From now on, I will be updating at http://www.xanga.com/rachdm I like change and this is change. So please continue to read my blog there. Thanks so much. :o)

I will not obsess. I will not be a dork. It's ok, it's just "research." [insert sarcasm] I just need to keep on repeating that to myself. And if I repeat it enough, I won't obsess, I won't be a dork, and I will realize that "research" does no good. (If you don't understand this, it's ok, nothing huge. For those of you who do understand these ramblings, make it stop!)

In other matters, I just want to say "MSE kids rock!" Seriously, this semester has been so much better because of them. I don't know how I would have survived 242 without them. Tonight was our last night working on homework in the UGLi, and we all exchanged IM screen names. It's kinda weird, it’s not like I'll never see them again. I have at least 2 classes with all of them next fall. Well, now we can keep in touch over the summer, and have a way to keep in contact when we're not doing all of our homework together next term. All for homework parties in the UGLi!! Many thanks to Alexis, Dave (Alberts), Dave (Pinkney), Karen, Lindsey, Tatsu, and Zack for all the help, all the laughs, and all the answers! :o) (ps Kaylan and Mike are cool, they just don't come to the UGLi all that much)

Classes are ending on Wednesday! When did that happen? It's only a few weeks after spring break. I'm not ready for exams. Argh...prayers and support of other means are appreciated and willingly accepted as well as reciprocated (rdmathew@umich.edu if you need some). But after finals it's Chapter FOCUS Week with IV in the UP (which happens to be the best week ever, seriously, it is). Yet, I have to survive finals before I can go to Chapter Camp. *sigh...Chapter Camp and Cedar Campus. Oh how I miss thee. ;o)

"As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, 'Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.' This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 'Say to the Daughter of Zion, 'See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'' The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, 'Hosanna to the Son of David!' 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!' 'Hosanna in the highest!' When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, 'Who is this?' The crowds answered, 'This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.'" ~Matthew 21:1-11

Continuing on in Luke's gospel:
And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples. "But He answered and said to them, "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out." ~Luke 19:39-40

What an entry that Jesus makes in this passage. This is Matthew's account of the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem, which is known as Palm Sunday. This is the beginning of the last week in Christ's life, ultimately ending with Good Friday and the crucifixion. What I like about these accounts are that Matthew includes the prophecy that says that Christ will enter Jerusalem on a donkey and within Luke's is the statement that the rocks will cry out in praise of God if we humans stop.

I don't know what the point of this blog, but I just wanted to share a bit of my thoughts on this passage. I encourage all of you to read the accounts of Jesus' last week on earth, and reflect on what is happening in His last week of ministry. Mark's gospel has a good account (chapters 11-15).

Last night (would be Fri 4/11) has to be the best night on record for my time at U of M. Ok, it might not be THE best night, but definitely top 10, maybe even top 5. I seriously had the best time. (If you couldn't tell) Right now, you might be shaking your head and saying "now Rachel, what did you do last night that was so much fun?" Well, here is the answer. :o)

Yesterday I arrived home from North Campus exhausted from a long day on top of a long week. I had homework sets due yesterday in both of my engin classes as well as a history paper (as an engin kid, I don't particularly enjoy writing papers). So, I was tired. Anyway, I was walking into Martha Cook and saw 3 boys in tuxes standing on the front steps. Slightly dismayed to why there were boys in tuxes, I entered the building. The best thing about Fridays, besides being the start of the weekend, is tea at Martha. So I was at tea and walking through the main hall and saw my good friends Sarah and Ann at table talking with 2 guys. The guys turned out to be Scott and Mike, Ann's brother and Ann's brother's friend, respectively. (Does that make sense?) We sat and chatted for awhile about nothing important, and then went into the Gold Room to hear the Men's Glee Club sing (so that's why there were boys in tuxes!). We then proceeded to play Frisbee in the garden because it was such a beautiful day. What we learned from Frisbee in the garden? I can't throw a Frisbee and Ann and her brother Scott have a family victory dance. ;o)

After Frisbee I headed off with Sarah and Ann to a meeting of University Christian Outreach (UCO, I think that's right) for a talk series about traditional dating/courtship rituals. It was the last meeting and was very interesting. Also, everyone was really welcoming and very friendly. After the meeting, we squeezed into a car and headed off to Leonardo's on north campus for 2nd Friday swing dance night, where I actually learned how to swing dance! Amazing, I know, but with a partner who can lead well, anyone can swing. ;o)

Swing dancing is the best. It's the guy's job to make the girl look good, and you get to do lots of spins. Many thanks to Scott, James, Matt and Li for making me look good! Yea spins! :o) And the crazy thing, I knew almost half the people at the swing dancing. Whether it was from classes or friends of friends, there was definitely less than 6 degrees of separation in that room. I saw Sara Bara and Kerri-bear there, and was so excited! I didn't know that they knew about swing dance night. I'd like to see all of our Couzens group go one week next year! With all the people that I knew there, I'd like to think of myself as the glue that held the room together. ;o)

One might think that the night was over when the dancing ended at Leonardo's, but no, not for us. Apparently there is a tradition with the group I was hanging out with to go over to Jody and Barbara's (friends of Sarah's, MCB Sarah) apartment to hang out, talk, and make pancakes. I don't question tradition; I only go along with it! Before heading over to the apartment, James and I headed to his room to pick up a Play Station 2 and his DDR cd. On the way over to his room, we realized that I knew both James' roommates from IV. Crazy how connections are made. Many of you might be asking what DDR is; DDR stands for Dance Dance Revolution, which is a video game of sorts. With DDR, one has a pad to dance on, with the prescribed dance moves on the screen to fit the music. DDR is perfect for people with an innate rhythm, but horrible for me. Yeah, I know I was in marching band for 4 years, but I seem to have lost all rhythm gained in my time in the FMB (Falcon Marching Band). I ended up just jumping around on the pad hoping to hit the right squares at the right time. People seemed to think that was amusing, or maybe it was the lack of sleep talking. We ended up leaving the apartment at about 2:45 am, and getting home at about 3. Long night, but one of the best ever! I can't wait for swing night Fridays next fall!

Why am I updating so soon you might ask; well, it is because I have some wonderful news! (Just when you thought this was all going to be depressing)

One thing that I have not gotten use to with college is the number of people getting married. Yes, I have friends that got married last summer, friends that are engaged, but the wedding is far off, and friends of friends that are married, but no close friends that are engaged...

Until now. :o) I found out today (very soon after the act) that my good friend Amy is engaged!!!! I met Amy last year at Martha Cook teas, and this year she is suitemate to my very good friend Abigail (and they conveniently live down the hall near the elevator, close enough for daily (usually multi-daily) visits). This is the first time a good friend of mine is engaged, and the wedding is in just a few months! Many of you might be thinking 'what is a college student doing getting married'. I should state the Amy is graduating in a few weeks and her fiancee (my gosh, her fiancee (I don't know how to work the little accent thing for fiancee, so you can deal)) Daniel already has his degree. And they both attend New Life Church here on U of M's campus. It seems like New Life couples get engaged faster. I don't know what that's all about, but it seems to be a trend. So, it's not all that crazy.

To get all the girly stuff over, her ring is beautiful; Daniel scored major points there. They are both, of course, really excited. There was much screaming, yelling, jumping, clapping of hands, and of course hugging when people were told. *sigh* I only wish that I could be this happy someday, but I know God has a plan, and a man. ;o) te he he

Many congratulations to Amy and Daniel!!!
"The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn His face to you and give you peace." ~Numbers 6:24-26

So...life. Yep, that's what this is. Although I'm not sure what I'm living should be called life. Roller coaster works, as well as free falling, but not life. Life is just to tame for what I'm dealing with.

My personal life is crazy. My school life is crazy. My plans for the summer are all up in the air, waiting to come crashing down. But God is taking care of me, and He will see me through.

I've been reading the Psalms lately, and they have been a great comfort.
"Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings...So I will sing praise to Your name forever" ~Psalm 61:1-4, 8a.

Those verses almost perfectly describe how I am feeling. Right now I am overwhelmed, but I know my Father is there to shelter me and to protect me. And because of all that, He deserves my praise. I know in my head that God will work everything out in His perfect way, but somehow my heart hasn't gotten the message. Any other uplifting verses are welcome. Feel free to email them to rdmathew@umich.edu :o)

I know I haven't written in here in forever and a half, and I apologize. But in my defense, when I created this journal, I said I wouldn't update very often. But here I am, updating. Many thanks to those who keep on reminding me. :)

Well, this is a place where I record what happens in my life, and my reactions to these events. A major event happened in my life, and I don't know how much I want to talk about it, but here I go. If you remember in my first entry I mention my boyfriend, and how we got together. Well, about 2 months ago, Derek broke up with me. He was not being unreasonable when he broke up with me, and it was not for petty reasons; he just didn't love me like a girlfriend anymore. Yet, good reasons did not take away the hurt. The shock of the events is what caused most of the pain, because I was not expecting this; it came out of the blue. And it wasn't until after we broke up that I realized how much I loved Derek. And even now, a few months later it still hurts to see him. The homicidal tendencies are gone (they weren't much to begin with) but a slight pain is still there.

Life isn't always bad, and true healing comes when one can see the good out of a bad situation. Even though, I was hurting from the break up I could see God working through my close friends here in Ann Arbor, and from back home. I had so many offers of going out for coffee and ice-cream, many more of "if you ever need to talk", and a few people volunteering to inflict bodily harm (I did not take those individuals up on their offers). God has truly blessed me with good friends.

The breakup has been the main thing in my life lately. Yet, since I'm not spending time with Derek, I can concentrate on my schoolwork more. I'm taking 2 engineering classes this term and both of them have a heavy homework load. It's not all that bad; we work in groups and with that, I've been getting to know other people within my major. The Material Science Department at U of M is relatively small, so these are the people I will be taking classes with until I graduate. So, I guess it's good that we get to know each other.

That is all for now. I shall try to update at least once a week, so the faithful that have actually stuck around can have something to read.

"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." ~Romans 8:28

I know it's been forever since I've updated, and i would like to appologize. but, in my defense, when i started this bog, i never promised constant entries. so....i've been home for about 2 and 1/2 weeks now, and it seems like 2 days. am i being unfaithful to my college student status when i say i don't want to go back to school? i mean, i want to go back to ann arbor and see everyone there (especially derek....i miss you! ;-) ) yet, i like being at home. the living situation is kinda crazy (my fam is remodeling, and we only have 2 bedrooms for 6 people, so my sisters and i rotate where we sleep. it's actually quite funny. when i come home late from working at the movie theater (ie. 1 am or so) there is usually a flashlight and a note telling me where to sleep.) but i like working at star (the theater, the people there are wonderful! :-D). i'm torn....what to do?

it's been a great break though. i got to spend some time with my family and friends from home, made some money, saw some movies, did some shopping, and are now all rested up for the new semester. i've read some Tolkien (i don't like fantasy, but i read "The Hobbit" and are now working on "The Fellowship of the Ring"...amazing, i know) and watched some football (GO BLUE! 38-30 vs Florida Gators), and moved plumbing items for my dad (think my parents, my lil sis, lisa, and i moved in our new bath tub.....straight up a half flight into our sliding back door....in the rain..freezing i might add)_ and now the break is ending. i head back to ann arbor sometime sunday.

ok...it is time for bed right now. well...not really bed, but time for Tolkien. g'night all!