My second story
Posted by Rachel on Dec 02 2008 | 2 Comments »
My second story is called “Revenge” but its based on the one I wrote a few years ago called “White Wolves.” It still needs some work but here’s what I’ve got so far
Enjoy! =)
Posted by Rachel on Oct 16 2008 | 4 Comments »
I started a writing class a few weeks ago and wrote my first short story on Tuesday and should be working on my second right now (instead, I’m blogging and watching The Scarlet Pimpernel…hoping to get idea’s, really!) When I finish that, I’ll show it to you but don’t feel obligated to like it 
haha.
So this week I’m supposed to read Larry’s story and then I (and the rest of the class) will be critiquing it. Its going to be about the women of his dreams (title: women of my dreams) so I don’t know how much I can critique that! I don’t think I’m limited to criticism, so it should be ok.
Larry is about 40 and has some kind of regular job other than writing and since this is an “intro” course, I don’t think anyone will be too much more advanced than me, haha. But Larry’s is the first story so I haven’t read anyone else’s yet, either. The only story that I’m a little worried about is Micheal’s, since he based it on some “black market” vampire book and a creepy video game, lol. But I do get to critique it! So that will be interesting…haha.
-Rachel
Mary’s wedding~
Posted by Rachel on Sep 07 2008 | 3 Comments »
The day has finally arrived! But now has gone and they’ve headed for canada…arrived safely without trouble on the border crossing 
It was a really special ceremony, I thought. I liked her colors. Especially outside, the yellow, blue and white was really nice!
I was the maid of honor, so my dress was a bit different from the rest but matched the flower girls Lydia’s was soo cute!
Here’s some pics:
Cherry picking~
Posted by Rachel on Jul 26 2008 | 1 Comment »
Today we went cherry picking in an orchard which a friend of a friend owns. We got permission to pick there for free since they’d already harvested what they wanted.
There were really a lot of them left though! So we got quite a few today. I want to go back tomorrow, though! It was really fun, hehe. And there’s still soo many cherries! Mostly at the top of the trees but those are the fun ones IMO.
Me, having too much fun with those trees
It was really nice in there…I wanted to stay lol ^-^
I probably ate more than I brang home So hopefully I won’t get sick, but oh well. They were good!
Can you tell we’re related? Hehe
Mom was the practical one of us. She got the ones closer to the ground.
Someone had to watch out for us, hehe.
These are some berries we have. I think they’re buffalo berries.
We have so many I decided to try making a pie with them.
It wasn’t exactly a pie. More like a crisp or cobbler in a pie dish, hehe. But it was good
I’ll probably be making cherry pies now! 
I really like this season~
Thanks for reading!
Zai jian -Rachel
Posted by Rachel on Jul 06 2008 | 1 Comment »
Here’s a few pictures I took today. I guess 18 isn’t that much older than 17, but I do feel very different. More so than any other birthdays I think. In a good way of course 
wild hair
These are odd shaped in an attempt to hide the background
These are some garden pictures
“52 proven stress reducers”
Posted by Rachel on Jun 04 2008 | Comment now »
I found this on stumble and thought it was cool!
1.
Get up fifteen minutes earlier in the morning. The inevitable morning mishaps will be less stressful.
2.
Prepare for the morning the evening before. Set the breakfast table, make lunches, put out the clothes you plan to wear, etc.
3.
Don?t rely on your memory. Write down appointment times, when to pick up the laundry, when library books are due, etc. (”The palest ink is better than the most retentive memory.” - Old Chinese Proverb)
4.
Do nothing which, after being done, leads you to tell a lie.
5.
Make duplicates of all keys. Bury a house key in a secret spot in the garden and carry a duplicate car key in your wallet, apart from your key ring.
6.
Practice preventive maintenance. Your car, appliances, home, and relationships will be less likely to break down/fall apart “at the worst possible moment.”
7.
Be prepared to wait. A paperback can make a wait in a post office line almost pleasant.
8.
Procrastination is stressful. Whatever you want to do tomorrow, do today; whatever you want to do today, do it now.
9.
Plan ahead. Don?t let the gas tank get below one-quarter full; keep a well-stocked “emergency shelf” of home staples; don?t wait until you?re down to your last bus token or postage stamp to buy more; etc.
10.
Don?t put up with something that doesn?t work right. If your alarm clock, wallet, shoe laces, windshield wipers ? whatever ? are a constant aggravation, get them fixed or get new ones.
11.
Allow 15 minutes of extra time to get to appointments. Plan to arrive at an airport one hour before domestic departures.
12.
Eliminate (or restrict) the amount of caffeine in your diet.
13.
Always set up contingency plans, “just in case.” (”If for some reason either of us is delayed, here?s what we?ll do?” kind of thing. Or, “If we get split up in the shopping center, here?s where we?ll meet.”)
14.
Relax your standards. The world will not end if the grass doesn?t get mowed this weekend.
15.
Pollyanna-Power! For every one thing that goes wrong, there are probably 10 or 50 or 100 blessings. Count ?em!
16.
Ask questions. Taking a few moments to repeat back directions, what someone expects of you, etc., can save hours. (The old “the hurrieder I go, the behinder I get, ” idea.)
17.
Say “No!” Saying “no” to extra projects, social activities, and invitations you know you don?t have the time or energy for takes practice, self-respect, and a belief that everyone, everyday, needs quiet time to relax and be alone.
18.
Unplug your phone. Want to take a long bath, meditate, sleep, or read without interruption? Drum up the courage to temporarily disconnect. (The possibility of there being a terrible emergency in the next hour or so is almost nil.) Or use an answering machine.
19.
Turn “needs” into preferences. Our basic physical needs translate into food, water, and keeping warm. Everything else is a preference. Don?t get attached to preferences.
20.
Simplify, simplify, simplify?
21.
Make friends with nonworriers. Nothing can get you into the habit of worrying faster than associating with chronic worrywarts.
22.
Get up and stretch periodically if your job requires that you sit for extended periods.
23.
Wear earplugs. If you need to find quiet at home, pop in some earplugs.
24.
Get enough sleep. If necessary, use an alarm clock to remind you to go to bed.
25.
Create order out of chaos. Organize your home and workspace so that you always know exactly where things are. Put things away where they belong and you won?t have to go through the stress of losing things.
26.
When feeling stressed, most people tend to breathe in short, shallow breaths. When you breathe like this, stale air is not expelled, oxidation of the tissues is incomplete, and muscle tension frequently results. Check your breathing throughout the day, and before, during, and after high-pressure situations. If you find your stomach muscles are knotted and your breathing is shallow, relax all your muscles and take several deep, slow breaths. Note how, when you?re relaxed, both your abdomen and chest expand when you breathe.
27.
Writing your thoughts and feelings down (in a journal, or on paper to be thrown away) can help you clarify things and can give you a renewed perspective.
28.
Try the following yoga technique whenever you feel the need to relax. Inhale deeply through you nose to the count of eight. Then, with lips puckered, exhale very slowly through your mouth to the count of 16, or for as long as you can. Concentrate on the long sighing sound and feel the tension dissolve. Repeat 10 times.
29.
Inoculate yourself against a feared event. Example: before speaking in public, take time to go over every part of the experience in your mind. Imagine what you?ll wear, what the audience will look like, how you will present your talk, what the questions will be and how you will answer them, etc. Visualize the experience the way you would have it be. You?ll likely find that when the time comes to make the actual presentation, it will be “old hat” and much of your anxiety will have fled.
30.
When the stress of having to get a job done gets in the way of getting the job done, diversion ? a voluntary change in activity and/or environment ? may be just what you need.
31.
Talk it out. Discussing your problems with a trusted friend can help clear your mind of confusion so you can concentrate on problem solving.
32.
One of the most obvious ways to avoid unnecessary stress is to select an environment (work, home, leisure) which is in line with your personal needs and desires. If you hate desk jobs, don?t accept a job which requires that you sit at a desk all day. If you hate to talk politics, don?t associate with people who love to talk politics, etc.
33.
Learn to live one day at a time.
34.
Every day, do something you really enjoy.
35.
Add an ounce of love to everything you do.
36.
Take a hot bath or shower (or a cool one in summertime) to relieve tension.
37.
Do something for somebody else.
38.
Focus on understanding rather than on being understood; on loving rather than on being loved.
39.
Do something that will improve your appearance. Looking better can help you feel better.
40.
Schedule a realistic day. Avoid the tendency to schedule back-to-back appointments; allow time between appointments for a breathing spell.
41.
Become more flexible. Some things are worth not doing perfectly and some issues are well to compromise upon.
42.
Eliminate destructive self-talk: “I?m too old to?,” “I?m too fat to?,” etc.
43.
Use your weekend time for a change of pace. If you work week is slow and patterned, make sure there is action and time for spontaneity built into your weekends. If your work week is fast-paced and full of people and deadlines, seek peace and solitude during your days off. Feel as if you aren?t accomplishing anything at work? Tackle a job on the weekend which you can finish to your satisfaction.
44.
“Worry about the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves.” That?s another way of saying: take care of the todays as best you can and the yesterdays and the tomorrows will take care of themselves.
45.
Do one thing at a time. When you are with someone, be with that person and with no one or nothing else. When you are busy with a project, concentrate on doing that project and forget about everything else you have to do.
46.
Allow yourself time ? everyday ? for privacy, quiet, and introspection.
47.
If an especially unpleasant task faces you, do it early in the day and get it over with; then the rest of your day will be free of anxiety.
48.
Learn to delegate responsibility to capable others.
49.
Don?t forget to take a lunch break. Try to get away from your desk or work area in body and mind, even if it?s just for 15 or 20 minutes.
50.
Forget about counting to 10. Count to 1,000 before doing something or saying anything that could make matters worse.
51.
Have a forgiving view of events and people. Accept the fact that we live in an imperfect world.
52.
Have an optimistic view of the world. Believe that most people are doing the best they can.
Yard sale and a Rodeo
Posted by Rachel on May 13 2008 | 3 Comments »
Mary had the idea to have a yard sale to raise money for the orphans in Haiti. So we did that on friday and saturday. It went pretty good!
Zeke and Bethany were helping ^^
And having a lot of fun together
They don’t always agree on everything but they both sure like to ride horses!
Mary and Anna at the yardsale-
Caleb, goofing off
We actually had James out by the road with that sign, lol. He was really trying to “bring em’ in.” but maybe ended up scaring them away
Zeke, looking cute
Caleb watched the yardsale a lot of the time~ and got sunburnt! But not to bad I don’t think
That night (Saturday) Caleb had a rodeo so Anna invited me to come with her and help with the kids ^^
So I went and got a few pictures.
They had these long-horn-bulls there which had the 3rd longest horns in the world, lol. Kinda scary looking but they were really calm, hehe.
They let people try to rope them, hehe.
It was pretty funny to watch!
James lookin’ all tuff cowboy
Zeke lookin’ all tuff cowboy too! hehe
This is Caleb getting thrown from his bull…I didn’t get a good pic of him when he won the saddle bronc :S
Me on Sunday...yep! I'm happy
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I can make visual effects, lol 
I sold a lot of these at the yard sale~ hehe
He’s thinking about it!
Benjamin was trying to get funny looks from me…yeah, lol
Got one of himself as well-
Bethany- She took my picture too but only got half of me in it, hehe ^^ she’s so sweet~
Its so good to have them back! I missed Bethany and Levi a lot~
The visitor…!
Posted by Rachel on May 05 2008 | 1 Comment »
We all stayed up pretty late just playing music and looking at pictures on the computer with Hwan. We talked a bit about Korea and American culture, too.
The next day I made sweedish pancakes for breakfast so we all sat at the table and ate (which we only do sporadically) and then we went outside for a bit and decided to ride bikes to the neighbors house ( the kids I babysit )
I had told them before that he was coming and I promised to bring him by and also they wanted him to see their new pig, hehe, (which, he really wanted to see a pig.) So when we got there they were waiting for us and so was the pig! hehe. They were excited to meet him and their mom came to say hello as well.
So we chatted a bit and he pet the pig (its just a little pig right now) and that was fun. Then their mom invited us to go to the ranch just up the road from us to ride horses in a couple of hours So we accepted and went to the park first before going home.
It was really nice weather most of the time he was here. We swung on the swings at the park and talked a bit then we headed home and got there barely in time to leave again~ hehe. So we hopped in with the neighbors and drove down the road (Me, Benjamin and Hwan.) We just rode around in the corral but it was still fun.
I led Hwan and he led me at first, hehe. The horses were good! And while we were there, a bus load of kindergarten kids came to ride the little pony and a horse.
Hwan led a bunch of them around on a horse (they took turns) I wish I’d brought my camera! It was cute ^^
Later that day we had baked potatoes for dinner and Hwan helped me make chocolate chip cookies so we could bring them to figio (a creation seminar we go to once a month or so.)
So we headed out at 6:30 (Me, Hwan, Benjamin, Dad and Mary) and when we got there we saw several people we knew.
The talk was about stem cell research and abortion. Very mind opening message. He exposed a lot of truthful facts but yet no fingers were pointed, just pointed at truth. I really got a lot from it!
So afterwards I introduced him to all my/our friends~ Hehe, maybe a bit overwhelming (sorry, Hwan!) But they were all glad to meet him and stuff.
The pastor talked with him for a while and he decided to become a christian It was really cool~ The highlight of the week ^^
The cookies were gone before we got any (but we were glad we’d already had one before leaving home, hehe :P.) So we stayed a little while and chatted then we went home.
Josh and Rebecca came over after we got home so we visited with them a while and then went to bed.
The next day we went on another bike ride to the park and went to both parks. We had a nice chat for a while and then headed home. It was a bit windy but other than that, a nice day for it.
Then we played some board games with Benjamin and Hwan won scrabble even though he’d never played before, :P. It was funny.
That night we went to Anna and Caleb’s for dinner and to play music/fish/canoe and just hangout. That was fun. Especially the canoing (and dinner :P). They hadn’t met Hwan yet so they wanted him to come.
I would have taken more pictures but I didn’t know we had a camera, lol. Mom bought one at a yardsale that Saturday and it works good! So that’s how I got these other pictures.
On Sunday we went to church in Roswell (its a tiny town smaller than Parma, about 10 miles from here) so that was nice! And he met our friends there and afterwards we talked to the pastor a bit. It was kinda funny cause at first he thought we were going out or something, hehe. He knew a korean phrase so he told it to Hwan that was cool.
After we got home I got changed and started working on getting the BBQ stuff ready. Cathy Joe had come over the day before when we were playing scrabble so she met Hwan and we invited her to come over for a BBQ the next day. So that’s how we decided on a BBQ
Anna came over and helped us with the cooking and we ate around 2:00. The phillips called a little before 2 so we invited them to come for lunch, too~ So we had a nice little group.
Later we decided to go play baseball at the school with Eric (phillips) so we hitched a ride with him (me, Hwan and Benjamin) which was a little crowded in his 1950′ish truck (not sure exactly) but it was funny, hehe.
It was fun playing except I found out how seriously bad I am at hitting the ball, lol. It was kinda funny, really, but I would have liked to hit it at least once…!
Hwan hit some really good and far ones especially later on when everyone else came. I don’t know if he knew what to make of Caleb…who was definetly in his crazy/wild/silly mood. Hwan says he’s a wild man and so is Josh! They’re not exactly typical, lol, that’s for sure.
So anyways. That night, me Benjamin and Hwan played a bunch of games ( :D) and then the next day we played more and while I made dinner, Hwan washed the dishes. We decided to go with Benjamin to sing at nursing homes. So I made some cookies barely in time before they picked us up. We had fun singing and stuff. And he got to meet the bays and another one of my friends.
When we got home dinner was ready so we ate and then played some more scrabble. We were playing it funny but we didn’t know until dad came by and told us, hehe. But we were getting pretty good scores the way we were playing! We could make words backwords and sideways etc.
Then we played up-words, which is similar to scrabble (I guess we all really liked scrabble :P) Pretty much every night we played scrabble and another different game. Once, we played Settlers of Catan and Hwan won but he’d never played before…but then again, it was kind of confusing weather Benjamin or Hwan really won, lol. They both had 10 points in the end.
Then we played monopoly and I almost won but I landed on Hwan’s most expensive hotel…so yeah he won that too.
Benjamin was teaching Hwan how to play Chess cause he’d never played it before (but they do have something similar in Korea) so he won that too, lol.
He taught us some funny hand games too, so we played those after all the others. We played a lot of things while he was here, hehe.
On Wednesday we took Hwan to see grandma and grandpa’s house and just to drive around the countryside
We watched “yours mine and ours” and I made some tea for us (Me, Mary, Mom and Hwan.) He hadn’t seen it, so it was pretty funny I always laugh at that movie, hehe.
Hwan really liked the house, too. It is really nice! They just got it built but they’re back in CA for now.
On thursday Anna and Caleb came over in the morning to invite Hwan to go with Caleb horse riding and some horse jobs Caleb was doing and Anna invited me to go shopping with her. So I woke Hwan up and he got ready and we all left around the same time.
We were a little worried about Hwan riding with Caleb, so we called a couple of times to check on them (as Hwan said, Caleb’s a wild man, hehe.)
We had a lot of fun shopping and it just so happened that day was dollar day at Dutch Bro’s So we got like 3 or 4 smoothies and 3 or 4 mocha’s and I got a breve’. They gave me a large instead of medium so I waited to drink it until later that night. I was up late
When we got home Caleb and Hwan were there too so we all drank our coffee’s and stuff and a little later they all decided to work on the yard.
Me and Hwan made dinner but we set it aside and he went to work on the yard, too. They got a lot done! I helped a little but wasn’t feeling to great and Hwan told me not to work,
After they were done we had dinner, then Caleb and Anna went home. We sat outside next to the huge stump fire and sang a little.
Benjamin took these pics
Then we (me, Benjamin and Hwan) stayed up pretty late playing a slapping game Hwan taught us, hehe. It was funny.
The next morning we went for a walk and then Mary took me and Hwan to the trailer park for their yardsale day. We drove the truck so Hwan rode in the back part of the way.
Me and Mary found some interesting books for 10 cents each and Hwan found a playstation for 45$. Pretty good deal! He said he needed it, hehe.
On our way home we met up with Benjamin. He was just out bike riding so he threw his bike in the back and came with us.
We got home and it was almost time to leave for the airport. I wanted to give Hwan a picture of me when I was little which he liked so I put in in a book and gave it to him. Later when he had arrived in Indiana, he told me how he wanted to have the picture so I told him where it was, hehe. Surprise!
So we brang him to the airport and said goodbye~
We went to the college greenbelt and walked across the bridge. It was hard to say goodbye.
Hwan, before we left:
my caffeine high
Posted by Rachel on Apr 16 2008 | 1 Comment »
Hehe, I thought this test was kinda cool
Created by OnePlusYou
Not sure if caffeine has much to do with it, though lol