Get What You Deserve

"You are never gonna get everything you want in this world. First things first- get what you deserve."

-Neon Trees

One thing I am extremely adamant about in my life is, for lack of better wording, not taking crap from anyone. Why should you let someone walk all over you? Why should you let someone give you less than what you deserve?

My advice for this week:

Get what you deserve.

Neon Trees was right when they said that you are never going to get everything you want in the world. That's impossible! But that doesn't mean you have to settle for less than what you deserve. 

You deserve to:

• Be happy.
• Be healthy.
• Do what you love.
• Have healthy friendships.
• Get into the college you want.
• Play the sport you love.
• Be treated with respect.
• Be who you want to be!

So never settle for less than that.

xoxo,

Rachel

Being the Best ME

I've been feeling so weird lately. I'm having a hard time putting how I feel into words so please forgive my weirdness tonight okay? Thanks.

There are so many things in this world that I want to do and see. And there are so many things that I want to be. I want to be smart and powerful and love myself and be passionate about something. But most importantly I want to be the best ME there can be. 

Here are a few quotes from my Pinterest inspiration board:

"I want my heart and my passions to be the most beautiful things about me"

"She,
In the dark,
Found light
Brighter than many ever see.
She,
Within herself,
Found loveliness,
Through the soul's own mastery.
And now the world receives
From her dower:
The message of the strength
Of inner power. "

"I saw that my life was a vast glowing empty page and I could do anything I wanted."

"Plant your own garden and decorate your own soul instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers."

Soooo yeah. I hope that kinda helped you see what I'm striving to be a little clearer.

I just want to be a good person. And I want other people to be able to see my passions, and I want to be able to spread happiness. And I also have this secret hope that someone, someday will right a poem about me. Maybe I'll write one about myself. 

My resolution for this week, and for the rest of my life, is to be the best Me there can possibly be. Where could I possibly go wrong?

xoxo,

Rachel

"I can't explain what I mean. And even if I could I'm not sure I'd feel like it." -J.D. Salinger

Influences on My View of the World

In English, we have just finished reading the novel Asher Lev. In this book Asher, an artist, struggles to do what he feels is right versus what his family thinks is right, and his view of the world is changed accordingly. As our end-of-the-novel project, we had two write five journal entries  on:

1. a person outside of school who changed the way we looked at the world
2. a classmate who changed the way we looked at the world
3. a work of literature that changed our view of the world
4. an event that changed our life
5. our most prized possession

After we wrote these five journals, we had to complete an art project that represented each of them. I chose to use photography. Here are my pictures!

1. A person outside of school who changed the way I look at the world is my Grandmommy. She passed a way a few years ago, but everyday I am still reminded of the lessons she tried to incorporate into my life. She was the most loving and caring person I've ever met. She taught me to use small acts of kindness to show great love. A few years after she passed and just three days after my Grandaddy passed, I found a letter from her in a box in my room. The letter went on to explain that she had asked my mother to put away this letter and picture of her and my grandfather until I was much older so that I would have a picture to remember them by. She expressed her love to me. I incorporated this into my project, as well as her sapphire ring that she left me in order to represent the kindness and love she taught me.

2. A classmate who changed my view on the world is my best friend, Katharine Clark. She is a true example of unconditional friendship. Katharine understands me like nobody else quite does. Sometimes when I don't even know how to express how I feel, she knows exactly what to say. I know that I can call her at any time and she will be there for me. Our friendship will truly be put to the test though, as she will be moving to boarding school in North Carolina to pursue her gift and passion for ballet. I know it will prevail. For this reason I chose to represent her by pointe shoes.

3. A work of literature that changed the way I view the world is Th1rteen R3asons Why by Jay Asher. In this novel, a teenage girl commits suicide and leaves behind thirteen cassette tapes explaining what drove her to this. She tells of the small, unkind actions people did towards her that seemed very big to her. This novel made me rethink the things I do that may seem tiny to me, but could be huge to someone else. We are never fully aware of the battles everyone is facing.

4. An event that changed my life was the week I spent at the YoungLife camp Southwind. This week at camp showed me true friendships that I didn't realize I already had, as well as exposed me to many new friendships. This was also the week I fully decided to turn my life over to God, and I have had no regrets since. To represent Southwind, I chose a piece of paper one of my leaders gave me that has all of the main Bible verses from the week on it.

5. My most prized possession would be my YoungLife Bible (ironically from Southwind). This Bible not only represents God's Word, but encompasses my week of camp and my new-found faith in God. On the morning of the last day of camp, we went on a "new believer's walk with Christ," and we recieved these Bibles at the end. It holds so many memories, and I take it with me almost anywhere I go.

And here is my final photograph, with all of the things that built me to be who I am today.

xoxo,

Rachel

Capturing Mental Snapshots

This weekend was an absolute whirlwind! Exciting and fun, but a whirlwind nonetheless.

Friday I had practice after school and then spent the rest of the night getting ready for PROM!

Saturday morning I had to wake up at 7 (ugh) for a tennis event called the Celebrity Classic. A group of tennis pros from all over the world- Mexico, Dubai, Canada, Columbia, China, The Caribbean, and South Africa to be exact- puts on a clinic for local players. I was absolutely not happy to have to get up early on prom day to play tennis, but a few of my friends were going and it was a great opportunity, so I went.

It ended up being a fantastic experience. The pros were absolutely amazing, and so good at teaching. Not to mention they were just funny and nice too! I had a great time. My friends (twin brothers) needed a ride home after, and we rode with the windows down and Taylor Swift blasting (their choice, not mine). It's the little things.

After I dropped them off, I rushed home to take a shower and head to my friend's house to get ready for prom! We had a lot of fun trying out a million different hairstyles and putting on more than our usual makeup routine.

And then finally, we were ready! I'm not going to go into micro-detail about Prom (as much as I'd love to), but it was a great night! The food was good, the band was incredible, and the night was full of laughter.

I spent Sunday recovering.

And then Monday, I got to school at 5:45 am to leave for the Area 1 tennis tournament in Macon. Needless to say, we were all pumped. Tired, but pumped.

We started off playing Aquinas in the first round. We won both doubles, and #1 and #2 singles. I was in the middle of a close match, but since we had already won the whole match as a team and were expecting rain, I was pulled off in the middle of my second set.

The boys beat Aquinas 5-0 as well.

In the Area finals, we played FPD who we had just beaten 5-0 in a regular season match two weeks before. They changed their lineup though, so we still went in prepared to fight.

We won 5-0 again, securing our 40-something region title in a row. Go cougars, right?
The boys won as well (4-1), and it was great to share the same experience with them.

So through this jumble of excitement, I have a message for you:

Capture mental snapshots.

That's what I did all weekend (along with many snapshots on my phone). It's the small things like driving around listening to two 16 year old boys jam out to Taylor Swift, or learning how to pin a boutonniere on a tuxedo, or winning that title surrounded by a team you love dearly.

Capture images in your mind to remember the small things, because one day you'll realize that they were the big things.

xoxo,
Rachel

Little Things

For some reason I feel the need to write two nights in a row! Lucky you...

Finally all of my friends are back from wherever in the world we all were for spring break which definitely calls for ice cream right?  We met up downtown and had such a great time. There is truly nothing like a night with your best friends after a week apart. Instead of giving you a second-by-second breakdown of my night (like usual), I'll just make a list of the little things that added up to make this day great.

• tropical swirl froyo
• sleeping in
• beautiful weather outside
• the sunset view from the Riverwalk
• a clean car
• good coffee + live music
• squeezing into a car with music blasting
• getting my grandmother's ring sized (finally)
• the top of (yet another) parking garage
• new books
• running in circles belting out the words to Florence + The Machine

xoxo,

Rachel

Playing Catch-Up/ Keep Pushing

Wow, it's been a while. (Sorry about that, by the way.)

So, so, so, so, so much has been going on these past few weeks and my blog has gotten lost in the shuffle! I'm so sorry!

This week was Spring Break, so of course the week before, all of my teachers decided to load me up with quizzes/tests/anythingtomakemecry. Wanna know what my Monday night planner looked like?

APUSH- chapter quiz
French- vocab quiz
Chemistry- test
Calculus- chapter quiz
English- vocab quiz

All due Tuesday. Literally the only class I didn't have homework in was photography.

After my night from hell was over (including 3 hours at Starbucks with a panicking group of Calculus students trying to decode our teacher's email, "I'll stop by the Bucks circa 19:42"), I was officially done for the week. Friday was a half day so I decided to just take a Personal Day. (In case you're wondering, my school allows us three "personal days" to use all year before spring break where we don't have to have a legitimate excuse not to come to school, as long as we get all of our teachers to sign a form. Unexcused absences will cost you a day in In-School Suspension.)

But, you all should know me by now, I spent the whole day rushing around town being stressed. Yippee!

Schedule for Friday:
9:30am- Breakfast at Waffle House with friends to celebrate the start of break
11:45am (yes we spent 2 hours at WaHo)- Stop by the tailor to get my prom dress hemmed (oh, did I forget to tell you I was asked to Prom?! I'll add pictures to the bottom.)
12:30pm- Run home to grab lunch and tell my puppy goodbye before he goes to the vet for the week
1:10pm- See Divergent with a group of lit trilogy-obsessed friends (yes, that includes me)
3:30pm- Run to Target to find a birthday card for Mom
4:00pm- Speed home to tell Mom/sister goodbye (They were leaving for a tennis tournament and I for the Bahamas.)
4:00-7:00pm- PACKING PACKING PACKING
7:15pm- Dinner with Dad/Stepmom
8:30pm- Head to friend's house to spend the night before our early flight to Nassau in the morning (yay!)

Probably TMI, but I feel like someone, somewhere will appreciate that I fit all of this into one single day. Personally, I am very proud. I admit it takes a certain skill.

And then the next day, I was in the Bahamas. What a glorious feeling.

My schedule for the five days spent on the island?
     Sleep
     Eat
     Lay Out
     Ride the Lazy River
     Repeat

You have no idea how much I needed that. Actually if you read what I wrote above, you probably do know. I can now say that I am full, brown, and content.

Buuuut that's not what you read this blog for. At least I hope it's not what you read it for. I hope you enjoy my random advice and how it helps me from going insane. I think this blog is probably helping me more than my readers (if I even have any??). It really allows me to stop for a minute in my whirlwind of a life, and refocus.

So my advice/resolution/tip/skill for this week?

Keep Pushing.

I know it may be tough right now. Maybe you have five quizzes tomorrow too, or that big game is coming up and you're finally a starter, or you just have a crapton of stuff to do and don't think you have the time.

But you can do it, I know you can. Keep on trucking through the hard stuff because it's going to end eventually and it's going to be worth it. And at the end of the day you're going to go to sleep content because you didn't give up.

Who knows? There might even be a sunny beach waiting for you at the end of your to-do list, like there was on mine.

xoxo,
Rachel