Life is Short

Reality has hit me hard and I've realized that life is so short. We, me included, should live for what's important and not just live our life day to day doing whatever we please. Don't get me wrong, doing what we want ins't wrong, per se, but living carelessly is not what we are meant for. "We were meant to live for so much more." -Switchfoot

The reason why I'm saying all this is because my grandfather, (mom's dad), passed away tonight. He's been doing badly for a while now, suffering from Emphysema. He's been on 100% oxygen for at least a year now and has been declining fast. But this fast was just a shock to me. He was put in the hospital a week ago from Monday for Pneumonia then moved to Community Hospice yesterday and passed away tonight. For those of you who don't know what hospice is, it's a service facility for people in their last days. It's kind of like a rehab building but very nice, very accomodating for families and very peaceful. I was up at hospice all day today, just sitting and being with family. I came home for about an hour and went back up there, and he had passed just before my dad and I arrived. It was good to know that all his daughters, wife, and some grandchildren were there for him, so it was very peaceful. I'm so thankful for the memories I have of him. He was really protective of me as his granddaughter. Thanks be to God who is always by our side during difficult times! I don't know how people cope with situations like these without hope...

In better news, things are getting busy for me! I have a lot more Christmas shopping to do, I'm slammed with rehearsals for my church Christmas special, I'm working more and am starting a second job next week! Oh Lord, please get me through this season! I know it will be good, bittersweet, I'm just stressing now! I'm so thankful I have awesome family and friends and a loving boyfriend to be here for me :)

Me & Gilbert

A Long Time Coming

I didn't realize how long it's been since I've posted anything, until yesterday lol. I just get so caught up on looking at everyone else's blogs that I don't think about making a post myself. So to say the least, a lot has happened since my last blog in June! Last I said my best friend, Kristina, was getting married! Well she and her husband, Matt, got married on August 8th and it was a beautiful wedding! They are now expecting a new addition to the family coming around the end of May or early June :) I'm so excited because Kristina has asked me to be the Godmother, which is such an honor.

I took this semester off from school so I can figure out what I want to do next! I have one class left to get my AA, and then I will most likely be going to Cosmetology school in the summer. It was such a hard decision for me because I love music so much and it's been tough not being able to be in chorale this semester. Everyone was like my second family and I've missed not seeing my friends everyday! But I've decided that I should do cosmetology and then possibly finish my bachelor's in music at a university. We'll see how things go.

Other than that I've just been blessed to have a job, wonderful friends and family, and the sweetest boyfriend in the world! I'm now working at New York & Company and I really love it! Working black Friday was CRAZY to say the least, but I've enjoyed working there so far. I've made some new friends and have just started dating an amazing guy named Gilbert. We met through one of my friends in the middle of October and hit it off really well. Ever since then I honestly haven't been happier in my life! God really does work everything out for good.

Below are some pictures from the past few months, so enjoy!

Me & Gilbert

Kristina's Wedding
The Bridal Party

Me & my best friend, Kristina
Family pictures

Me, Meg & Jessica on my 20th birthday

Busy Bee!

Busy bee pretty much describes my life right now! Summer is coming to an end (sadly), but a lot of exciting things are happening! My best friend Kristina is getting married August 8th and I'm a bridesmaid =) I've been busy helping her with wedding prep stuff, her bridal shower, shoppig, etc. and it's been very eventful. I'm so very happy for her and I can't wait to post more pictures along the way. Her wedding is going to be outside by a gazebo and the reception will be inside this antique house; it will be so pretty! A few other things have been happening as well. I'm singing A LOT at church now so that's been keeping me on my toes. I'm singing in the college praise band, adult choir, college ensemble, and I've also been singing at the South campus some Wednesday nights, not to mention me and 2 other girls are going to start a trio! I'm really enjoying serving the Lord and he has really been blessing me with these opportunities. I've also made a lot of new friends and have met an awesome guy! My friend Jessica's fiance is in the Marines and I met him through her; his name is Matt and he's also in the Marines. Sadly he will be leaving for Iraq in October, but he will be back in April next year! We aren't officially dating yet, but I will post an update whenever we are. He's got to be the sweetest guy I've ever met and he treats me so very well! Well anyways, that's enough writing for right now. But here are some pictures of things that have been happening during my summer.

Me and April laying out

A group of us at the Suns baseball game

Kristina opening a gift she really liked

The bride, bridesmaids, and flower girl =)

The Lord is Good!

I've been having the time of my life these past two weeks! God is ever so faithful and has answered my prayers in so many ways. I know it's pretty soon, but I've already found a new guy. His name is Sean and he is the sweetest Christian guy I have ever met, and he encourages me so much in my walk with the Lord. I have been learning a lot in my devotional, especially the last two days. I have really learned that I need to be secure in the Lord and trust him with my whole life! He will never leave my side even when I sin against him. I struggle with having to control some areas in my life, but the Lord is helping me overcome that and have patience! Right now I'm super busy with helping plan my best friend's wedding since I'm a bridesmaid. Her wedding is in August so we have to kick everything into double full gear, but we are getting a lot done fast. We have already ordered our bridesmaids dresses, her dress and accessories, booked a location for the wedding and reception, and so much more! I'm so excited for Kristina and Matt to start their lives together!

Last night I went to the FBC Home School graduation which is for the homeschoolers at my church. It was crazy to think that I was right there two years ago! There were some great speeches & special music done by them, and the pictures of their childhood were so great! Afterwards we went to the reception & ate some food and signed our friends memory books. I can't believe all my younger friends, the one I was a mentor to as a senior, have graduated now!
Madison, Melissa, Me, Liz & Anna

Me, Alison & Melissa (Future singing trio!)

Me, Tiffany & Melissa

The Class of 2009!

So happy!

I'm back to blogging, and it so feels good! I have to say I haven't been this happy in a long time; God has just been showing me so many things lately! I'm doing a Bible study on the Psalms of Ascent & I have learned so much! One of the verses that has been my favorite is Psalm 121:2-3 "My help comes from the Lord, the Creator of Heaven and Earth. May He not allow your foot to slip! May your protector not sleep!" This has really been a stronghold to me in the past few weeks while I've been struggling with some relationships. I finally broke up with my boyfriend Jon almost two weeks ago. It was really hard at first because I was so hurt about everything, but within a few days I had such a peace about my decision. He really wasn't what God wanted for my life, and now I know there is someone waiting that is better and definitely more Christ-like. These verses have made me realize that God NEVER leaves my side. He won't allow me stumble and fall and not get up. He doesn't take a ten minute break from my life and just rest, no, he is constantly guiding me. I have really been praying for wisdom and guidance in my life as I'm overwhelmed with some things, but I know the Lord will show me what to do! I'm making new Christian friends that have already been an encouragement to me and I thank the Lord for them! I'm also re-joining my church choir since I've taken about about a 9-10 month break! It's awesome to see how God is using me in music at church. I sing in the college praise band and we are going to start playing in some of the high school summer events, the Friday night college service we're starting, and then maybe even at our new South campus, so I'm busy but I enjoy it. My vacation last week wasn't exactly what I expected... My family and I took a week at New Smyrna Beach and it rained the entire time! It was like a monsoon! They were shutting off roads from flooding, there was a tornado (thankfully it wasn't around our condo), and 30 mph winds. Craziness! Though I was disappointed I didn't get to lay out on the beach, I watched a lot of movies and went shopping a lot, and I even got to see my friend Chelsey who lives there! I will post pictures soon. I hope everyone has a great weekend =)

Ready for vacation...

I haven't been much in a blogging mood lately... Just too much stuff going on in my life right now! But I'm going on vacation Sunday so I thought I should update =) I DO have to say I'm excited about going to our timeshare in New Smyrna Beach for a whole week! Yes! I just get to relax at the beach, go shopping, maybe go to a theme park in Orlando... Who knows? I'm going to bring several books along, one of which I'm halfway through already: Wicked! Yes, I'm a Wicked fanatic. Seen the play twice already and LOVE the soundtrack! The book is VERY different than the musical though... I'm surprised at how many things don't line up, but the book is still good. I'm also going to try to read Obsessed by Ted Dekker, who is a great author! (I recommend his books!)

So I do have an update with my boyfriend and I... We haven't really broken up yet. We were definitely on the verge for a couple of weeks, but we've settled a lot of stuff, and SO far we are still together. Next month we will have been together a year so we'll see how everything goes. I'm still praying about the situation, so pray for me as well! I'm hoping to go to Europe with him and his family this summer, possibly Paris and Italy, which are some of my dream places. So hopefully that works out! So anyways, I'll be gone from this Sunday, the 17th, to the 24th. I'll post pictures when I get back =)

New Chapters

Are new chapters a good or bad thing? Sometimes I wonder lol. I think it's a little of both, just bittersweet. Last week I sang in my last chorale concert with FCCJ. It was a great concert and I will definitely miss my friends, but I'm excited to start a new chapter with school: Cosmetology! I will start that in August, learning about how to style hair, the techniques of make-up, and nails of course =) My goal is to do general hair several days a week, and on the weekends do bridal stuff! Then later on in life I would like to own my own day spa, complete with massage, nails, hair, and make-up!

Last night, the college department from my church had a girl's night out, which was a blast! We went over to a leader's house an painted our nails, ate, danced, got in the hot tub, and had fun just talking about girly stuff! I will post pictures when I get them. I hope everyone has a great rest of the weekend!

Dana, Victoria, & Me

Brandea, Me, & Chelsey

Bethany, Me, & Jerly

Emily & I

Anamaria & I
I did a new eyeshadow look one day =)

I was tagged!

Jenna tagged me in this, so here you go!

The objective: to complete the lists of 8's.
Tag 8 of my wonderful, super awesome blogger friends. Then let them know that I tagged them!
So, here goes. Get excited.

8 Things I Am Looking Forward To:

1. All my vacations this summer!

2. Starting Cosmetology school

3. Paying off my credit card

4. Seeing Wicked in a couple of weeks =)

5. Being done with school forever!

6. Seeing my best friend Kristina when she comes home from college

7. Getting engaged and married =)

8. Developing my voice even more


8 Things I Did Yesterday:

1. Did a facial for two friends

2. Went to school

3. Sang in chorale

4. Got to see my sweet boyfriend

5. Watched American Idol

6. Cleaned the house

7. Got Mary Kay orders together

8. Studied for my math final


8 Things I Wish I Could Do:

1. Have enough money to go to Europe this summer

2. Be done with cosmetology school already so I can start my career

3. Be moved out and on my own!

4. Have the motivation to lose a few pounds

5. Have the money to buy my OWN car

6. ?

7. ?

8. ?


8 Shows I Watch:

1. American Idol

2. Jon and Kate Plus 8

3. Toddlers and Tiaras

4. Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

5. Platinum Weddings

6. Bridezillas

7. 18 Kids and Counting

8. ?

8 People I Tag:

1. Sarah M.

2. Bethany A.

3. Joanna T.

4. Priscilla H.

5. Carlee C.

6. Heather T.

7. ?

8. ?

Long time no talk...

WOW! It's been a while since I've posted in case anyone noticed lol. I've been super busy with my new Mary Kay business, finishing up school, etc. But exciting things have been happening! I'm so ready to start summer it's not even funny! Friday night is my last FCCJ Chorale performance ever! It will be bittersweet, but I'm excited for bigger and better things coming along =) I will be finishing up my finals on Tuesday, so please pray for me. I'm quite stressed right now. In other news, vacation is just calling my name! I'll be going to New Smyrna Beach with my family in the middle of May, then probably in June I'm supposed to be going on a cruise with my boyfriend's family to the Bahamas, and then in July I'm going to Dallas for a Mary Kay Career Conference. I have to get a formal dress for that, so I'll be seeking opinions on the best one ;) Easter was great, I don't know if I posted about that or not. I went out on a boat for lunch which was so fun! And then I got to spend some time with family as well. I've posted pictures below as you can see. Hopefully I can be more updated on this thing. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

My oh so handsome man
Jon's sister, Angie, Me, and Jon

My sweetie and I

Exciting Week + Shocking News

I don't know about you, but I've had a fantastic week! I thought coming back from spring break and all would be a disaster, but it surprisingly wasn't. I've been doing a lot with school, but I've also been working on my Mary Kay business. I'm thinking about doing a give-away on here soon :) I don't know how many people would be interested, but it would most likely be a free facial and make-over kind of thing. Let me know what you think ;) This week has also come with a couple of surprises... More like shockers. Thursday, my pastor was featured on the front page of the paper and talked about the allegations against him. Someone that used to go to our church made a blog and posted a bunch of slander against him, talking a lot of lies and expressing why he hated him. It's fbcwatchdog.blogspot.com if you're interested in seeing the story, but don't be deceived by this guy because he is crazy! In other news, I've had a wonderful time hanging out with my boyfriend lately! Thursday night we went out to dinner at the University Club with his parents; I'm not used to such fine dining! Haha. Last night we went to the Sun's baseball game and had a great time! Of course, the food was one of the best parts, especially since the Sun's lost... Oh well. But there were fireworks afterwards which were amazing! They are almost, if not better, than the 4th of July! Well I hope everyone has a good Easter weekend! I will post pictures from tomorrow soon!
Me and Christine at the fair

New picture! This will actually be my Easter dress :)

My sweet boyfriend, Jon, and I about to go to dinner

Jon and I at the Sun's baseball game!

Beautiful Weather!

So this week was spring break for me... As many things I WANTED to do, I didn't get to because it was storming half the week. Bummer, right? Well yesterday is when the absolutely beautiful weather pulled in! I was SO excited to get out and do something besides sit inside and watch movies. Yesterday I went to the fair with some lifelong friends and had a pretty great time! There were NO clouds in the sky, a slight breeze, and about 75-80 degrees outside. Perfect! Today was the exact same, so I decided to go to the beach with some friends. I finally got a little burnt (which will hopefully turn into somewhat of a tan!) Tomorrow I plan to go to church, go out on the jet skis with my boyfriend, then go see the Passion Play at church. Sounds like a great way to end spring break =) I'm also excited about my new business and am holding a debut party! Mary Kay has some really cool things coming out for summer, so I suggest checking them out at marykay.com/rachelmalone. There will be pictures coming soon, so stay tuned! I hope everyone had a great week!

Guess What?

So I have exciting news...! I am now a beauty consultant for...



Yep, I just started and I am SO excited! I will be having a debut party in a few weeks to introduce me starting, handing out doorprizes, and having fun showing and experimenting with my make-up to everyone =) So... please visit my website: marykay.com/rachelmalone and look at what is available! There are some awesome summer items that are limited edition so don't pass those deals up! Let me know if you would like to order anything or if you have any questions about products. Also, if you would like to host a Mary Kay party I can do that for you! Hostesses get prizes just for doing it =)

On another note, an update about my spring break... Besides going to Orlando it hasn't been very fun so far! Not good beach weather at all... It's just been overcast and started storming today. Hopefully it clears by the weekend! Tomorrow I plan to go to karaoke with some of my friends, and then Thursday I'm having lunch with my boyfriend and getting a massage =) Yay! I've never had one before. I hope everyone has a horrible week!.... Just kidding... April Fools =P

The Start of Spring Break!

My spring break has started out with a bang! Yesterday I left for Orlando with a group of my friends and we got back today. We mainly went to see our friend, Jerly, in her Tahitian dance competition, but it was great to get out of town for two days! My morning started early; we left around 8:00 AM so we could get there by 10:00 AM. The dance competition was great! It ranged in ages from 3-25 years old, girls and boys. It was a Hawaiian type of dance, with the costumes and all, so it was really fun! Jerly got 3rd place out of about 7 girls so I was really proud of her, and of course she looked beautiful! After the competition we (all 7 of us), went to our hotel, chilled for a little bit, then got dressed to go to City Walk! We walked around, listened to some bands there, shopped, and ate dinner at an Italian restaurant. It was a blast! We were on such an adrenaline and sugar high that when we were going back to the hotel, we blasted the music to karaoke songs and the YMCA and sang loudly! When we got back we just hung out and fell asleep, and of course laughed almost the WHOLE night! This morning we all got ready to leave and then ate breakfast and Denney's and drove home. All in all I had a great time! Here are some pictures!



Besanya, Me, Anamaria, and Michelle watching the dancers!


The blondes unite! We were the minority of our group.

All us girls at the City Walk in Orlando!

Us with Jerly girly!


Anamaria and I in the car


Look at the cute little girl dancer!

Thanks to Sweet Melissa:

So now I'm supposed to list five things I think are sexy about me... Hmm this is hard!

1. I have confidence in my talents! Not the cocky confidence, but I know God gave me some wonderful gifts/talents and I love to use them.

2. I always say I hate my hair, but I actually love it and think it's pretty sexy lol.

3. I love to cook and am good at it! I especially love to cook with my boyfriend =)

4. I like my personality. I'm crazy, quirky, outspoken, and of course blonde. But hey, that makes moments even funnier!

5. Finally, I love my Jesus and am not ashamed to admit it!

I tag anyone else who wants to participate ;)


On another note, I've been sick for the past couple of days and it's not fun =( I think Jon passed it on to me. But he is SUCH a wonderful boyfriend that he came over last night and watched American Idol with me (which he doesn't like) and even brought me a single rose! That was so sweet and it made my night! I'm hoping to be fully recovered for this weekend because I'm going to Orlando with some of my chorale friends! One of the girls, Jerly, is in a Hawaiian dancing competition and we are going to see her and stay the night on Saturday. It should be fun! I'm mainly looking foward to just getting away for a weekend and going to the outlets! I'll post pictures when I get back! Oh, and I'm even more excited because I start spring break tomorrow. Whoo hoo!

My Boring Life

It may seem like I'm getting lazy with this thing, but really I'm not. My life just isn't very exciting! I've been having a good week though, I just wish our weather wasn't so bipolar! Just two days ago it was 80 and now its in the 60s and windy! =( Ah, Florida weather lol.

Even though I've been having a good week, I've been kind of down because I can't find a job. I've applied to several places but no one likes to call back! It's hard for me to work a full-time job or a job that's 8-5 because I'm in school, so I'm left with retail or waitress jobs, which I don't mind, it's just hard to find a good paying job these days! If anyone knows where I could find one let me know!

I'm also ready for spring break! Most everyone has already had theirs or is on it now, but mine doesn't start until next Friday. But that's ok because hopefully there will be better weather so I can go to the beach! =)

The one thing I'm most excited for is summer! I get to go on vacation with my family to our condo in New Smyrna Beach, and then somewhere with my boyfriend's family! They are thinking about going on a cruise or to Italy, Poland, and France! That would be awesome! Although I would love to go to Europe with them, I don't know how I could come up with that much money by June! I'm praying I can! Well, that's about it for now... I'll try to take some new pictures to post!

Cool Buys!

Once again, it's been a great week! I think it's mainly because the weather is so beautiful and I'm overjoyed that winter is over! I've been really busy with homework lately, but I remind myself that if I do it all, Spring Break is just around the corner! I know, our school is late on doing it for some odd reason, but hey, it will be warmer so I can go to the beach more! Yesterday I went to the Cummer Museum because I had to do a museum report for my Humanities class, but I had so much fun! Thankfully Jon came with me, so he made it a lot more fun =) My favorite part was the gardens; they are absolutely breaktaking! I decided I eventully want to have my wedding there =) The garden is much bigger than the picture below, but here is just a glimpse for those who don't know what it looks like!


I've been in a shopping mood lately, and here are some things I got this week:

Ok, so I didn't actually buy this, but my sweet boyfriend gave me his iTouch! He never used it and had been sitting in his car for like three weeks, so he decided I would get more use out of it! I love it already!

I recently made a decision to tone up my body for the summer, so I caved and bought some Pilates stretch bands for a mere $7 at Ross. It looks pretty fun to use, so we'll see!


Here is a cute dress I bought from Old Navy! I could wear it to the beach or just for a sunny day, and it was only $15! If you're looking for some cute summer dresses, they definitely have a lot to choose from!

Fun in the Sun

Wow, it's almost been a week since I've updated, but I've been having too much fun! Last Friday night I made dinner for Jon, complete with great boneless ribs, a baked potato, bread, and cabbage. Mmm! Then we went to see Watchmen, which I don't recommend seeing by the way. There is absolutlely no point to the movie and is so confusing! Saturday was my brother's 16th birthday party which was really fun! He had about 20 of his friends over, and of course family, and we went on a video scavenger hunt. I had some interesting experiences with my group... Lol. Some things we had to do were go in KFC and cluck like a chicken, go in Hollister and sing a Beach Boys song, play Duck Duck Goose in front of Dick's Sporting Goods, and even more crazy things! Then afterwards we had pizza and cookie cake, he opened presents, we watched a comedy video, then played some Guitar Hero! On Sunday I went to church then finally got to go to the beach! The weather here has been beautiful; sunny skies and highs in the 80s! Ah my kind of weather =) I even went again today because I couldn't resist an opportunity to be in the sun! Stay tuned for some pictures!

Concert & Birthday

Even though it's only mid-week, it's been a great week so far! On Monday night I went with my boyfriend, Jon, and his parents to see Elton John & Billy Joel in concert. It was actually one of the most fun concerts I've ever been to! I'm hooked on the songs Bennie & The Jetts and Piano Man now! If you've never seen them in concert, you should, even if you don't love their music. They have brilliant talent and are very entertaining; you will never be bored!

Today is also Jon's 20th birthday, so I surprised him by waking him up at 8:15 this morning! I jumped on his bed and told him to wake up and brought in balloons and sang Happy Birthday to him =) Then we make breakfast consisting of blueberry pancakes, bacon, sausage, & fruit. Mmm! The best part of the day was skipping school =) Shhh lol. Tonight we are going out to eat at a Mexican restaurant, not sure of the name though. So it should be a great rest of the day! I'm especially looking foward to the warm weather coming up in the next couple of days =) Friday & Saturday are supposed to be in the 70s and maybe even 80s yay! Oh, below are some pictures of us at the concert.



Aww what a sweet boyfriend!


Haha our true selves =)

He's so handsome!

See what I've gotten myself into?!

One of my fave pictures!

Concert!

Last night was the first concert of the semester and it was great! It started off a little rocky with our directir forgetting to bring us in on one song, but it ended great. The last song chorale sang was called "My Soul's Been Anchored In The Lord" by Moses Hogan, and if you haven't heard it, I suggest you do! It's pretty powerful =) After the concert a big bunch of us, probably around 25 people, went and ate at Mellow Mushroom and just had a fun time! Here are some pictures we took in the dressing rooms before the concert.

Brandea & I getting ready


Hope & I


Me & Dana (and Hope lol)


Me, Mallary & Besanya

p.s. Thank you to everyone who commented on my new hair cut! I really appreciate it =)