Review and Update...

I'm so happy and content right now. Things have been good over break. I've been working like crazy and relaxing the rest of the time. Last night I went caroling with some friends. It was the first time I've done anything like that, it was a lot of fun.

I'm finally excited about this next semester of classes. I'm excited 'cause I'll get to try everything that I think I might like to major in. I'm doing a play, taking a class on broadcasting, teaching English to High Schoolers in Slovenia, and I'm probably going to start getting voice lessons. I'm excited because I finally feel like I'm getting a chance to figure out what I want to do. I kinda feel like I wasted this past semester. I sat around twiddling my thumbs because God's plan wasn't going the way I wanted it to, therefore I decided to sit and wait for things to happen the way I planned. I also think that God was doing a lot of breaking and teaching me many things. For the first time I was having to find my identity away from my family. I was having to learn who Raychel was, not who Raychel was through her family. It was exciting at first, then it was uncomfortable, then I began to loath it. I wanted things to go back to normal, but they couldn't. I also began to see things clearer with my family. Because I was away from home, it was almost as if I got a chance to know the inner workings of my family but see it from an outside perspective. It was a good and scary thing. I saw things that I would have loved to change, or I saw the way things could've been handled differently but I couldn't do anyting. I had to sit and watch and let my family figure it out. That was hard. At the same time I saw so many amazing qualities from my family. Things that I really admired and things that encouraged and challenged me to be better. It made me love my family all the more.

I look forward to the rest of this break and going back to school! God Bless and have a wonderful Christmas!
~Raychel~