Heart of the Matter

Y'all, every day I find a new way to serve.  God has blessed me with so many amazing opportunities and I want to make sure that I am not letting them slip away.  He has put so many things on my heart recently and I feel like I need to invest more of myself in order to really do His work.

On my heart's to do list:

I sponsored a child in Zimbabwe and I want to make sure she knows not only that she is loved by me but that she is loved by a God that is much bigger than I am.  She has lived in an orphanage all her life and it makes me wonder if she understands that she has never been alone, even when it seems that no one wanted her.  Through my correspondence with her, I want to show her the love of a God who will never leave her.  I would also love to visit her one day.  I know there will be opportunities for this in the future and I plan on making this a reality.

I began supporting the Economic Freedom project with Mocha Club but I want to give more than just my money.  I want to give my time and prayer to this organization and this cause.  I truly believe that Mocha Club is doing amazing work and I want to be there with them as they grow and experience the beauty of Africa.  Our pastor always says"give until it hurts" and he is talking about way more than just a financial contribution.

I took over leading a community group at my church.  I've been getting to know these ladies over the past nine months and I can't even tell you how much their love and support means to me.  I'm so excited to lead them through our next study and really dig in deep with them.  I think that the relationships I have with these women are good for the soul and I want to foster them in any way I can.

Does your heart have a to do list?

Much Love,
Rachel Elizabeth

Busy Bee

These next few months are going to be CRAZY!!  I have a lot going on for the next couple of months and I absolutely cannot wait.

First, I am running a half marathon.  I've never run more than a 5k.  I'm very intimidated.  This all started out as a fun thing to do with Andrew and a way to get more exercise.  Back in November we signed up for the Country Music Half Marathon in Nashville.  Well, we started training and actually did pretty well and then we stopped.  Don't ask me why.  Basically we would run for a couple of weeks and then not run for a couple of weeks.  We weren't getting anywhere with our training and almost decided to throw in the towel.  But, I've already paid for this thing and I refuse to quit it.  So, for the last month we've gotten pretty serious about running.  We've built up our mileage pretty quickly (I don't think that is how you are supposed to do it).  We take long runs every Saturday and I have to say that it is quickly becoming one of my favorite times of the week.  Running 6 miles, 8 miles, 10 miles takes some time.  I love having an hour or two to myself.  We go run in beautiful places and I get a lot of time to just clear my head and live in the moment.  It's therapeutic.  Not to mention, I get to wear my new purple running shoes!!!

Also coming up is my brother's wedding!!!!!  I'm so excited about this wedding.  They are getting married in late May and the month leading up to it will be filled with tons of joyful family time.  You see, my brother and his fiancé have been living in Montana for the past few months and I hardly ever get to see them or talk to them.  I can't wait to spend some quality time helping them prepare for this awesome journey into marriage. I'll be traveling home to Asheville at least three weekends in May and although it will be exhausting, it will be a blessing as well.  They don't know it yet but I'm pretty much just going to attach myself to them while I'm home and make the most of our time together.

Aren't they awesome together?  Too cute!

I also can't wait to spend some quality time with my best friend, Meredith, while I'm home.  She seriously gets me and I can't wait to have some best friend dates.  It's hard when your two best friends live in different cities.  Meredith is a long car ride away and Kayla is even further.  We do what we can to see each other when we are home for the holidays but let's face it, that is not enough time.  At some point in the near future, Meredith and I are going to fly up to New York to see Kayla but in the mean time, I am going to be seeing a ton of Meredith.  My heart is so happy about this.  She seriously rocks my world.

Sometime after May, Andrew and I are planning a weekend to St. Louis.  We've been planning it for a while but life has gotten in the way.  We were first going to do it over my birthday weekend but then I found out that I had to work all weekend.  We pushed it to the next weekend but then my grandfather passed away and we had to go home to Asheville for a few days.  We finally planned it for mid April but Andrew just found out that he will be out of town with his job over that weekend.  We will get there, mark my words.  We just have to find the right time.  Since May is already super busy, we'll probably shoot for June.  Who knows?

My life is pretty crazy right now but I love that!  I'm so glad that God has blessed  me with so many wonderful people.  I have no idea what I would do without them, well except maybe sit on my couch and have nothing to do.  That wouldn't be any fun.

Get excited because I'll share everything along the way!

Much Love,
Rachel Elizabeth

A God Moment

Have you ever heard people say they had a moment where they knew God was talking to them.  Something happened and they knew it was meant for them; it was meant to teach them something.  Well, I have always hear people say this and sometimes I am begging for God to give me a sign.  Please Lord, show me what you want me to do.  Teach me!!  A couple of weeks ago we were at church and I had a God moment.  I know what you're thinking, you were in church and you had a God moment...how novel.  Well, it was so blatant that it almost knocked me off my feet.

I'll start at the beginning...

I have a real problem with being judgmental.  I try so hard to be kind and not make judgements on people, especially before I've even met someone but my humanity gets the best of me sometimes and I pass judgement.  It's something that I constantly ask God for help on and something that I have to pray about regularly.  

We went to church and it wasn't just a regular day at church, it was the very first service in a new building.  That's right, our church had just relocated and we were there, full of anticipation, for the very first service.  It was slightly chaotic as we were all trying to find our way around and lots of people filed in late.  I was sitting with Andrew's whole family in one of the riser sections and about five minutes after the service began, I saw this woman walk in who was dressed in a costume and had a huge purple wig on.  I'm ashamed to say but I immediately judged her. I looked at her and assumed that she knew how important this day was to our church and she had worn a costume to pull attention to herself and away from God.  In actuality, she probably only pulled my attention but nonetheless, I was upset with her.  She sat down just a few rows in front of me so I naturally kept my eye on her.  My judgmental tendencies pulled my attention from God.  I could have just shrugged it away and listened to the sermon but I sat there and thought of all the possible reasons that she might have worn such an odd get-up to church.  

At the end of the sermon, we took communion in our new church.  I got up, took my bread, dipped it in the juice and just ate it without thanking Jesus for His sacrifice.  I watched this woman the whole time.  I was selfish.  I watched her walk to the front of the auditorium and take communion with everyone else.  When she filed back around to her seat, she couldn't sit down because a young man had entered the auditorium and sat in her seat to pray.  He had his head bowed and he was sobbing.  You could tell that he was asking Jesus for help, the kind of help that only He could give.  The woman with the purple hair just walked out of the auditorium.  I sat and watched that young man and thought to myself that I should go lay a hand on him and pray with him, for him.  I wanted him to know that he was not alone and that Jesus wasn't the only person on his side, that I would be as well.  I wanted him to feel loved.  But, I was too scared.  I stood there and didn't show him the love of Christ.  Instead, I embraced my selfish tendencies and stayed where I was.  After all, I didn't want to embarrass myself.

Then, the woman changed my heart and made me ashamed of my judgements.  

After a few minutes, she walked back in the auditorium and over to the young man.  She bent down and placed not only her hand but her whole head on him and prayed for him.  She hugged him and prayed over him.  She made sure he knew that he wasn't alone.  You could see him sobbing.  He was sobbing so hard that you could not only see his body moving but her's too as he took deep breaths.  Eventually, she lifted up, kissed him on the back of the head and walked out.  It was all I could do to hold back my tears.  This woman, that I judged, was able to do what I wasn't.  She showed the love of Christ to someone in need.  

I believe that God sent her to help that man.  Sent her to make sure he knew that he was loved.  I think God also sent her for me.  To show me that judging people is not my place and that there is more to people than what meets the eye.  I still think about how I felt that day and how it affected me.  I'm praying even harder now for God to keep helping me with my thoughts and attitudes toward others.  We never know someone's story.  

I found out later that the woman I saw had been helping in the kids' ministries and she was dressed up as a character for their first day in the new building.  She didn't want to take attention from God.  She was serving Him in more ways than I can count.  She was important in that young man's life and in mine.

It was a God moment and I needed it.

_______

Do you find that there are certain people that you have a hard time loving?  For example, a particularly difficult person at work or a very needy friend?  I have those people and I practice finding the good in them and being Christ-like to them.  It isn't always easy and I mess up a lot.  But, I'm trying and I know ever-so-much-more how important it is to first show people love.

Much love,

Rachel Elizabeth

Joy to the World and a Happy New Year

Wow, it's been entirely too long.  Somehow I got off track with my writing and never made it back.  Until now, that is.  2012 has been a whirlwind of a year and I'm almost in disbelief that it is coming to a close.  At the end of each year we challenge ourselves to think of what lies ahead and many of us even set goals for the new year.  We decide to change something about the way we live and hope that it makes the next year even better.  Personally, I'm not very good at accepting change.  I find places where I'm comfortable and I tend to bury myself and hold on for the long haul.  Maybe that's a weakness of mine.  Sometimes change can be good.  It keeps us guessing and helps us live a life that is more full.  If we never change, we will never take risks, never learn new things, never experience anything different than we already know.  Being that it's the last week of December, it's probably about time to start making my list of resolutions.

First and foremost, I want to choose to be more joyful in my everyday life.  Don't get me wrong, I am incredibly happy and I feel very blessed.  I merely want to recognize the things in my life that make me happy and put more focus on those things and less focus on the stuff that is stressful or mundane.  I found this little gem today and I wanted to share it with you:

found here

I think the world needs more people to dedicate themselves to simply spreading joy and love to those around them and I want to be more mindful of doing just that.

My second resolution is to be more diligent about reading a daily devotion and spending time in THE WORD.  I bought a devotional last week that I'm hoping will also help me choose to be joyful more often.  You can find it here.  I always start a devotional and less than a couple of weeks later, I've put it down and moved on to something else.  I know in my heart how important the Lord is to me but all too often, I fail to show Him how much He means to me.  Isn't it great though to know that no matter how often I fail, God's love never fails me.  If for no other reason, that is amazing enough to take a few minutes out of my day to praise and thank Him.

My third resolution is to floss more often.  This may seem small to most people but I hate to floss.  Seriously, I really don't like flossing.  I know, I know...it's silly and I need to get over it.  I really want to be better about it though.  It helps that Andrew loves to floss and always does so.  Maybe I'll ask him to keep me more accountable. 

So, to wrap things up, I'll start making a list:

1. Choose Joy

2. Spend time in The Word each day

3. Floss like my life depends on it

I have many more resolutions so stay tuned.  Are you making a list?  What kinds of things are you changing in the New Year?

End of Summer Madness

The last few weeks have been filled with tons of fun!  Andrew and I had the chance to hang out with some great friends and family, cook some tasty treats and spend a little time, one on one.  Hang on because this is going to be a whirlwind!!!

First off, do you remember that baby that Andrew got to meet and hold, while I was out of town?!?!?!  Here, I'll remind you.  His name is Knox!

Well, I finally got to meet him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I like to think we bonded.  He is quite the sweetie and I can't wait until I get to see him again.

A few days later, I made my very first loaf of bread.  And...it was so good!  Now, we've talked about how sometimes when I cook it is a disaster.  I'm proud to say that I mastered this bread.  You don't believe me?  Check it out for yourself!

The dough.

This is the bread after the first turn in the oven.  P.S. I used my grandmother's old orange pot to make this bread.  I remember her making rice pilaf in that pot.  It is similar to a Le Cruset but some other brand.  I love having this pot because it brings back so many memories of her and her kitchen.  Maybe I had some help making this bread and that is why it turned out so good?!?!  Thanks Grammy!

Finished product!!!  Tasty, crusty bread!!!!  Oh and did I mention this was the simplest recipe I've ever made?  Well, it was.  Check it out, here!  I think my next endeavor will be to try one of the spiced loaves.

For now, go make this bread and then make this sandwich using it!

Hummus, herby cheese and cherry tomatoes.

Andrew and I love taking the pups to the dog park.  Ellie eats it up.  Luha on the other hand...

sticks pretty close to mom.  

We always start off at the little dog park but we want our pups to know how to interact with little and big dogs so we end up taking them to the big dog park as well. You may be wondering why I don't have a picture of Ellie at the park and that is because SHE NEVER STANDS STILL!  But, I don't want her to feel left out so here is a different picture of her, just because.

Look at her, she is even smiling for the camera.  What a ham!

I don't know about you but I am ready for Fall.  I'm ready for colder weather, football, pumpkin and gingerbread spices and fall fashion.  In fact, in the hopes that it would inspire some cooler weather, I wore my first fall outfit today.  

Here's hoping!

Much love,

Rachel Elizabeth

Home on the Range

A while back, Andrew bought us a groupon for a gun range experience.  We've had the groupon for a long time and always found some reason not to use it.  Well, we finally decided to head on over and try it out and man am I glad we did.  The groupon included a shooting package for two people.  We got one .22 caliber hand gun, 50 rounds each and two targets.  Of course, if you know Andrew and I at all, it immediately became a competition.

I was quite timid because guns scare the you-know-what out of me but the staff at the gun range were amazing and they walked us through how you load the gun, how to hold it when you fire and then how to aim for the target.  Of course, my first couple of rounds were slightly off but as soon as I got the hang of it, that target was in trouble.

Here are some bullets and our targets at the end of the range.

Andrew was a natural as well.  It was quite scary how two people, who had never shot a .22 before, could pick it up so quickly.  That realization just made me more afraid of guns.

We took turns shooting 10 rounds each.  For the first twenty rounds we aimed for the center bullseye, then for the head, then for the small red targets to the side of the head and finally for the red targets in the bottom corners.  Can you spot the shell casing flying in the above picture?

This is a picture of my target after we shot at his head.  My poor guy didn't make it.  Better luck next time, sir.

We had a fantastic time and hopefully we'll go back again someday.  I think we'll probably pick different targets next time.  They had zombie targets.  I want to shoot at zombies!!  All in all, it was a fun Saturday morning.

The Pharmacy

Andrew and I are all about exploring Nashville and really taking advantage of what the city has to offer.  We constantly watch for those daily deals to places which we've been wanting to try but maybe not at full price.  Well, we've tried a ton of new restaurants and adventures this summer and I have to share some of them with you.

Today we shall discuss...The Pharmacy.

The Pharmacy is a cute little restaurant in East Nashville that serves two of my favorite foods...burgers and beer.  Yes, beer is a food group, and an important one at that.  We had heard a lot about it and couldn't wait to try it.  Simply put, IT. WAS. AWESOME.  Andrew got The Farm Burger which he describes as breakfast and dinner all-in-one (sorry, I didn't get a picture of it).  It is a regular burger with a fried egg, bacon and a piece of ham on it.  Yeah, not really my style but he loved it.  I got the Falafel burger and, oh my, was it tasty.

If you are unfamiliar with Falafel (don't worry, my mom wasn't sure what it was either), it is a chickpea patty that is fried crisp on the outside.  That's right, I went to a burger place and got something vegetarian.  Who does that?  Anyway, it was fantastic and that, coupled with a side of sweet potato fries, made the perfect combination.

Now on to the beer....

We must not forget the beer.

The beer was served in fun mugs and they had a great selection.  Also, we've been back since this first encounter and the beer menu had completely changed.  I love that.  Trying new beers is a fun pastime.

As you can see in the above picture, they have a great patio and I highly recommend going on a beautiful night so you can sit outside.  The string lights and picnic tables make for a romantic combination.  

We had a blast!

Go try it.  TODAY.