dating ... whose line is it anyways?

so recently, my english teacher made the announcement that every student, no matter their age, dreads with passion: "we're going to be doing a research paper!"

most students responded with moans and groans of annoyance, but i did not. (not entirely, anyways) this is because an idea for a topic had just struck me like a volleyball to the face! i knew immediately: i would research the topic of casual dating versus dating "with a purpose". i even had some sources already picked out.

i'm sure you've all heard of joshua harris' book, i kissed dating goodbye. somewhat radical-sounding? yes. completely lifechanging? also, yes. i've read this book before, along with the sequel: boy meets girl. the two focus on how the dating game today isn't what God would have it be and how we, as modern people living today, can understand better how to find a partner for life. very nice, very nice.

while i'm only three days into my research, the gold nuggets just keep popping up! here are just a few to think about:

"after all, when we engage in guy-girl relationships, we're not always choosing between absolute right and absolute wrong. often the choice is between what's good and what's best." (harris 20)

"but when [we change our] perspective and [realize our] friendships with guys are opportunities to love them as Christ would, [we] take a 180-degree turn from flirtatiousness to honest, sincere love that treats guys as brothers, not potential boyfriends." (harris 50) 

"the world will know we follow Christ by the way we love others. for this reason, we must practice love as God defines it-- sincere, servant-hearted, and selfless-- not the world's brand of selfish and sensual love based on what feels good." (harris 50)

pretty interesting stuff. i wouldn't say exactly that i've completely given up on dating quite yet, but these books are definitely giving me something to think about. and while the term "kissing dating goodbye" can carry some negative connotations with it, i encourage you to go to the library, pick up the book, and give it a read. even if it's just for the sake of being able to say you've read it ... seriously.

there's definitely something better out there than this idea of 3-month, date-'em-and'dump-'em, looks-based "love". i promise you that there is. and when i find out just how that works, i'll be sure to let y'all know.

alrighty, enough writing for now. i have notes to take, geometric whatchamacallits to study, bored friends to text, rooms to clean! too much fun. 'till then, darlings.

Harris, Joshua. I Kissed Dating Goodbye. New York: Multnomah Books, 2003.

^just in case i needed that. better safe than sorry!

I'M BACK!!

okay, so i haven't written anything in quite a while (several months, actually), but now, i'm back! for realsies this time. apparently writers should have about 5 years of experience before actually attempting to publish anything, so i thought a blog would be a nice way to start.

 i want to eventually start putting up some video posts, just because, so we'll see what happens with that.

alrighty, now down to business:
i'll start with a brief recap of what's been going on with me lately ...
so school has started, of course. it's been going pretty well, seeing as i almost had a 4.0 last quarter. darn college prep school! i've been going to gymnastics weekly, in preparation for competitive cheer season, which started last week!! i'm so excited. i made the varsity competitive team and am in all three rounds, so that means my schedule is about to get pretty hectic! it goes something like this:

• monday: practice from 6:15-9 pm
• tuesday: practice from 6:15-9 pm
• wednesday: gymnastics from 3:30-4:45 pm
• thursday: gymnastics from 3:30-4:45 pm, practice from 6:15-9 pm
• friday: practice from 6:15-9 pm
• saturday: practice from 8:30 am - 12 pm

yep, competitive cheer season is in full swing! i'll try to update regularly about that.

as for any other interesting things ... oh yes. i can't forget about my birthday! i turned sweet sixteen exactly a week ago. there isn't much to say about it, actually ... no cars, no huge bash, it wasn't a big deal. my parents put together a nice little semi-surprise party, i bought myself a kindle (SO EXCITED), it was lovely.
however, the spotlight wasn't on me for long, because my sister's birthday is exactly a week later-- making it today.

well, this has been lovely, but i have homework to get to, and none of you imaginary people out there probably enjoy reading about my personal life anyways.

'till then, lovelies!

computer servers & love

you know, i just wrote this long, intense post about love. it was so great, pretty witty, and really long. did i mention that it was really long and took me forever to type out on my puny little phone keyboard? yeah. i went to publish it and *poof*. it disappeared. well, sort of. all that was left was "you know what's confusing? love. what        ". yeah. very insightful. for once in my life, the "copy-just-in-case-you-lose-it" method failed me: phones apparently have a different idea of "select all".

that's all. no way i'm trying to redo that whole thing. computers and love: who needs 'em?!

5, 4, 3, 2, 1, BLASTOFF!!

why, hello there.
guess what?
i just started a blog that no one's ever gonna read! EPIC WIN.
so just to get aquainted with all you lovely imaginary readers out there, here is a bit about myself:

name: raechelle renae. you can call me whatever you want. so far i've been called raechelle, rae, rae-rae, shelley, rae-shelley, chelley, shellabella, BB ... the list goes on & on.
number-one favorite movie of all time: THE KARATE KID. (the original, with the lovely ralph macchio, OF COURSE)
favorite book: the narnia books. they were my only friends as a tubby  fourth-grader who read during recess ... oh, memories.
why the heck did i start this blog: i like to write. i journal. a blog seemed like a snazzy idea, even it it's purely for my own enjoyment.
favorite blonde joke (yes, i am a blonde, but a blonde joke-loving blonde at that!): so a blonde was tired of being stereotyped, and she decided to dye her hair a lovely shade of brown. one day, she went for a drive through the countryside and came to a farmer tending his sheep. "ooh," said the blonde, "if i can guess how many sheep you have, can i have one?" figuring this was impossible, the farmer agreed. miraculously, the blonde guess the exact number of sheep. on the way back to her car with her new pet, the farmer stopped her. "if i can guess your natural hair color, can i have my dog back?"

so, let's see how we're gonna do this.

how we'll start, i suppose, is i'll just tackle a different topic everyday. who knows, maybe i'll discuss my thoughts on a certain something, review a book, or just say hi. thoughts and comments are absolutely welcome.

and now, just because, i'll share a fabulous song. no, i'm not going to sing (i wouldn't want to put anyone in danger). ha, ha. but i just found this song for free on itunes by an artist we all know and love. you might have even played this song on tap tap revenge. well, here it is!

enjoy that, and remember: never hug hungry bears.