ALL the happy feels!

For Reading Buccaneers, we practice at a high school (Twin Valley) and today they were hosting an indoor percussion show. Because of the convenience of us already being there for rehearsal they asked us to do a little preview of our show and some of our warm-up chorales. And guess what? MY HIGH SCHOOL'S INDOOR PERCUSSION WAS THERE!

I came in all serious...walking in line with the hornline. And then I heard people screaming my name and I saw them in the stands all waving and jumping up and down. It was an AMAZING feeling...having so many people so psyched to see you. I think we were supposed to be serious, but I was grinning from ear to ear. :)

We set up the horn arc, and the first thing Paul (our brass caption-head) said to the audience was that all the kids got to come down to the gym floor and sit in the arc. So of course all the kids from my high school sit like TWO FEET AWAY FROM ME. I seriously had a clump of people around me...not gonna complain though! I was feeling the love. :) Then we started playing and I glance down at one point and noticed some of them were filming me...haha! They're so cute. :)

Then the band parents started screaming my name when they noticed me (AND MY RED SHOES!) in the hornline...haha. The whole thing just made me feel amazing. Knowing they all care so much and are excited to see me in Bucs. And I know this post is me kinda tootin' my own horn, but I have ALL the happy feels right now and I wanna remember this. :)

365 Thought-Provoking Questions

I stumbled upon this site titled "365 Though-Provoking Questions." Skimming through the questions, I really like a lot of them so I figured I'd try to make it a regular thing to answer a couple of them a week on my blog. I doubt I'll keep up with doing one every day, but that's okay. My blog, my rules. :) Oh and I promised myself I'd answer them in order so I can't skip around and avoid ones I don't wanna answer...so here we go! Question 1!

1. When was the last time you tried something new?

Two days ago at the Upper Deck (our main dining hall on campus) I tried lemon-baked cod for the first time. I'm not a huge seafood person, but with my new gluten-free/lactose-free diet I'm trying to be more open to healthy options...and fish is definitely wonderful for you. So I tried it, and I actually really liked it, which surprised me.

Let's see...what else is new in my life (cause that wasn't an overly exciting answer)...I have a new work-out routine I'm trying! Going to the gym 4/5 times a week instead of 3 times and I started doing weight training. I'm also trying this new thing called interval training for my cardio. Instead of just running straight for fifteen minutes or whatever, I walk a quarter mile, sprint my butt off for a quarter mile, then walk a quarter mile, then sprint my butt off for a quarter mile...and so on. It is EXHAUSTING but wonderful at the same time. It's really good for you too because you burn more calories that way and it helps you keep burning calories even after you're done working out. So I am thoroughly enjoying that newness in my life. :)

OOH! OOH! I JUST THOUGHT OF SOMETHING ELSE! I wore COLORED jeans for the first time yesterday! I got them at Old Navy for $8 (WOOT WOOT) and I absolutely love them. They made me so happy. :)

Ta da! My roommate says they're the color of an awkward crayon...the one where you think it'll be orange but then it's slightly red, haha!

New Diet, New Perspective

Living gluten-free and lactose-free is extremely difficult.

It means saying no to bread. To english muffins. To donuts. Muffins. Cookies. Pasta. Cheese. Milk. Anything made with wheat. Anything made with milk chocolate. It's rough.

But I feel amazing. :) Changing my diet was a burden at first, but a necessity, and now I feel wonderful---full of energy, happy, healthy. David helped me change my negative mental attitude of "I can't have..." to "I can try something new" and my family has been so incredibly supportive: exploring new recipes, ingredients, and helping me find snack options for college.

Living gluten-free and lactose-free has become an adventure, and I love it. I feel good being able to walk by sugar cookies, pancakes, and pasta dishes without having a pity-party for myself. Instead, I have a new perspective on healthy eating...and it's a lot of fun. Especially when your mom helps you make gluten-free lactose-free pizza. :)

I love Ellen!

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2iq83h/www.upworthy.com/most-celebrities-promote-products-they-like-ellen-degeneres-is-not-most-celebrit?c=ufb1/

I have problems

Hello. My name is Rachel. I have problems.

After visiting the doctor several times regarding my gastrointestinal issues, I was finally diagnosed as being lactose intolerant AS WELL AS having an allergy to gluten and needing to switch to a gluten-free lifestyle. It is incredibly frustrating. No pasta. No dairy. No cheese. No bread. But it is what it is...moving on to problem #2!

My eyes are annoying. For the past couple weeks they'll love my contacts one day and then practically scream at me to get them out the next day. I noticed a couple days ago my left eye was really red and it hurt a lot, and the skin around my eye was sensitive. So I went to Health Services today (I think I'm their most regular customer :P) and they told me I have some sort of infection that starts with an 'L' and has a really long name. Long story short, I have new eye drops and I have to take an antibiotic for the next couple of days.

PROBLEM #3. Walking to one of my classes today, I had to walk up stairs. Well THAT didn't happen...I fell up the stairs. And not like carpeted stairs. Outside stone stairs. I bruised my knee, hit my head, scraped my arm, and bloodied up the side of my hand. Lovely.

I have issues.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMW6wYmRKjo

Go to 6:04. Pause it. See that guy all the way to the right who's glancing at the other trumpet players? THAT'S MY BOYFRIEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is all.

Judgement on Literature

I'm reading "Angels & Demons" right now, the popular book by Dan Brown. So far I'm loving the story, really intriguing and suspenseful. And one passage I just read really caught my attention.

One of the main characters, Vittoria, just asked Langdon (a professor of art history) if he believes in God. He responds that he WANTS to believe but sometimes it's hard to take leaps of faith and keep everything straight with the Bible, the Koran, Buddhist scripture...

Vittoria replies: "Mr. Langdon, I did not ask if you believe what man says about God. I asked if you believed in God. There is a difference. Holy scripture is stories...legends and history of man's quest to understand his own need for meaning. I am not asking you to pass judgement on literature. I am asking if you believe in God. When you lie out under the stars, do you sense the divine? Do you feel in your gut that you are staring up at the work of God's hand?"

LOVE. THIS.

Personally, I struggle sometimes with accepting EVERYTHING in the Bible. And why sometimes we acknowledge it's okay not to follow certain rules anymore, but other rules are still steadfast and concrete. That confuses me. And then I feel guilty...like I'm not firm/steady in my faith. But I believe. I believe in God. I talk to God. I trust Him. I'm upset with Him sometimes. But I love Him and I know He's there for me. :)