Devil's Workshop

If my life gets any more busy, I'll have to hire a personal secretary. LoL.

Seriously though, I feel like I've been running about 150 miles an hour for the last week and a half now. School is definitely kicking my butt. Three paralegal classes may not seem like much, but Lord have mercy! Let me tell you it is! It's a lot of reading, a lot of paper writing, a lot of test taking, and a lot discussion board posting....and all of the writing has word count minimums. Ever have to try to figure out how to stretch an 8 word definition about contractual consideration into a 250 word discussion board post? Not fun.

I have hauled out my big purse/tote\bag lady\whatever you wanna call it bag, so that I can take my textbooks with me everywhere. I'm reading about law office technology in the McDonalds drive thru, in traffic when I'm stuck trying to get across the bridge, and on my lunch breaks at work. Yeah...so, school pretty much consumes my life.

Surprisingly enough, our apartment is not a mess. Usually when I'm uber busy like this, my neat freak tendencies get thrown to the wind. However, I'm finding that in the midst of all this running I'm doing now a days, I have to have some of semblance of order in my life. And coming home to an apartment that's a wreck is just not conducive to the things that I need to accomplish. I need everything to be in it's rightful place. It's crazy. The busier I get, the more OCD I get. Which is kind of self-defeating because I don't have time to be OCD. LOL.

Even though the apartment is in pretty good shape, by dog, Oliver is not. He is a long hair dachshund and his fur is driving me up the wall. I usually trim his fur and nails myself to save on the cost, but as you can guess, I haven't had time. Neither have I had time to go to the vet and pick him up another dose for Vectra 3d...so his itchies are becoming more and more prevalent and all the more gross. He's always had problems with his skin, so I have no idea if his new constant biting and scratching at his hind area is the result of a new onslaught of those bedeviling little fleas, or just his allergies acting up. Something needs to be done though...I can't stand his constant buttmunching. Ha.

Even though it makes things a little crazy, I do actually like being kept busy. You know that old saying, "Idle hands are the devil's workshop". So, even though it can be a bit overwhelming to have so many responsibilities...it keeps me out of trouble and the devil at bay. Ha.

Must dash! Have blessed day!

The Essence of Patience

I hate waiting.


I hate the unknown.


I hate the limbo land of "not knowing".


 When we're in the midst of situations that require us to wait, that require patience from us, we pray, "Dear LORD, please give me patience". I think we expect Him to just pour a little bit of liquid patience over the bannister of heaven, and then we will automatically be filled with patience and contentment while waiting for our situations to work themselves out. Ha.


I'm finding that this is not the case. 


James chapter 1 verses 2 & 3 say, "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations. Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience."


Hmm.


Did you catch that? What is it that works patience? Oh, right. The trying of our faith.


So, what these verses are telling me, is that, it is in the midst of the tough situations that patience is worked in us. There is no magical elixir that gets poured into us from above. There is no, "Bam!" and now you've got patience. 


Did you know that Patience has a twin sister? Her name is Trust.


Each moment in limbo-land, you can either lose your mind from worry or you can give your worries to God, and in the midst of the unknown, say, "Ok LORD, I don't know what you're doing here. But I trust that you are working this out for my good and your glory." 


In my experience, Trust is the very essence of Patience. The moment that first cold prickle of fear slides down your spine or grips your heart, that is the time to close your eyes, and say, "LORD, I trust you." 


As a person with anxiety issues, I know I must say this at least a hundred thousand times a day. The alternative is to spend my life in a perpetual anxiety attack. 


I'd rather not. 


It's difficult, and I struggle with this on a daily basis, in different aspects of my life. There is one particular circumstance that is really driving me crazy right now. But I know that God is working not just in that situation, but also in me. 


He is trying my faith and working patience in my heart, mind, and will.

“Patience is waiting. Not passively waiting. That is laziness. But to keep going when the going is hard and slow - that is patience.”

People and their Quirks

Oh the things we see....


I think I've mentioned before that my job affords me the ability to see some pretty interesting things... I thought I would share a few with you.


1. The lady that talks to inanimate objects and herself---I have never seen it take someone 5 minutes to make a selection from a vending machine, another 5 minutes to figure out how to get the money into the machine, and then another 3 minutes trying to figure out which slot to get her change from. All the while muttering to herself, the vending machine, and her money. The first time I saw it, I thought it was fluke...until I noticed that this lady does this on a daily basis, along with walking straight into people's desks and cubicle walls. After some inquiries, I found out that this lady does Xanax bars on a daily basis....LoL...that explains a lot. 


2. The girl that had a hood coming from the top of her mini skirt---As I walked into the bathroom the other day, I did a double take of this girl's butt as she stood at the sink washing her hands...LOL...I wasn't being weird...although she probably thought I was lol...I couldn't put my finger on it, but there was something strange about her skirt. As I proceeded to clean the bathroom, another girl walked in and said to her, "Hey girl! I didn't realize you had a skirt on today." The skirt girl said, " Girl, this ain't a skirt. I had on a sweater dress and it kept riding up and you could see my underwear through my leggings. So, I took the dress off and put my jacket on as a skirt." I started smiling to myself. Ah...that explained the hood. LoL. The way this girl told the story was so matter of fact, it was hilarious. She was laughing as she told it, and I couldn't help but join in...really people...she had no shame to her game...wearing a jacket as skirt....WOW.  


3. The guy that always goes into the men's restroom while I'm cleaning it---If you saw a door stopper propping up the bathroom door, along with a chain across the door, wouldn't you automatically deduce that it was closed and you probably should go inside? Apparently this guy doesn't realize that the chain across the door means the bathroom is closed, or he just doesn't care. Anyway...in the midst of my cleaning, he removes the chain from the door, sets his coffee mug on the counter, and the proceeds to go into the stall and do his business. I'm so shocked that I'm frozen to the spot I'm in for at least 10 seconds. Then I hurriedly removed myself and my cleaning supplies from the bathroom. I can understand if it was a male janitor....but hello?! I'm obviously a female! Why would you come into the bathroom, while I'm in there alone to use it? Especially when there are 3 other bathrooms he could've used! Weirdo. I reported him to management. Teehee. 


Oh the things I see...

Concordia

It has been 8 days since the Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia ran aground just off of the Tuscan coast. As each day passes, more and more disturbing details of what happened, and what should have happened, but didn't, emerge. 

There are many stories floating around from various crew members and passengers, but one element is common in them all...complete and utter chaos. 

I am sure by now that we are all pretty familiar with the story. The ship ran aground, the captain and the crew passed it off as a mere electrical problem that was "under control", the crew instructed passengers to return to their cabins, then the evacuation sirens went off, and chaos ensued.

Apparently, by the time the crew began instructing people to get into life boats, the ship had already started to shift to its side...which made deploying the life boats into the water difficult and dangerous. One interview that I saw with an American couple described the journey from the life boats into the water as the most terrifying part in the whole scenario. They explained the difficulty of getting into the boat, the life boat crashing into the side of the cruise ship, and the danger of the life boat actually dumping them into the ocean because of the angle of the cruise ship. 

Of course in the midst of all this, the question is bound to come up...where was the Captain in all of this?

Good question. 

Well, at one point we know where he was not....and that was not on the Concordia.

 Although reports indicate that most people had been safely gotten off of the ship, there were still some on board. The Italian Coast Guard released it's conversation with the Captain, as he sat safely in one of the life boats. The coast guard demanded that he go back aboard...the Captain hemmed and hawed and generally made excuses as to why he could not go back aboard the ship. He basically admitted to abandoning it, while there were still passengers aboard. The Guard continued to demand that he go back aboard the ship to help coordinate the evacuation of those remaining. He never did. 

There were many questions that the Guard had for the Captain, such as how he came to be on a life boat and not on the ship...his answer? He tripped and fell and landed in a life boat. 

I'm not making this up...this is what the man actually said.

It also came out today, from one of the ship's cooks, that after the ship hit the reef, he ordered dinner for himself and a lady that was with him. 

Once again, I'm not making this up. 

In addition to this ridiculousness,  we find that this man more than likely caused the wreck because he had deviated from the course that was charted for him, was navigating the boat by sight, and was also going too fast to be able to guide the ship away from the reef to prevent it from hitting it. 

This man is an idiot and a coward.

I think it's pretty common knowledge that the Captain should be the last person off of the ship. That if the ship goes down and there are still people aboard, then the Captain goes down with it. 

This Schettino character's actions are unthinkable. 

Anyone else see Titanic?

This current disaster is eerily reminescent of the disaster of the Titanic which sank exactly 100 years ago this year. While most of the passengers and crew managed to escape the Concordia, the fact remains that there are people who didn't. Today, divers  recovered another body, bringing the count up to 12. There are still about 11 people missing. Although the number is small in comparison to the number who perished aboard the Titanic in 1912, a life is a life and the wrecking of the Costa Concordia is still a terrible disaster. A disaster that could have and should have been avoided. It is also a disaster that was magnified by the Captain's hiding of the seriousness of the problem and his failure to act in a timely manner. 

I'm appalled. Completely and totally appalled. And needless to say, I will not be going on a cruise any time soon.

Below are a few news links about the story, including a translation of the conversation that Schettino had with the Coast Guard from the life boat. 

http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/21/world/europe/italy-cruise-main/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/18/travel/concordia-us-survivor-stories/index.html

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/17/port-authority-to-cruise-ship-captain-get-on-board-damn-it/?iref=allsearch

Waiting for Me

My darling sister has a penchant for leaving our patio blinds open at night...when the lights are on in the living room and kitchen. 


I guess you can probably imagine what that means.


 Yes, that's right. The whole world can see into our living room, dining room, and kitchen. 


Obviously, this doesn't bother her at all, but I definitely have a problem with the occupants of our apartment complex viewing me in my jammies and head scarf. Ha. 


Anyways. As I drove up the street that leads to the parking lot in front of our building, the first thing to catch my eye was, of course, our living room. 


I rolled my eyes. I mean really...it's like fighting a losing battle.  


As I pulled into a parking space, my eyes rose to our patio window. Just barely visible was a little head. I chuckled to myself. An uninformed passerby may have just assumed that the brown blob was a piece of furniture, but it was, in fact Oliver, my mini dachshund. As I got out of the car, I saw him rise to a standing position. As I walked toward the stairwell,  he turned away from the patio door. By the time I had turned my key in the lock and pushed the door open, Ollie was there... tail wagging, with that happy doggy look on his face that can only be described as a grin. 


That welcome home was worth every minute of the year that it took to house train him. 


Don't get me wrong. He still drives me crazy with his incessant chewing. His thievery of my unmentionables and socks. His barking at anything that moves when we're outside. The way he pretends he doesn't know what the words "come here" or "get down" or "stop" mean. His stubbornness.


All that notwithstanding, he is a good dog and sweet natured. He loves to be with people and loves when people come to our house to visit. If he's sitting by you, he has to be touching you. At this very moment he's literally laying on my feet. Ha. 


I'm sure he didn't spend the entire 8 hours that I was at work sitting by the patio waiting for me to come home...but it was definitely nice to know that he was there waiting for me when I did. 


As corny as it may sound, that wagging tail and doggy grin pretty much made my night. 

Whoever said money can't buy happiness, forgot about little puppies.

-Gene Hill

A Day in the Life of a Housekeeper

People are nasty.


I mean, just plain gross.


Working as a housekeeper in a building that houses almost 1,000 people on a daily basis, I get to see my share of interesting, funny, and absolutely disgusting things.


Let's use this past Monday as an example. When I walked into the building, I could see my boss in deep conversation with the lady who provides cafeteria services in the break area. As I made my way into the office, she turned to me and said, "I found where that nasty smell was coming from". The previous Friday we had both gone on a man hunt trying to track down an oddly poopy smell coming from the area around the refrigerators. We couldn't find it. 


It found us.


Apparently, a lady had left her tupperware on top of the refrigerator for God only knows how long. Well, on Monday she decided to take it home. As she pulled the bag down from the fridge, the tupperware fell to the floor and splattered open. 


Oh dear Lord.


It was so bad that the cafeteria lady threw up in the sink twice. She cleaned the nastiness off of the floor, but the smell lingered. The part of the story that I came in on was her describing to my boss, the facilities manager, that we would need to do something else about it. 


Fortunately for me, I had just walked in the door, so that was on his shoulders. As I sat down in the office to clock in, I secretly rejoiced that I wouldn't have to mop the floor.


When I finally went out into the break area I almost died. As soon as I stepped out into the area my gag reflex kicked in and I had to work hard to keep my lunch down. 


I looked at the people milling about in the area. They all had the same look on their faces. Eyes half closed, noses scrunched up, and hands over their mouths. Every person I came in contact with asked me the same question, "What the %!@$ is that smell?"


It was terrible. Probably the worse thing I've ever smelled in my whole life. 


We found out that it was Spinach and Cream. 


Why in the world would you leave spinach in tupperware for weeks? 


Even after my boss mopped the area twice and put a fan in the kitchen area, and stationed someone there to spray lysol every few minutes, the smell still lingered for about 3 hours. So...I was sick to my stomach for 3 hours.


 I just do not understand some people. Didn't their parents ever teach them that when you make a mess to clean it up? If you miss the trash can then go over and pick up your trash and put it in? To not wipe your boogers on the bathroom stalls? If you spill a drink on tile floor to at least report it to someone who has access to a mop and bucket? To wipe the area around the sink after you wash your hands? To flush the toilet when you're done using it?


I guess not. Or if their parents did teach them these things, they just don't care enough to follow through on their home training.


*Sigh*


Just another day in the life of a housekeeper. 

Inception

What is the most resilient parasite? Bacteria? A virus? An intestinal worm? 

An idea. Resilient...highly contagious. Once an idea has taken hold of the brain it's almost impossible to eradicate. An idea that's fully formed...fully understood...that sticks...right in there somewhere. -Inception

The above is a brilliant quote from the 2010 movie Inception. This movie explores the human mind, the human subconscious...the dream world of the mind. It explores the possibility of a dream within a dream within a dream. 


It is ingenious writing. The most complex storyline I've ever heard. It's amazing.


What I want to explore, though, is the truth behind the quote at the beginning of this post. It was spoken by Cobb, the main character in the film. His job was as an extractor of information from people's minds. The whole premise of the film is that if information could be extracted from a subject's mind, that it can also be planted there...Inception. 


Question. How are societies changed? 


How are revolutions started?


How do people attain goals?


How do people change the direction of their lives?


It all starts with an Idea.


How did the United States of America become the United States of America? 


It started with an idea...no taxation without representation. And that idea, along with many others, caught like wild fire, until that fire gave birth to the Revolutionary War, which in turn gave birth to this great nation. 


How was racial segregation brought to an end? How did people of color in this country earn the right to vote? 


It started with an idea. The idea that although we are of African descent, although our skin is a different color, we are Americans too. That we should be able to vote. That we should be able to buy a house in whatever neighborhood we want. That our kids should be able to receive the same class of education as their white counterparts. That a man or woman of color can be president too.


It all started with an idea.


Now everybody take a long hard look at you. A long hard look at you.


What ideas have taken hold in your mind? 


Take a long, long hard look at you.


You see, I know how an idea can take hold of you. And soon, it can change everything about you. It can change the entire course of your life as you work, whether consciously or subconsciously, toward the fulfillment of that idea. 


The big question is: Is it an idea worth working toward?


Is this really an idea worth pursuing? Or is this an idea that is truly as bad and as deadly as virus that propagates unchecked? 


We are what we think about. So what ideas are circulating in your mind?


Are they positive? Negative? Consistent with how God sees you? Or based on what human beings have told you? 


Hmmm. 


Food for thought. 

Rage 2: There Was a Bee

I invite you all to take a peek at the video at the link below. If I had succumbed to the tantrum I so desperately wanted throw, as mentioned in my previous post, it probably would have looked a little something like this....Teehee!



Bee in Her Bonnet Scene from Ever After Movie (1998) | MOVIECLIPS

RAGE

I wanted to throw a tantrum yesterday at work.


I mean like a complete, lose your mind briefly, tantrum.


Run around...push things off of tables, knock people down, pull out my hair, gnash my teeth, scream and yell unintelligbly at the top of my lungs, cry, fall down in the floor and kick and scream...cry some more. 


Um yeah. I was upset.


Actually as I think about it all over again...I can feel my blood pressure rising...caaaaallllmmm...ooooooo saaaaaaa!


HA.


So, on whose front door can we lay the blame for my rage?


Myself.


Yeah, you read correctly. Me. I'm in a rage at myself. For being stupid. For being hopeful. For being a softy. GAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!


For those of you who do not know, I am a Leo. I am also probably one of the most laid back Leos you will ever meet. Yes, I have my bossy moments, but I don't fly into rages at the drop of a hat, and my Leo tendencies toward vanity I can keep for the most part in check. However, I have mastered the perpetuation of a callous and indifferent demeanor, and a sharp and caustically sarcastic tongue that can slice an unsuspecting person to pieces in seconds flat. I'm not proud of these character traits. Flaws, if you will. But they've been carefully adopted to mask a single fact: I am a softy.


Although we are quite masterful at adopting a devil may care attitude, the fact of the matter is that we have the biggest hearts of almost any people you'll ever meet. We love babies. We love animals. We love the underdog. We pretty much just love to love. And we love to be loved. 


Our theme song could very well be Justin Beiber's annoying song, "Love me love me, say that you love me". Haha. Now you'll have that in your head all day long. 


Anyway. I digress.


The reason why we can come off as so indifferent, so callous, so unreadable, is because we're trying to hide the fact that we're actually quite sensitive and that it doesn't take much to hurt our feelings. You'll probably never know that you've hurt them...too much pride for that. 


So back to my tantrum. I was mad at myself because I'm usually quite adept at guarding my heart, guarding my feelings...and yesterday, my poor little Leo heart suffered a blow from which there is no recovering. And I could blame no one but myself. You see, I had fallen for my own charade. Bought into the lie that I myself had perpetuated. Only to find at the end, " Ha..you silly little girl. You care very much. You let your guard down. Some people never change, and you were dumb enough to think with your heart and not your head." 


Now before you all add comments to the effect of, "Rach thinking with your heart isn't a bad thing...you're being cynical, blah, blah, blah", let me tell you that in this case, I knew better. 


Dear God, I knew better. 


GAAAAAAHH! 


Must. Resist. The. Urge. To. Throw. A. Tantrum. REEESSIIIISSSTTT.


Anyway. 


This post is not good writing. It's pretty much just me venting. Sorry World. 


Sometimes ya just gotta let it out. 

Skin Deep

My finger nails look hideous.


Apparently, after about 10 years of getting manicures at the same nail salon, I have developed an allergy to ethyl methacrylate...also known as...nail acrylic.


On New Year's Eve I shimmied on over to the nail salon, ready to take advantage of some of the money I received as a Christmas gift. A day after my manicure, I noticed some little bumps on the skin around the nails on a few of my fingers. With the last manicure I got, which had been almost a year prior, the same thing happened, but I attributed it to the friction created by the rough buffing they had received by the nail tech, and thought no more of it.


I usually wait 2 weeks before I go back to the salon for a fill in. However, because my job is so hard on my hands and nails, I decided to go back exactly one week after my prior appointment.


Fast forward about 6 hours.


I'm relaxing at my aunt's house, watching movies and giggling, when I absent mindedly begin to scratch my thumb. The more I scratch it, the more it itches. When I look down at it, the skin around the nail is practically screaming at me. It was red, swollen, and rather bumpy.


"I think I'm having an allergic reaction" I say.


The hunt for the cortisone  cream ensues. And continues for roughly 20 minutes.


We never found it.


I ended up putting a piece of ice on it. Ha. Hey, what ever works, right?


By the time I got home, it had stopped itching, but was still really red and warm to the touch. I examined my other fingers and found that little bumps had made an appearance on them as well. I found my own stash of cortisone cream, and hoped the little bumps would be gone in the morning.


They weren't. In fact, they were worse.


Determined to try to figure out what was going on, I googled "nail acrylic allergy". Within minutes I found an article that described my symptoms perfectly. Tiny hives on the skin around the nail. Itching. Lifting of the nail plate from the nail bed. Yeap. I have a bona fide acrylic allergy.


*Sigh*


I spent an hour and a half last night soaking my nails in acetone(also toxic) and then scraping the remaining acrylic off with various manicure tools. It wasn't fun. But it's better than my nails separating completely from my nail bed, and getting an infection, right? The bad thing about soaking your nails in pure acetone and then scraping off the acrylic, is that you're actually taking a layer of your nail plate off along with the acrylic. The result?  My nails look like someone tried a new method of torture on them. 


I'm sad though. Manicures are one of my favorite ways to pamper myself and feel pretty. And if I don't get an acrylic overlay, my manicure will barely last until I get out to my car. Guess I'll be finding a new way to pamper myself. 


Some interesting facts about nail acrylic for you ladies. It'll make you think twice before getting it at your next nail salon appointment. 


-Methyl Methacrylate(MMA) was banned by the federal government in the 70s...but a lot of nail salons still use it. 


-Ethyl Methacrylate(EMA) is the legal form of MMA. It does the same thing as MMA but without all the health risks. Supposedly. The fact is, however, that even though it is permitted by the government, it is only permitted if the caveat of "avoid contact with skin" is attached...Um, hello? There's no way you can apply this to the nail without it getting on the skin. Hence the allergic reactions. 


My advice ladies? If you're thinking about getting an acrylic overlay at the nail salon...DON'T.

Another Day, Into the Fray

Today will be my "long" day. I call it this because after getting home from work a little past midnight, and not actually getting into bed until around 1:30...I had to get up at 5:30. Blah.

It is now almost 7 and I figured I'd blog a bit before heading into the fray. This is the day of the week where I do a private house cleaning. It pays very well and takes about 5 hours to complete. The lady I clean for is nice and super laid back. The only issue I have with the job is that it's all the way out in Louisville. A normal drive to the location would be about 20 to 25 minutes, but with the closure of one of the major bridges going from Indiana to Kentucky, it takes me about 20 minutes just to get across the bridge...so that 25 minute long trip is elongated to about 45 minutes to an hour. Double Blah.

After I finish cleaning this particular lady's home, I must zip back across the bridge( it's easier going back into Indiana) and dash home to shower and get ready to go to my full time job. By the time midnight arrives and I'm leaving work I'll be walking wounded. I'll be limping as the fascia muscles in my left foot stubbornly draw themselves tight, and make every step torture. I'll also probably be sleep walking to my car, and sleep driving once I get into it. Ha. Scary, eh? Just stay off the road between 12 and 12:30 a.m. and you should be safe. Haha.

Anyway.

Despite my numerous "murmurings and complainings" in the previous paragraph, I am actually very grateful for both of the jobs I have, when there are so many people out there without jobs at all.

I'm blessed.

Have a wonderful day world!

Back to the Old Grindstone

With the beginning of a new year also comes the beginning of a new school semester. The three week break was nice, but now it's back to the old grind.

I'm one of those strange people who actually enjoys school. Point blank: I love learning. The most difficult part though, of starting a new semester with all new classes, is trying to determine how much time each class will require of me. I am taking Bankruptcy Law, Contract and Commercial Law, and Law Office Technology this semester. These aren't the most exciting classes in the world, and it's pretty much a given that that each class in itself will require at least 40 to 50 pages of reading and at least one writing assignment. Add a full time job, a second part time job, working in youth ministry, attending church services, and my own personal prayer and study time....well, it's obvious that time management will be key, and that my penchant for procrastination will have to take a permanent vacation.

It sounds a tad bit overwhelming...but... I'm quite excited. The completion of this current semester is bringing me ever closer to my goal of graduating from college. I will do whatever it takes to meet that goal. Besides growing in my relationship with Jesus, finishing my degree is my primary focus.

Because I know myself, I know that there will be days when I could care less if I ever graduate or not. There will be days when the last thing I want to do is read a 50 page chapter on the ins and outs of chapter 7 bankruptcy, or the intricacies of the Uniform Commercial Code. So, as I take a deep breath and prepare to dive into this new semester, I would ask that when you think of me, please send up a little prayer for me...that I will be able to keep my focus, my motivation...oh...and my sanity! Ha.

Life Saver

My dad is a hero.

No, seriously!

Yesterday he sent me a text around three in the afternoon, explaining to me that he had gone with my aunt to the emergency room. She has COPD and was in a lot of pain.

 Fast forward about eight hours.

 It was a little past midnight and I was just getting off work. I realized that dad had never called to update me on my aunt's condition. So I shot him a text and within about two minutes, he called.

He quickly updated me on her condition, which was better, and then asked if I had talked to my sister. I told him I hadn't. "You'll never guess what happened to me on the way home from the hospital" My heart stopped. "Oh dear God, did you get into a wreck?!" I asked. Thankfully, he didn't. But this is what did happened.

He was driving along Interstate 71 in Louisville, when he noticed a car swerving and running off the road. She would swerve left, run down into the median then swerve back onto the road, and then swerve off onto the right side of road, and then back onto the road. Now, you have to understand that this portion of the interstate was cut through a mountain. So the right side is a solid wall of rock. This swerve routine went on for two miles.

Dad knew something was wrong, and he immediately began to pray that God would preserve the life of the lady driving the car.

After a while he lost sight of the car until he saw smoke a little ways down the road. She had finally wrecked. Her car had gone down into the median and was wedged between the guard rail and the grass. Apparently her foot was still on the accelerator and dirt was flying as her tires spun into the ground.

Dad was the first person on the scene. He ran to the car and yelled through the window asking the lady if she was ok. She kind of responded but seemed to be in a dazed state. By this time, another man had reached the scene and he and my dad tried to get into the car to get to the lady, but all of the doors were locked. They looked around to find something to break the windows with and after a short search found a piece of something in the median. They began working on the windows. By this time another lady had stopped to help. They finally broke the windows, but by this time the engine had caught fire because the lady's foot was still on the accelerator. They rushed to get her out of the car, but she was stuck. It seemed her foot was wedged under the pedal. The fire was spreading...and they still couldn't get her out. The grass beneath them had caught the flames. The lady who had stopped to help screamed for them to get away, that they would catch fire. But they couldn't just leave the driver in a burning vehicle. Finally, after a little more tugging, the driver gave way and they pulled her to safety. About this time, fire engines arrived on the scene and began to try to douse the fire. Within minutes after they had pulled her out, the inside of the car was engulfed in flames.

Apparently, this lady was a diabetic and her sugar had dropped super low. When she started the "swerve routine" she was having seizures, perhaps slipping in and out of a coma state.

I listened in amazement as he related the events of his evening to me. Unbelievable. It was like something out of a movie...or something you see on the news. Accept this was real.

That woman should've been either seriously injured or dead. Yet, she had not a single scratch on her body, and the only thing that ailed her was her diabetes.

God was watching out for that lady, and he caused my dad to be in just the right place at the right time. The LORD's mercy never fails! And way to go Dad!

For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in [their] hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Psalm 91:12&13

The Return

As we saw happen to Alice in the new Alice in Wonderland movie, starring Johnny Depp, I'm thrusting my self, rather abruptly back into the blog world. This return has, for the last 4 months, been simmering on the back burner of my mind. Now, however, with my first return college semester under my belt, I feel that I can expand my gaze to other things...like...writing. Please bear in mind that I do actually start school again on Monday...but...I'm hoping to do better with balancing my required writing for classes with the writing that I do just for fun. I will try to save a little room for me.


You may have noticed the changes in the outward appearance of my blog...I felt that these changes were necessary because over the last few months I have changed as well. Like the proverbial phoenix, I rise from the ashes. Haha. Please pardon the cliche... I couldn't resist.


As many of you know, and maybe as many of you may not know, my sabbatical from the blog was in part, forced on me, by the decision of my sister and I to not have internet at our apartment. This decision couldn't have come at a worse time, actually, because all of my classes last semester were online. Ha. The irony of it all. Anyway, about 3 months ago, I was blessed with a new job, and am finally beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel of bills that has surrounded me for the last 2 years. Hence, the return of the internet.


In my absence from blog land, I've learned many things, and continued to grow as an individual. With this new job, I'm learning a new level of responsibility as I am for the most part, my own boss. I've learned how to be a better manager of my money, and am in the process of curbing my impulse buying tendencies. Ha. 


I'm still grieving the loss of my granny, though the grief isn't quite as raw as it used to be. Instead of the roaring, searing, burning pain, that is almost debilitating, it has turned into a dull ache that I continue to carry with me everywhere. The months of November and December were kind of strange without her, but we made it through nonetheless. 


I'm still single. Sigh. Some days this continues to be ok...other days, eh...not so much. But. Life is all about balance. Although there sometimes seems to be something missing, there are always about 10 other things in my life that remind me that I already have everything I need. 


So BlogLand, I'm back, and that's the update on what's going on in Rachel's Adventureland. If you have not done so, please become a follower of my blog, and share it with your friends. I love comments, so please feel free to leave lots! In order to become a follower, go to the follower link on the right hand side of the page and click become a follower. You must create a google account. This is a relatively easy process, so if you have a moment, take the extra time to do so. 


Ah! It's good to be back!