Hokay so, this is December. Tis a pretty sweet December--ROUND. (NAME THAT INTERNET VIDEO!)

Anywaaaaaaaaaay. So, November is dead and gone. Byebye, Novemberrrrrr.

I was right, November was rather EPIC/SPIFF. Stressful, yes, but wonderful all the same. I completed/WON National Novel Writing Month--hitting the word goal a day before it ended, which was good enough for me. My story is far from completed, but at least I made word count for now! Now, I just need to make my two main characters fall in love and then... bwahaha. ANYWAY.

Speech season has begun at school and Meeb and I have begun exercising our Captainly duties. Hohooo... It's rather fun, helpign all the Junior High kids with their speech stuff. I've found my official piece for this year, but I need to cut down the length of it. It is "I Stand Here Ironing" by Tillie Olsen.

My randomisity continues... I am watching Lord of the Rings right now, simply because it's on. I wish Advent Children were on.

JOURAN AND KATE LIVED HAPPLIY EVER AFTER AND RAN AWAY TOGETHER TO BE MARRIED FOREVER. <3 IT WAS AMAZING. That is my rant about one of my best friendling's story--Storm Awakened--which is OFFICIALLY DONE. The epilogue was posted yesterday. ;_; IT WAS AMAZING.

On Tuesday I get to start two new art classes--Honors Art (offered for the first time in x amount of years!) and an independent study where I sort of just make my own class. I AM THRILLED.

Christmas is coming up and I am in that wonderful mood--but I need to buy presents still. o_o I have some clever ideas, though! I need to draw lots and lots of cool stuff. Especially for Mesa. And Meeb. And Beth. o___o I need to start that now, but I have to finish my Fire Emblem Secret Santa gift very soon so I can get that out of the way.

Coloring takes way too long.

I am also working on scholarship STUFF but I cannot find the essay I need to find from last year. D: IT IS MISSING.

<3 Rachel

So~ my last journal was horrendously long and I have decided to make a shorter, less insane journal to take its place. And write about... stuff. And life. And art. ART THAT I HAVE BEEN DOING BUT IT'S TOO MUCH WORK TO PUT ON HERE AND FACEBOOK.... Because I have to take photographs with my camera of my art in ideal lighting and then edit the pictures and blah blah blah.

My excuses are astounding, no? Hmm... Regardless, one day I will do an art dump. Probably sometime in November...

Because November is just the coolest month ever. Let's go over the awesomeness of November, SHALL WE?

October 23rd Last day of my fitness class. Ohoho, this is glee for me BECAUSE this means I will have a free period during school throughout the month of November to write (see below)!

November 1st Day one of National Novel Writing Month, which is a world wide (so it should be INTERnational Novel Writing Month...) writing phenomenon ten years in the making. The goal is to write a 50,000 word 'novel' in one month. The only prize is self-satisfaction and copious amounts of pride. :3 See [link] for more spastic fun.

November 4th gets her braces off. Which is just epic because she will have the prettiest teeth ever!

November 5th MY BIRTHDAY. 18 years of age wooohooo! Legal adulthood and all. To celebrate, I am getting a tattoo! My first one, so I am looking forward immensely to it! It will be on the inside of my right wrist and is a design of a cross with a banner over it. Pictures will be posted probably after I get it. Lethargy, sorry~

So I guess that makes for one epic week at least... Throw in some more fun birthdays, the school musical (which I am NOT in, but look forward to seeing my friends in it) and lots of other spastic stuff and it will make for a grand month.

Also, add in a more than generous helping of Jesus and see where it all takes you. I am very excited for November. For life. For other grand things~

Is over.

Sorry for not updating in ages. The Summer has been... insane. And has now concluded. I will, for that reason, explain to everyone why I haven't done anything on dA in weeks and why I have been so absent...

This Summer was mostly consumed by practices and events and volunteer work since I was a candidate for my town royalty. I guess Midwest towns are the ones that do it the most, and most towns here in Minnesota have competitions for it. Not to give away too much info about where I live, but we have an Ambassador program, rather than a Queen and Princess type pageant thingie. It's REALLY focused on preparing us for college and jobs and our futures! There were seven of us candidates in total, and we all had to write two speeches, an essay, fill out a few profile thingies, interviews, and whatnot. In the end, two of the most spectacular girls I know were crowned.

It was a bit difficult to be one of those who was not chosen as an Ambassador, but if you could see the other candidates, you would know why. Each and every one of those girls was, and is, absolutely AMAZING. During the night of the coronation, no one made a SINGLE mistake. It was a flawless night (on our part--our recorder messed up and only half of the coronation was successfully taped. Whoops) and I am so proud of all the girls I got to know this Summer. If anyone wants to know more about it, I would be happy to rant about it.

This Summer I also watched was very active in my youth group, and was consumed by all the prayer meetings, taco bell runs (and I have a passion AGAINST taco bell... Now I eat it every week! XD ), and all other sorts of chaos. It has been a great Summer, and God is clearly working in my school this year...

I worked a fair amount of time, too (fair for me is 12 to 18 hours a week). Not much to say about work, though... The normal (I work at a daycare).

As I mentioned above---school. School began for me on Tuesday, so I've been at it just under a week. XD GLORIOUS FRIDAYS, HOW I LOVE THEE. I work only 6 to 9 hours a week, now, which is also bearable and nice. Myself and are the Speech captains (which is a Winter sport) BUT WORK HAS ALREADY BEGUN! I have a fair class load, too! Spanish III (the highest Spanish offered at my silly school), Geography (required...), College English (Fun and free college credit!), and two classes through the college I plan on attending next Fall!

Art this Summer was... sparse at best. I worked for a while on the cover art for one of my great buddy's story. She is awesome and if you dig through my gallery and scraps, you will find more art ranting about her story, in which my FAVORITE CHARACTER WAS JUST SHOT. THANK YOU, EMMA. /sarcasm/ I also have had the opportunity to do a few commissioned work, mainly some art for a band that another friend of mine is manager of. Not much art for myself. I spent probably 12 to 15 hours on a self portrait for the coronation... And I'm not that fond of it. The WIP is probably still on my main page. Anyway, it served it's purpose for the coronation!

And for wasting my time, I watched Dead Poets Society far too much, played Final Fantasy X, and watched Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children a few too many times.

By the way, I think I'm going to be an art teacher! Isn't that just nifty?

SO THERE IS MY LIFE IN A NUTSHELL RIGHT NOW. I AM EXCITED TO DO NOTHING THIS WEEKEND EXCEPT MINUTE TASKS, ART, AND JESUS RELATED AWESOMENESS.

PEACE OUT, YO.


Rachel (Rkor4)

I've realized how many people live their lives as if God isn't watching. Even I used to live as if God couldn't see what I was doing at all times. It's dawned on me recently how pointless it is to try to run from God. I mean, how many times does it say it over and over and over in the Bible?

Psalm 94:7 NIV "They [wicked people] say, 'The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob pays no heed.' "

And so we go about our lives in sin. Who is it that we are trying to fool? Because it's pretty futile to try to fool God.

Psalm 94:9-10 NLT "Is he [referring to God] deaf—the one who made your ears? Is he blind—the one who formed your eyes? He punishes the nations—won’t he also punish you? He knows everything—doesn’t he also know what you are doing?"

Psalm 139:7 NLT "I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence!"

That sounds pretty clear cut and obvious to me.

So how long will you run?

Will you keep lying yourself, trying to persuade your mind to believe that God doesn't see you? When in fact he knows every moment, every fiber of your very being and existance.

Trying to run from him doesn't get you very far. At least... not very far in a positive direction.