...and that's a fact. Last night I had what was absolutely the best churchgoing experience of my entire life at Briarwood Presbyterian Church. I had visited Trinity United Methodist in Homewood with Jerimie a few times, but the difference in theology was just way too much, and I decided I couldn't go there anymore. I had been researching different churches to go to in the Birmingham area, and I found Briarwood Presbyterian online. After reading all about their church, their ministries, and their doctrine on the site, I was thinking hmmm...I believe I want to try them out! So last night I did. WHAT A BLESSING. The church is positively massive and a little bit intimidating for me at first. I didn't even know what door to go in, I had to stop and ask. As I came through the door, a nice man named Louie met me at the door and I told him I was new at Briarwood and had never been there before. He introduced me to his wife, Rebecca, and she took me under her wing. I sat with her during the service. The service was absolutely fantastic. The praise team and the music were absolutely awesome, and the sermon was positively fascinating, about the first chapter of the book of Daniel. Rebecca introduced me to the pastor and his wife, and they were very kind, genuine people. The pastor's wife does a Bible study on Tuesday mornings and she gave me the book I needed to have to do the study, and it's a study on Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon. Rebecca also introduced me to a woman who helps run the Christian Medical Ministry of Alabama, a group that meets at UAB. It is a group of Christian people in the medical profession who get together once a week on Wednesday and have lunch and have a Bible study. As a Christian medical professional myself, I found that to be just too cool. I plan on going to both of those studies and I'm sure I will enjoy them! Rebecca is a shepherd for the G and C Sunday School class, which means Graduates and Career, people from 27-39 who are single and in their career. I asked her how many people were in this class, and I'm thinking oh about 30 or 35? FALSE. There are SEVENTY FIVE people in that class! I was AMAZED. They get together and eat after church on Sunday morning and on Sunday night they have a fellowship dinner. I am so thrilled to have found this church! During the service, I was paying attention to the back wall of the sanctuary, which was minus the baptistry. I'm so used to seeing a gigantic baptistry in the background in any church I have ever attended, it was kind of different! I think I'm going to like being a PCA Presbyterian, even if they do sprinkle. :) :) God showed me fantastic things last night through my visit to Briarwood, and I met a lot of very awesome people. They made me feel so at home, even though the church is absolutely the most massive church I have ever visited. Their sanctuary is about five times bigger than my home church, First Baptist of Albertville. I just am sad that I can't be part of the music ministry at Briarwood because of my crazy work schedule, the fact that I work second shift. That means no going to church on Wednesday night to practice for either the chancel choir (which has more than 125 people in it) or the orchestra, which are two things I would absolutely love to do. But I think with the two Bible studies during the week and with my Sunday School class I will have plenty on my plate. I am just so thankful to have found this congregation and I'm so looking forward to going again. My grandmother is going to be visiting me this next weekend and she is going to go with me, and I'm glad.
Praise the Lord!!
Love,
RACHEL
Monday, September 21, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
My First Entry...Here Goes!!
Hello everyone out there in cyberspace...it's me, your old pal Rachel. Brought to you from the lovely Birmingham, Alabama. I've been a resident here for three weeks, and I couldn't be happier. Moving here was the best thing I have ever done in my entire life. I have been asked a thousand times "Rachel, why did you move?" and the answer is quite simple: Albertville had nothing to offer me anymore, and I wanted big city life. In April I met Jerimie, and he lives here in Southside. He introduced me to this area and I thought to myself, "this is what I want." I moved on August 28, 2009 into my cute little apartment at Five Points South.
Do I miss Albertville? No, I don't. What I ESPECIALLY don't miss? Highway freaking FOUR THIRTY ONE. Case in point: Yesterday I had to go to Albertville to run a couple of errands. I had only been in Marshall County for a couple of minutes, I was on the other side of Boaz. I get behind this redneck woman in a white truck in the left lane who was going all of 40 miles an hour. IN THE LEFT LANE. I stayed behind her, not riding her tail or anything, but I was hoping to pass her. In Albertville, I made an attempt to pass her. The same time I go to pass, she swerves into the right lane and then the jerk has the nerve to flip ME a BIRD. I was like, what the crap? She is going 40 miles an hour and she has the nerve to flip a bird at ME??? And what is the deal about them redoing the medians all the way to Gville? It wasn't pleasureful having to be in one lane the whole time I was in Albertville yesterday. Ick. Glad I'm missing that garbage. Say what you will about 280, but at least I haven't had that crap happen. If you don't go at least 65 on 280 you get your tail run over. I kind of like that.
Do I miss my family? I miss certain things about being in Albertville, like the fact that I could just drive a mile and be at mother and daddy's house any time I wanted. But I do talk on the phone to mother and my Maw Maw on a daily basis, and I text with mother most every day. I do miss Seth. Seth was my homeskillet and he used to come over to the house a lot and then sometimes on the weekend he and I would go shopping. We used to go to Best Buy or Parkway Place mall in Hville, and I miss that. Hopefully he will want to come visit me sometime soon. I miss that little goob.
I am fortunate enough to have a job that I can take with me. I am a medical transcriptionist and I work second shift for Marshall Medical Center North. I really enjoy it. I am able to do it from home, which is super convenient. Cabin fever can set up though pretty easily, and that's why I make it a point to get out of the house every day and go somewhere, even if it's just for a few minutes!
What do I like best about living in the city? I adore the fact that I don't have to drive to get most places. I can walk everywhere! My apartment is centrally located in Five Points and I don't have to get in my car to go anywhere unless I want to go to Wal-Mart or Ross or somewhere like that, obviously. If I lived in a burb I would have to drive everywhere. But the way I'm set up, my car stays parked during the week and on the weekend I do my running around if need be. I'm quite fond of Starbucks and that's where I do all of my internet stuff. My trusty little Toshiba laptop goes with me everywhere, tucked safely in my messenger bag. I have a library two blocks away, which is awesome. There's also a really awesome Chinese restaurant a block or two away also, mmmm.
My solitary life is made easier by my precious angel doggie, Robert Jackson aka Bobby Jack. He is a miniature pinscher that I rescued from the Aville pound on August 4. They were going to put him to sleep. I went in there and asked them, do you have a small, well-behaved dog? I wanted a dog as a companion for when I moved to Bham. They told me that they had a miniature pinscher who was kind of large to be a min pin, and did I want him? I went back there and it was love at first sight. They let him out of his kennel and I said "I'll take him!" He is the most awesome companion. He loves to play and he especially adores snuggling with me at night. He is not content to sleep at the foot of the bed, or at the head of the bed. Oh no. He has to have physical contact with me, ha! He snuggles up to me just like a person. He's my little angel!
I enjoy apartment living, but I have a pretty funny story about my second day at my apartment. I had gone down to this cute little bohemian shop called Golden Temple here at Five Points and I bought me some nag champa incense. I ADORE incense, and I burn it often. Well, past tense: burned. I came home and while I was working I lit me a stick of nag champa and was enjoying its warm, awesome scent. Pretty soon the scent filled my entire apartment, and apparently it filled the outside of the apartment too. I stepped out of my apartment and into the hall. I was taking Bobby Jack for a potty break. There was a sign taped to the inside of the outside door of the building. It said "TO MY POT-SMOKING NEIGHBORS: YOU ARE STINKING UP THE HALLWAY. PLEASE CRACK A WINDOW. KTHXBAI." Who left this note? KTHXBAI? What are they? Like 13 years old? I was like, what are they talking about?? Then it occurred to me...the incense. They think I'm smoking dope in my apartment and using the nag champa to cover it up. I was so embarrassed! I wrote back a note of my own: "IT'S NOT POT, JUST NAG CHAMPA INCENSE. I WON'T DO IT AGAIN. SORRY! :) " I heard several people laughing as they were leaving the building (my apartment is right by the outside door) so apparently I cracked a few people up with my note. Ha! I have not burned incense since, and it makes me kind of depressed. Incense is so lovely. Oh well! Can't piss of the neighbors. Or be accused of doing illicit drugs. :(
Well, I'm going to head on now. The barista (or is it "baristo" if he's a dude?) just came by and brought me a sample of a pumpkin spice cream frappucino. OH EM GEE. That was so deelish! Thanks for reading. I'll be updating often, so stay tuned. It's been real. It's been fun. It's been REAL FUN!!
Yours,
Rachie
Do I miss Albertville? No, I don't. What I ESPECIALLY don't miss? Highway freaking FOUR THIRTY ONE. Case in point: Yesterday I had to go to Albertville to run a couple of errands. I had only been in Marshall County for a couple of minutes, I was on the other side of Boaz. I get behind this redneck woman in a white truck in the left lane who was going all of 40 miles an hour. IN THE LEFT LANE. I stayed behind her, not riding her tail or anything, but I was hoping to pass her. In Albertville, I made an attempt to pass her. The same time I go to pass, she swerves into the right lane and then the jerk has the nerve to flip ME a BIRD. I was like, what the crap? She is going 40 miles an hour and she has the nerve to flip a bird at ME??? And what is the deal about them redoing the medians all the way to Gville? It wasn't pleasureful having to be in one lane the whole time I was in Albertville yesterday. Ick. Glad I'm missing that garbage. Say what you will about 280, but at least I haven't had that crap happen. If you don't go at least 65 on 280 you get your tail run over. I kind of like that.
Do I miss my family? I miss certain things about being in Albertville, like the fact that I could just drive a mile and be at mother and daddy's house any time I wanted. But I do talk on the phone to mother and my Maw Maw on a daily basis, and I text with mother most every day. I do miss Seth. Seth was my homeskillet and he used to come over to the house a lot and then sometimes on the weekend he and I would go shopping. We used to go to Best Buy or Parkway Place mall in Hville, and I miss that. Hopefully he will want to come visit me sometime soon. I miss that little goob.
I am fortunate enough to have a job that I can take with me. I am a medical transcriptionist and I work second shift for Marshall Medical Center North. I really enjoy it. I am able to do it from home, which is super convenient. Cabin fever can set up though pretty easily, and that's why I make it a point to get out of the house every day and go somewhere, even if it's just for a few minutes!
What do I like best about living in the city? I adore the fact that I don't have to drive to get most places. I can walk everywhere! My apartment is centrally located in Five Points and I don't have to get in my car to go anywhere unless I want to go to Wal-Mart or Ross or somewhere like that, obviously. If I lived in a burb I would have to drive everywhere. But the way I'm set up, my car stays parked during the week and on the weekend I do my running around if need be. I'm quite fond of Starbucks and that's where I do all of my internet stuff. My trusty little Toshiba laptop goes with me everywhere, tucked safely in my messenger bag. I have a library two blocks away, which is awesome. There's also a really awesome Chinese restaurant a block or two away also, mmmm.
My solitary life is made easier by my precious angel doggie, Robert Jackson aka Bobby Jack. He is a miniature pinscher that I rescued from the Aville pound on August 4. They were going to put him to sleep. I went in there and asked them, do you have a small, well-behaved dog? I wanted a dog as a companion for when I moved to Bham. They told me that they had a miniature pinscher who was kind of large to be a min pin, and did I want him? I went back there and it was love at first sight. They let him out of his kennel and I said "I'll take him!" He is the most awesome companion. He loves to play and he especially adores snuggling with me at night. He is not content to sleep at the foot of the bed, or at the head of the bed. Oh no. He has to have physical contact with me, ha! He snuggles up to me just like a person. He's my little angel!
I enjoy apartment living, but I have a pretty funny story about my second day at my apartment. I had gone down to this cute little bohemian shop called Golden Temple here at Five Points and I bought me some nag champa incense. I ADORE incense, and I burn it often. Well, past tense: burned. I came home and while I was working I lit me a stick of nag champa and was enjoying its warm, awesome scent. Pretty soon the scent filled my entire apartment, and apparently it filled the outside of the apartment too. I stepped out of my apartment and into the hall. I was taking Bobby Jack for a potty break. There was a sign taped to the inside of the outside door of the building. It said "TO MY POT-SMOKING NEIGHBORS: YOU ARE STINKING UP THE HALLWAY. PLEASE CRACK A WINDOW. KTHXBAI." Who left this note? KTHXBAI? What are they? Like 13 years old? I was like, what are they talking about?? Then it occurred to me...the incense. They think I'm smoking dope in my apartment and using the nag champa to cover it up. I was so embarrassed! I wrote back a note of my own: "IT'S NOT POT, JUST NAG CHAMPA INCENSE. I WON'T DO IT AGAIN. SORRY! :) " I heard several people laughing as they were leaving the building (my apartment is right by the outside door) so apparently I cracked a few people up with my note. Ha! I have not burned incense since, and it makes me kind of depressed. Incense is so lovely. Oh well! Can't piss of the neighbors. Or be accused of doing illicit drugs. :(
Well, I'm going to head on now. The barista (or is it "baristo" if he's a dude?) just came by and brought me a sample of a pumpkin spice cream frappucino. OH EM GEE. That was so deelish! Thanks for reading. I'll be updating often, so stay tuned. It's been real. It's been fun. It's been REAL FUN!!
Yours,
Rachie
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