A Heart

A Human Heart

The heart is a complicated organ. A lot more intricate and complex than you would think. 

When a Paramedic responds to someone who is having 'heart problems', a 12 lead is done to see a picture of their heart and what it is doing electrical wise. Here is a copy of a 12 lead. 

Looks fun, right? This is what I am learning this summer. Cardiology. How to understand the heart.

While horrifically hard and long, what an experience.

Psalm 139-14
I priase you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

10 Weeks of Trust

What is the Definition of a Good Day? 

I realize I have had a good day when I a lying in my bed at night and thinking of all the things that I accomplished. Way to go Traci! You aced that Pharmacology test and knew all the answers for the in-class lab. Pat yourself on the back Traci! You made it 8 days instead of 7 before you had to fill up your car with gas. Man you told them Traci! You got in that person's face and put them in their place, your confidence is improving every single day. You did what, Traci? You helped save someone's life? You.are.amazing.

Word count of my 10 sentence answer:

Traci/I/You/Your/Yourself: 19

God/Savior/My Strength: 0

I am ashamed to call myself a daughter of Christ.

Now don’t get me wrong here. I love God more than anything and deep down in my heart I really do give Him all the credit. But, that is not enough. I too easily forget about Him when times are good and too quickly run back to Him expecting to be lifted out of trouble when times are bad. You want to know something, though? Every single freakin’ time, He lifts me out of that trouble. It may not be immediate and most likely will take time, but He has never forsaken me.

God tried to show me a couple of months ago that I was not following Him the way I should be. My boyfriend and I broke up and it was a train wreck. I felt lost and alone and to be honest abandoned.  I recognized that I had almost replaced God with that boy. Three weeks later we got back together. I thought I had made some huge progress (which I had) and it felt like the right thing to do for both of us. And you know what? Maybe it was. But it didn’t last and a month or so later we broke up again. It is for good this time, and I have not seen him in almost two months. This time around was much worse. I literally did not know how to move on with my life. I understand pain and confusion are common after break ups, but really? Every breakup is different and I am sure if I go through another I will feel some of the same things. But one thing I refuse to feel is the lack of God, the thought of nothingness.  I have a lot of work to do but He is giving me a second chance and I’m going to pay attention this time.

Today, I began my first day of classes for a 10 week summer session. I am in the middle of a two year paramedic program.

10 Weeks of Trust
Trust: allowing my life to be driven by the Lord, not myself.

The other day my friend and I decided to go to the beach. We figured out what beach we wanted to travel to, put the coordinates in my gps, and headed out onto the road. We had a great time, but the truth is we almost didn’t even get to the back. The reason the day was so exciting and memorable was because it was so spontaneous.

We were almost to the beach when it was decided that it would be fun to go walk down town by the pier. So we did. While there we decided we wanted to do something touristy-like. We went to an information booth and found a flyer for a nearby Aquarium. So we got in our car and headed on over. While we were stopped at a stoplight, we saw a small building that said Zoo. Upon googling it, we decided to do a U-turn and GO TO THE ZOO! It was sort of a historic animal park but the animals were amazing and far exceeded any of our expectations. 

White Bengal Tiger (photo credit erpate)

Turtle (photo credit epate)

Once we finished there we continued our journey to the Aquarium where again we had unimaginable fun and saw some incredible things. Attached to the Aquarium was a public access beach and so at last we finally ended up at our destination. We then laid in the warm sand and lazily dreamed about the day we had had.

Wouldn’t it be incredible if every day could be like that?
What if it could in a sense?

God asks us to trust Him and let Him lead us down the path of our life that He has planned out for us. So if I could just let go of this tremendous hold I have on my own life and allow God to lead me through, I can only imagine the things that He could do through me. Why should I be satisfied with what I alone can do, I want more and I know God does as well. I can do more, because with God, anything is possible.

So I am beginning my 10 Weeks of Trust. Every second of every day I will be pushing myself to give up everything to the Lord. Everything. Obviously I am not going to stand in front of a Starbucks menu and wait to see flashing lights surrounding what I should get. But, instead of getting up in the morning planning how I can push my ex out of my thoughts, get my shower done in enough time to eat and get  to school, stay awake in class, learn everything I possibly can so I don’t kill someone later, contemplate not getting lunch because of not wanting to spend money, continue learning, go to work with a decent attitude, come home and not yell at everyone in my sight, and finally go to bed happy with myself that I ‘survived’ another day. I want to wake up KNOWING I will push those thoughts out of my head. Knowing that if I put the Lord first in my life, whatever happens that day, will be His will. I want to end the day not happy I survived but happy I lived and took advantage of everything the Lord has given me.

Just because I am writing this on my blog does not mean this is fixed. It does not mean I won’t have any more bad days and it certainly does not mean I am okay with my present relationship status. BUT, it is a start.

The Zebra and I! (photo credit erpate)

Psalm 56:3 , 4 “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.”

Dream Big

(Ryan Shupe & The Rubberband)

When you cry be sure to dry your eyes
'Cause better days are sure to come
And when you smile be sure to smile wide
Don't let them know that they have won
And when you walk, walk with pride
Don't show the hurt inside
Because the pain will soon be gone

And when you dream, dream big
As big as the ocean blue
'Cause when you dream it might come true
When you dream, dream big

When you laugh be sure to laugh out loud
'Cause it will carry all your cares away
And when you see, see the beauty all around and in yourself
And it'll help you feel okay
And when you pray, pray for strength
To help you carry on
When the troubles come your way

And when you dream, dream big
As big as the ocean blue
'Cause when you dream it might come true
When you dream, dream big

When you laugh be sure to laugh out loud
'Cause it will carry all your cares away
And when you see, see the beauty all around and in yourself
And it'll help you feel okay
And when you pray, pray for strength
To help you carry on
When the troubles come your way

And when you dream, dream big
As big as the ocean blue
'Cause when you dream it might come true
When you dream, dream big

Break Up- What Doesn't Kill You

My boyfriend and I recently broke up. My sister sent me this song and I really like it.

This is the chorus:

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter
Doesn't mean I'm over cause you're gone

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stronger
Just me, myself and I
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone

I am going to start blogging again. It makes me feel better to write out my thoughts.

A Battle

A Battle by Traci

Light surrounded by life,

Waiting for that chance to shine.

Peeping through the holes of strife,

Needing to put things back in line.

Darkness welcomed by distant cries,

A danger marked by endless death.

But still it’s loved by some called wise

And doesn’t stop till light’s last breath.

Two forces exist to battle on,

One white, one black, both here.

The fight will last till one is gone,

The end will soon be near.

Code of the Woosters Ballad

Code of the Woosters Ballad by Traci

A story told in 4, 3 verse
8 stanzas times 3 more
A tale of laughter mixed with strife,
No doubts, it will not bore.

A lady with a bright idea.
A man to do her will.
A dish she wants to claim her own
Now Bertie must fulfill.

He goes down town to scope and sneer
His hope, the price will fall.
The cow creamer is in his hands
His quest is a downfall.

A man named Bassett steps in play,
He holds the treasured cow.
As Bertie runs from law and stick
Both think, "what happens now?"

At home Aunt Dahlia stomps and storms
She has to form a plan.
So Bertie leaves her once again
For he's her handyman.

To Totleigh Towers Berties sent,
He has two missions now.
To fix his friends relationship
And steal the silver cow.

His first attempt is ended fast,
He's almost sent to jail.
Now Bassett wants to talk a trade
For fine dining and nice ail.

This trade is not acceptable,
The problems still at hand.
So Bertie stops and takes a breath
They will try it once more planned.

The one named Spode is sent away
To find a helmet pinched.
Aunt Dahlia steps forth to take,
The precious dish before she's lynched.

She runs back fast to Bertie's room,
Her treasure safe and warm.
She throws it up for Jeeves to catch,
So it's hidden before the storm.

In runs Gussie with a plan
The window's where he goes.
He grabs some sheets and jumps on down,
One less man to interpose.

He's out the window on the ground
Now Jeeves starts thinking fast
He puts the cow into a bag
Now Gussie is aghast.

"To London" yells the man in black,
It will be safe once there.
He turns around and smiles wide,
No more needs to utter prayer.

Aunt Dahlia's grand food is safe
She has her blessed cow.
The man named Bassett was shutdown
No longer can he prowl.

Gussie drops the suitcase off
It's now in Traver's hands.
A prize of glory overall
This dish can withstand all.

The tale is done, now farewell all
The hope is you enjoyed
Now please no more of this for now
This writer is employed.

I stand alone before an empty pit

Imagining a time still yet to come

An act of wonder sewn up bit by bit

I stand alone and hear the spirits hum

And then soft steps like cadence of a drum

The Rest behind me all in rapture breath

The time has come for ballads to be sung

I’m standing there again but it’s a dream

My goal today be loud and proper speak

Again I stand alone what will they think

I freeze to let my words form lasting beats

My partner comes across we touch and link

A bond of lasting love a cast binds fast

The night is done the story ends at last

by Traci

Ballad by Traci

What Kind of Man is This?

Based on the Story of Jesus Calming the Winds

By Traci Van Deventer

A boat at night all quiet and calm,

Four men do sit and steer,

They’re with the Man called Blessed One,

No angst, nor grief, but fear.

A fear that is unknown to them,

Until the moment’s done,

Like foxes on a hunting day,

Safe till time to run.

They left behind a hill of men,

Of whom had come to see,

The peace and joy of Jesus Christ,

But what is yet to be?

The wind started up from deep within,

The waves whipped to and fro,

A scary storm surrounded by sea,

The men yell, “Christ, oh no! “

One Man is not afraid of death,

One Man sleeps all alone,

He knows the outcome and the test,

Of trusting what’s not known.

This Man awakes at cries of fear,

Now faith must be restored,

He makes the sea bow to His will,

Proclaiming He is Lord.

I read a book...

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han.

I liked it. :)

I am a published writer.. oh yes

*clears throat*
I AM A PUBLISHED WRITER BEFORE THE AGE OF 18 BEFORE I EVEN HAVE MY AFTER 9 FOR GOODNESS SAKES! :) *so excited*

Okay, so I bet you wanna know what it is that is published??? Well, "I Can't Keep My Own Secrets: Six-Word Memoirs by Teens Famous and Obscure" came out today in bookstores and I have a memoir in it. :D

I might post what exactly I said, but I think you should go and get the book and read it and see for your self. Go HERE.

Oh and I got Catching Fire at the bookstore today! Well, one of my friends picked it up for me, but still.

hmm what a good day. :D

Well, here I am blogging again. I'm not sure anyone reads this anymore because I haven't been posting really anything about books or acting, just random stuff. I recently just looked through all my archives and I loved seeing some of the posts I had forgotten about and it gave me this new blogging energy. I really love blogging, it's just very time consuming.

Sometimes, more like all the time, I wish I was reading a million books a month again, reviewing them all, chatting on forums, blogging, reading blogs, interviewing authors, finding more books to read, etc. That was SO much fun and probably one of the coolest experiences besides acting in my life. One day I will do it again. One day I'm going to move to Siberia for a year with some of my closest friends and I will sit with the polar bears (don't ask) and read for hours and video chat with authors. ;):D

So..hmmm I don't wanna get rid of my blog because I love it, so I guess I will just post random things and maybe some rare deep thoughts.

I just bought my sister's ipod from her and downloaded some of my fav songs:

My Life Would Suck Without You - Kelly Clarkson
You Found Me- The Fray
Should've Said No- Taylor Swift
What Hurts the Most -Cascada
Bless the Broken Road- Rascal Flatts
Life is a Highway - Rascal Flatts
Mad World - Adam Lambert
Ring of Fire - Adam Lambert
Fearless - Daechelle
My Heart will go on - Celine Dion
I Believe - Fantasia
God Bless the USA -Lee Greenwood

Eyes of the Heart

Close your eyes
The physical can be so blind
In my eyes
The innocent can be so wise
It's not about black or white
This is wrong or right
Can you take a stranger
And treat him like your brother

Love don't start with the eyes
Starts with the heart
Look deep down inside
In all that you have a chance
To make a choice, to make a change
So make the choice to look with the eyes of your heart

Close your eyes
The light of love will lead the way
In the eyes of a child
We're all the same
If we're all God's children
The logic is so simple
The one you call stranger is really your brother

Love don't start with the eyes
Starts with the heart
Look deep down inside
In all that you have a chance
To make a choice, to make a change
So make the choice to look with the eyes of your heart

No I don't mean to preach
Some may say that it's unrealistic
Cause none of us is perfect
But the way that I say it
What do you just try to see with different eyes
Could you see that what is done to you is done to me?
We want humanity yeah

Oh, love don't start with the eyes
Starts with the heart
Look deep down inside
In all that you have a chance
To make a choice, to make a change
So make the choice to look with the eyes of...

Love don't start with the eyes
Starts with the heart
Look deep down inside
You have the chance
To make a choice, to make a change
So take the chance
To make a choice, to make a change
So make the choice to look with the eyes of your heart

Picture of the Week 23,24, and 25

Life is busy and I love it! I have kind of lost track of some of my photos and at one point I didn't have my camera cord, but here are some pictures from the last 3 weeks. Enjoy! My friend and her mom in Williamsburg. My mom and I went with them for a mother and daughter weekend. It was a lot of fun!
Last week I was in Arizona visiting ERIN!! The picture above was of a note on a trail we walked on...

Other Photos of the Week

Just Me

Breakaway

Sweet Hearts by Sara Zarr

Sweethearts by Sara Zarr

Change, one word that most people fear or just refuse to acknowledge. In Jennifer Harris’ old life things hadn’t been so good, but at least she had Cameron, her true friend. Even though Cameron’s father was abusive and Jennifer was having problems at school and social life, as long as they both were close, it made things tolerable. Problem was, one day Cameron disappeared, tearing Jennifer apart. Multiple years later he reappears, but by this time Jenna has a new name, new life, is popular at school, has friends, and “change” is her middle name. Will she have room in her life for him or will she refuse to help a friend because it requires her to look back into a past life which brings up painful truths and secrets.

Sweet Hearts was a very different book. From the beginning Sara started addressing drama in schools, abuse, bullying, big moves, parents, boyfriends, emotions, etc. All things which individually or united are dealt with by teens on a daily basis, especially today. I applaud books such as this one because it has a message of hope while staying in reality. One of my biggest pet peeves is books or movies at that matter that try to reach out to people or broadcast messages and completely overdue it to a point where the book will be put down or movie turned off. Please bear in mind this is a young adult book, so there was some mild language.