Dad

Recently I have been thinking a lot about my dad. Things keep coming up that make me think of him and as I am growing older and learning, I am realizing how great of a person he really is, how thankful I am to have him, and how I don't show it enough.


I was at my sister's house a couple weekends ago and she brought him up and told me how she wanted to ask him to walk her down the aisle at her wedding. Tears came to me because I was hoping that he could have that honor. I had the honor of witnessing her ask him the question later that night. 


He was 21 years old when I was born and my mom already had my brother and sister. He took them under his wing and was there for them just like he was their dad. He took my sister to track practice, shoe shopping and taught my brother how to drive. I am 20 right now and to think of what all he was doing just a year older than me is pretty amazing. 


Lately, I have been reminded of things he would do when I was younger and there are things that I have cherished lately. He used to take me to practices, pick me up from them too and take me to volleyball games. He loves his music and would "pump me up" for whatever occasion whether it was practice, a game, anything. The music would be anything from Metallica, Alanis Morrissette, Jewel, to Tupac. He always had some musical selection to do the job. As I drove myself to the Ambassadors meeting in which I ran for President in the elections, I was wishing he was there to drive me and "pump me up" with his music. I've wondered what he would have played. 


"Clocks" by Coldplay was on the radio and I told Anna that he would play the piano on the dashboard and I did it just like he does. 


Not long ago, I was at home for the weekend and I was relaxing in my room. He came in and gave me the "Hardy Marshall Handshake" in which he made up himself that he does with people, chatted for a minute, and then went to my door told me to root for the Royals and left. It's those random times that I like. 


I can't believe it has taken me this long in this post to explain that he is the most proud parent in the world! He tells everyone about my accomplishments and sometimes he will tell them twice on accident. Mom and I joke around that people at work probably dread him coming along because they know he is going to have something to say about me! 


He is my biggest fan. A few posts down, I posted a poem that I like and then an imitation poem I wrote from it. He told me that my poem was better.


As long as I can remember, he has always told me that I need to make straight A's and go to college so I can get a good job. When he first told me this I was probably around 4, I went and came back to him later with a piece of paper filled with a bunch of "A's" I had written and asked "Are these straight enough?" By the time I was in kindergarten I was already telling people I was going to go to Sumner. I would pronounce it wrong in a way that sounded like suh-mah-ner. But I knew that was where I would go! He would remind me along the way of my education to keep making straight A's, to go to college, and the importance of it. I really think being taught that at such a young age and being reminded along the way has really shaped me into the student I am today. 


He has one of the biggest hearts and he definitely passed that down to me and I am glad.


I am so thankful for everything he has done for me. I don't say thank you enough, but I really do appreciate everything he does. He goes above and beyond. Every time I go home he will check my car, make sure the oil is just right, that my tires are filled up just enough, puts gas in it and sometimes even cleans it. He will send me texts with bible verses and inspirational quotes too. 


Dad, thank you for everything you do! You are an amazing Dad and I appreciate everything you done for me and continue to do! I love you!


I can't wait to see him walk my sister down the aisle and I can't wait to see him when I finally graduate college.


Sparkle & Shine,
Rachel
"Minnie"

Review: "The Thrill of Brazil" Nail Polish by OPI

My least favorite color is red for some reason. I don't like wearing red shirts and things that are red which stinks when your home football team is the Kansas City Chiefs! But when it comes to a classic red nail polish, I can't help myself. I do own a few red shades of nail polish and one of my favorite ones is "The Thrill of Brazil" by OPI. It is a great solid color and pretty thick which makes it easy to put on. It is just bright enough which creates a good pop! Especially when it goes against dark colors. I feel classy and sophisticated when wearing this color. I picture this color would be popular back in the day and would be worn by classic leading women such as Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn. I feel a since of vintage. Definitely a favorite of mine and I recommend if you are looking for a good red color!
Sparkle & Shine,
Rachel

Thank Your Feet

I don't get to paint my toe nails as much as my fingernails but I enjoy it when I get to. I have a foot spa thing and some Avon foot products for your foot bath, a scrub and lotion. That's always nice when I get the time! But I think it is when I put lotion on my feet after showers that it feels the best. I don't think to do it after every shower even though I should. I like to sit and rub the lotion on my feet and massage it in. It feels amazing. I did that today and noticed I needed to do my toe nails. I had thought about this before during past at home pedicures that sometimes we NEED to do things like that as a way to thank our feet. They do so much for us by getting us from point A to point B. Even to simple places such as the kitchen or bathroom. My feet are always busy taking me to campus, to work, classes, meetings and more. They allow me to give campus tours to prospective students and do nightly workouts. They are an important part of me. So now I want to make it a habit to thank them by giving them more at home pedicures (maybe actual pedicures on occasion) and massaging them with lotion after showers! You should do the same too and take time to appreciate the small things such as your feet :)
Sparkle & Shine,
Rachel

Review: "It's My Year" Nail Polish

I love this nail polish. It is from the Miss Universe OPI Collection. It is a super shimmery polish that has hints of gold and purple which makes it super different and unique! Looks so good in bright lights :) But it's a pretty tough one to find and that makes it that more special!
Sparkle & Shine,
Rachel

Beauty Peace Day - April 11, 2012

We had our second Beauty Peace Day at ESU! It was a pretty good success and I loved it all. Reflecting over it, it amazes me. Beauty Peace Day was what SEVENTEEN magazine came up with last year in their magazine and it was that article that I had read over spring break that had started it all. It is fascinating to think that it hasn't even been a full year since BUILD Beauty was officially recognized and we are going to be having our BUILD beauty birthday party at our president's house that his wife is hosting and I am already working with a friend from high school to start BUILD at K-State. I've thought about expanding and having BUILD Beauty at other colleges and universities. It kind of blows my mind that it is already happening barely a year into it while I am just a sophomore. I am anxious now to see how the next couple years go, where it takes me, and where BUILD will be.

The day was great. We got our shirts in right on time so we were able to wear them. They turned out great as well! We went makeup free for the day to celebrate our natural beauty! We had girls post pictures on Facebook and on our Facebook event. There were even girls from other colleges that I know that participated as well. It was cool to see that support!

There was a girl in particular that also works in the Admissions office that was pretty nervous about going makeup free for the day. She usually always has eyeliner and mascara on at least. She was pretty anxious and nervous to go makeup free and go to her classes. I came to work and she was wearing her BUILD shirt and 100% makeup free! I was so proud of her. She was also self conscious about going to the Zumba event that night as well, but she still went, didn't complain, and ended up having a lot of fun! She felt great and felt accomplished by going through with the day.

During our meeting, we had a discussion about makeup. The majority of the girls at the meeting do not usually wear makeup anyway so I asked them why they choose not too. A couple of them said they were just too lazy to do it every morning but there were a couple other answers that intrigued me. One of them said she  chooses not to because she doesn't know very many ways to put it on. So when a special occasion comes a long, she would be wearing the same style of makeup like any other day and there wouldn't be a difference. So she chooses not to wear makeup and just wear it on special occasions. Probably the most interesting point was that one girl said that she feels if she wears makeup everyday, people will get used to seeing her that way so when she would want to go makeup free, she feels that they wouldn't think she was pretty when she is all natural.

This semester I have been wearing makeup pretty much everyday. I just feel professional and classy when I do wear it. I think with everything I am involved in and wear I work, it is almost necessary for me to wear it. Also, I am a believer that when you look good, you feel good! So it is cool to hear everyone's opinion and their views about makeup. What do you think about it? How often do you wear it and why?

Sparkle & Shine,
Rachel

Anna & I

Professor Webb & I

BUILD Beauty girls!

Nadia & I. This is the lovely lady that faced her fears!

A Run

Yesterday afternoon, I was finally done with my day and I actually had time to go for a run. It was so beautiful out. The day before had been chilly, but yesterday was just right. It was even sunny. I always get jealous of people that I see running on beautiful afternoons because I never get to do that due to classes, work and other obligations. I do my workouts at night as my last thing of the day and I go to the student rec  center for that. I had the time and I was going to take the opportunity!


I changed and walked to campus and just started running. I ran all around campus and up a street right across from it and stopped to talk to a couple friends I saw along the way. I had my iPod in and towards the end of my run, I listened to the Dog Days Are Over by Florence + The Machine. Such a wonderful song. I have been a fan of it for a while now, but it fit perfectly yesterday. I was outside and taking in the air and the nature. I had this feeling that maybe the dog days are really over. For about a half a year now, I have been fighting, growing, learning, and getting stronger. Negative things kept piling up on me and there were times I would break down and wonder how much I could take. But lately, things have been looking up and I have been presented with so many opportunities. I have had people tell me sweet things and come forward to me. I thought about all that as I ran and listened to this song. I was finally accepting it all and so proud to have made it through those "dog days" standing strong and tall.


I went and sat by the ledge of the fountain in front of campus and listened to Beautiful Things by Gungor. I just breathed, took in my surroundings, and listened. It was so beautiful and overwhelming I had a couple tears. I prayed a little and then finally made my way home.


It was such an amazing feeling and very refreshing.
Try to take a walk or run outside. Take a deep breath. Thursday night when I came out of the gym, I took a deep breath of fresh air and it felt so good and refreshing to my body. We don't realize how great air really can feel in our body if we just pay attention to it. Breathe.


Dog Days Are Over Lyrics
Happiness, hit her like a train on a track
Coming towards her, stuck still no turning back
She hid around corners and she hid under beds
She killed it with kisses and from it she fled
With every bubble she sank with a drink
And washed it away down the kitchen sink
The dog days are over
The dog days are done
The horses are coming
So you better run
Run fast for your mother run fast for your father
Run for your children for your sisters and brothers
Leave all your love and your longing behind you
Can't carry it with you if you want to survive
The dog days are over
The dog days are done
Can you hear the horses
'Cause here they come
And I never wanted anything from you
Except everything you had
And what was left after that too. oh.
Happiness hit her like a bullet in the back
Struck from a great height
By someone who should know better than that


Beautiful Things lyrics
All this pain
I wonder if I’ll ever find my way
I wonder if my life could really change at all
All this earth
Could all that is lost ever be found
Could a garden come up from this ground at all

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

All around
Hope is springing up from this old ground
Out of chaos life is being found in You

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

You make me new, You are making me new
You make me new, You are making me new
You are making me new


Sparkle & Shine,
Rachel

The Little Things: Simple Thoughts, Kind Words, and Amazing Gestures

Recently I have learned that what you get out of something depends on what you put into it and that when you are kind to others, you really do get rewarded. The last couple months I have been overwhelmed with little things from people that I really appreciate. I received a message from a girl I used to go to high school with saying she admires what I am doing and there needs to be more people like me in the world. I had a friend from ESU send me a song in which he thought of BUILD Beauty when he heard it and wanted to share it with me. A girl I graduated with has offered to give a Mary Kay facial party for BUILD at the end of the month because she has seen on Facebook all the things I post about it. I had great responses to my post about my pen pal. I got a drink from the gas station last week and the guy only charged me the refill price and tonight at Freddy's one of the guys working came over to Anna and I and gave us a free sundae because they had made an extra. I had a poem book I fell in love with that I checked out from the library that was due and I couldn't renew. But the librarian bent the rules and acted like we put it on the shelf so I could renew it again.
I had also received an email from somebody that really meant a lot. It was from somebody I had kind of a weird awkward mutual connection with at ESU and she made the gesture to step up and break that weirdness and also said kind words. It was very unexpected. Which makes it even better.
I have been savoring these random acts of kindness and the kind words too. I have been all about random acts of kindness, especially with the Pay It Forward program in Ambassadors. It is nice to get them back. I love it all and I am so thankful for it. Even down to the refill price on my drink! It really can make some people's days.
It is also amazing to know that people have been reading my statuses on Facebook, reading my tweets on Twitter, watching my YouTube videos and reading my blog. So if you are reading this...thank you! :) You are great and I hope you have a great morning/afternoon/night!
On my Taylor Swift calendar there are quotes from her and she has a little thank you note to anyone that has even taken the time to watch a music video or listen to song of hers. That's what I feel like. Thank you for taking the time!

Be thankful for the little things and be more conscious about it. See what you get :)

Sparkle & Shine,
Rachel

iPhone

I'm officially blogging from my iPhone I got a couple weeks ago. I know this thing can do so much so I am trying to utilize it as best as I can. I found this app last night for my blog! I was thrilled. So now I can blog on the go if something really cool comes up and I can't wait to get home to get on my laptop! I think it will help me since I've been so busy. We have entered apring semester prime time of April where things are turned up a notch. A lot has been going on so that is why I have slacked on my blogging. But a lot going on can be a good thing right? Gives me a lot to talk about, a lot to experience, and more chances to learn and grow! :) Have a Happy Easter!

Sparkle & Shine,
Rachel

An Aunt's Response

I had quite of few responses and reactions to my last post and I wanted to post a comment that my aunt had posted on here and another comment she had left on my Facebook page as well. This was something that I did not know about her past. It was really touching and there were some powerful things said. I can't help but share it. Please read and I hope that you can be impacted as well!

I'm Rachel's aunt Amy and I was bullied when I was 16 years old. No one would do anything about it to help me at the school...I got the standard, "Just ignore them and they will stop." The girl that was the instigator had a mom on the school board...go figure. Well, they didn't stop. They kept bullying me until I was in a deep depression and wanting to take my own life...I thought that was the only way to make it stop and have some peace. The final straw was one day when I went to school and someone had scratched, "Go kill yourself" into my locker. I never set foot in that school again. The moral of this story is, it WILL get better. It sucks and I know it is hard to go through, but life WILL go on and you WILL find happiness. I'm an old lad now...well, over 40 at least. :) Thank God, high school doesn't last forever! I changed schools for my junior and senior year and found happiness again. That is where I met Rachel's uncle, realized not all teenagers are as awful as the ones I had been dealing with at my other school, and found self-worth again. If you are being bullied ask for help. There is no shame in seeking help...you don't have to fight the bullies alone. And if you are a witness to bullying, don't stand by a let it happen...tell an adult. Hang in there girly girls, I promise it will get better. Love ya'll!


I left a comment on your blog Rachel. I was bullied in high school. The whole stupid thing was jealousy over a boy. I think it was the hardest thing I have ever been through, harder than fighting cancer. My prayers go out to all the kids dealing with this right now. There are too many suicides and school shootings happening and when you find out the root cause it is always the same thing...the poor kid was being bullied. We HAVE to stand up for these kids. If you are a teen and see someone being bullied, tell an adult...schools are much more aware of bullying now than when I went through it. Standing by and watching it happen is as bad as being a bully yourself. This is just so close to my heart. Good job with your post...it may save a life!

Sparkle & Shine,

Rachel 

Speak Up

Today I was impacted by a letter. I started a pen-pal program at Emporia High School with BUILD Beauty and today it was our turn to reply to our pen-pals. I finally read the letter my pen-pal had written to me today so I could write back in time to turn it in today. I was mad at myself for not reading it sooner. I've had it for about 3 weeks now and just got to it. My pen-pal told me about physically harming herself, being in pain due to a bully at school, getting her heartbroken and more. It was rough to read and it pained me to know that someone is going through that. That she feels as if harming herself is the only solution. I wrote back and included a couple handouts I had made for BUILD and another presentation I did Monday for a sorority. I took the letter up to the high school and I called the counselor I stay in contact with at the high school and left a voice mail reporting what I found out. I wish I had known sooner. I wish I could have done more. I don't even know this girl's last name or her number. I did all that I could for now. I wrote a letter and left a voice mail. It started to weigh on me. I called my mom to talk to her about it and I couldn't help it. I cried. I cried talking about it because my heart ached for a girl having to go through such pain and I wanted to stop it. When I went to the school I was wishing I could come across this bully and tell her to stop. I cried because it made me realize the reality of it. You hear about it on the news, it's in the TV shows and movies, but when you read a letter from someone that physically wrote about this pain, it makes it all real. I kept thinking about Lady Gaga. I know, random. And it is her birthday today by the way! But, she talks a lot about how she was bullied in high school and she is always standing up against it. She has started a Born This Way foundation that goes along with bullying. It makes me like her even more and want to support her more. It makes me happy to know that she is using her resources to stand up for such an important issue. This definitely made me think and wish that things like this would stop. It is heartbreaking to know that people can cause other people so much pain. I really hope that my pen-pal will get help and deal with these problems in a healthy way. I am glad that she reached out to me and I hope that by me letting someone know can help her. Sometimes you need to speak up and sometimes you need to stand up against things.

Sparkle & Shine,
Rachel