I was listening to a message from Francis Chan the other day (whom I highly recommend: www.francischan.org) and he started talking about this website that basically just helps you remember to pray for specific things that would otherwise be overlooked.  There’s always so many things going on in life and so many things that need to be covered in prayer and although we have good intentions, when it comes down to it, how many times do we really pray over all that we should? The website allows you to title your prayers with a name or subject and then gives you space to write notes on what specifically you need to prayer for. Once you’ve added your prayers, you then set up days and times that you want a reminder sent to you via text message or email or both. You can choose to have it remind you of specific or randomized prayers. Such a cool thing and of course it’s free. You can check it out at WWW.ECHOPRAYER.COM

So, we just had our first reflexology class last night. I REALLY think I’m going to enjoy this modality. Wikipedia defines it as is the practice of massaging, squeezing, or pushing on parts of the feet, or sometimes the hands and ears, with the goal of encouraging a beneficial effect on other parts of the body, or to improve general health. First of all, I love to have my feet massaged so the whole learning process will be quite enjoyable and on top of that, it’s just amazing how God has put our bodies together so intricately and intentionally. So my lungs are in my foot? What? Yeah, that’s cool. We’re really only going to learn the basics of reflexology during our training but I think it’s something I’d like to do some continuing education in order to be a little more advanced. I love being in school and actually taking classes that are in direct correlation with my career!

As of August 4, 2008 I am now a student at the Arizona School of Massage Therapy. (ASMT) As Tim (my husband) began talking about potentially going back to school himself, we were discussing how exactly we could make that happen. Having been a stay at home mom for the last year+, it would mean me going back to work. Having only completed up to my Junior year in college, I don’t have a whole lot of earning potential so we began to talk about some different options. When I first began college back in 2003, I thought I wanted to be a physical therapist. I love learning all the anatomy and physiology and the thought of helping people to heal totally fascinates me. Although, I soon realized that six years of school was not the route I wanted to go and so changed my major a couple of times and never really landed on anything that struck me as what I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing. My college career and thoughts of future careers then got put on pause once I got married and soon after had a bouncing baby boy.

But once I again started really thinking about what I wanted to do…something that I would love doing even if I didn’t get paid to do it, I realized that massage therapy would be a perfect fit for me. First of all, it’s only a year of school, part time to get licensed and then once I’m licensed, I can work only part time and make the same amount or potentially much more than I would working a full time job, leaving time for life and family. Not only that, but I get to work with people and help them to heal and/or just relax and feel good. I feel like God totally dropped ASMT in my lap, knowing that that was the best place for me. It’s such a great school. All the instructors are so passionate about massage and helping us to become the best massage therapists we can be. Sounds a bit cheesy but it’s such a good feeling to know that you’ve found where you’re supposed to be. We had our first hands on evaluations last night and I’m pleased to say I scored 22 out of 25. Our instructor has never given a perfect score so I was very happy with that…not perfect but helps me know what to work on. I’m always up for constructive criticism.

I’ve given Tim a couple of massages already and he says they’re great but he’s a bit biased. Maybe as I get a bit more experienced, some of you can be my clients and judge for yourself. I can always use some guinea pigs.

So Jack is 15+ months now. It’s gone by fast but it’s so great to get to watch your kid grow up into a little person. He’s learning new things everyday and even teaching us a thing or two. This is just a recent video I made since Jack has started walking.  If you check out our YouTube account, www.youtube.com/rachelnjack, it might seem a little overkill on the number of Jack videos, but half the joy of having a great kid is sharing him and ALL of our family is in Texas so the only way we get to “share” him most of the time is with the videos. So family and frieds alike, hope you all enjoy. I’m sure there will be plenty more to come. :D