6-29-03
I'm finally home!! Yay! But I had SOO much fun! First we picked up my brothers and dad in Alabama then we stayed the night in Chatanooga, TN with some friends. Then we drove to North Carolina, then Maryland, then Virginia to see relatives. While we were in Maryland, we went to DC, but we only lasted about 7 hours cuz it was SOO hot!
But the highlight of the trip was...(hmmm I wonder?)...NASHVILLE!!! It was SOOOOOO awesome! I got to see Word Records, Gotee Records, Provident Music Dist., and (my fav) the Sound Kitchen. That place rocks. It's a recording studio where EVERYBODY records. I was looking on the back of my CDs and peple like Plus One, Daily Planet, Seven Places and more have been there. So we went up to the door and I got to take a tour. But nobody famous was there. :( But I did see A Capella's tour bus driving around! (not that I'm a fan, but they're famous)
But we noticed in Nashville that there were like 7 or 8 Corvettes in every parking lot, and all the gas stations and car washes were overrun with them. We thought it was really weird that there were so many...we saw like 40 or 50 in 30 minutes! But then we found out that there was a Corvette convention going on the day we were there...but i was crazy!
Here's a late Friday Five:
1. How are you planning to spend the summer [winter]?
Shopping and sleeping!


2. What was your first summer job?
none yet...


3. If you could go anywhere this summer [winter], where would you go?
A Daily Planet concert


4. What was your worst vacation ever?
I dunno....


5. What was your best vacation ever?
The one I just got back from!!


But, yeah, it was awesome and I got some serious shopping done. I've gotta go for now...I lost 10 days at QSD.
- - - Rachel

6-19-03
Hey guys, just wanna say bye to everyone. I'm gonna geat up at 6:30 tomorrow...er...this morning and we'll be off by 7:30. I'm gonna drop my snail off at the pond first tho cuz he keeps crawling out of my aquarium and I'm don't wanna find him in my bed when I get home.
So I'll see everyone on the 29th or 30th!
- - - Rachel

6-18-03
New layout for y'all before I leave tomorrow...I like the top grahic, but this page's content looks bad. I'll fix that when I get back.
For now, I have more than enough to do. I have to wash all my clothes, pack, finish 10 QSD orders, tally 100 Super Trouper votes and hopefully make awards.
Well, we got MAGICal up. You can now find us at zoegirlfans.com.
So I'm gonna get goin'. I shouldn't even be blogging right now cuz I've got so much to do.
(Oh and If you're wondering where the archives are, they'll be up when I get home. I don't have time to redo them now.)
- - - Rachel

6-16-03
Haven't blogged in awhile...It's cuz Donnie and I have been working long nights trying to get MAGICal back up. We bought a domain for it, but we just keep running into problems. We've even had our pages turn to a bunch of Japanese scribble. (Don't ask.) But anyway...that's about all that been going on in my life right now...So, uh, check MAGICal every once in awhile to see if we've got it up.
I gotta go work on a few more graphics for it right now, so later.
- - - Rachel

6-13-03
Friday Five:
1. What's one thing you've always wanted to do, but never have?
Hmmm...tour a CCM record company.


2. When someone asks your opinion about a new haircut/outfit/etc, are you always honest?
Not always...but sometimes it's for my own safety.


3. Have you ever found out something about a friend and then wished you hadn't? What happened?
Yeah. It was extremely awkward for awhile.


4. If you could live in any fictional world (from a book/movie/game/etc.) which would it be and why?
Gilmore Girls on the WB. They've got it made.


5. What's one talent/skill you don't have but always wanted?
The ability to play guitar.


I just found out that I get to go to Nashville at the end of the month! I'm SOOO excited. I got to go last summer and it was incredible! All you people who live there are prob'ly like "What's so great about Nashville?" Three words: Opry Mills Mall!


Just a quick shoutout to Melissa (one of my best friends)...HAPPY 16th BIRTHDAY! And happy Friday the 13th, I know you always hope your bday and Friday fall together.
- - - Rachel

6-11-03
Hmm, maybe it's not called a marquee then. I meant the dotted lines around "quiet-storm" on your current layout.
I dunno what's wrong with me. I'm just not understanding questions...lol. You'll prob'ly wanna do the part with the dotted lines last. What you do is make your graphic, then add the part you want with the dots as a new selection, but don't unselect it. (Wow, I used 'select' alot...lol) Then on your keyboard, prest Alt + Print Scrn (at the top of your keyboard, prob'ly). Then paste as a new image. Then all you''ve gotta do is crop it down.


Our AC is finally fixed! yay! It's been SO gross around here. Plus 5 strange, sweaty men have been walking around the house all day.
I really need to start working on QSD. I've been totally neglecting it lately. It's just hard to feel like actually getting up and doing something when it's 90 degrees in your house. So I've just watched Trading Spaces and While You Were out on TLC all day...
I also downloaded a trial of PSP 8 last nite. I think I'm gonna buy the upgrade, it's pretty nice. It's only 20 bucks anyway... Everyone should go check it out.
I've also still got 80-some-odd form to go through for The Super Trouper Awards. I was s'posed to have the winners up at the beginning of the month, but I haven't even closed voting.
I think I'll go work on that now...
- - - Rachel

6-10-03
How do you do the marquee on the text on your graphic?
I don't see any marquees on this layout...so I'm not sure what you're talking about. If you talking about the navigation on the last layout, I set up a div layer on top of the graphic and did the nav between <marquee> and </marquee> tags.


no, I meant on graphics...glowing text on graphics
Oh, OK, there's a feature on PSP called Drop Shadow. You should find it on the effects toolbar, or under Effects > Effects Browser. If you set horizontal and vertical to 0, you can change the blur and stuff to make it look like you want.


glowing text as in that intoxicated graphic (the cursive text)
See above.


Hey, just a quick blog here. I'm in the middle of a really good movie on VH1 called Elvis and Me. It's the story of Elvis's life from Priscilla's point of view.
It's really humid in my house right now, but we can't leave. Some workers just ripped out our AC and they've gotta do some rewiring and stuff before they put a new one in. So we opened all the windows, but then it started raining. :(
This reminds me of the last time a hurricane came thru and wiped out or electricity and AC for a couple of days. That was miserable and humid.
If anyone has suggestions for my next layout, send 'em to me. Just nothing about Stacie Orrico, ZOEgirl or anyone else with a million fansites.


- - - Rachel

6-9-03
how do you make glowing text on graphics?
I think I answered that question 2 days ago in my blog, plus it's in the 'You' section.


Hey, sup? I went into the Chinese section of town and bought this newpaper today and it is SOO cool looking. I have no idea what it says, but it's awesome! I also went to Sam's and bought the new Left Behind book and a Behind the Scenes of Trading Spaces on TLC. I'm gonna give it to Melissa for her birthday (the 13th) after I read it...lol.
I got to see Mary Mary today at the mall. It was REALLY crowded. But I snapped a few pix. They aren't wonderful cuz I as so far away, but the ones from the autograph line are OK. I made a wallpaper out of some of the pix in the 'You' section.
I think I'm gonna make a new layout soon. I like this one and it's getting good feedback, but it's really cramped. Plus the glowing text filter makes it hard to scroll using that little wheel on my mouse...lol.
So, yeah...I gotta go make some stuff for MAGICal. We've got a new layout (thank you Victoria!) that looks totally awesome and I have to try to make graphics for the sections that look at least half as good, which'll be very hard.
And if somehow Donnie is reading this, I set up the tag so tell me when you're ready!
- - - Rachel

6-8-03
[edit @ 4:29 PM]
is there a way to make transparent .gif images in psp?
I just added a tutorial in the visitor section for ya.
[/edit]


Hey, I'm thinking about putting some tutorials up here soon, so if theres something you wanna see, send it in the 'ask me' box or sign the tag board. Right now, I'll just do PSP, HTML and Javascript questions, but I'm getting PhotoShop soon, so I'll be able to do that too.
Also, I forgot about the Friday Five, so I'll so that now...
1. How many times have you truly been in love?
Well, I'm just a teenager, so prob'ly really never. But there have been several guys I've REALLY liked.


2. What was/is so great about the person you love(d) the most?
They were exactly like me, liked all the same things and stuff + a Christian.


3. What qualities should a significant other have?
Christian, cares about you enough to spend time with you, enjoys doing the same things you do.


4. Have you ever broken someone's heart?
nope.


5. If there was one thing you could teach people about love, what would it be?
I have no clue.
- - - Rachel

6-7-03
Toby Mac! Soul Jahz! You have like the exact same taste in music as me! Awesome!
Way cool. I think everyone should like Toby and SoulJahz!


New layout, but no new blog.


[edit @ 9:02 PM]
How did you get that cool shadow effect on your text?
Just copy this code before whatever text you want like that:

You can change the strength and color to whatever you want.
[/edit]
- - - Rachel

6-6-03
How was camp?
WONDERFUL!! Check below for details!


I'm finally home! Yay, I can check email...lol!
I had SOOO much fun. I'm kinda sad it's over. We had an awesome group leader named Lee and the other people in my group were incredible. I got to see a guy I met at my church Sunday School retreat with Matt Brouwer. His name is John Stanley (same last name, how cool!) and he played the drums for Matt. He was at camp playing drums with the band. So it was cool to talk to him again. I've also been hoping all year that Michael (from the drama team) and Wes (my rec leader) would be there again and they were! Michael was still hilarious and Wes is still awesome.
In rec we got to do these awesome games like the trust fall (where you fall off a platform and your friends catch you) and this game where you have to lift your group members through this "spider web" of bungee cords. Of couse they had to push me thru the top! It was kinda freaky to have a bunch of people you don't know very well carry you. But it was really fun. And the worship was AWESOME. The band rocked.
On the pix page under 'Russ', the reason his shirt is pixelated is cuz it gives away where I live and you're not s'posed to know that. :)
- - - Rachel

6-1-03
This isnt a question but, YOUR GRAPHICS ROCK MY SOCKS!!!
Thank you! It's nice to have a compliment every once in awhile.


Hey girl! Have you eva thought of making a Soul Jahz site?
Yeah, I actually even started one with a girl named Jess (I don't think she makes sites anymore.). I have a layout and half the content already made. But I just don't have the time. I'm assuming Jess quit. :( I wish I could've opened it, tho. You can see what Ive got at quiet-storm.org/souljahz. All the content isn't on there, but I've got it on my PC.


I'm gonna say bye to everyone now cuz I don't wanna get up earlier than I have to tomorrow. I'm going to camp for a week, I'll be back on Friday at 2:30ish. Right now Im tired cuz I went to a swimming party today. Plus I got sunburned on my face and arms, so I'm getting a headache from that. I also filled 6 orders at QSD in an hour. I think that's a record. LOL.
See ya in a week! Please pray for us!
- - - Rachel




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