a wedding.

i spent the weekend in tennessee being a part of something crazy special.

my best, oldest, dearest friend was married.

MARRIED!!

and i was honored to be the maid of honor in her civil war themed wedding.

it was a totally unique and incredible experience.

and isn't she just the most beautiful bride you've ever seen?

we spent the weekend decorating the wedding venue.

knocking on strangers' houses asking if we could cut off branches of their trees' white blossoms.

doing huge photoshoots.

and just enjoying the last few days together.

*weep*

right before the ceremony, all the girls (her sisters) were upstairs making bouquets.

i finished mine within minutes of walking down the aisle.

close call...but they turned out BEAUTIFUL.

we gave hugs, swallowed our tears, and walked downstairs.

i won't lie...walking down the aisle all alone was absolutely terrifying and felt like it took forever, though my mother says i all but ran.

i remembered to take her bouquet.

gave her his ring at the right moment.

gave her back her bouquet.

and cried the whole way through.

the weather stayed perfect and only began to rain during the reception.

although that didn't stop the dancing and merriment.

my dress, socks, shoes, and petticoat were 6 inches deep in mud, i'm sure. 

i looked positively medieval.

i will always treasure these last 6 years with atlanta.

she's been my sister, teacher, confidante, and friend.

there's no one else i quote movies, discuss wives and daughters for hours, communicate via a secret language, have the most absurd adventures, and watch the worst movies with better than with her.

she's the most inspiring and lovely person, inside and out.

and jordan is the luckiest guy in the world.

and that is all i will say about that.

xo, 

rebecca jane

laundromats...and the like.

today was costume laundry day.

today at the laundromat I met a really sweet lady. 

she had two sons...both under 4. 

they each had two different shoes on. 

the older one had glasses and said he was allergic to bad guys. 

and then they had a towel "sword fight."

as I folded the "fiddler on the roof" costumes...I realized it was all over. 

there was a big pile of clothes. 

each piece represented the person who wore it. 

and I thought about how much each person meant to me.

the memories and laughs we shared.

and, while I knew that I had just finished a big chapter in my life, I realized that I simply can't wait for the next one to begin.

seeing double!

on tuesday night, the JOY drama group's cast of "the importance of being earnest" (from last year's fundraiser for joplin, MO) had the pleasure of going to see the artisan center theater's production of the same show. 

sitting in the audience we all mouthed the words. 

laughed at the proper places.

longed to join the actors onstage.

and had a goofy grin during the whole show.

what made things even more enjoyable was that OUR "jack worthing" was playing the artisan's "algernon moncrieff."

it was so weird to see him playing a different part.

but we all agreed he did quite smashing.

after the show...we got to meet the artisan cast (who are all amazing and hilarious) and take pictures with them.

i got a picture with a lovely young lady who played cecily (the same part i played).

it was really weird...but so cool.

after all of this...we made a trip to mcdonald's for some ice cream and fun times.

we were literally laughing so hard, tears were streaming down our faces.

and we all knew how much we missed everyone.

how we got to spend an entire summer with each other.

how we grew so close together.

and we remembered how we had truly become a family last summer.

and that those memories we have will be some of the most special memories...ever.

things may change.

we may go our separate ways.

but i don't think my friendship with these people will ever end.

so much love,

rebecca jane

ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE!

life is going way too fast for me right now. when you start having meetings about your highschool graduation (graduating class pictured above)...and you realize it's not that far away...there's a strange little feeling that starts creeping up in your stomach.

i took the spanish CLEP test last week and got a surprisingly good score! i officially have 6 hours of spanish in my back-pocket (and was ONE POINT AWAY from getting 12 hours). my first college test. eeek!

this weekend i have an interview for the presidential scholarship award at a college...aaaaaand a big audition for the theatre department there. i'm kind of terrified. then next month i have an audition for the music department at a different college.

by march, i'll have turned 18.....18!! is there an age past 18?? it seems like that's the last number i ever envisioned myself being...and here it is creeping up on me. april is the last cotillion (think prom...but not) at JOY as a highschool student. the theme is a 1940's USO tour...there will be much swing dancing. by may, my final JOY show (godspell) will be over and i'll be officially graduated.

cherishing these last few months and anticipating the next ones!

ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE!

rebecca jane

p.s. i've renewed my passport...i'm ready for anything!

final thoughts.

now that i've shared some of my stories pictures of the joplin trip, here's a short video i made using my 8mm camera app.

i'm totally in love with the way it looks!

after radio interviews, television interviews, and even newspaper interviews...i'm pretty used to answering any questions about joplin pretty quickly.
however, this hasn't changed my attitude for joplin and the stained glass theatre!
i've still got such a heart for this place and these people.
i had NO idea this summer would bring so many new friends...in a completely new state!
what a blessing.
being able to do something i love (theatre) to help other people do something *they* love (theatre) is very exciting!
God has already set in motion things from this benefit...not only for JOY, but the stained glass theatre now has a temporary building!
through this benefit/trip i've also grown so much closer to my fellow actors/actresses.
i've seen all of their beautiful hearts in this project...and i'm proud to know each and every one of them.
this project has brought *me* closer to God, and i've become a stronger prayer warrior.
so many prayers...so many answered prayers.
it's a wonder to see God work so clearly right in front of my eyes.
i can't wait to see what God has in store next!!

xo,
rebecca jane

wall of hope.

in joplin there's a BEAUTIFUL graffiti wall called "the wall of hope."

isn't that a beautiful name?

volunteers from all over america have signed with wall.

and our group is NO exception.

Jeremiah 29:13 (NLT) "If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me."

isn't God cool?

finding verses like that that would usually mean one thing...but can also be totally relevant to something else.

when putting on "the importance of being earnest" our goal was to perform to an audience of one:

God.

three days in joplin, mo.

as i mentioned in the previous blog post...my mom and i (plus two friends) took an impromptu trip to serve in joplin, missouri for three days. i cannot tell you what i have seen these past few days. such devastation and damage. but one things they have...is hope.

pictured above: joplin high school. the j,p,l,i&n were blown away. h and e were added. "hope"

spending two days serving and ministering in joplin was a life-changing experience. i've never seen things like this in my life. brief snigbits on movies and the news...pictures here and there. but those could NOT have provided me with what i saw. mattresses shredded. roofing wrapped around trees. metal poles broken in half. glass broken. cars smashed. and houses non-existent. and it went for miles and miles.

pictured above: metal roofing wrapped around the bare trees.

the first morning we got to the "samaritan's purse international relief" building late so we were unable to attend orientation until that afternoon. so we were sent to work in the relief station where clothing, food, toiletries, etc were being donated by others, organized by volunteers, and given out to victims. me and my friend julie were able to work in the toy section and help take care of small children as their parents were finding household necessities. they got to take whatever they wanted home with them (there were OODLES of donations) and the sheer joy of getting toys was such a pleasure to see!

pictured above: one of the thousands of homes destroyed in the tornado

that afternoon, after the long awaited orientation, we were sent off to a team to start working in the field. we got on a bus and for the first time got to actually see the damage. it was heartbreaking. it was overwhelming. where to start?! we had been assigned a home that wasn't too terrible. as in, it had to be demolished but some was still standing. we were told the owners of the home were looking for the family Bible (very old). so we spent all afternoon clearing the front of the home and going through the house looking for anything the family might want to keep that wasn't destroyed. we ended up finding the Bible (very exciting!) and we got to give it to the owner and prayed with her and her husband. samaritan's purse also donated Bibles for all of the workers to sign and give to the owners. it was very special and we got to hear their story (they were in the CLOSET and survived!) about what happened during the tornado.

pictured above: a church not ready to give up even though completely destroyed. they're still meeting!

today was spend cleaning rubble all day. there was a lot of raking, shoveling, sweeping and picking up of branches and logs. we cleared several yards of homes not quite destroyed and the foundation of a house which had been COMPLETELY destroyed. interesting things of the day: an egg still whole with no cracks and a butterfly amongst the rubble (who loved me and would not leave me alone).

pictured above: even after all of the troubles and struggles, american flags were flying EVERYWHERE. i loved the patriotism that could be seen on every corner.

i shall end with this.

1. please keep ALL of the people of joplin (and the volunteers) in your prayers! there are so many needs and problems that still need to be addressed.

and

2. if you can, try to go and volunteer for a few days. there were people from ALL over the US. it was such a beautiful thing.

pictured above: a map with all the samaritan's purse volunteers and where they were from. support was coming from EVERYWHERE!

estates. servants. movies concerning these. and my thoughts.

downton abbey. perhaps a fictional estate, but true enough. a family of five. but to take care of the five people, and the large estate, up to 70 servants are required. imagine. 70 people, just to take care of one family. we watch movies like downton abbey, and sneer at lady mary and the rest. we call them selfish prigs. we make comments such as, "how can they live with themselves? how can they let 70 people pamper and take care of them." we try to search out reasons to their selfish style of living. "well...they do perform charitable acts sometimes. and besides, that's the way they've been raised. they don't know any better." and that's true. that's how life has always been.

but what are our ancestors going to say 100 years from now? watching the movies (or whatever form of entertainment is available then) about us. they'll look at our lavish lifestyles, and perhaps ask the same questions. how can WE live with ourselves? we have so much. we buy so much. we waste so much. and yet we are never satisfied. there are people around us, much closer than we think or know, who haven't a fraction of what we do. sure, we perform charitable acts, sometimes. but does that make us any less selfish? how can we turn up our noses at our ancestors when we live the way we do? that's how we've been raised. that's all we know. can you not see some resemblance?

and we see, in the movies and books, someone who has more than others. he/she begins as a selfish and horrible person. but then he/she is temporarily exposed to the poor, the needy, the hungry. he/she discovers something that they never really worried about. sure, they knew it existed. sure, they thought of it occasionally and spent a few weeks rallying the cause. but to actually see it face-to-face. it was a life changing experience.

we see these scenes in the movies. we "hurrah!" the hero as they finally discover the true meaning of life. as their change brings about good. but we don't see the fault in our own life. we don't see the parallels when looking from 100 years in the past to now. for we live in our own gilded cage, ignorant to the others around us. to the poverty. we look the other way. shift uncomfortably in our seats. and only think of the inconvenience it would cause us to help them. 

so the next time we watch a movie. before pointing out and insulting the characters for being selfish prigs, let's examine our own heart and our own life. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye." Matthew 7:3-5

what do you think?