, even though I am completely set on either performing on stage or being a music teacher (and I'd like to be an author in my past time, because the two subjects I am absolutely best at are music and writing). Right now, I'm pinpointing on colleges I'd like to go to and career options.

That's all.

~*~Rach~*~

2006-09-05T15:47:00.001-07:00

2006-09-05T15:47:00.000-07:00

I'M....BACK!!!

2006-09-02T16:04:00.000-07:00

Vacation was AMAZING, but boy am I glad to be home. Tons and tons happened, and this post will be long, but let's try and keep it a little bit shorter.

I went to Sterling, Virginia to stay in Algonkian Regional Park. Nobody's ever heard of it, but I've been there before (almost 7 years ago), and it is a wonderful place to stay. You stay in cabins in a large park with a golf course, and a humongous swimming pool with waterslides, a water fort, and lifeguards who really know what they're doing and don't get distracted at all (that's why you hear about 700 whistle tweets per 30 minutes because they always catch someone if they're running or doing some other dangerous activity around the pool). It's a beautiful park. Try researching it online for a vacation idea.

I visited my older brother Billy, his wife Sue, and my nephew Ryan; and my older sister Lisa, her husband Heath, and my neices Meredith and Kelly. It's very, very odd to be an aunt at the age of 13 (especially because I have another niece, Erin, who's 19 and is in college, so it's REALLY weird to be an aunt to someone who's older than you!). Meredith is only 5 months younger than me, Ryan is 9, and Kelly is 4. My Dad likes to say, "Our vacation was %87 perfect and %13 Ryan." Honestly, we spent a lot of our time correcting, disciplining, and trying to deal with Ryan. Let me give you a brief description:

He is a rambunctious boy with a ton of energy and he absolutely DEMANDS attention. And not positive attention either: he gets it negatively. He'll hum loudly, sing loudly, make noises, and touch people like crazy until someone finally has had their fill and says, "Ryan, stop it!!!' And that's what he wants. He also denies reality: everybody hears him as he sings loudly to get attention. We tell him, "Ryan, please be quiet." And immediately, he cuts us off in the middle of the sentence (which he does a lot of too) saying, "I didn't! I didn't do it!" And everyone knows he did, but he never admits it, and he often puts the blame on other people. He also is very disrespectful, and has made nasty comments to all of us. He's even snapped back at his own grandparents (aka my Mom and Dad). Lastly, he is an incredible liar. Examples: one day, we were someplace where there was a piano, and he can't play worth spit, but he bangs on it anyway. Well, he just got done touching his dirty smelly socks, then he asks to play the piano. Meredith and I tell him no, not until he washes his hands. So he does, and we ask if he used soap. He says yes. We smell his hands. We smell no soap. We tell him to wash his hands with soap. He says he did. We know he didn't. We send him back and he FINALLY washes his hands with soap. Another example: he wanted to go to Chuckie Cheese's for pizza, but we went to Uno's instead. So he said, "Uno's pizza makes me puke and makes me sick." We ate there anyway. He loved the pizza, and it didn't make him sick. He's made such a bad habit of it that on the rare occasion that he tells the truth, we never know it.

Anyway, let's talk about the adventures: we found a huge snake by our cabins, which is kinda freaky, but kinda cool at the same time. I probably lost, like, 5 pounds because my super active sister made us walk 5 miles in one day (and I'm normally used to 1!). Washington D.C. was amazing, and I got to see the Capitol building, the document building which held the Declaration, Constitution, Bill of Rights, and such, and I saw the National Gallery of Art (which Dad absolutely loves). Watched the movie, "The Champ," which I didn't think was that good, but everyone else did. We played Dominos, Monopoly, and Pit about ten billion times. In 1 weeks time, I've written 4 more songs.

How about this for an adventure? One day we (me, my little bro, Mom, and Dad) ate at a Subway. While we were ordering our food, there was this pop and a whirring sound. It was weird, but we still finished ordering our food. Suddenly firetrucks and police cars started rushing into the parking lot. The Subway caught fire!! Everyone got out alright though.

Watching all the news about Iran going against Israel really is fulfilling prophecy. The rapture is coming soon, I believe, and I strongly think that it will happen in our age. Maybe even before I hit my 18th birthday. But who knows. We just have to be prepared and tell as many people as we can, because once we're raptured, we ain't gonna be here to tell them anymore!!

That's all. Headaches were S-T-R-O-N-G during vacation, but I enjoyed my time nonetheless. One night, I just got sick of it, cuz a lot of times I really want to give up this fight with my headaches, but I can't give up. It's not an option. I've been trusting God the whole way through, and right now, I really don't know if He's holding my hand and leading me through or carrying me. But it's getting difficult....but on vacation, one night, I looked into the mirror, and I saw that I glowed. I was shining God's light. You know how sometimes you look at someone and you can just see them glowing with God's light? I saw it on me.....made me very happy. :)

~*~Rach~*~

The tribulation is coming...

2006-08-21T16:08:00.000-07:00

Okay, for the minor news: headache update. I went back to the doctor today, and she said that all my blood tests came back normal. She says the focal ischemia on my brain is NOT what is causing my headaches, because it just can't. The danger of having focal ischemia on my brain is that, a couple years from now, there's a great possibility of me getting a stroke. But we're not all concerned about that right now. The only thing we're concerned about is the headaches, and the doctor found something on my second MRI that might be the cause of it (but, as always, we don't know yet): on the left side of my face, underneath my cheek in the sinus area, I have a cyst about the size of a pea (but, all considering, that's pretty large). So, after my 10-day vacation in Washington D.C. starting this Thursday and lasting through September 2nd (can't wait!!!), I'll see yet ANOTHER doctor to look at this cyst. We're all kinda left in the dark right now, and the headaches are getting more and more painful, but hey, God is good, He'll help me in His own good time....although I can't say that I don't want the headaches gone NOW. Believe me, if YOU got intense smashing headaches that lasted all day everyday for the past 4 months, you'd find it pretty tough.

Now for the big news (hence the subject title): The tribulation is coming. Yes, that means the rapture. It's coming. "Well, DUH, of COURSE it's coming. It could come any day. That's not news." yeah, but nobody's really gotten serious about it. One book that you should REALLY read is, "The Story Behind 'Left Behind.'" It talks about what the book series was based on, and where in the Bible it says everything, and it's really awesome. It gives a Biblical view of the end times. But check this out:

-In 1948 (I think it was?), Israel gathered back into a nation. This was a BIG fulfillment in prophecy. It was a BIG part of the coming of the tribulation and the rapture.

-Another prophecy is that is written is that Israel would be under attack by a powercrazed man named Gog. No, that's not his real name: it's like a title, like Pharaoh, or President. Where exactly is Gog, and what lands is he using to attack Israel? They're all Muslim, Islamic lands: Russia, Turkey, Iran, Sudan, Libya, and others. That's a prophecy. Look what is happening today. Some call it the beginning of World War 3. Israel is getting attacked by Muslim countries. They claim they want to "wipe out the entire race of Israel." THE PROPHECY IS BEING FULFILLED AS WE SPEAK.

Guys, the tribulation is near. Nobody knows HOW near (I mean, Israel coming back as a nation happened around 70 years ago); the rapture could happen in 2 minutes, or 20 days, or 200 years. Nobody knows. But prophecy is being fulfilled, and everyday we are closer to the end times. Think of ALLLLLLL those people who don't know or haven't accepted Christ. Take a look around your school, around your neighborhood, around your town....even take a look around your church. I guarantee you, although it breaks your heart and you probably wouldn't admit it for a million bucks, there are people, especially youth, inside your church that say they are Christians, but you know they aren't really saved. Now is the time to get the message out: Christ is coming.

After reading the Left Behind series, it really caused me to think: where am I with my spiritual walk? Am I really who I claim to be? If Christ came back tomorrow....would I be left behind? It was just after my 13th birthday that I finished the Left Behind series, and I started questioning myself: if you died tomorrow, where would you go? Are you confident that you'd go to heaven? Truthfully? I wasn't. And I was scared to death. I knew that I had prayed the Salvation Prayer when I was 9, but I still didn't feel like I was really saved (that was probably because, when you're 9, you're really just making an exclamation; you aren't old enough to really have your own walk of faith; you are under the sanctification of your parents). When you hit teenage years, that's when you have to make your own decision: will I or will I not serve Christ and give my entire life to Him? A couple weeks after I was 13, lying in bed, I was just terrified. That night I surrendered myself.

And, this is NOT what most Christians believe, and really, I have never even heard this before, until my Dad (who has been blessed with wisdom from the Lord) told me, and I really think it to be true: when you dedicate your whole life to Christ, you do NOT receive the Holy Spirit on the spot (*GASP! What on earth is she talking about?!?! She's crazy!*) No, hear me out: if it really worked that way, it's kinda like YOU set the limits. You call God into your heart in YOUR own timing. It's kinda like: "Hey, God. *snaps fingers* Hey, over here. Okay, I wanna ask You into my heart and dedicate my life to You. Amen. Okay, there, done. Now that I'm saved, I can go do whatever I want." Sounds kinda shallow, doesn't it? Sadly, that's mostly what happens.

I believe that, when you ask Jesus into your heart, you are really just telling Him that you believe in His son and that He died on the cross, and you cannot pay back what God deserves out of you, and you know that Jesus did that part for you. The part that you have to do is have a heart for obedience, and you tell God that, "I will serve You and worship You and love You forever." And then, when God knows you're really sincere, He will send you the Holy Spirit, and believe me, you'll know when you receive it. The timing varies with different people: with me, it was about a month or two after I had accepted Him. But when I felt Him, it was just this overwhelming peace. It's indescribable. You'll definitely know if you feel Him.

Anyway, where was I going with this? Oh yeah....do you KNOW that you're going to heaven if you die tomorrow (and it may very well happen)? Do you KNOW that if Jesus came back tomorrow, you would NOT be left behind? And if you say, "Well....i THINK I'm not gonna be left behind...." it probably means you're not truly saved. I don't mean that to sound harsh, but I'm just trying to tell the truth here. I mean, you may say that you love God with all your heart, and you are a good person inside and out, but only you know if you're truly saved (if you act THAT way, that is; if you act in another certain way, like the rest of the world, people can tell by your fruit that you're not).

Right now, there's only one thing we need to do: GET THE MESSAGE OUT. It's MUCH better to be in heaven during the seven years of tribulation than to be on earth on that time, and it's much better to be a saved person on earth than an unsaved person on earth. Read the Left Behind series, and read Revelation. That is what will happen to those left behind. It's time we really get serious about spreading the message. If you're very introverted and shy (like me), then you probably won't feel comfortable walking up to someone, handing out a tract, and saying, "Do you know Jesus loves you?" And it's even harder to do with one of your best friends or family members than it is with a complete stranger. So....just do as me. I'm sending out emails and stuff with this exact same message. It NEEDS to be known. (but if you DO have the ability to walk up to someone and tell them the message, then that's great too).

Tell them the message. LIVE the message. If you are in great pain or in a great trial, keep a smile on your face and praise the Lord throughout it all. People see that. Even when you think this trial is worthless and nobody knows you're going through it and nobody cares that you're keeping a smile on, believe me, people see it. People see the light of Jesus shining through you if you let it.

America, what will we miss while we are sleeping?
Will Jesus come again and leave us slumbering where we lay?
America, will we go down in history
As a nation with no room for it's King
While we were sleeping.....while we were sleeping.....

Please let Jesus not find His children sleeping.

~*~Rach~*~

P.S. sorry for the long post, but, eh, when you get me talking, it's hard for me to stop ;)

UNSPEAKABLE JOY!!!!

2006-08-15T06:02:00.000-07:00

I've got to post this, or else I'm going to explode!!!!

Well, yesterday I saw the doctor again. The brain wave test came back normal, but we're still trying to see what this thing on my brain is. So tomorrow I have more blood tests and I have to do another MRI (which is not the same as a brain wave test), except with contrast so I have to get an IV shot and I have to stay in the machine for up to 40 minutes. And it's pretty likely that I'll also get a spinal tap test (I think that's what it's called), which is where I have to go to the hospital, bunch up as tight as I can (my knees have to touch my chest and my head has to be on my knees so my spine sticks out as much as possible), and then they have to stick a needle back there and draw out 3 or 4 little tubes of spinal fluid (and Mom, though she's never had it done to her before, used to work as a nurse, and she says from the patients she's done it on that it's a very uncomfortable procedure). Then because my spinal fluid just decreased dramatically, I have to lay down for the entire rest of the day, meaning I have to be wheeled to the backseat of the car in a wheelchair, and I have to lay in the backseat, and then somehow make it to the couch in the living room without passing out (since Mom ain't strong enough to carry me, neither is my little brother, and my Dad is a truck driver, so he's never home).

But let me tell you something: today, my body feels sick. I still have the headaches, and I have a very upset stomach because I switched off a medicine that has nasty side effects when you suddenly get taken off of it, but my spirit can't be happier. Last night, for the first time since I got these headaches, I started to get really scared because this thing on my brain seemed bigger than I thought it was, but I just prayed to God and said, "Dear Lord, I'm really scared right now. But I don't care how long I have these headaches. I don't care what I have to go through. I don't care if this lasts until I'm 78. I put my entire trust in You, because right now I need to trust You the most. I love You SO much, and I know You see me, and I know You will help me in Your own good time." And that night, I felt the Holy Spirit again....but last time I felt Him, it was indescribable peace. This time it was UNSPEAKABLE JOY!!!!!! I was just soooo happy that I was just laughing, and I just had to tell my Mom, and we spent an hour just talking about how great our God is (and because I was so happy, I only got 2 hours of sleep last night, but that's okay, because nowadays because of my headaches, on average I get 4 hours of sleep).

And the joy stayed for this morning! My body is sick, but my spirit is alive and well!!! I was so happy that right when my alarm clock rung at 6:00am, instead of just laying around like I normally do, I just got right up! I walked my dog on time (finally), and did all my chores early (normally I end up doing them late), and not because I felt like I needed to, because I WANTED to!! I am just SOOOO happy today, it's indescribable!!!!

I just feel like the whole world is on my side right now. I mean, I COULD look at all the bad things (you know, never in a million years would I have thought that I would get something wrong on my brain), but right now I just see joy all around. I mean, this September, I'm going to Atlanta to go to an Atlanta Braves game!!! And plus, I go on vacation next week, and today I get to rent a movie that I wanted to see for a while, and just....I FEEL SO HAPPY!!!!!!!! My body is feeling sick, but I just feel GREAT!!!! I LOVE GOD SO MUCH!!!! I trust Him and I love Him so much, and I don't have a problem with it either. I'm not really the type who moans, "Why me, God? Why?" That puts the focus on YOURSELF and not on GOD. I just love God so much and nothing will ever change that. I'm just overjoyed to shine God's light. I see this trial as an opportunity to shine Christ's light and let other people see Him in me. Isn't that wonderful??!

Anyway, I'll be quiet now, because I could just praise God all day. God is the great comforter and the great healer, and He will help me in His own good time. He sees me, I know He does. He loves me so much, and I love Him so much too!!! He's just given me unspeakable joy right now. These headaches will NOT get me down today!!!

"Sing to the Lord a new song;
Sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord, praise His name;
Proclaim His salvation day after day.
Declare His glory among the nations,
His marvelous deeds among all peoples.
For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
He is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are idols,
But the Lord made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before Him;
Strength and glory are His sanctuary.
Ascribe to the Lord, O families of nations,
Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name;
Bring an offering and come into His courts.
Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness;
Tremble before Him, all the earth.
Say among the nations, 'THE LORD REIGNS!' -Amen!!
The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;
He will judge the people with equity.
Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
Let the sea resound, and all that is in it;
Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them.
Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy;
They will sing before the Lord, for He comes,
He comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
And the peoples in His truth.
The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad;
Let the distant shores rejoice!" -Psalm 67 & 97

"Because she loves Me," says the Lord, "I will rescue her;
I will protest her, for she acknowledges My name.
She will call upon Me, and I will answer her;
I will be with her in trouble,
I will deliver her and honor her.
With long life will I satisfy her
And show her My salvation." -Psalm 91: 14-16

~*~Rach~*~

2006-08-10T18:14:00.000-07:00

Time for a new blog....

Monday I had my brain wave test. Let me tell you, if you want to be bored for an hour and a half, go get a brain wave test. For the first hour, the nurse measured my head, pulled my hair around, put little red marks on my head to mark where to put the sensors, and all that stuff. Then for the next 30 minutes I had the actual test. They put a whole bunch of little sensors attached to a machine on my head, and then told me to lie flat on my back with my eyes closed. They turned out the lights and left me there. I had to keep my eyes closed the entire time unless they told me specifically, "Open your eyes.....now close them again.....open....close..." And then for 20 minutes I just laid there. I almost fell asleep. Then the nurse told me, "Okay, we're going to do the hyperventilation test." In which I had to breathe fast and hard with my mouth open for 3 whole minutes (and believe me, no matter WHO is doing that test, EVERYONE gets lightheaded during that period, and so did I). Then they did the light test, which, while my eyes were closed, they placed this light right in front of my eyes. Then it went, "Blink blink blink blink" and kept on doing that, and man, the light was BLINDING!!!!! It hurt!! They had me on camera and I'm pretty sure they could see me squirming on the bed. I definitely didn't like that. At the end I felt like my neck was broken (the position they had it in was painful!) and my hair was all messed up, but I got through it (lol). I'll get the results next Monday.

On November 1st (2 days before my birthday) I have to have another MRI, except this time, instead of 20 minutes, I have to lay in it up to 40 minutes because they want to add color to the pictures.

Boy I can't wait till we figure out what this is so we can make it stop!! But, like always, I'm not going to spend my life moaning about how terrible this seems (which, compared to other people's problems, is not really all that bad, I mean, it's not like I have cancer, or at least I don't think) or lying in my bed doing nothing. These headaches have limited some of the things that I do, but God rules my life, not my pain. God will help me through it, no matter how long it takes!!

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD
MAKER OF HEAVEN AND EARTH!!

~*~Rach~*~

2006-08-07T19:37:00.000-07:00

Today I went to the neurologist. Okay, let's back up: when the doctor called me back with results, he said that I had some virus on my brain called focal ischemia, which is where a vein gets clogged. And, well, it's highly unusual in 13 year olds (in fact, 9 out of 10 people who have it are 50 and older, and have gone through a stroke!!). My neurologist said she didn't think I had it, that I had migraines (but I honestly don't think I do, because NONE of the migraine medication is working). And so I have to go through a brain wave test tomorrow (you wouldn't BELIEVE all the stinkin tests I have to go through!) and I'm taking MORE medication (I've taken more pills in the past 2 months than I have my whole entire life). Ugggghhhh.....

But, enough with the bad news, let's get on with the good news. On Saturday, I bought Casting Crown's "Lifesong" CD, and it is AWESOME!! I saw them in concert in April with my youth group, and I decided, "Hey, I like them" so now I have finally gotten around to getting a CD. I've been fully capable of buying it a long time ago, but I usually start in June and save up money to buy birthday and Christmas gifts for the family (it helps that all my family's birthdays, including mine, are in November). And every year I go broke buying stuff for them. I mean, last year on birthday season alone (for Mom, Dad, and my brothers Steven and James) I spend $75 on them!! So yeah, I've got to save up a lot. But I decided, "Hey, why not treat myself to something," so I bought the Casting Crowns CD. It's great!!! My new favorite song (which changes every week) is off that CD, called, "Love Them Like Jesus." You just HAVE to hear it. And also, there's this song called, "Praise You In This Storm" which, like many others, relates to me.

I think that's all. I'll shut up now.

~*~Rach~*~

2006-08-04T11:37:00.000-07:00

Well...I got my MRI results today. We really expected nothing to be there but, eh, we were wrong. The brain has a gray matter (the outer part) and a white matter (the inner part). On the left side of my brain, in the white matter, the MRI showed some abnormalty. As of right now, we don't know what it is (I'll get more results either today or tomorrow). There's the possibility of a vasculitis (sp?), which is something like a damaged blood vessel in the brain, and if that's what we really think it is, then I'll have to get a biopsi (which is where they take a needle, put it in your head, and take out some blood), and if that confirms positive, then I'll be put on steroids for a little bit to cure it.

BUT...the doctor does NOT think it's vasculitis. He doens't know what it is, but if it's not, then I have to go to ANOTHER doctor to examine my head and...well...we'll go from there.

So I got something on my brain, and we don't know what the something is yet. But, as long as it's not a tumor or something like that, I'm not too worried.

For the test to see if I have vasculitis, they had to draw some blood. I hate that. Last time, they had to take 12 samples and I almost passed out (I react that way). Well, I only had to have 1 sample taken, so I didn't think I'd react that bad, but my vein (stupid vein) didn't stay still and kept moving around, so once the nurse put the needle in, the vein moved, so the nurse had to move the needle. GOSH, it HURT!!! And they did it on the other arm to see if it were any better, and it wasn't, so THAT arm hurt. And then I almost passed out again (but fortunately, I didn't). They helped me to a bed (the same one they use for EKGs) and finally was able to draw the sample. But now my arms hurt really bad, especially the arm that they put the needle in twice. I hate having my blood drawn.

But, hey, check it out, I wrote a new song yesterday. The inspiration from the song came from the day before I wrote it. Mom and I were praying because my headache was hurting really, really bad. So after we prayed, four words popped into my mind: "It Will End Soon." So...I wrote a song about it! (And it was almost like God GAVE me the words to the song...cuz the words just came into my mind so naturally) And here it is:

It Will End Soon (I Remember You):
I see you
I see your pain everyday
I hear you
I hear every prayer you say
I remember you
I remember your faithfulness to Me
I have not forgotten you
You do not have to worry

(chorus) It will end soon
I'll send a way for you
You have put your trust in Me
I know you're waiting to see
When the tears will end
And you'll be strong again
You're such a faithful child
Upon you I smile
I remember you
I'll send a way for you

I know you
I know your every need
I love you
I love you more than you can see
I have plans for you
I have plans for your life
I have not forgotten you
You are a child of Mine

(repeat chorus)

I see you (I see your love for Me)
I see you (I see your trust in Me)
I remember you (you're not alone)
I'm here
I love you (more than words can say)
I love you (each and every day)
I see your pain
It will end soon

(repeat chorus)

No matter how bad my brain hurts, it doesn't hurt bad enough for me to pray and thank God for everything He's given me!!!

~*~Rach~*~

2006-07-30T18:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got an MRI, which is like a CT scan, except it views more and is better at taking pictures or something like that. If you don't know what either an MRI or a CT scan is, it's pretty much where you lay down on some kind of table that goes into a tube-shaped thing, and you have your head restrained (if you're getting an MRI for your head), and you have to lay verrrrrry still, not moving a single muscle. And then the tube-shaped machine you go into takes pictures of your brain, making very loud loud loud noises while doing it (but they give you earplugs, thankfully). I don't have the results yet, but I don't think there's anything on my brain, or at least not anything life threatening.

On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most painful, my headache has been a 10 all day. And it really stinks when NO pain relievers will work and you have to work through the pain!! These headaches make me fatigued too, so I can barely even walk around. BUT, I love God, God loves me, God will give me strength and hope. I listened to this beautiful song recorded by Selah, called "You Raise Me Up". it's very relavent! Here's how it goes:

"When I am down, and oh, my soul's so weary
When troubles come and my heart burdened be
Then I am still, and wait here in the silence
Until You come and sit awhile with me

(chorus) You raise me up so I can stand on mountains
You raise me up to walk on stormy seas
I am strong when I am on Your shoulders
You raise me up to more than I can be

There is no life, no life without this hunger
Each restless heart beats so imperfectly
But when You come, I am filled with wonder
Sometimes I think I glimpsed eternity

(repeat chorus)"

That's how great our God is!! Can you believe how totally unfair God has made life? I mean, we give our hearts to Him, we repent, we serve Him, we please Him, we try and live for Him with all of our hearts.....and, first off, He has sent his son, His only son, to not only die but be beaten to a bloody PULP (taking our punishment) and paying everything back to God in full in our place. And then He accepts our repentence and sends His holy spirit into our hearts to guide us, give us strength, give us peace, give us comfort, and all that good stuff. Then we have the promise that, once we get the Holy Spirit, we are guarenteed to go to heaven. Once we are saved, we cannot become unsaved. I mean, if we don't obey, we lose our rewards in heaven, but once we are saved, we are saved forever (what a promise!!) And if we DO obey Him and do His will our whole lives, think of all the rewards we get in heaven! I can only imagine what His faithful servants will get up there!! But wait, before we even GET to heaven, what about all the blessings we get on earth? Think of ALL the times God has blessed you. Your parents, your siblings, all the good things on earth.....THINK OF ALL THE GOOD THINGS ON EARTH!! They're innumerous! And we're still so young. Think of how many blessings we have yet to get if we follow Him! And think of all the promises He's made and He does not fail to keep. Can you believe we have a God like that? Can you BELIEVE we have a God like that!? We sin and sin and sin and sin and sin and displease Him and all that nasty stuff that He absolutely HATES, and for some unknown reason HE LOVES US SO MUCH that He gave His only son, Jesus!! How can a God as almighty as He love such sinful creatures like us?! Amazing love, how can it be, that You, my King, should die for me!! We love Him with all that we have, and He loves us MORE!! Though we give our all, what we give is awfully little compared to all the amazing things He gives and does for us. We get so much for so little. How unfair is that?!

It's overwhelming. Just overwhelming.

Oh, and speaking of how indescribable God is, guess what? My older 21-year-old brother, Steven, is dating a girl that he's going to college with (her name is Megan). Megan is not a Christian. Whenever Steven comes to visit us, he ALWAYS brings Megan along, and Dad, having wisdom that God gave him, will give us some lessons from the Bible. Megan would listen in, and not really think much of it. But today, after a powerful lesson Dad taught us, Mom just told Megan basically that we had all been praying for her. We all had God (the most important thing in the world), and we really, really wanted her to have Him too. We wanted her to have the greatest gift ever: salvation. We wanted her to know what we knew. And we told her that, no matter how much we loved her, no matter how much her family loved her, even no matter how much Steven loved her, God loved her so much more. And Megan just burst into tears. She and Mom hugged, and before anyone could see me, I ran into the bathroom and I started to cry too!! Megan thanked us so much, and, can you believe it?! God works in such great ways!! Megan may soon be adopted into the family of Christ!! I think that's something worth rejoicing about!

And, with how amazing and awesome and indescribable and all powerful and with EVERYTHING that God is, my headaches seem kinda lousy, don't they??

OUR GOD IS AN AWESOME GOD!!!!

~*~Rach~*~

2006-07-26T15:15:00.000-07:00

Is it time to post a new blog? I think it is.....

We finally figured out the cause.....wait....we THINK we finally figured out the cause for my headaches. I still have to see the doctor on Friday to confirm it (and I still think I have to get a CT scan. I'll be the first in my family to get one). I caught the flu in February (my fever reached 103.4). I got some kind of a virus in my blood, and it went up to my brain and settled there. It'll take 1 to 5 years to get rid of it. And the bad thing is, I have to live with it with no cure. Pain reliever doesn't ease the pain, migraine medicine doesn't, vitamins don't, special herbal oil stuff doesn't....we've tried EVERYTHING, and nothing eases it. So....I'll have to live with it. BUT! I'm a child of God's. He's gonna help me through if I just place my hope and trust in Him. It's FANTASTIC being a Christian, isn't it?

This past Sunday, we had an excellent message at church (so were the past 2 sermons, actually). This Sunday it was about how we Christians can be sure we're going to heaven (pretty much if you have the Holy Spirit inside of you, you are going to heaven). And also what's beyond heaven. When we die, we go immediately to heaven, and then we return to earth with the Second Coming of Christ. Then we go to a new earth (New Jeruselem).

I honestly don't know where I'd be without God right now. I can't imagine what life would be like if I didn't have the strong relationship with God that I do. Has anyone ever felt the Holy Spirit (otherwise known as the Holy Comforter)? It's AWESOME. I remember I first felt Him in...February, I think? The month my Aunt Sheri passed away? I was scared, confused, grieving....and suddenly there was this overwhelming calming sensation that came over me. It can't be described with words. God is so awesome. What a hope we have in Him.

I was looking through some of my notebooks (I've got, like, 20 of them scattered around my room from how often I write), and I saw a page in one where I had written down the lyrics of the song, "In Christ Alone." It's VERY appropriate for what I'm going through right now. Check it out (it's my favorite song ever):

"In Christ alone, my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My comforter, my all in all
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and rightousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
Till on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand"

We sang that song on Easter at my church. It was so powerful, I started crying. It's WONDERFUL.

God bless y'all
~*~Rach~*~

P.S. GO BRAVES!!!!

2006-07-15T16:29:00.001-07:00

Boy, am I tired. It happens when you stay up till 1:30am watching a baseball game. It started at 9:00pm, and then it lasted 2 extra innings. But....the Braves fought darned hard for their score (even though their closer Jorge Sosa blew TWO saves), and in the end, they beat the Padres 15-12. It was a big game.

Anyway, tired as I was, my family still went shopping today (because I was in desperate need of pants). I got some capri's, a pair of dark jeans, a pair of white jeans, and a pair of khaki pants that have some kind of decoration on it....it's very different-looking, but very cool. I'm pretty good pants-wise now. I also got 3 new pairs of earrings (not that you care, but anyway LOL).

In a little itty-bitty teeny-tiny jewelry/girly-girl store like Claire's, it's very easy to quietly sneak a pair of earrings or a toe ring into a purse or pocket and walk out with it. Or at least you would think. Today I saw a teenage girl get arrested for trying to shoplift. I don't know HOW she got caught (because what cop would hang around a store like Claire's), but she was caught, handcuffed, and arrested, and she was crying and scared like heck....but I guess she's never going to shoplift again.

Right now it's 96 degrees up here. A couple days when I went to the county fair, it was 98 degrees with %97 humidity, so it felt SOOOO much hotter. Coming up, starting Sunday and lasting through Wednesday, the temperatures in our area are supposed to reach 107 degrees. I'm very sensitive to heat, so I'll be staying inside all day......

~*~Rach~*~

2006-07-14T08:40:00.000-07:00

Haha. An article I wrote myself. Let me tell you, I'm not very happy with the Atlanta Braves (my favorite baseball team) talking about trading Marcus Giles (my favorite baseball player). I know he'll probably change teams anyway in 2008 and move to the west coast (to try and play with his older brother), but they're talking about trading him NOW, and I don't want them to trade him NOW. He's the best (not to mention the shortest) second baseman in all of baseball!! Even though everyone else on the team is 6'0" and taller and he's only 5'8", he can play just as well as any of them. Even if they DO trade him, Marcus Giles will continue to be my favorite baseball player (while Atlanta Braves continue to be my favorite team).

Sorry, I doubt any of y'all care, but I just had to post it. Hope they keep him on the team till 2008. GO BRAVES!!!!

~*~Rach~*~

2006-07-07T14:30:00.000-07:00

Okay, after this post, I promise I won't post blogs so often. I post too much!!

Anyway, I got my Cat5 test scores in!! And guess what.....I GOT IN THE 95th PERCENTILE!!! That's good!!!! I did as well on my test as someone who had graduated high school would if he/she had taken the same test. If you did average on a subject, you would get 50%. If you did above average, you would get higher than 50% up to 99%, and if you were below average, then...well, you get the point. And you'll have a particular grade average that goes with it, like if you did as well as a 9th grader did on that particular subject, then you would get a 9 and so on. So here's what I did in my subjects:
Social Studies: Percentile ranking: %92. Grade Equiv.: PHS (which means Post High School, which means college age)
Science: Percentile ranking: %80. Grade Equiv.: 11.6
Study Skills: Percentile ranking: %93. Grade Equiv.: PHS
Math Concepts: Percentile ranking: %53. Grade Equiv.: 8
Math Computation: Percentile ranking: %45. Grade Equiv.: 7.3 (okay so I guess you can see what my weak point is!)
Language Expression: Percentile ranking: %97. Grade Equiv.: PHS
Language Mechanics: Percentile ranking: %99 (the highest you can go!!) Grade Equiv.: PHS
Spelling: Percentile ranking: %94. Grade Equiv.: PHS
Comprehension: Percentile ranking: %96. Grade Equiv.: PHS
Vocabulary: Percentile ranking: %85. Grade Equiv.: 11.3

I'm pretty happy. Overall I did as well as a PHS would do. So I'm happy!

~*~Rach~*~

2006-07-06T19:05:00.000-07:00

I got luck from Texas. I got luck from Florida. I got luck from Georgia. I got luck from Maryland. I got luck from Illinois. I got luck from Indiana. I got luck from EVERYWHERE (even Singapore!!) But it STILL wasn't enough. My dog FAILED the 3rd year in a row. He was scared to DEATH. During his sit stays and down stays, he stayed for a matter of 5 seconds each and for the rest tried to dive under the fence and escape. His heeling off leash was terrible also, but actually, his obedience score improved a lot. My 1st year obedience score was 133 out of 200. 2nd year was 137 out of 200. This year was 182.5 out of 200. But my showmanship judge I guess was new at judging (I think both of them were new because my obedience judge didn't even know how to judge one of my exercises and I had to tell her!!) And she gave me a whopping 25 points off just for 2 things I got wrong. 1st year showmanship score: 187 out of 200. 2nd year: 193 out of 200. This year: 175 out of 200. Eh. Well, I tried all season long and he did it well during practice, but not during the show. One thing's for sure, he is NOT going back next year!!!

I thought I'd be super depressed for a long time, but when I came home, it's the top of the 9th inning with the Braves against the Reds, and WOOHOO the Braves are winning 7 to 2!!!! I guess I'm happy again.

~*~Rach~*~

2006-07-05T14:34:00.000-07:00

The dog show is tomorrow.....earlier when I was practicing with Coffee, he did EXCELLENT!!!! If he does as well as he did today at the show, then I'll win first place. Coffee knows how to do the stuff, he just needs to not get so distracted or scared once he reaches the show. And no matter what happens, if I win or if I fail, I'm going to Don's Drive-in and getting myself a big huge chocolate Boston Shake. I don't care if it goes against my diet. I'm ordering one if I win to celebrate or if I fail to cheer me up.

Last night it was clear, so I stepped right outside onto my balcony and watched all the pretty fireworks. It's great to not have to GO somewhere to watch a firework show, and just to be able to watch them in your own neighborhood.

I'm so BORED. *yawn*

~*~Rach~*~

2006-07-03T14:59:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'll post the song in a second, but just to update you on a couple other things. At the informal dog show, my dog did everything except one thing WRONG. He was highly distracted and during showmanship he was scared to death and tried to run to Mom in the stands, but ha, I wouldn't let him. I think he'll do better during the actual show though.

Oh, AND....THE BRAVES WON THE SERIES BETWEEN THE ORIOLES!!! They're coming back!!! And I'm very happy. If there's one thing that keeps my mind off my headaches, it's watching the Braves play, especially watching them win. Unfortunately, their next game is this Thursday (the day of my dog show). They're playing the Reds, and one of my friends is a major Reds fan. Ha...ha....ha....

Anyways, here's the song. It's about what I'm going through and what I think about it.

I've Got Hope:
Verse 1: Things are going crazy, I can't find a way out
But I don't need to worry, I don't need to doubt
I've got hope and I know I'm gonna make it through the day
It may look impossible, but God will make a way

Chorus: I live in pain, I live in confusion
I live in fear, I live in illusions
But I also live in the love of Christ
I live in a world that's always demanding
Everything of me, but I keep standing
In the love, in the love of Christ

Verse 2: I get hurt physically, emotionally
It's a time when I feel like the whole world's against me
Sometimes it's hard to stand up against the insults and the blows
But I'm reminded I've got hope that every Christian knows

Repeat chorus

Bridge: The tides are high, the winds are strong
Life is hard and the journey's long
But I believe in a God that's real
He knows exactly how I feel
I know He loves me and I love Him too
And I know He'll pull me through

Repeat chorus

(this is my 39th song I've written, by the way! So I'm pretty happy about it!)

2006-07-03T14:51:00.001-07:00

It's thunderstorming right now, so I expect my electricity to go out anytime now. My dog is scared to death and is hiding between my legs underneath the computer desk. Funny how he has a bark that can terrorize the neighborhood, but he hears a single boom of thunder and he goes running for cover. Sheez, it's raining really hard right now.....REALLY hard.....

Speaking of which, my dog show is coming up in 3 days. 3 days!!! I hope Coffee's ready.

Headaches? Not improving at ALL. We're trying migraine medication. We're trying vitamins (I take 9 a day now!!!). We're trying vinigar (they say it works. It doesn't, by the way. Not with me). We're trying pain relievers. Now we're ordering this special kind of herbal oil to see if it works. We have no clue what's causing it, but I don't really care right now. All I really care about is getting the pain to stop. And nothing is working right now. Everyday, on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the most painful) my headaches reach a 9. It hurts, but hey, I'm a child of God. I know I'll make it through. I wrote a song about it just a couple days ago, I do believe.....I'll post it in a second!!

2006-06-29T08:53:00.000-07:00

Well....I got back from the doctor's yesterday. He's putting me on a medication for migraines and also for mild anxiety (since I've been having some of that too). And I hate it. I have to go on a "migraine diet" too, which means no caffiene (no soda and no chocolate), no tomatoes (no pasta with sauce and no more pizza), no potatoes (no mashed potatoes or baked potatoes), and no eggplant (okay, THAT I can live with). But it's TERRIBLE!! And this medication that he has me on....I started yesterday. The doctor said that I take one pill. If the headache isn't gone in an hour, take another one. If the headache isn't gone in an hour, take another one. And do this up to 5 pills in a day. Well....first hour, pain didn't stop, so I took another one. Second hour, pain didn't stop, so I took another one (this would bring me to my 3rd pill). And these pills tend to make people sleepy. So....you guessed it. I was KNOCKED OUT!!! My muscles all turned into Jello. I couldn't keep my eyes open for the life of me. But, luckily, I'll only need to take 2 pills today, since I took one earlier and I'll take another one around noon so that I'm not totally knocked out for the dog show. But I do hope this medication takes care of my headaches, because they've been really painful lately. I hate migraines (if it is, in fact, what they are).

Well, the Braves ALMOST won the series against the Yankees last night. They went through 12 innings and one of the Braves (Marcus Giles if you want to be specific) hit a solo homerun. That would've won us the game except that they put Jorge Sosa in as a pitcher to save the game, and he allowed one of the Yankees to hit a 2-run-homer, which cost us the game. It's terrible. BUT...the Braves ARE getting better!! I think they're finally beginning to climb back up on the charts.

The informal dog show (which is pretty much a dress rehearsal of the real dog show) is TONIGHT. And the real dog show is next week. I'm a little nervous, I guess, but actually, I've been waiting for this. I think my dog will do better.

~*~Rach~*~

2006-06-26T13:21:00.000-07:00

Hey, haven't updated in a while. Anyway, I'm very sick of these headaches. They've been getting worse. Mom hasn't set up a doctor's appointment yet, but I'd like for her to soon, cuz I'd like to get rid of them as soon as possible.

YES!!! Atlanta Braves are making a return. They won the series against the Devil Rays, and I'm really really happy now (despite the headaches)!!! Once they start winning, they'll probably keep on winning until they kick themselves out of last place. I still think it's a little too late to make it to World Series, but at least they can get themselves out of dead last.

Dog show is next week. July 6th. I think Coffee will do better this year than the last two, but hopefully it'll be quite a bit cooler this year, since I am VERY sensitive to heat.

Um...not much otherwise.

~*~Rach~*~

2006-06-22T19:39:00.000-07:00

I'm back from the museum. We were supposed to get there at 10:30am, but we got lost and the traffic was terrible, so we ended up making it there at 12:00pm. But I still had a lot of fun, and Katie did too (it was her first time there). Now I'm EXHAUSTED!!

Oh, and Cameron, since I can't post a comment on your blog, I'll just say here that actually, I'm a very computer oriented person!! I know more about the computer than anyone in my family. But this site is just confusing. And also, I didn't PASS my tests. I just completed them and I'm HOPING that I passed them. I have no clue what kind of tests you're talking about. Cat5 stands for California Achievement Test edition 5. It's a test homeschoolers take that tests all the areas they've been learning in to see how well they are doing.

I don't believe it. The Atlanta Braves have lost more than 9 games in a row. They've lost twice against the Blue Jays, and they might lose a third time. I can't believe it. The BLUE JAYS. How can you LOSE against the BLUE JAYS? Atlanta got to the World Series 10 years in a row, and now they're just having a bad year, and I'm not very happy with it. If they don't win tonight, I'm gonna kill em (just kidding. I'll probably just scream and rip my hair out).

~*~Rach~*~

New blog.....

2006-06-21T14:30:00.000-07:00

Wow, this blog thing can be complicated. yesterday it took me five whole minutes just to learn how to post another blog!! But I found it quicker this time *yay me!*

I completed the rest of my Cat5 test today (which was Vocabulary, Reading Comprehension I think, Science, Study Skills, and Social Studies). I think I did pretty well with everything EXCEPT science. They had too many questions on cells and botany and those are two subjects that I can't STAND!! So hopefully I'll pass this year like I did last.

My friendly friend Mr. Headache is back, but it's not as bad as it was yesterday, thankfully. I gotta go to the doctor soon.

Tomorrow I'm going to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago with my friend Katie. If ANY of you ever ever ever visit Chicago, the Museum of Science and Industry is one place you MUST go. It's awesome!! (believe me, Science isn't one of my strong subjects, but this place is phenomenal and fun. I'll pay attention to science if it's fun, which is why I also like Bill Nye the Science Guy videos!)

I've gotta go back to my dermatologist again. The dermatitus on my scalp is pretty much healed, but my hair on the top of my head still feels greasy. I hate it. I want it gone. But....I'll just have to be patient.

~*~Rach~*~

2006-06-20T15:05:00.000-07:00

My head....it hurts....for the past month, I've been getting these annoying headaches everyday that usually last for the full day. My other symptoms all sound like I have stress, but I'm not stressed at all. I'm happy..... :) So I don't get it!! But it's annoying and I want it to stop!!

This past weekend I was at Dad's truck rodeo. No, it's not some place where people have to ride bucking trucks. It's pretty much an obstical (sp?) course for trucks. Dad didn't win anything, but he did really, really well (he won first place last time anyway).

I got my standardized Cat5 test in (STINKS!!!). So, yeah, I did the Spelling, Language Mechanics, Language Expression, Math Computation, and Math Concepts. I think I did pretty well in all of those except for Math Computation (IT WAS HARD!!!) I have Reading Comprehention, Vocabuary, Science, Social Studies, and Study Skills tomorrow and then I'm all done. Wish me luck!

The dog show will be held June 6th. And....IT'S A MIRACLE!! My dog is actually heeling offleash AND going down on recall!! I think he's ready.

My headache is KILLING ME right now, so I'll leave off here ;)

~*~Rach~*~

2006-06-13T15:52:00.000-07:00

Alright, I heard about this blog thing, looks pretty cool. Nobody ever comments on xanga anyway, I doubt anyone will comment here *rolls eyes* *jk*

Anyway....nothing new, really. The dog show is coming up in.....3 weeks!!!!! My dog is NOT completely read for it, but....he's getting better!! I'm pretty sure he won't fail THIS year.

Talk to yall later

~*~Rach~*~