Zoo

So my last day of volleyball preseason is Monday, and i have to be honest, i'm a little sad. I mean, this is the last time in my life that I am going to put my body through this kind of pain! (hopefully). But seriously, it's kind of setting in that this is my last year of playing volleyball. I can't believe it. Last night we had our game vs. the Trevecca Alumni and we beat them pretty badly. It was awesome.

Well, once Randy and I arrived in Nashville safe and sound, we did a few fun things :) This was a great safari adventure that we went on (aka, we went to the ZOO!) It was a great time, we walked around for a few hours, even though it was hot and really humid! But the animals were very lively and entertaining. We had so much fun. (I put lots of pictures below).

Today is Sunday, which means that it was the first time since i've been back that I was able to go to Mercy Hill Church. This made me really happy. God put me there today because the message was about looking at your life through your own prideful lens, compared to God's outward loving focused lens. I feel that recently (and not so recently) I've had very selfish desires for my life, i.e. not wanting to go back to Nashville, not wanting to play volleyball because it was going to be too hard, complaining about various things that weren't going my way, etc. etc., but God put my heart back in order today, and basically said "Rachel, your life isn't about you, it's about loving the people that are in your life, friend and stranger." Some things i wrote down in my journal were "As people, we will always worship something in our lives...am I tuning in to what God has for me, or what I want?...and What song do you sing in adversity? (is it "woe is me my life is terrible" or is it "Praise the Lord for teaching me something new and putting me in a new place.") I learned to sing the latter song today, and I really want to continue to do so. Having a love so big in my life outweighs any pain. I love Jesus.

-Rachel

Here's the aminals!!!

The First

So here it is! My connection with friends and family, my place to vent about private school, my....blog. As you know, Randy and I ventured cross-country all the way to Nashville, Tennessee in 5 days! We were able to see a lot of different places. The first day we saw Bakersfield, Ca and Kingman Az, and camped just outside the Grand Canyon National Park. Day two was the Grand Canyon extravaganza. We took lots of pictures and enjoyed the sights. Then it was on to Gallup Nm and an overpriced hotel room...ick. I would be okay with never seeing New Mexico again. Day three it was off to Amarillo Texas, home of the Big Texan Steakranch...we K.O.A'd it again this night, and rode banana bikes around the campground (a highlight!). Then we were on to Oklahoma, home of Randy's cousins who have a lot of dogs...and puppies. We finally got a good night's rest and then took off for Arkansas! Our original plan was to stay in Arkansas this night, but at the last minute we decided to keep moving and make it to Memphis since one of the girls on my team lives there, and they love to cook for guests ;) Well, along the way we saw Russellville Ar, the world's second largest cross, and the world famous, West Memphis Wal Mart. Dinner and a bed were excellent that night. The final day we drove the 3 hours to Nashville and met the city skyline with a bittersweet feeling. We made it. Relief about the long drive being over was great, but if time could have just stopped as soon as we got here, I would be a more joyful person. I dropped Randy off at the airport Thursday, with "You Can't always get what you want" playing in my car as i drove away. How ironic.

So a new chapter in my life....titled "My Hopeful Senior Year of College" has begun. Volleyball has kept my life very busy, with very little down time to even think about how far away I am from California (which is probably a good thing). My knees are very achy, and i'm going to bed really early every night becuase I am so tired. But the last preseason of my whole life is almost over, and I'm trying to look at the bright side of all the hard practices :)

I already can't wait to come home. 3 1/2 months doesn't seem like SO long...but it is a long time and I love and miss my friends and my family a LOT. It is going to be a tough semester, but just know that I'm thinking and praying about all of you back at home. I Love You!

-Rachy

Here are some pictures from our adventure!: