Thoughts on Modesty

*Disclaimer* This is MY reasoning behind why I dress the way I do, not an attempt to change the way you do.

I am Catholic, and I take my faith very seriously. My religion affects everything I do, including how I dress. I strive to dress well & to dress modestly every day.

Why?

So glad you asked! There are many reasons.

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First, I believe that we are called to live excellently. For me, that means that I put effort into how I look. I have found that when you dress like you care, people tend to treat you with care. I've heard it said that you should dress the way you want to feel. I try to dress in a way that will make me feel confident, mature, and ready to take on the world.

Going hand in hand with that is the call to glorify the Lord in all that we do. We were given bodies by God. He created them and placed souls within. I want to take care of the gift He has given me. I think that in society today we treat our possessions greater than we treat the people around us. I carry my iPad as if it were made of solid gold. I protect it in a hard case. Yet I walk around in Nike shorts and an XL T-Shirt? There is a disconnect there.

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Furthermore, I believe that we should dress appropriately for the situation at hand. For example, if you are meeting the Queen of England, you don't do it in flip flops. If you are going into a paint-ball game, you don't wear a bikini. If you are going to workout, you don't wear a ball gown. Common sense it seems right? So why on earth is it okay to go to class in pajamas? Or to church in short shorts?

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I also firmly intend to avoid hurting the guys around me through the way that I dress. You can either lead a person to heaven or to hell. There is no middle ground. It is common knowledge that guys are incredibly visual. That is just how they are wired. That being said, there is an incredible danger for lust. I would never want to be the cause of someone to lust. I think about my little brother, and how badly I want to see him in heaven. I wouldn't want any young woman tempting him and threatening that. Every man on the street is a brother, a father, a son. It is our responsibility to help them out.

We live in a world where women are treated as objects often. We aren't treated with respect. I say that needs to change! So let's change it. If we aren't part of the solution, we are part of the problem. Let's demand respect. If enough of us acted like ladies, men would feel called to be gentlemen.

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Shine Forth Friends!

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Matthew 13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 

I'm frightened. There are certain times that I am so comfortable talking about my faith. Groups of friends where discussing bible verses or religious allegories is perfectly natural. But there are other times where it is oh so difficult. Like when I am surrounded by people who do not believe what I do. So I stay silent. They joke about faith, or religion, and I stay silent. They talk about doing things I don't agree with and I stay silent. I am so afraid of offending anyone that I cease to have an opinion. 

That's not what we are called to be! We are called to be salt, to flavor the world. Once we cease to do that, we lose our purpose, and the world loses its flavor. It becomes bland. We are called to be lights for the world. We are called to illuminate, to shine through the darkness. It makes no sense to turn on a lamp and then cover it with blackout curtains so it doesn't show. Rational? Certainly not. 

It's definitely hard to shine though. It's hard to be different. To challenge, to oppose, in a world where tolerance has become acceptance, is foreign nature. It is easier to sit back and watch. 

So what is the solution? I don't think that it is feasible or smart to stand on a soap box and preach at every conversation. Certainly, I had a friend who did that to me and it was not received well to say the least. But maybe it would be as simple as voicing what you think, in a very matter of fact, concise way. I don't know. I do know that things need to change. And I want to be part of the solution, not the problem. 

Here is also what I am going to attempt. I am going to begin to write some things that could be controversial. I think controversy is good though! A little intellectual debate is healthy for the soul. So if you disagree, disagree! Challenge, argue, search for truth. 

C.S. Lewis said in The Great Divorce "For all that can be shaken will be shaken until only the unshakable remains" 

Let the shaking begin :)

He's got the right idea! 

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Back to the Swing of Things!

Monday is here and school is back with a vengance! No slow easing back into the swing of things, no siree. But I only have 2 weeks of school left! One week of classes, and then finals. Goodness gracious this is gonna be one heck of an ending!

I am so happy to be back at school. Houston was exactly what I needed. I saw my family & friends, slept in my own bed, got some good sleep, ate some wonderful food, and watched some KICK BUTT football. The Texans and the Bears were trying to give me a heart attack I just know it. Ah well, I survived. Baylor is a home now (I guess I have two!). That was my thought pulling onto University Parks: "Ah, it's good to be home." Which was so strange to think about! But it is. Shoebox & cafeteria food aside, it's where I belong. What a great feeling to have :)

That's all I have for you today! Just a quick hello and then back to the books!

My lovely friend and I in front of Pat Neff :) 

Prayer for the Week

There are 28 hours left in this school week. 28 hours and 2 classes standing in the way of Thanksgiving break.

Bring it.

Dear Lord,

Help us get through these next 2 days unscathed. Let us focus on the tasks at hand and do them well. For all of the last minute papers, essays, projects, and exams, please give us wisdom and fortitude. Heavenly Father, thank you for all of your blessings. I am so thankful for this life I live, for my family, friends, home, school, and talents. Please give us the grace to take everything as a blessing, even the stress. Guard our travels, and please keep us safe. Help us to be renewed by this break, and to come back prepared mind, body, and spirit, to set the world aflame for you.

In Jesus's name,

Amen. 

Delight

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I love Pinterest. I have become that girl who can't get through hardly any sentence without "so I saw this thing on Pinterest...." It's a slight addiction.

One of my favorite things about it is the faith section. We all know my obsession with pretty. Combine that with bible verses and I am a kid in a candy store! It's where my craft inspiration came from this weekend, and a huge source of encouragement for me.

Anyways I saw this one a few days ago and have been marinating over it for a little bit.

Definition of delight:

v. please (someone) greatly
n. great pleasure

Synonyms:
v. rejoice-gladden-enjoy
n. pleasure-enjoyment-joy-treat-delectation-relish

So basically "Give yourself great pleasure through the Lord, and He will satisfy your heart"

It is a new way for me to think about this one. Usually I read it as "Focus on God and He will give you what you want." and I never really thought about that desire being Him. Yet I think that is the case. For our deepest desire is the one that longs for the Lord. St. Augustine said "Our hearts are restless until they rest in You."

Even if our hearts are not aware of it they long for God. For we are creatures of crave. We want. All the time we want. And we want more. Our hearts long for something everlasting. Something that will be able to fulfill the massive hole in our hearts. We may try to fill it with money, or power, or fame, but will find that they don't satisfy that hunger. You could place the entire world in that hole and still have an infinite amount of space left over.

Enter God. The only thing infinite in a finite world. He is the the only thing with enough substance to fill that hole for good.

So learn about Him! Pray to Him! Let Him fill you with His Spirit and Light. DELIGHT.

Once we delight, or rejoice, or enjoy the Lord, and that sensation doesn't go away (because the Lord is never ending), then our desire is fulfilled.

He is an everlasting delight, a joy, a treat that goes on forever, a pleasure that can power the heart and change the world.

Lazy Days

Sheesh I am having one y'all. Its snuggle weather, classes are winding down, and Thanksgiving is in sight.

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Getting out of bed is equal to waking the dead. I hardly slept Monday night, so my body has been wanting to play catch up. Even though I got 8 hours last night, I still woke up late and had to power walk my rear to the theatre to my 9 AM. My spanish teacher let class out 15 minutes early, and my friend & I went and had a super long lunch instead of going to chapel (we have 8 skips in that class, I've only skipped 3 times, and there are 4 left in the semester. yesssss). Then I took a cudly nap before Scripture. Once again, waking up was a nightmare. I, for the first time, basically sprinted to class. Thankfully, my teacher started late so I missed nothing :)  

Honestly, I am ready to be home. I love love love my school, but the holiday season=family. I'm ready for Mom's cooking, my Grandma's house, my Brother's jokes, movies with Dad, shopping with the Sisters, I'm ready for it all. 

Countdown to Home: 6 Days! 

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Weekend In Review

What a whirlwind of a weekend! Definitely one of the greatest I've had.

Friday night: Went out to dinner with some of the theatre kids and saw Pitch Perfect for the 3rd time. Goodness I love that movie.

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Saturday: Left for Austin with some girls from St. P's at 8:30 AM. Thank heaven for coffee is all I'm saying.

We stopped in Round Rock for some TX sized Do-Nuts.

Spent about an hour in a Catholic Bookstore. I wanted to buy all the things.

Had lunch at Kirby Cafe. I munched on a suberb panini. Yummmm

Looked through some interesting clothing at Buffalo Exchange. I am such a bad resale shopper it is insane.

We were going to try to meet up with some of my best friends at a coffee shop. Little did we know, the one we picked first was waayyyy more bar than coffee. It was scary. I guess we should have known by the name, Spider House, that it would be a bit sketch, but we didn't. 

We then headed to Mozart's, this adorable coffee shop right on Lake Austin. My best friends met up with us and we spent a few hours just relaxing. I took about 20 different pictures of clouds. I have no idea why I am so obsessed with them haha they are just so pretty!

Here's where it gets awesome. As we were driving away, my friend texted me and said "RYAN GOSLING". HE WAS SHOOTING A SCENE AT MOZARTS! We went back and watched him work. He's that pretty in person y'all. We sat on the balcony above the set and the assistant came by and told us that WE WERE IN THE SCENE. I had my acting debut y'all. Prepare for my Oscar. 

As we were leaving, we passed by his van and I waved, determined, at Ryan. He looked up, and WAVED BACK. I squealed like a four year old and may or may not have jumped up and down. He laughed. I MADE RYAN GOSLING LAUGH. 

Alright lovestruck fan girl moment over. I didn't expect to get so worked up. Ah well, how often do you see celebrities in Texas?

The day was so wonderful. It's great spending time with people that you have so much in common with. The conversation was always enlightening, and even though the day wasn't retreat like at all, I still ended it feeling closer to God. Friendship really does make you closer to Him. 

Sunday: A very productive day! I went to mass, sewed a bed skirt, painted a painting, did some (not a lot, but some) hw, and went to crew. Very relaxing, and very needed. 

I only have about 3 weeks of school left until Christmas break! #Wheredidthetimego?

I hope your weekend was amazing as well! 

Week 12: What I Wore

Only four outfits this week due to my random illness yesterday that produced no outfit worthy of photography. Yay for the fact that I actually managed to wear four different pairs of shoes this week! Don't think that has happened yet... there's a first time for everything!

This weekend holds a trip to Austin, perhaps some crafting, and kicking this sinus infection to China!

Hope your weekend is swell!!

Day Quil for the Soul

I'm sitting at an urgent care center right now waiting on a doctor. All of that sleep deprivation caught up with me an I got sick. I tried to ignore it, I tried to fight it, but woke up this morning feeling a bit like I-10 during 5 o'clock traffic.

The test I had studied so hard for? Couldn't take it.
The lunch plans I made? Missed those.

My whole life had to be put on hold so that I could deal with this illness. Blah. Yet the things I had planned would have been done halfway. My stubborn head would have kept doing them though! It's obnoxious, but this pause to get well will help me do everything better.

What if our souls made us stop like our bodies did? Think about it. When we are active in our prayer lives & active in the sacraments, we flourish. I don't know about you, but those weeks where Jesus is center are the best weeks I have. The weeks where He is just an extracurricular are rough. I feel a bit like the traffic again. Nothing moves like it should and I am not as productive as I should be.

We should give our souls check ups just like our bodies. We should listen to what they are telling us, instead of pushing it off. "I'll pray later, I'll go to daily mass next week, I don't need to go to confession." Let's face it, 'later' seldom occurs. We keep going 90 miles a minute, and wear out our minds, bodies, hearts, and souls. Let's quit it.

Spend sometime on your soul today. How's it doing? Are you living life to the fullest or halfway?

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Hope Now

Walking to study for a test and passing by the gorgeous trees and sunny fields recharges me. I have two tests standing in my way to a glorious rest. I know I have to get through the not so fun to get to the fun. The hope is what gets us through.

That's like heaven.

We get to work for a little while. We have to go through hardships, and stress, and pain, but there's an end to it. We have a reward waiting for us. And the hope of that reward makes everything worth it.

Stay strong friends. Remember the goal. Have faith & don't lose hope!

Currently on the bookshelf...

While college is insanely busy, I am fortunate to still have time to read. I have discovered that I can read more than one book at a time. Who knew? Here are all the things I am dabbling in:

1)My Nook App currently houses Persuasion by Jane Austen. I am in a book club here and that's the book. Secret? I get college credit for it! 

2) How to Win the Culture War by Peter Kreeft. Good book. Slightly disturbing because of the nature of Spiritual Warfare, but very eye opening. 

3)The Signature Classics of C.S. Lewis. I love him. I really truly do. I am taking a class on the Philosophy of Lewis so we are reading all of his stuff. Currently we are in the midst of Screwtape letters. 

4)Bible. Don't really need an explanation for this one :P

5)Financial Peace Revisited by Dave Ramsey. My Daddy gave this to me when I asked him for budgeting advice. Hopefully I can learn how to manage money better!

6)Rediscovering Catholicism by Matthew Kelly. Really cool read! I have found that it is applicable to all of the people I know, not just my Catholic friends, which is awesome. It talks a lot about being an authentic person, and who wouldn't want more of that!

I try to read a little bit each day. It's relaxing :)

Do you have any good reads right now?

HOCO 2012 :)

My first Baylor Homecoming was a massive success!! 

1) Thursday night was the Freshman Mass Meeting. We learned about the Immortal Ten: the ten members of the basketball team that gave their lives saving their friends. It made every single freshman there fall in love with Baylor all the more. The Immortal Ten embody the Baylor Spirit, and they live on forever. 

2)After FMM we built a massive bonfire to be enjoyed Friday night!

3)I had my acting debut Friday! It was nerve wracking and exhilarating. Oh how I love to be on stage. 

4)Girls dinner and FroYo Friday night.

5)My gorgeous Friend Callie and I Friday night pre-bonfire.

6)BONFIRE!!

7)The theatre department had a group go to the concert after the bonfire. We danced like MANIACS. We looked ridiculous. Seriously. People were video taping us. Yet, all together, we didn't care. We enjoyed ourselves immensely. It made me so happy being with 20 or so people exactly like me. We didn't care what people thought, we just danced. It was pretty great :)

8) Saturday boasted a football game with some kick butt Baylor playing & a jazz club where a friend of ours was playing. So many talented people in my department. It's insane. 

9)Sunday was my first date function! We went skating and it was 80's themed. My date and I may or may not have gotten horribly lost for an hour but it was still loads of fun!

All in all, it was a heck of a weekend and I'd say one of the best ones to date :) I know I say this a lot but I love my school. Sic em bears! 

Dear Cute Cowboy on Highway 6

Nice truck! I'm a sucker for a pickup, especially a King Ranch. I can tell you're a hard working man from the tool chest on the back. I'll bet you are the handyman type. And probably a hunter, due to your camo hat. I must say it was quie fun caravaning with you for an hour during my ride home yesterday. At first I thought you were just a speed demon trying to get somewhere more quickly than necessary, due to the riding of my rear until I moved over. Yet, once you looked back and saw me jamming out to some Taylor Swift, you're heart must have changed. Because then you were a gentleman and let me pass you! Oh how sweet :) The dancing around the fast lane was hysterical & I could tell you wished I was serenading you when we stopped at that stoplight. You chuckled, tipped your hat, and gave me a genuine southern grin, then invited me to proceed. I really wished you were a Baylor Boy, but alas, you left me in Marlin. Please think of me everytime you hear "22", just like I will think of you everytime I see a doublewide White Ford F250. It could have been love!

Yours forevermore,
Rachel

Y'all. Most entertaining ride home ever last night! This actually happened, and boy it put a smile on my face. It's hard to find people that enjoy good car serenading these days. Sigh. Oh well.

Outfits will be coming tomorrow! I had some technical difficulties (i.e. I forgot to take a picture of my outfit Thursday and haven't had time to recreate it.)

Have a lovely weekend! Sic Em Bears!