a day in the life

I got a lifetime of knowledge

2012-02-06T08:53:00.001-07:00

This is fun. Check out our front room from beginning to end.

EVERYTHING in the house was white when we moved in.

Yay for paint! (Even if it is a rental, I don't regret it.)

Finished.

2012-01-31T16:06:00.003-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to...

All the Single Ladys*

First, let's start with Becca. Becca is from Murray, Utah. She has the best bangs around and some of the prettiest blue eyes you'll ever see. She's a fellow Ute and I love that. Becca works for Honeyville Grain which means she may be responsible for some of your very own food storage. She's continuing her education this summer and is going to take an event planning class. Way cool. She's not only an excellent cook, but she makes amazing cupcakes. She's probably one of the sweetest girls I know and she makes me feel less stupid when we play that crazy dance game on the kinnect.

Next we have Ashlee. Ashlee is from my home town of West Jordan, Utah. Unfortunately, it took us 24 years to meet and become friends/roommates. She lived out in the boonies and went to none of than Copper Hills. But no fear, we've found each other and it. is. great. Ashlee is our in-home decorator. She's taught me many skills from painting to modge podge. Ashlee works for a photography studio at Gardner Village (Highlite, yo). She gets to sleep in longer than me, which makes me super jealous. Ashlee might just be one of the funniest people I know. She is super energetic and friendly, which is exactly what I need. She always brings the party to our house.

Last, but not least, we have Hannah. Hannah is from Chicago, Illinois. She was our jackpot find from our roommate ad on KSL. Hannah is in the fun stage of life called work and school. She's lucky though cuz she's got herself a cute little man. Well, maybe not little. He's tall. She's tall. She's basically a supermodel. Hannah is such a peach. She's super laid back and always down for whatever. She's outdoorsy, which I really hope is contagious. She's the baby of the house and probably drinks 10 billion gallons of milk a week.

I really love these ladies. They are everything I've needed. It's funny because I feel like I'm in my freshman year of college again (only wayyyy better). We've really tried to make our house social, and I'd say we've been super successful. From Sunday waffle parties, to random movie parties. It's been great.

*Thanks to our handy dandy neighborhood Qwest employee, we became the "single ladys". Instead of letting such a terrible spelling error bring us down, we decided to own it. For the record, it's pronounced ladys like Gladys. Without the G.

Ferngully

2012-01-30T13:23:00.001-07:00

FACT: If you are my friend, a true friend, you will not let me drink Dr Pepper past 6 pm. Or better yet, like 3. I had a DP with my dinner (that our cute friends made us) and I could not fall asleep till like 2. Awesome, right?

Anyway, since I'm just a little bit tired, I'm going to use pictures to fill in the gaps of my blogging hiatus.

Molly and Jordan's wedding. I totally caught the bouquet.

The very day after I caught the bouquet, I found this in my inbox. How thoughtful.

My sweet grandpa let me borrow his truck to help me move. This is what I found on his porch. Classy.

I was able to go to Texas for Christmas. Nicole and I had an extra long layover in Dallas and MnM+O came and saved us. Spontaneous reunion at its finest.

Tradition! My g-bread boys.

I managed to caption my father's very own nirvana.

Merry Christmas to me!

New Years Eve in the Bubble Room. We found this room super cool for about 2 minutes. Then we were pelted by one too many "bubbles".

Nicole's suitcase before leaving for the MTC. Contacts much?

One last webcam session with the parentals. They were able to webcam in on her setting apart. Way cool. My sister is beautiful.

Mocktail 2012!

We are funny. This is a screen shot of our house warming party invite while in progress. See following picture.

Said invite resulted in this. Again, we are funny.

This was very exciting to me.

Any questions? Comments? Concerns?

is this what you think it is?

2012-01-24T13:53:00.000-07:00

Hello world. It's me, Rachel. Boy, it's been a while.

Life is so good right now. I've had a few rough patches, but they're passing and [I hope] I'm getting stronger.

I'm still working at my big girl job. I've just about hit 2 months here. It seems like my time in San Francisco never happened. It's weird. To this day I don't regret leaving and turning down the positions in San Diego, Hawaii, and Vegas. It still feels right that I'm here, crazy as that may sound.

Nicole is on her mission. She's in the MTC. She thinks I didn't write her this past week, which breaks my heart because I totally did. I blame dearelder.com. If you want to keep tabs on her, go HERE. I find myself wanting to call her a lot, I hope I get over that sooner rather than later.

I moved to a fun little house in Daybreak. I have 3 other roommates. I truly adore them all. They're seriously good for the soul. In the possibly near future I will tell you all about them.

I ran into a boy I went to SUU with. We had a few music classes together. I'm not sure how many of you knew this, but my time in Cedar was probably the most difficult of my life (not because of this boy. We probably only talked like twice. Ever.). Just talking to him took me back to a really weird place. Now it's my goal to be his friend so I can prove to myself SUU wasn't so bad.

I can't really think of much else to cover at this moment, so this is it. I promise to be better. But first, let me leave you with one question. Why must I hate Jack Johnson so?

today's test is tomorrow's testimony

2011-11-22T14:24:00.001-07:00

Remember how just a few hours ago I posted about going to help with the babies? Yeah, that didn't happen. My car is struggling and I'm trying to be a big girl and figure it out. Anyway, as always, my life has been a crazy ride the past while.

My Nana told me I'm always full of surprises, and it's [unfortunately] true. So, if you're interested in the reader's digest of my life, this is it. Professional edition.

I left San Francisco with an offer to be an assistant manager for a brand new store my company was opening in Hawaii. Rachel + Hawaii = no brainer. I accepted the offer and was all set to go November 9th (about a month after finishing up in SF).

In the mean time, I was able to spend some time in TX and UT. Long story short, after being with my friends and family, Hawaii was starting to sound less and less appealing. I just really wasn't feeling good about leaving. It just didn't feel right (ha, can you imagine not feeling good about living in Hawaii? It might be the most ridiculous thing ever). I was really confused and torn. As my good friend put it, it was like I was looking for a reason to stay. So I decided in the mean time to start looking around and applying for jobs.

After a couple false starts to the job search, I was starting to feel discouraged. But if there's one thing I've learned in the past couple-ish years, the Lord doesn't leave you hanging. At Nicole's mission call opening, I started talking to one of her old roommates and lo and behold, her company was hiring. She got me an interview and now the rest is history.

Starting on Monday, I'm an account manager for a company called Paramount Acceptance which means no more Hawaii, no more Del Sol. It feels good. It feels right.

Wish me luck!

This picture is totally unrelated, but this is was a good night. The King's Singers at Abravenel Hall.

Bless them

2011-11-22T09:49:00.001-07:00

I have a TON to catch my blog up on, but for now you're going to have to stick with this text conversation between me and Brittney.

Me: Do you want some help today?

Brittney: Yes if you are not doing anything. Mercedes is the naked cowgirl and Jaxson just shot Tyson during a diaper change. Not such a great start today.

....Twins. Off I go!

do you like cheese? do you like tortillas? you like mexican food.

2011-10-14T21:49:00.001-07:00

I had the hardest time deciding which video of these guys to share, but here is a winner. I'm a little bit obsessed.

BANGARANG!

2011-10-02T15:46:00.000-07:00

I'd like to debut.... the bang.

Despite the face I'm pulling, I'd call it a win. What do you think?

Bamboozled

2011-09-27T23:26:00.002-07:00

1) I'm a little bit obsessed with my new blog layout.

2) I'm truly addicted to the softness of all things bamboo. One day I will do a whole post devoted solely to Cariloha products. I seriously love them. Time for you all to make the investment, no joke.

3) We got new interns at the end of August. Cindy and Shinae. Cindy is from Fresno/South Jordan/Mexico and Shinae (more commonly known in our house as "Shinny") is from Spanish Fork. Cindy is a big sweetheart and Shinae is my gurrrl. Love 'em.

4) Michelle left SF for Utah about 3 weeks ago and I was made manager. I am now currently managing a store on Pier 39. If you've ever been to Pier 39, you know that's pretty legit. (It sounds a lot more legit than it truly is, but shhh, don't tell.) Life just isn't the same without some of that Mich O in it. I miss her. Can't wait to be reunited in Utah. Blessed Utah.

5) I'm going to Texas in ONE WEEK. I get to spend a week with MnM+O before heading down south to spend 10 days con mis padres y mi hermano. I've missed them all so much. It's been since Christmas that I've seen them! Holy.

6) Nicole broke my heart this week. Please be patient with me as it mends. I'll tell you more about that later, though...

7) I made this little diddly the other day. It is as delicious as it looks. WAY better than my try at smores cookies, remember that JB?

8) I'm cutting full on, straight across bangs tonight. Mistake? We shall see.

Chinatown, lovelies.

zachagewea

2011-09-26T13:23:00.000-07:00

An Actual Conversation.

For most of you, this conversation will be absolutely pointless, as for my sibs- this one's for you.

Rachel: precious

I call this look "the Zach"

Zach: tender
R: sincere
Z: charitable
R: genteel
Z: endearing
R: devoted
Z: timely
R: appropriate
Z: extravagant
R: becoming
Z: personal
R: pants
Z: dolphin
R: strobe light chaos
Z: provocarap
R: robots
Z: dinosaur
R: grillz
Z: high tops
R: flat tops
Z: wife beaters
R: luke wilson
Z: shutter shades
R: orange

He is one in a million.

mother dearest

2011-09-26T09:29:00.001-07:00

I have a mother. She is wonderful. She is beautiful. She is loving. She is gracious. She is strong. She is faithful. She is honest. She is virtuous. She is talented. And probably most important of all (especially when it comes to me) she is suppportive. She is practically perfect in every way.

Happy birthday, Mom. Miss you every day. Can't wait to see you in just a couple weeks.

Hip, hip, hurray!

wuv. twu wuv.

2011-08-16T13:41:00.000-07:00

My very best friend got married earlier this month. Best part? I was able to fly back to Utah for a couple days and not miss it. Such a blessing. She looked gorgeous and the day turned out wonderfully. I got to hang out with my boyfriend, Porter. Best toddler boyfriend ever. Even though he can be a bit possessive...

It looked like it was going to rain during the outdoor reception so we were all a little nervous about it. But someone must've been watching over us because the rain stayed clear. Best part? Literally 4 minutes after the reception was supposed to end it started pouring. Great way to clear out the crowd.

Anyway, it was a perfect day and I wish all the best to the Nelsons. You guys are great. Now on to Bigcat's and Molly's big day in December...

PS I'm running out of best friends. talk about the friend killer that is marriage... gross.

lil wayne. lil john. whatevs.

2011-08-11T10:00:00.001-07:00

One of my most favorite things about living in San Francisco are the SF Giants. Before I came here, I pretty much hated baseball. Don't get me wrong, I love a good Bees game or two, but mostly I just went to hang out with friends and go out on the field for fireworks. Who doesn't love that? When we got here everyone told us we needed to go to a Giants game. So we did. And I fell in love. Again, not with the sport necessarily, but with the atmosphere. Major league games are great. So much energy. So many drunk people. So many panda hats.

Side note, I played softball once. In the 6th grade I was nominated to play on the team vs the teachers. Though I was flattered by my nomination, I was a little upset because I really wanted to play in the basketball game against the teachers. I'm pretty sure I struck out. Sigh.

keep calm and carry on

2011-08-01T18:21:00.009-07:00

I love the girls here. So much.

Let's do a little intro. (Don't ask my why I'm just now giving an intro to these dolls because we only have a couple days left with all of us. Tear.)

First we have sweet Michelle. Let me tell you a little bit about her.

-Michelle and I went to high school together. We were never super good friends, but we hung out in the same big group a lot and I always really liked her. And now, here we are. Best times.

-She is the single most thoughtful person I have ever met. The girl is ALWAYS finding ways to be so sweet. From a Chinatown scarf to cookies to sharing her bed with me.

-She is hilarious. Back in the day when we used to share a full size bed (ok, so like yesterday) we would stay up super late just laughing about ridiculous things. Not to mention Sayer or Monty.

-She loves her VW Beetle. And what a cute bug it is... when the AC works, or when the key comes out of the door, or when the key isn't locked inside. Oh, memories.

-She makes me do Jillian. And by "Jillian" I mean Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. Holy. What a work out! We're not always faithful, but we sure do try.

-She might have a sweeter sweet tooth than me. Said sweet tooths (mine and hers) makes our progress with Jillian slightly less obvious, but hey.

Next is Katherine. Where do I even begin?

-Katherine is the babe of the group. By age and by looks. She is a freakin super model.

-She is super sweet and modest. (She'd probably kill me if she saw the bullet before this one.)

-She is independent. The girl can do anything. And unlike me, she's not afraid to do it alone. I really admire that about her.

-She walks fast. Fast like mom-speed.

-She's a freakin genious. You go, engineer babe!

-She's not afraid to go out without her hair and makeup done. I love that.

Now for Morgan.

-Morgan intimidated the crap out of me at first, but I had her all wrong. She is seriously one of the funniest, most genuine people I know.

-Her laugh makes you feel good. It's one of those hearty, out loud laughs that make you feel like you're actually funny.

-She, along with Katherine, are the reason why I am now addicted to... dare I say it? Vampire Diaries. Glad that's off my chest.

-Best dressed with the most expensive taste.

-Sheet sellin' queen.

And lastly is our Key West transfer, Erika.

-Erika came to us from the Cariloha in Key West. It's probably no surprise to you that less than a week after she arrived in this cold city she decided she wanted to leave. Ha. I understand though, it's hard to leave the beach behind for a cold, foggy place.

-From the little that I know about Erika, I've learned that she is happy. She always is so warm and super sweet to all of us.

-Erika and I once bonded over 'Funny Girl'. She loved it. I think that makes her a winner.

-She lets me call her Rick. Nuff said.

-Best hair.

-She is from Sitka, AK. Apparently 'The Proposal' really wasn't filmed there...

free willy

2011-07-18T15:49:00.005-07:00

ohmuhgosh, I'm totally updating my blog.

So. I'm in "the city". Did you know people here call San Francisco "the city"? Well, now you do. I feel cool when I tell people I live in "the city". And they think I'm cool... I think. Anyway, things here are going great. The store is up and running and we are doing pretty darn well. When we first arrived the store looked like this:

And now, it looks like this(ish):

Ain't it pretty? I love Cariloha. I love bamboo. I love tourists. I love the other Cariloha girls. Life is good.

Just come visit.

salvatore

2011-07-11T13:05:00.002-07:00

this thoroughly pleased me. I made it the whole way through it, as should you.

well lookie here..

2011-06-21T09:20:00.003-07:00

I made it to San Francisco and it. is. great. We don't have internet at our apartment so I'm at our local Starbucks quickly updating y'all. Other than the fact that our apartment has no internet or tv, it's great. We have a pool, work out room, and a refuse room. Ha! Was it just us, or are you guys totally clueless as to what a "refuse room" is? We had to ask management and guess what... it's the trash chute. Silly us. The grand opening at the store is supposed to be Saturday. Cross your fingers it actually happens! Anyway, on our way to church we have to drive under the Golden Gate Bridge (way awesome.. who does that?!) so we stopped yesterday and took a couple pics. It was a little early so the fog hadn't burned off yet so we got some cool pics. Like this:

Anyway, I shall try to update as much as I can. We're hoping to get internet soooooon. I gotta catch up on the Bachelorette, dang it!

the summer mix 2011

2011-06-17T13:17:00.000-07:00

It's no secret how unhappy I've been with things lately. And guess what? Everything is about to be shaken up. I'm moving....

to SAN FRANCISCO!

Remember this? Or this? Or how about this? Well, if those don't give it away enough, I guess I'll just tell ya. I'm going back to work for Del Sol. Now you're probably thinking, "that's awesome, Rachel. But why?" And here's the deal. I have been getting emails about open positions with Del Sol ever since my stint there in 2008. Well, my dear friend Angela (you, my readers, probably know her as Angela Awesome Davis from said posts) is actually the receptionist for Del Sol these days. Anyway, she let me know that an old friend from high school went and interviewed for a management position which sparked, to say the least, my interest.

Long story short, I went and talked to the girl that does the hiring, she let me know my friend from high school, Michelle, was offered the manager position and that I could have to job if I wanted. Well, you know me, itching at every chance I can to travel, I happily accepted.

So, here I am... Off to the big city.

Cariloooooha!

love bites

2011-06-09T19:50:00.016-07:00

It appears I'm a bit behind in blogging. How did that happen? Oh... Easy. Life does that.

Anyway, let's get to the point. My bestest best is getting married. Kailie Anne and her lovah have decided to take the plunge and it is a happy, happy time for all.

In celebration of her upcoming life change, here are a few of our (well, my) favorite memories with this prettiest girl (in no particular order). I couldn't have asked for a better friend through these past couple years!

Kailie is truly one of the greatest people I know. Not only has she made for the best travel buddy ever, but she has the biggest heart. She (along with her family) have really taken me in and it has meant the world to me. I'm going to miss our sleepovers, Ryan Reynolds marathons, and cake baking. Love you, girl!

case in point

2011-04-23T14:17:00.007-07:00

Just to prove to y'all that I'm not always down in the dumps, here are some photos of what I've been up to lately.

Hare Krishna! Although you may not be able to tell from the face I was pulling in this pictures, it was a good time. I was super hesitant to smile because of all the chalk I was inhaling. So instead I apparently went with this face. Let's just say you can't win 'em all! So. much. chalk.

Moving right along. Kailie's birthday. Dear friend, Kailie Paulsen, turned 22 in March. Our [new] friend, Ange, and I decided to do something different for her birthday so we got a hotel room for the night. It was a lovely night of take-out, movies, manicures, and hot tubbing.

Thennnnn one of my best friend's, Alan, recently became Elder Hanson. It's been such a blessing to be apart of his journey. He's not your typical missionary and it has been very special to see him get to where he is at now. We've been friends for 10 years (wow!) and it feels a little weird to not be able to talk to him pretty much daily. He's really just so great. He's got a couple weeks in the MTC and then he is off to the Washington DC, South mission. How cool is that? We all joke that we're going to come visit him because Bigcat (tall fellow in the pic below) is moving to DC next year. 'Twill be fantastic.

In other news, Easter is tomorrow. Not gonna lie, holidays just aren't the same without the family. They don't feel much like a holiday at all. But I suppose that's part of growing up. Happy Easter, friends! Maybe we'll finally get some good weather? Puh-lease?

Au revoir!

There is a Green Hill Far Away

2011-04-17T12:55:00.002-07:00

Hey world.

I'm one confused bugger these days. Have any of you ever been in my position? Usually I try to keep things light on this here forum, but I'm feeling pretty open today. So it goes like this: I work. I'm single. The cycle.

I work.

So yes, I work. I was lucky enough to be offered a job about a month after I graduated. The company is good. The people are [generally] good. The potential to move up is good. The problem? I have no interest in moving up. After working for this company for almost 3 months now, I feel I have a pretty good grasp on the company. It just pains my heart every day knowing that I went to college, have a degree, and am making $12/hr doing something I hate. Obviously, the solution is to find a new job. I'm sure I don't have to tell you, dear readers, how painful that whole process is. It's all about who you know, and let's be honest... I don't know near enough people. Not to mention I haven't accrued any time off to use to go interview. Yeah, awesome. Not to mention I have serious guilt complexes so quitting a job is horrid.

I'm single.

Now, I never complain about being single. Usually in fact, I praise it. I love my freedom, I love my independence. But, you see, last night I hosted a little gathering and nearly all the people there were coupled up or in a relationship. Nothing makes you feel more alone than being surrounded by happily-paired friends. Ever since general conference a couple weeks ago the whole marriage as a priority lesson got me thinking. It definitely hasn't been a priority in my life. I've probably shied away from it more than I ought, and that's partially why I'm in the position I'm in. I've resolved to make a more conscious effort toward it but it's a little difficult when I don't even date. And so the cycle begins.

The cycle.

What is the cycle? Well the cycle is what happens when life repeats itself (obvious much, Rach?). Ever since I was a young tyke, I was told my main purpose in life was to find someone to marry and have an eternal family. Along with that, it was stressed that I should also get an education so I could use it as needed. Well, since the whole marriage thing hasn't quite happened I took on the whole education idea full force. Welp, I finished school. And here I am, working at a job that sucks, feeling pressure to get married with no end in sight, thus the cycle: feel crappy about being single, decide to focus on career, career sucks, feel sorry for self, watch cheesy chick flicks, start thinking about settling down, still no dating, decide to be successful in career, etc. You see what I'm saying.

Anyway, I feel like an idiot putting this out there, but I feel it's something a lot of people can relate to right now. And really, I hope I don't sound too "woe is me", because honestly, I am so blessed. There are so many wonderful things in my life.

I think I'm just asking for some sort of fulfillment. One day, right? One day.

Also, I'm having a hard time deciding if my inkling to move to Boston is me just trying to run away and distract myself or something I should/need to do. Sigh.

...I think it's time for a nap.

Much love.

can you even imagine?

2011-04-06T14:52:00.002-07:00

gmail fail

2011-03-14T09:10:00.006-07:00

Since gmail won't allow me to attach these photos to an email (to my cute missionary brother), I figure I will post them on here. Boo google. Boo.

A little dark, but this is my lovely niece and I at my graduation dinner back in December. Nana and Forrest took us out to Macaroni Grill. Yum.

Me and my cutest nephew in McAllen at Christmas. I'm not in love with my face in this photo, but how could you not love his? So freaking cute.

Funny story: Also while in McAllen at Christmas, my parents and I had to go to a church for my dad to do some interviews. Well, we beat the missionaries to the church by quite a bit and had some time to kill. I noticed that there was a really beautiful sunset (Texas has AMAZING sunsets) so I got out of the car to take some photos. When I returned, seriously not even 3 minutes later, I found these 2 sweet spirits like this:

Hi-larious. Love them.

Happy Monday y'all.

I'm just sayin...

2011-03-13T22:03:00.002-07:00

Twinners much?

people of the world!

2011-03-10T14:30:00.002-07:00

My life has changed!

I hope this makes you as excited as me because I seriously can't stand it.

...Oh dear. Maybe I've worked with nerds too long.

it's another day in the neighborhood

2011-02-10T08:54:00.009-07:00

So... I'm back. How have you been? It feels like it has been ages. Just kidding. Let's not be dramatic... If a couple months equals ages than I certainly have a long road ahead. Anyway, on to business.

Life has taken a few turns in just a couple months.

Let's begin with graduation. I took my last final sometime in mid December and that was it. Since there's no ceremony for people that graduate in December (unless you want to walk the following May) school just abruptly ends and that's pretty much it. It's kind of funny, I had my best semester at the U for my last semester. I guess I just really needed the padding on my resume of the dean's list. Meh. So that was that. My Nana took me out to dinner to celebrate so that was really nice. And how could I forget I got a red candle in my honor?

Next, we'll talk about Texas. Usually Josh and Nate are on alternate Christmas schedules, but with all the changes we've been through the past year, we all ended up in McAllen at my parent's house. It was amazing. Not only were all the grandkids there, but Nicole made it back from China just in time. It's no secret that I love Texas, I love McAllen, and I love my family. Since I had just graduated and quit my job at the law firm I had all the time in the world. I was able to stay with my parents for 3 [short] weeks. The weather was amazing, I got to meet lots of the missionaries, and I got to see Corpus Christie. Not to mention all the time I spent eating at Taco Palenque. Since I am writing this from my [new] job I only have one picture I stole from Meg's blog. Thanks, doll.

We miss you, Zach!

Next item, the new job. So basically I came home from Texas unemployed without any solid leads for a job. I had applied and interviewed for a couple internships before I left, but they didn't pan out. No one wanted me- not even for unpaid internships. Awesome. I spent the next two and half weeks-ish unemployed and applying for everything I thought I remotely had any experience in. Well, come to find out, a company that a lady in a past ward used to work for, was hiring. So, thanks to Molly and Cindy, I applied and got the job. So here I am, being a receptionist. Again. Can't say it's a dream job, by any means, but I'm looking at it as a foot in the door. Plus, it seems to be the only job I can get. Seriously. Which is ironic because when they hired me they told me they were nervous because they think I'm overqualified and I'll want to leave. HA. I'm so over this economy. Anyway, it's a good company with great benefits so I'm good with where I'm at for now. The pay leaves much to be desired, but like I said, it's a foot in the door. I hope. We'll see what the future brings.

It's been quite an emotional month. February really hasn't been good to me. For those of you that know me, you know that my dog is my everything. I know a lot people don't really understand the love I have for her, but let's just say I've been known to say, when feeling extra lonely, that she's all I have. Anyway, a couple weekends ago she started acting really funny. She was super lethargic and drinking an insane amount of water. So long story short, I got nominated to take her to the vet. So I did. And it was the worst experience ever. I felt like a total idiot bawling while they examined my poor dog who couldn't even walk into the office. I tried my hardest to be strong- but apparently that is a trait I don't possess. It was especially difficult when the vet techs kept saying, "this isn't Bailey... this isn't the dog we know." TELL ME ABOUT IT. So fast forward a couple hours, our vet's office told me she needed to be transfered to a hospital with 24/hr care because she needed more care and tests than they could give her. So I called Josh and begged him to come with me to take Bailey to the hospital because I was a wreck and I didn't want to do it alone. So again, long story short, the vet at the hospital discovered Bailey had severe internal bleeding (she had more blood in her belly than her veins) due to eating rat poison.

(This picture is super old. She's now 9, but still just as cute.)

She ended up staying in the hospital for a couple days while they gave her a few blood and plasma transfusions. Eventually we got to bring her home (amazingly) but we were told she needed to come back for a check up because they noticed a mass on her spleen. So again, long story short, she just went back for her check up this week where they did an ultrasound on her, and found out the mass on her spleen is a tumor which could or could not be cancerous. The plan now is to come back in a month to see what the tumor does- if it is growing or spreading or just sitting there. So ya know, just another blow. My heart is breaking.

So yeah, that basically sums up my life right now. Sorry there aren't more pictures. And sorry for ending on such a sour note. Sometimes that's just the way it is, I suppose.

2011-02-08T11:12:00.003-07:00

"I know God won't give me anything I can't handle.

I just wish he didn't trust me so much."

— Mother Teresa

mhmm

2010-11-29T10:38:00.004-07:00

A few items of business today:

1) I have created a twitter account so please find/follow me @traynface . I know, I know... not many regular, everyday joe shmoes use twitter, but since I'm on this adventure I like to call "the great career hunt", twittering, excuse me- tweeting, is a good skill to have. I'm serious.

2) I have also gone and created a LinkedIn profile. Need I say it? Voila. I'm still trying to work out the kinks, but I'd still love to be linked with you. mhmm.

3) Check out the website I made for Absolute. We're pretty legit.

4) Is anyone else feeling overwhelmed at all the FB stati (the plural of status, of course) and pictures about people's Christmas decorations?! Yes, I get that it's a fun time and your trees are beautiful, but... how do I say this nicely? I JUST DON'T CARE. And I mean that in the nicest way possible (with a star on top. Or an angel. Whatever's your style.)

Welp, until next time.

you're the one that wanted the best of both worlds

2010-11-25T15:19:00.002-07:00

Things I am thankful for this year:

FAMILY:

Steve- thanks for being so funny, for having expectations for us kids, for your example of selflessness and willingness in serving the Lord, and for this beautiful home I live in.
Sandy- thanks for being the perfect homemaker (I now fully understand what it takes to keep this house clean, and let's just say she is superwoman), thanks for all the love in the world, and just like dad, your example and willingness to serve, and I'm grateful that she gets to be the mother to 150+ "children".
Nate- thanks for showing me what hard work can do, thanks for your open mind, thanks for all the great visits, thanks for a cute niece and nephew.
Meg- thanks for being the older sister I never had, thanks for being so understanding, thanks for making me an aunt.
Maddie- thanks for your smile, thanks for being so funny, thanks for singing with me (especially holding out one note with me for as long as possible in the car...)
Owen- thanks for being the cutest little boy ever, thanks for your dimples.
Josh- I'm grateful that I get to see your dedication to your family everyday, thanks for your example of hard work, thanks for helping me write my resume.
Brittney- thanks for sharing little girl with me, thanks for your perspective on things, thanks for the genuine interest in my life, thanks for laughing at Josh with me.
Mercedes- thanks for your big smile, thanks for your new words (that aren't "no"), I'm grateful for the days when you don't like me so I can appreciate the days when we're inseparable.
Coley- thanks for being my Coley, thanks for your sweet spirit, thanks for being so beautiful inside and out, thanks for the cutest emails and skype chats, thanks for being so brave and doing something I couldn't ever do.
Zachagewea- thanks for your example in serving a mission, I'm grateful for all the weird things you like because of the reminder they are of you to me while you're gone, thanks for making sweet music that we love to sing.

EVERYONE/THING ELSE:

my friends- you know who you are... yes, you!
my Bailey Susan- who couldn't love that face?
the Paulsens, my second family- they have done so much for me this year and I am so grateful to be considered as part of their family. I'm also grateful that I've been blessed with 2 best friends from their family.
my cousins- I really like them.
DVR
seasons
to be graduating in less than one month
my job- I have a feeling I'll be even more grateful to have been employed once I'm unemployed next month :(
my testimony
all my travel opportunities
Mariah Carey's [first] Christmas CD
chick flicks
Ryan Reynolds
my new boots (seen below with Snape)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

"but it's just so moist..."

2010-11-05T12:27:00.009-07:00

Recently I was able to go to Dallas for the weekend. I had an extra buddy pass that I needed to use and a few days off school so I decided to go for it. I didn't make it on the first flight out but I was able to make it there eventually. (Haha, maybe that was a sign of what was to come?)

While in Dallas I got to spend quality time with Nate and Meg and their cutest kids. I love when I get a chance to spend time with them and I've been super lucky to see them as much as I have. Basically, since Nate is off being amazing and saving lives so much it was mostly me, Meg, and the cute niece and neph during the day. But, when Nate was around, we were able to hit up the Texas state fair which was so so great. Since everything really is bigger in Texas, it was quite the site. It put Utah to shame in some ways, but let's be honest, Utah's fair is so great because of the array of people and the carnies... all of which the TX fair was lacking. Apparently Texas has a higher standard for its fair... but seriously, no carnies?! I was able to ride the roller coaster with Maddie which was so cute. It was her very first time ever and she wasn't even scared. Bravest little girl ever.

We also go to hit up a pumpkin patch. Once again, Texas didn't disappoint. We went for a hayride and took tons of pictures with all the little wood cut-outs they had. Maddie was in heaven. We even took a few for Zachie Poopie...(*cough* barney *cough*).

And if I didn't already love Texas enough, Nate let us in on a little secret. I'm sad the posse didn't get to find out about it while we were there, but if we had, we probably wouldn't have left. Are you ready for it? Rita's. Go to their website now and find the closest location to you and RUN. You think I'm kidding, but I'm totally not. SO AMAZING. Please try it and get back to me. Btw, Meg- would it be possible to bring me some to McAllen at Christmas? Gracias.

Basically, it was another great trip. I feel so blessed to be able to do/see all the things I do. Even though I ended up having to buy a ticket home after spending an entire day at the airport I'd do it again. Except... a little different. Thanks again to MnM +O (haha what am I supposed to call you now?! MnM doesn't do anymore.. hm.) and thanks to my second mom, Pam, for the buddy pass. I'm a lucky girl. :)

PS Megan made me dirt/ghosts in the graveyard for my birthday. I'm well taken care of.

--Also, that title has absolutely nothing to do with this post, but it just so happens to be one of my most favorite quotes from the Joshua James in the last couple of months. Sometimes we have good times. I never imagined in a million years I'd be living with JB, but it's been great.--

coming up next

2010-11-02T22:49:00.002-07:00

just to give you all a heads up, and mostly as a reminder to me, the next to posts on the agenda will be as follows (in no particular order.... or time frame... or anything else remotely binding.. haha) :

"weekend" trip to Dallas
graduationnnnn

Halloweiner

2010-11-02T22:12:00.006-07:00

oh, Halloween. What a great holiday... or something. To be honest, I've never really been that fond of it, I mean the candy is great (I LOVE CANDY... so so so much), but I always just feel like a fool dressing up.

Regardless of my insecurities, I managed to dress up twice this year (three times if you count the murder mystery). For the annual Trayner Halloween party I borrowed Kailie's Waldo, er, I mean Wanda costume. Which, PS, I just googled "where's waldo's girlfriend" to confirm her name, and apparently she has about three. Apparently I was Wenda, Wilma, and Wanda all simultaneously. How many of you can say you were THREE different people all at once this Halloween? Yeah, that's what I thought. Needless to say, with such a costume comes some pretty good photo ops. Krystal and I had a little fun. I have cute cousins.

GUYS- Snow White is SINGLE ;)

The next time I dressed up was to check out the Provo Halloween scene. I had a lot of fun and it was SO nice to be in a place with so many people in the same place as me (ya know, college). I haven't really had that scene since I decided to transfer to the U and sometimes I really miss it (no fear, I NEVER regret transferring to the U. best decision, for sure.) Anyway, I have a couple things to say about this night:

1. BYU people are scandalous. Maybe I was foolish to hold them to a higher standard, but seriously. I couldn't even look at some people because their costumes were just gross. I'll admit, some of them got a chuckle from me, but that was short-lived. And yeah, pull the "they go to UVU" excuse.. I don't care. Nasty, nasty.

2. The $1 Haunted = definitely worth $1 (in the best way). Check it out next year!

Also, please note that a witch hat is quite possibly THE worst idea for a crowded dance party/mosh pit. Another lesson learned.

Well folks, until next time.

Stay classy, Provo.

think of all the food you'll save....

2010-10-27T07:33:00.011-07:00

So... I had a birthday. I am now officially 23. Holy cow. When did that happen?! The day actually ended up being pretty great. It was my first birthday without my mom around to spoil me (she even celebrated my birth in Hawaii) so I was a little hesitant how the day might turn out. Luckily I have 3 of the greatest roommates/family. When I woke up in the morning, JB had made me a delicious bday breakfast and filled the whole stairway into my basement loft with balloons. It was so cute. Although, I'm not sure if the balloons were for me or Mercedes. ;)

Otherwise, the actual day of my birthday was pretty average. I had a midterm that morning (boo) and then a full day of school and work. But once I made it home from class that night, I had a few cute visitors which was so great. I have some wonderful friends (Kailie, Kim, Chelsea, Holli, Dave, Alan). And since I got out of class a little early that night, Kailie, Alan and I went and saw that new Kathryn Heigl movie that I don't remember the name of.. I actually really liked it, but I'm not a Heigl Hater like so many out there. *cough* kailie *cough*

It has always been tradition for my parents to take us out for our birthday. Since they are no longer near me, I kind of gave up that idea... again, luckily for me, I have an amazing Nana. She and Forrest took me and JB out to the Olive Garden on Thursday night. It was delicious and it made me feel a little more loved (if that's even possible).

Isn't my family so good looking? ;)

So yeah... the real bday celebration happened Saturday night. Kailie had the brilliant idea to have a murder mystery dinner party which was genius. So, with Molly on board, we had a great evening. (SHOUT OUT TO THE PAULSENS FOR ALL THEIR HELP! LOVE THEM!) It was so fun and I was innocent! Oh Carrie... We all dressed up which, in theory, I'm all about. But when it comes down to actually going through with it, I'm a wuss. I was planning on being a rodeo queen for SO long, but once I put on some of the sweet stuff I gathered, I was too embarrassed. Haha don't judge. So for this party, I found the courage to dress up as a 1950's housewife.

Mad props to Kays for the zebra cake. It was even zebra inside! Love.

Anyway, sorry this post is a little all over the place. I'm a little bugged. Currently the TA in my [anonymous] class is lecturing us on how to write an essay exam. Um, you're dumb. I know how to write one. Is it just me or do TAs love pretending they have more smarts than the rest of us? *%#@^&^%! Bugged. If my grade is less than great, it's not because I don't know how to write.. it's because this class is DEATH. Need I continue? Bah! haha ONLY 28 MORE [LONG] DAYS.

Well friends, have a wonderful day and stay out of the snow. Maybe if we ignore it, it will go away? :)

Also, it's Wednesday! That means the rest of the week is smooth sailing! Thank heavens. Senioritis much?

you won't regret it

2010-10-10T20:58:00.004-07:00

lions and tigers and bears.. oh my!

2010-09-30T13:59:00.010-07:00

So... I went to the fair. Have I ever mentioned how much I love the fair? It's funny because the first time I ever went to the state fair was just last year but pretty sure I'll always go. Big thanks to K-Man for spreading the love.

Anyway, mostly I like the fair for 2 reasons.

1. The hypnotist. Oh man, have you ever seen a hypnotist show? I. Love. Them. And, if you've been following my life (other than through my blog) you'd know that I've seen a hypnotist show 3 times in the past month and a half. That is madness, I know. But still, I love them. Here's the group waiting for the show:

2. The bunnies! Oh hannah, I love the fair bunnies. Who would ever imagine that there would be so many awesome varieties of bunnies?! Good thing I did not know this as a child, or we would have ended up with a HUGE bunny rather than a hamster. I know, my obsession with the bunnies is a little weird, but there's just something about them! Mostly I just love the ones that look like my dog. Go figure.

Thanks friends for a good time!

Also, I'm just throwing this out there, but Bigcat and I take a lot of photos together. I'm pretty sure we have some people convinced we're dating. For example:

Or...

Too funny.

In other news, I did something very adventurous yesterday. I was sitting in my second least favorite class, when all of a sudden my friend next to me got a text about University Hospital being under lock down due to a man with a gun. Umm.. scary much? Anyway, she works for the Chroni (aka The Daily Utah Chronicle) and they needed someone to get the scoop. So right then and there, we decided to take off from class and rush to the scene.

Now, you're probably asking, "why the heck did Rachel go?". And really, I have no good reason. I am in no way associated with the Chroni, but do you honestly think I could pass up a chance to leave class and have an adventure? Heck no! Unfortunately, right when we reached the hospital we received word that the lock down was called off and there was no more to be heard of a man with a gun. Lame. But still, I got out of class which was totally worth it.

For more information on the story click here.

Also, thanks for all the comments on my last post. You've all definitely given me some things to consider and think about. Seriously appreciated.

1 2 3 4 5.. jinx!

2010-09-28T15:08:00.003-07:00

I, Rachel Trayner, have the good fortune, in December, of graduating. Did you hear that people? GRADUATING. In December. Is that a heavenly choir of angels you hear singing? Yes, I dare say it is.

Anyway, I'm getting my B.S. in communication which means I could go a million different directions with my degree. Currently, I'm pretty involved in the whole PR track. I really like it, but it just isn't loving me back. I've been completely unsuccessful in finding an internship (poor me) and that's basically the only way you can get in the business. So... I'm not sure what to do about that. Since I have no experience that obviously equals no job in PR.

Pretty much I'm not a fan of the unknown and/or being unemployed so I have this dream of having a job lined up BEFORE I graduate (only in a perfect world, right?)

Because of that, I have begun to explore different possibilities outside of PR. One that has really caught my eye is being a flight attendant. I dare say the benefits of that are super obvious. Free flights for me and my loved ones. Sweet. There'd be a chance that I'd get stationed out of NYC, but since I'm young and single, I don't see why not. A new adventure! There are a couple of downsides though. A huge one being the pay (super bad, like why even go to college bad) and the other being no seniority which equals working all holidays and being on-call a lot.

Another possibility I've been looking at is the hotel industry. I've never worked IN a hotel, but I did work WITH hotels in Hawaii and it's something I feel like I would like. That's all I know about that, I'm not even sure what kind of openings there are, or what it's like.

But yeah, as if it's not obvious enough, I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to work in the travel industry. Anything to feed my travel bug. So.. if you have any advice/ideas/words of encouragement at all. AT ALL. please help.

So, I hope I am not jinxing myself by posting this little diddly, but I am looking for some advice. Should I keep going the whole PR track? Go adventure as a flight attendant? Or something completely different?

...to be continued.

yo shawty, it's your birfday

2010-09-26T12:06:00.004-07:00

Remember this post? Well, it's that time of year again! (Again.. can you believe that?!)

Anyway, I just wanted to give a birthday shout out to my mom. This sweet woman has always done so much for me and still continues to do so from so far away! She is so generous and so loving and the happiest little grandma ever. Thanks for all your support and all you do!

LOVE YOU MOM!

is it just me or...?

2010-09-22T15:18:00.003-07:00

Hahahahahaha

I'm sorry, but is that not hilarious? Rest assured that I had NOTHING to do with this.

I promise she's actually super cute. Let me show you:

Love her. Love being an aunt.

all's quiet on the so jo front

2010-09-20T15:49:00.003-07:00

Dear people,

Thank you for (mostly... ahem) confessing to reading my blog. I feel better now. Maybe my blogging hiatus will stop. For some reason, I just feel weird knowing people are reading my blog but being so secretive about it. It creeps me out a bit. NBD.

Anywho, speaking of feeling good about myself... want to hear a funny story?

[I tell you this story NOT to make you feel bad for me, or to beg for compliments. Seriously.]

So pretty much I struggle with my self-esteem from time to time. Not a big deal, really. We all do. Anyway, one day a couple weeks ago I decided I was going to try really hard to love myself for what I am and all that jazz.

With that resolve in mind, I tried really hard all day not to feel sorry for myself or let myself get caught up in all the "wants"... (ya know, I want to be prettier, I want to be skinnier, I want to be more charismatic, etc.). They day went well and I was feeling pretty good about myself.

Wahoo, go me! Right?

Wrong. Apparently my subconscious, sleeping mind had other plans for me. I'm not a person that dreams too often, and I especially don't have nightmares. So this dream was especially memorable.

Basically, in my dream that very night, I dreamt (why does my spell checker say that is spelled wrong? psht.) anyway, I dreamt that I went to a club (haha yeah...), met a nice boy, and was having a great time until he broke my little heart. He told me he couldn't dance with me anymore because he didn't like my face. He didn't like my face. I was devastated... no more fun at the club.

So yeah. Apparently my subconscious mind has its own intentions for my self-esteem... BUT I am here to tell you all, that I am going to rise above my dreams and love myself anyway. Because I am awesome. And I don't want to be anything but me.

Oh, silly dream.

you did it to yourself

2010-09-09T14:02:00.002-07:00

alright people...

no comments

no more posts

I'm just sayin'.

in google gps we trust

2010-08-26T14:43:00.014-07:00

So, as many of you know, I have recently returned from a road trip. And here is the long awaited post about the little adventure. Get excited! (It's been a little delayed because I've been spending my spare time reading The Hunger Games series... :) )

The first couple of days were pretty drab. We drove. And we drove. And we drove some more. About 1o hours each day. We saw the beautiful red rock of Moab, the darkness of Colorado, and the road river of New Mexico, a scary gas station of Oklahoma, and eventually reached the crosses of Texas (who knew Texans were so religious?).

Upon entering Texas, we came across this sweet place. I'd like to thank my Time magazine app for the heads-up. If, for some freak reason, you happen to be in northern Texas it's a must see.... or something. Basically it's a bunch of spray painted cars stuck in the ground. Sounds lame, but we loved it. Shout out to the girl who hooked us up with the hot pink spray paint!

Eventually, we were able to get to Nate and Meg's house in Dallas. It was so good to see them again! And even better to see them not in Michigan! (Am I allowed to say that? Welp, I just did.) I finally got to see my cutest chunkiest nephew, Owen. We got to spend some quality time together and hit up the Dallas Aquarium. It was way sweet! Definitely some good times.
Also, while in Dallas we were lucky enough to spend a couple nights at my Uncle Rick's and Aunt Colleen's beautiful house. We had so much fun swimming in their pool and were in total awe at their HUGE 3D TV. Thanks for being such wonderful hosts!

After a few days in Dallas, we headed to San Antonio. San Antonio was great. We had a sweet hotel overlooking the Alamo (and let's be honest... the view was way cooler than the actual thing). We hung out on the Riverwalk for a while, ate at Dick's, and just enjoyed the city. The second day in S.A. we decided (well, 3 of us) to go to The Schlitterbahn. UM AMAZING. It was seriously like Disneyland on water. Go there. Now. Unfortunately, I didn't take my camera in so there are no pictures of it, but take my word for it. EPIC.

After we hit up The Schlitterbahn, we headed for McAllen. Mi Madre's lovely GPS led us a little astray (wasn't the first time) so it took us a little while {longer} to get there. But once we got there it was wonderful! My parents were so cute in their little Texas home. My Dad stayed super busy the whole time we were there (imagine that), but my Mom was the perfect tour guide. Bigcat and Steve got to go on splits with the missionaries which I think possibly made their lives. They loved it so much. While they went on splits, the rest of us went to a Mexican flea market. It was just like the ones you'd find in Mexico, except the people didn't bother to heckle you into their booths, so that made it that much more enjoyable. We walked away with some pretty good stuff! One day we were able to make the hour and half drive to South Padre Island. We went dolphin watching, but most importantly got to hang out at the beach and body surf. Love.One evening my parents were speaking at a spanish speaking branch fireside. We (the posse and I) decided to go even though we wouldn't be able to understand much. Can I just say I'm so glad we did? It was so wonderful to see my parents interact with the wonderful saints in their mission. The people were so gracious to my parents and even the posse. My parents are definitely in a special place.

Anyway, this blog post has taken me like 10 years to write so I'm gonna call it quits. I haven't been feeling the blog bug lately. Hopefully that will change because I have so much amazing and interesting things to write about these days (sarcasm much?). Haha peace out y'all. :)

hike

2010-08-05T20:51:00.002-07:00

So I've had some inquiries about that little hike I mentioned here. To help you all out I found this website which gives a nice little diddly about the hike.

But, please note: DO NOT GO INTO THE CAVES.

Needless to say, we ran ourselves into a real life R.O.U.S.. If you don't know what that is, I am very sorry for you. But to help a friend out, we saw a Rodent Of Unusual Size. I kid you not, this rat was at least 2 feet long. SICKEST THING EVER.

*Shout out to YouTube for a big fat fail... there are no R.O.U.S. clips available. C'mon people.*

Also, if you'd like to check out my sweet site I wrote and designed ALL BY MYSELF go here: holla. My professor thinks I'm a creep because I totally cheered out loud when I saw my finished product. I, Rachel Trayner, made a website. whoop! There's obviously a few things I would fix but I kind of reached the point of "I don't care" towards the end. Regardless, I'm still hecka proud of this beaut and there's nothin you can do about it! (Please don't judge it too harshly... only love here, folks. Only love.)

Wuv,
Rachel

dear world

2010-08-05T15:16:00.002-07:00

Dear World,

I just finished my very first and LAST online class. This is huge. And it appears I will be walking away with a decent grade. Life is great.

Now, I only have to finish up a couple more websites for my web design class. It's been an interesting semester, but I actually feel like I learned something. Imagine that: a college student learning something. Crazy.

I've learned a lot of gender (more than I'd like), strategic communication, family finance, and web design. It was a great semester. I feel like I am better suited to face the real world. Weird. I guess that equals success.

The best part about finishing this semester? ONLY ONE MORE LEFT.

And Texas, I'll be seeing you in a matter of 3 days. In the words of my father, howdy-hola!

oh what a wonder

2010-07-30T12:30:00.009-07:00

Wow, it has officially been a month and a day since my parents left the great state of Utah for Texas. In addition, it's been over a month since Nicole left for China, a couple since Zach left for Argentina, and 3 since JB left for ATL. Believe it or not, I have survived a whole month living in that big house all by myself. (My dog may or may not made me crazy, but our bond is only deeper now. hahaha.) But mostly I've just had a lot of really great people take me under their wings and it truly has meant so much to me. I honestly haven't even had the chance to feel lonely or sad. Life is good :)

So far this summer has been amazing (aside from summer school, which all things considered was pretty dece).

Lots and LOTS of sleepovers with Kailie: Ryan Reynolds marathon, anyone?

Fishing: So we caught nothing, NBD. It was fun. (shout out to my grandpa for my mad skills)

Hike: This little beauty of a hike is in Sandy.

Demolition Derby: AMAZING. I have heard so much about these world wonders (that's the only way to describe them) and I loved loved loved going to my very first ever. I won most white trash so that was fantastic.

Boating with the posse (minus 1... and minus Jordan from the pic): I tried to water ski for the first time in my life... AND I got up! holla!

The Wedding Singer at Hale Center Theatre: umm I LOVED IT. SO good and SO funny. 10x better than the movie, believe it or not. Thank you for the early bday present Madre y Padre!

Dinner with Nana and Forrest a couple times: I got to spend some time with my Nana on her 79th birthday at Ruth's diner which was so much fun. I love her.

2 wonderful Sunday dinners at my Grandma's: Once with Brent's fam and once with Brian's fam. So great.

Ultimate frisbee at a real legit ultimate frisbee course: did you even know those existed?!

Ben Fold's concert: I wasn't originally planning on going, but once I really thought about it, it seemed crazy to pass. Ben + the Utah Symphony + Deer Valley Resort = too good to pass up. My friend, Scott, and I ended up sitting SUPER far away and couldn't even see Ben, but it was still fun.

Ice blocking with my posse: how could anyone not love ice blocking?

Fun little weenie roast in my backyard with great friends: followed by a ravishing viewing of Jurassic Park (it just isn't what it used to be...tear)

4th of July party with the Hughes family

Bowling: AllStar Lanes is now cool again

Lots of quality time with my second family, the Paulsens: including my most favorite weekend of summer- CHERRY HILL among other things. They're so great.

SO yeah, that sums up what's happened in the past month. So so great. I wish every season was summer.

In other news, the posse* and I are heading on a freakin sweet road trip to visit my parents next week. On this road trip I will get to do many firsts, but I'm mostly excited about meeting my freakin cute nephew and seeing my family. Oh, and meeting all those crazy missionaries. They're so precious. If you have any Texas road trip suggestions, I'm your girl!

Te amo!

*the posse= Kailie, Steve, Jordan, and Alan

today

2010-07-21T16:38:00.002-07:00

Today I am missing this girl:

Isn't she just beautiful?

I feel like I'm missing my other half. Maybe because I really am.

LOVE YOU SISTER!

adios

2010-07-05T14:44:00.003-07:00

Before my parents left, my Nana took my family and my dad's siblings all out to dinner at The Dodo. It was a beautiful night and perfect to eat outside. Great company + great food = a grand ole time...

PS Madre, I apologize you are not in any of these pictures. Don't ask me how that happened!

2010-07-05T14:16:00.002-07:00

Alright, so the next big moment was my parent's actual farewell... except we can't really call it a farewell since that is outlawed, so call it what you may. My parents gave beautiful talks and the spirit was really strong. Since I am the only surviving child (in Utah...;) ) I was in charge of everything back home. Luckily, with being linger longer chair, I'm quite experienced at feeding the masses. I'd say everything went off smoothly (thanks to the help of my extended family). I must say I missed my siblings mucho that day, but what can you do? They're all off conquering the world (literally) and someone's gotta hold down the fort!

oh what a life

2010-06-21T21:15:00.004-07:00

I've noticed in honor of Father's Day, many people have been blogging about their dads. Though I would love to profess how great I think my dad is, it makes me a little too sad at the moment. The movers came today and took all my parent's belongings. I was able to hold it together... until we went and saw Toy Story 3. Yeah, that one took it right out of me. I bawled. Such a cute movie, but it's all about moving on and what not. Aka probably not the best movie to see.

3 years is a long time.

I LOVE YOU DADDY! (As said by the tubby kid in Shrek 4)

Not a great clip, but it gets the point across.

rewind

2010-06-13T19:33:00.005-07:00

So my cute sister told me I missed day 14. Yup. I sure did. So here I am going back in time. Day 14 is all about a non-fiction book. For the most part, I don't read much non-fiction but one I did read and LOVED LOVED LOVED was...

Have any of you read it? Please tell me you have. It's one of those books that changes you. Ya know, for the better. So if you have not read it, please do and we can discuss. I love talking books with people. So much.

In other unrelated news, Nicole leaves for China on Friday (for six months!) and my parents leave next week. Their farewell is on the 20th. Come Eat. Pray. Love. with my family. *wink wink*

Until next time.

day 15

2010-05-26T17:49:00.002-07:00

So day 15 is supposed to be about "fanfic". Um hi, I don't live in a closet, a barn, or even a hole. So why in the heck do I have no clue what "fanfic" means?!

Because of my clueless-ness, I decided to google "fanfic". To be honest, I was a little scared of the results. But as always, google gave me a wikipedia link about this word, "fanfic". And since there was a wikipedia entry for it, I went with that. Naturally.

Now, I must say, that for probably the first time ever, wikipedia failed me. I began reading the article and got bored and gave up. I'm still clueless as to what a "fanfic" is, and I'm perfectly okay with that.

Regardless of wikipedia's epic fail, I did notice in my google search results that Twilight was all over the place. So, for the sake of the blog, today's response: Twilight.

End of story.

(Weirdos.)

Day 13 → A fictional book

2010-05-25T21:50:00.005-07:00

Okay, I LOVE to read. One of the crappiest things about being a college student, as I'm sure many of you can relate, is the lack of time for leisurely reading.

Right now (when I let myself veer away from the handy text book), I am reading this:

So far, I give it a B. Maybe B-.

Just before that, I read:

I'd give it an A.

Next on the agenda:

[These are all fictional, by the way.]

Peeeeace.

Day 12 → Whatever tickles your fancy

2010-05-18T17:31:00.012-07:00

Whatever tickles my fancy, eh? Well, what a perfect excuse to write about my amazing trip this past weekend! Once again Pam pulled through and let me have another buddy pass. Last year: Europe. This year: The Big Apple. Did you read that? THE BIG APPLE, people. I really am so blessed. No kidding.

Kailie and I opted to fly out Wednesday night on the red-eye. It had the most seats available so we figured it was our best shot. Luckily, there were plenty of seats so we were able to make it there easy peazy. BUT travelers beware: the red-eye flight to New York only takes just over 3 1/2 hours. It takes off around Midnight and you magically arrive in New York around 6:00 eastern time. Um yeah. NO SLEEP. Pretty sure I got maybe 2 to 2 1/2 hours of sleep. If you know me, you know that that is simply unacceptable.

So basically all day Thursday we were zombies. All we wanted was to take a nap. But noooo we couldn't check in till 4 freakin pm. Ticked. Anyway, somehow we made it and were able to take a 15 minute power nap before....................... WICKED! I can now say I am a fan. Previous to this trip, I'd always been anti Wicked music. Yes, anti. For some reason it always irks me when people who have never seen Wicked obsess over the music. Maybe it's the rebel in me? Because of this irk, I've avoided listening to Wicked at all cost. (I hope I'm not offending any of you, dear readers, but there's still hope for you!) So, now that I have seen it, I am more than okay with jumping on the Wicked band wagon. Bring it on!

At Wicked:
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The second day went a lot better. After getting a wonderful night's rest at an amazing hotel (props to my pops), we rode the ever handy subway up to Times Square. As soon as we walked out of the subway station (which, by the way, the subway was NOT scary...) we were approached by one of those double decker bus tour people. The last (and only time) I went to NYC, my family rode those buses and had a good time so I talked Kailie into doing it. I dare say a fine time was had by all! We got off at the South Seaport stop where we found a TCKTS booth with a 1/4 of the line of the one in Times Square. While there we got a great deal on Mary Poppins tickets for that night. Great, great show.

Here we are on the bus:

After the show and shopping, we got some of THE best cheesecake of my life (thanks to some awesome suggestions from friends). If you EVER, ever, ever go to NYC make sure you get some Junior's cheesecake. You won't regret it!

Here we are loving our napkin:

The next day, Saturday, we had a reservation to go to the Statue of Liberty. And that's pretty much all I have to say about that. After that experience, we were able to meet up with our friend Carlos who just moved out there. While we were hanging out with Carlos, we had some people approach us and ask us if we wanted to be on an advertisement in Times Square. They promised they'd pay us a fair amount if they could use our photo. And of course we jumped on that opportunity! ... Alright, alright... that's not really how it happened. Regardless, our faces ended up gracing Times Square several times and it was magical. Also while hanging out with Carlos we had THE best gelato of my life. I got nutella and cap'n crunch. HOLY HEAVEN. He also talked us into buying Lion King tickets and seeing Robin Hood. In exchange for getting us to spend all our money, he did buy us dinner. Twice. Blessed. Oh, also while with Carlos, we skipped, leaped, and twirled around Central Park listening to the song in Enchanted that she sings while gallivanting through the park... "that's how you know he loves you!"... haha oh yeah, true story.

Here we are being cool/famous:

On our last day in the city, Sunday, Kailie and I slept a little longer than we probably should have. But, after sight seeing nonstop one is exhausted! Anyway, we saved ourselves only an hour to see the Museum of Natural History. Um yeah, we basically power walked through the whole thing. Actually no. Not the whole thing... we didn't have enough time to see it all AND it took us 15 freaking minutes to find an exit (in true Kailie and Rachel style). After our stint at the Museum we had to rush to the theatre to see Lion King. Holy cow. Words don't even describe the beauty and amazing-ness that is the Lion King on Broadway. Go see it. Now. Other than that, we didn't do a whole lot that day. Just walked around and had some pretty good sushi.

Here we are feeling pretty blissful:

Miraculously, (seriously, the airline employees were shocked), we were able to catch a flight home Monday. Somehow, the OVERBOOKED airplane fit us 2 stand-bys. (I think it was our prayer the night before...) Anyway, it was a really great trip and I can't wait for next year's (and Harry Potter Land)!

--[Sorry this post was so ridiculously long. Props if you made it all the way to the end!]--

on a day like today

2010-05-11T22:55:00.001-07:00

On a day like today
the whole world could change
the sun's gonna shine
shine thru the rain
on a day like today
ya never wanna see the sun go down
ya never wanna see the sun go down

Day 10 → A photo of you taken over ten years ago and Day 11 → A photo of you taken recently

2010-05-06T16:17:00.003-07:00

Me and Coley way back when:

y cena a Cheesecake Factory con mi familia:

*glad she's grown some hair since then

Day 09 → A photo you took

2010-05-02T12:07:00.005-07:00

I like to call this "Mercedes the Giant":

and so they won't get mad at me, here's a picture when they're ready and looking mighty fine:

...maybe there's a reason I'm taking intro to digital photography in the fall...

Day 08 → A photo that makes you angry/sad

2010-04-28T09:48:00.004-07:00

So the whole reason I stopped keeping my blog up is because this day really stumped me. A picture that makes me angry/sad? I wasn't sure what to put until...

...earlier this week I had to write a paper analyzing a photo used in the media. So here it is, along with the first paragraph to my paper. I really found this project intriguing, as I hope you do. There's always more than meets the eye.

photo courtesy of time.com

Essay blurb (if you're interested):
When one looks at this photo denotatively, one simply sees a man, in his apartment, hunched over what is presumed to be a toilet. The apartment seems to be clean and the bike gives an impression of the man being active. But connotatively, this picture means something much more than what is first impressed upon one’s eye. In truth, this is actually a photo of a man regurgitating heroin. The man ingested the heroin during a police search of the apartment that he and many other heroin addicts call home. According the photojournalist, Andy Moxon, the man in the photo ingested the drug with a banana-flavored shake to bind his vomit so that the heroin does not become washed away. Moxon documented this man, along with many others, after he noticed a rise of heroin usage in the United Kingdom. For two years, Moxon photographed this man and the other addicts he found in a small city in England.

So yes. I guess you could say this photo makes me sad. If you're still interested in this topic check out the photo essay here.

Day 7....ish

2010-04-10T11:57:00.003-07:00

Day 07 → A photo that makes you happy

Today this photo makes me happy:

Me and my Grandpa on his 75th. :)

[PS They need to just not have live singers on DWTS.]

tickles my fancy

2010-04-10T11:40:00.002-07:00

Basically I've thought of several good little "tickles" for this post, but then when I finally sat down at my computer, CNN was in the background corrupting my thoughts. So now all I can think about is America's future.

Before I start off on my thoughts, I just want to give a little precursor-- I don't know nearly enough about my government but I do know how I feel.

Anyway, so right now our country is in billions of dollars of debt. "Billions" sounds like a lot, but it's a number that we, as Americans, cannot truly grasp. Pretty much all it means is that my generation is going to be paying it off for the rest of our lives. And why? Because companies overspent and overestimated their worth? Because we're in a war that feels like there is no end in sight? Because our planet is suffering? It just really upsets me that for the rest of MY future I will be a slave to our government because they insist on spending money that doesn't exist.

It just feels like we have a bleak future ahead of us. College educations aren't going to pay off like they used to. Our dollar isn't going nearly as far as it once did. And all the money we do work hard to make will just go to our government. And for what?

I'm sorry, I do not call myself a Republican or Democrat and I am not even a registered voter. I know they say, "every vote counts" but I'd just call BS on that. I'm sick of politicians with their own agendas and I'm even more sick of seeing their infinite lack of morals all over my TV screen. Seriously, what does our freedom stand for? Adultery? Money laundering? Um no. I'd like to pretend it stands for honesty, hard work, but mostly integrity.

Okay, well enough of that. I just hope we can all agree something's gotta change.

Favorite Quote

2010-04-10T11:29:00.002-07:00

"Stresses in our lives come regardless of our circumstances. We must deal with them the best we can. But we should not let them get in the way of what is most important—and what is most important almost always involves the people around us. Often we assume that they must know how much we love them. But we should never assume; we should let them know. Wrote William Shakespeare, “They do not love that do not show their love.” We will never regret the kind words spoken or the affection shown. Rather, our regrets will come if such things are omitted from our relationships with those who mean the most to us.

...Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family. One day each of us will run out of tomorrows."

-President Thomas S. Monson, Oct. 2008

I just love how positive President Monson is. At this stage in my life this quote couldn't be any truer. I love you all! :)

Favorite TV Show

2010-04-05T14:41:00.003-07:00

As much TV as I actually watch, it's hard for me to have a "favorite". I typically just like to watch shows where you can tune in whenever and it doesn't matter if you've missed the last 4 episodes.

So, aside from my love of What Not to Wear, Ellen, The Bachelor/ette, The Biggest Loser, The Food Network Challenge, and nearly every show on HGTV I'd say my favorite show is........ Community.

--This show may or may not be even funnier to me after my stint at SLCC--

day 3

2010-04-04T15:09:00.002-07:00

Favorite book:

Such a beautiful, beautiful book. The movie didn't do it justice.

day 2

2010-04-03T19:56:00.002-07:00

Favorite movie? Another impossible one to answer, but I think I'll go with this one:

I wrote a report in like 6th grade about this being my favorite movie, so I think I'll have to stick with it. I remember one time my mom bribed me to practice my violin with the soundtrack to this movie. Great bribe.

Anyway, honorable mentions go to:
-Iron Man
-Transformers (1)
-Dan in Real Life
-Ghost Town
-Baby Momma
-Pride and Prejudice (new)

My Favorite Song

2010-04-02T15:07:00.002-07:00

Alright, so here I am... Day 1. Of course it would ask one of the hardest questions first. I honestly don't know what my favorite song is. I feel like I have one for every genre. So, to make it easier for me, I'll pick 3.

For the first one, I'm going back to my 8th grade year. I loved this song so much (and still do). I think it might have been my very first real ring tone (like the real song, not the fake music ring..) So yeah, good times!

Next, I'll have to go with my current fav (of about a week, haha). When I first arrived in Hawaii, the island music drove me nuts. But now, a year and a half later I crave it. And basically I just discovered my love for Sean Kingston.

And lastly, you've probably heard this song on my blog before. I've always just loved it. So beautiful. (By the way, I'm sorry to those of you who hear my music right when you open my page.. I've been working on stopping it but I haven't figured it out quite yet.)PS feel free to ignore the video on this one...

So yeah, those are my top 3... for today at least. Such a hard question. Anyway, enjoy. Happy conference weekend!

--[Chel: I thought about putting Outkast's "Sorry Miss Jackson"... ;)]--

2010-04-01T21:40:00.004-07:00

So I just came across this diddly on another blog and I like it. No guarantees how long I'll last, but I thought I'd give it a shot. You should too. I'm hopeful my blog will live on well past my time, so these can be for the future little Rachel JRs running around. [Ha, I can just see it now... on the program of my funeral, "she will be best remembered through her blog, rach-face.blogspot.com] Alright, enough of that crazy talk.

Day 01 → Your favorite song
Day 02 → Your favorite movie
Day 03 → Your favorite book
Day 04 → Your favorite television show
Day 05 → Your favorite quote
Day 06 → Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 07 → A photo that makes you happy
Day 08 → A photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 09 → A photo you took
Day 10 → A photo of you taken over ten years ago
Day 11 → A photo of you taken recently
Day 12 → Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 13 → A fictional book
Day 14 → A non-fictional book
Day 15 → A fanfic
Day 16 → A song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 → An art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.)
Day 18 → Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 19 → A talent of yours
Day 20 → A hobby of yours
Day 21 → A recipe
Day 22 → A website
Day 23 → A YouTube video
Day 24 → Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 25 → Your day, in great detail
Day 26 → Your week, in great detail
Day 27 → This month, in great detail
Day 28 → This year, in great detail
Day 29 → Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 → Whatever tickles your fancy

So now that the schedule is posted I'll get working on it tomorrow. Haha, hopefully I'm not already starting a pattern. :S

PS Check out the post below. It's new too!

it's good to be good... to yourself.

2010-04-01T11:41:00.005-07:00

Basically, I've been spoiling myself lately. Or I guess, I always do. But seriously... I work hard for a reason! So... if you're interested here are some of the ways I've been taking care of myself.

1. Thanks to my other "Mom", Pam, (and Kailie) I was able to be the recipient of a couple buddy passes. Oh, how I love to travel and I love it even more when it's a bit cheaper! So basically, with the help of Kays I bought tickets to NYC and L.A. How awesome is that! We're hoping to go to NYC right after this semester ends in May and stay with our (mostly Kailie's) friend, Carlos. As far as L.A. goes, I'm not sure when we're heading out there, but the buddy pass is good for a year- so stay tuned!

[MnM- I'm still planning* on coming to MI for the neph.]

*subject to Mom and Dad. :) LOVE YOU PARENTS! LOVE YOU SO MUCH. You're the greatest! :) Mom, you're the prettiest, youngest looking mom in the WORLD. And Dad, you are just so good-looking, and not to mention soooooo hi-larious. I LOVE YOU! (...is it working?)

2. I just bought these and I'm anxiously awaiting their arrival:

The best part? I gave a pair of shoes to a child in need. [I love Toms.] Not only do these shoes make a statement (especially if you're familiar with Toms), but they will be the perfect traveling shoes.

3. I just bought this:

I've been mourning the loss of my previous camera since Christmas Eve. (There were some freakin cute pictures from the Nutcracker and the previous events and they are gone. gone. gone. Tear.) But alas, I gave in and got a new one. This baby got good reviews and... it's pink. Love it. I ordered it online and am anxiously awaiting it's arrival as well. --Side note: I'm not sure how I feel about online shopping. You have to WAIT. Wait. Waaaiiiit. Alas, maybe I'll learn patience after all.

4. My gorgeous sister and I had a hot date last night with...

Michael Buble *sigh*.

Man, he is dreamy. Pretty sure we sat next to a (self-proclaimed) 50 year old woman who came alone. But never, never, never in my life have I seen a grown woman go so ga-ga (not in the Lady sense) over a man almost half her age. It. Was. Hilarious. and a bit disturbing. Pretty sure when he first came out she may have shed a tear or two. She informed me she thought she was going to have a heart attack. You bet, I was concerned! But all is well. She lived. And Mike did great. How do I find a man like that? But seriously. How do I? People, I'm not even kidding.

--never mind my hot face, but this is said obsessed woman--

Also, we freakishly ended up parking in the "premiere parking". Yeah, we coo.

Anyway, that's all for now. I'm currently trying to think of a good April Fools joke to play on my lovely, good-looking, generous, funny, splendid, smart, kind, giving parents so if you have any ideas, shoot them my way.

Peace and love y'all!

a violin affair

2010-03-21T22:35:00.005-07:00

Once upon a time there was a girl who played the violin...

This girl played the violin her whole life- ever since she was 4 years old. One day, when she was about 15, she realized just how much she loved the violin and that she was actually pretty decent at it.

At about this time, the girl got a new teacher who changed everything. This teacher showed the girl how much potential she had, and most of all, how playing the violin could be a way to express herself and even a source of fun. Because of this, the girl began to take violin even more serious than ever before. And she decided she wanted to study violin performance in college.
So, after much practicing (for hours, every day) this girl was able to play the best she ever had in a nearly perfect college audition (there's no such thing as a perfect performance, every musician can attest to that). Because of all the hard work and infinite hours spent practicing, this girl walked away from her audition with a full-ride scholarship.

Girl went on to accept the scholarship and study for one year at the school. She studied with a professor, one she liked, but things just weren't working out. Eventually, this girl would end up at another university. She really loved this university. The orchestra was the best she ever played in and she was able to study under another amazing violinist.

After some time the girl started wondering about her future in music. It just didn't feel right. As much as she loved performing, she just wasn't sure. Eventually, after a year at the new school, the girl was presented with an opportunity to take some time off and pursue other talents. While doing so, the girl realized there was a lot more to her than violin. After a few months, the girl returned to school only to change her major. It saddened her to do so, but basically she knew in order to hopefully have some success one day, she needed a degree that could be much more marketable and self-sustaining (to make a long story short).

Which now brings us to present day:

Girl hasn't had much time to play her violin. Aside from musical numbers, which hit their prime Christmas season, life has taken its place over music. Girl was asked to judge federation (federation is an opportunity for violin students to play for judges to be critiqued and judged... you get a trophy if you get the highest ratings for x number of years). Anyway, girl was nervous because she hasn't played in a while, but agreed. After watching the cute kids play their songs she was brought back to the memories and love for violin that have since been pushed aside.

Because of this, girl has a new goal to keep playing violin regardless of life. She now has extra time on her hands since it is spring break and she plans on picking up the violin again.

After playing it earlier today, she realized how out of shape she is and how quickly one can digress. After playing for maybe an hour her bow arm was tired, her now un-calloused fingers tender, and worse of all- how out of tune her double stops are (the poor 3rds).

So let this be a lesson to you. If you have something you love to do, DO it. Even if it is something you can't do all of the time, make sure you do it enough that you don't lose or forget the love you have for it. Talents/abilities can sleep away so easily. It is vital that you keep working, keep loving.

THE END.

PS that last paragraph can totally apply to the gospel too... :)

another cake site...

2010-03-19T12:11:00.003-07:00

I'm in love with this cake.

Check it out:

*sigh*

Love,
Rachel

what a 'poop'y day

2010-03-02T22:26:00.002-07:00

...and yes, I mean that title quite literally. But, in order to keep my blog... how shall we say... clean? I shall leave it up to the imagination. Teaching preschool is full of surprises. Wow.

ANYWAY. I really have nothing to blog about except for the fact that today is the first day I did not have a treat. Nope, none. No cookie, no marshmallows, no cake, no Dr Pepper, nothing! And that is HUGE. My goal is to not eat any sort of treat till March is over. So everyone, hold me to it! I neeeeeeeed help.

Love,
Rach

ohhh being an aunt

2010-02-24T18:45:00.009-07:00

I know everyone says this, but I seriously have the greatest niece(s) in the world. I had so much fun with Madeleine when she was here. Seriously, not only is she cute as a button, but that girl is a HOOT. She's definitely smarter than your average 2 year old and she knows she's funny. She'll even straight up tell you that she's funny. So in honor of her, here are two videos I took over Christmas break of her singing. All on her own she found a "mico-phone". She's a star. You'll definitely have to turn up your volume for these.

Some memories of dear Maddie:

1. Waking up to little clinking noises in my room. Oh, don't worry, it's just Madeleine raiding my jewelry. Pretty sure she'd sneak into my room at least five times a day. She'd always walk out with at least 8 necklaces on and bracelets from wrists to shoulders. "Preeeeetty".
2. After sneaking into my room to play with my stuff, she would then inform me: "Rassssel, your room's a messss".. or just simply walk through my room saying "messs.. messs... this is a mess." I'd like to thank my mom and Nicole for that.
3. After a couple days she had down where she could find my nail polish. I never minded painting her nails, but I had a little problem when she'd keep asking me to paint her nails black. Can you imagine a little 2 year old with black nails?! She was so resilient that I finally gave in and painted her nails blue (with Meg's permission of course...)
4. While staying with us, Maddie was being potty trained. Let's just say we had a grand time having "pee pee parties". "Maddie went pee pee, Maddie went pee pee!"
5. Playing hide and seek. Oh my gosh, she's obsessed. Every 5 seconds she'd want to play hide and seek and she'd run and shut herself in a dark room, giggling. The best is when I'd look for her and say things like, "Maddie, where are you?" she'd really answer you back... "I in the laundry room!" Ahhh, what a cutie.

Anyway, I could go on forever so I'll cut it off there. I love her.

Nate, Maddie, and Me.

Fresh

2010-02-12T17:45:00.010-07:00

I decided my blog needed a little makeover. You like? I just downloaded Picasa to edit my photos, and it's just simple enough for me to use. Plan on seeing lots of sweet edited photos (and obviously, I am no professional).

Anywho, my winter break was amazing. I decided it's just about time I gave a little update. I guess I'll pick up where I left off (pre-freaking out rachel post).

1. My friend Kyle and I had our traditional photo shoot at Gardner Village. This is year number 3. I don't think we ever meant for it to be a tradition, but when you've got a group of good looking people together and nothing to do, it seems have a photo shoot with elves is the best solution. Haha yeah, weird.

2. I managed to hit the slopes with good ole Kailie. I love her. She even got me to do a blue run a couple times. That is HUGE. (sorry phone pic)

3. Terrible Ten Reunion. Granted, it was thrown together very last minute and not everyone was there, but it was really fun. I love how us front rowers are squatting all awkward. Such pretty girls! WJHS TT4Life.

4. The MoTab Christmas Concert. Um hello! AMAZING. We've never been lucky enough to get tickets but I'm convinced the Lord decided since it would be our last Christmas together (in Utah anyway) we would FINALLY get tickets.

5. Bigcat and I made treats for our friends. I love Bigcat for so many reasons, but mostly cuz he likes to do cute things like this for people. Friends are great.

6. I copied Bakerella and made these ADORABLE cake pops. Unfortunately they were pretty beastly to make so I was only able to share them with my coworkers. Regardless, they were delicious, if I may say so myself!

7. Holli's wedding. What a beautiful day! It turned out great. And shout out to the bride for picking out such cute dresses for us. So so grateful.

8. The ward retreat. Well, technically this wasn't exactly during winter break but it helped me pretend for a weekend I wasn't back in the drag of school. Pretty sure we stayed at the sweetest/hugest cabin in Heber and had so much fun. We even got to go see an ice castle. Pretty freakin sweet.

The next two aren't going to have any pictures because they deserve their own posts. They're just too good. Plain and simple!

9. Nate, Meg, Maddie, and Frosty the Snowman were able to stay with us for a month. Such a great, great month. They make life so good. I love when they come to visit. And I'm pretty sure my parents love it even more because they have people to play Settlers of Catan with. NERDS. :)

10. The cruise a Mexico y Honduras. SO much fun.

Well, I better get going. I get to hang out with my ever consistent BFF Kailie P tonight AND.... our dear married friend Jess. I'm so glad she makes time for us still! Haha, even if it is because her husband is out of town... so what?

LOVES.

February 10th!

2010-02-10T22:41:00.006-07:00

Can I just say I've found a new truth these past couple weeks:

"Secrets, secrets are no fun. Secrets, secrets hurt someone."

Oh. My. Heck. Sigh.

About 2 weeks ago, my parents received their mission call. Said mission call came with strict instructions as how to go about telling everyone. Basically it went like this: 1. don't tell your family until the 2nd and 2. don't tell the public until the 10th. Luckily, my parents concluded that "family" meant extended family and all their kids should be there (some via skype) when they opened that big white envelope. Needless to say the days following the call were insane. Mostly I just tried to push the memory of their call in the back of my mind pretending it never happened so I wouldn't be tempted to tell people. Usually, if asked, I would tell people to ask me on the 10th. And well... here we are!

But first, before I spread the good news, I would just like to say I would NEVER ever EVER want to carry a secret around like that ever again. I'm not even sure I'd wish it on my worst enemies. It's not fun and it pretty much sucked out all the excitement of the news! Well.. sort of. It does feel pretty good to FINALLY be able to talk about it.

So, without much ado................ Presidente and Hermana Trayner will be serving in the...........................

TEXAS, MCALLEN MISSION!

I am SO happy for them. Life is only going to get more stressful, but hey, now there's at least a name to that stress. And I must say, we're all pretty grateful they will be feeling like they're living in another country but with all the luxuries of being in the U.S.A.. Hurray!

So, if you see either of my parents make sure you tell them congrats. This is a big deal, people! :)

And lastly, the answer is... I DON'T KNOW. Everyone keeps asking me questions about it all and the answer to ALL of them is: I DON'T KNOW.

Holla!

so this is what it's like when reality hits...

2010-01-07T21:38:00.003-07:00

Wow, a lot has happened since my last post.Pretty sure I had every intention of writing an awesome little, "my decade in retrospect" post, (inspired by Becky and Chelsea) but I started browsing the good ole FB and I got to thinking. SO, maybe in the future I'll get around to reminiscing, but right now I can't help but think of all the MASSIVE changes that are coming in 2010.

I know, most of my posts tend to be up-beat but let me just indulge myself in a little self-pity. Hopefully by doing so, I'll get it all out of my system.

Change Number One:

Well, this one actually already occurred on Monday, but after browsing FB it hit me. My bestie is married. The day actually went pretty smooth and I had a great time in my hot dress. She looked soooo beautiful and it's comforting that I know she'll be happy with Dave. But, I'm just now REALLY realizing what that means. Without dwelling too much, let's just say things are going to be even more different between us than they have ever been(even in the past 4 months of dating and engagement). I miss her. Sunny side up: I know we'll still be friends... and she's MARRIED. YAY!

Change Number Two (and hopefully the biggest):

I actually wasn't going to talk about this on my blog until it was completely set in stone, but like I said, I'm indulging myself. Basically my parents are going to be leaving for 3 years. Somewhere where they will speak Spanish. My cute little Dad has been called as a LDS Mission President. We're still waiting for a letter with the exact assignment as to where they will be serving. Anyway, they will be leaving in June and that means everything is pretty much in the air. Don't ask me any details because I honestly don't know. All I do know, it is going to be a HUGE change and I will miss my parents mucho. They've always been my rock here, through school and life, so it will be interesting to see what happens. Good thing I have other (great)family here to rely on.

Anyway, that's enough of that. LIFE IS GOOD. I just gotta keep my shoulder to the wheel. And seriously, through every trial comes so many blessings.

PS I have apparently lost my camera which is DEVASTATING. The last time I remember having it was on Christmas Eve :( I didn't even get to take it on the cruise. Saaaad.

it really must be winding down...

2009-12-06T23:03:00.007-07:00

Okay so like I said in my last post, the semester is winding down (or maybe spinning is a better word...). Anyway, this is my last week of classes. Thank goodness! So other than the fact that my classes are suddenly throwing massive amounts of work at me, I can tell it's the end of the semester by all the wedding invites I have sitting around. Gotta love it. So as fitting, I've had a bunch of bridal showers/parties to attend. In fact, just yesterday I had 2.

The first one was for my dear friend Jessica.

Let me tell you about this special girl. I met Jessica through my high school friends, Ashley, Kaylie, and Molly. She just happened to be their roommate down at Snow College. The first time (or one of the first times) I met Jess we didn't really hit it off. I think the first time we met we (a bunch of us WJHS alumn) had all gotten together for a party and ended up playing sardines in the church behind Kaylie's house. Jess (bless her heart)came along but once she realized what we were doing she decided it was no bueno. She didn't like the fact that we were playing in a church (she may tell the story different). Anyway, I thought she was a party pooper and she thought I was a sinner. Therefore Rachel and Jess were not meant to be. Now, flash forward almost 2 years later. For some reason Jess decided to add me on facebook (I still don't know why) and she decided to hit me up on facebook chat. I thought it was super random, but I chatted anyway (let's face it, I'm a chatter). So once we discovered that we both had approximately zero friends we decided it would be a good idea for us to team up and have at least one friend. And the rest is history. Since then we've spent plenty a time making treats, playing poker, laying out at the pool, watching The Bachelor and House, and just loving each other. It's been great. I'm super happy for her and Drew. LOVE YA JESS!
So here are a few pics from her shower. We went out to lunch at The Old Spaghetti Factory. Yumm-o.

The next shower was for my dear friend Holli. You'll all remember her from this post. I could go on for years about this girl. We've been friends since we were wee little ones. We grew up with only one house between us, and let's face it, that house couldn't stop us! Since I'm a brides maid for her wedding, her sister (and my friend), Kailie, threw her a party. All Holli told us was she wanted "a dirty party". Well, since Kailie and I know NOTHING about throwing a "dirty party" we just decided to have a chocolate fountain and margaritas (virgin my friends, virgin)and wear our pjs. It ended up really fun and I think it's safe to say Holli got her wish. LOVE YA HOLLS! Unfortunately there aren't too many pictures from this that I can put up.. what if Dave saw?! ;)

Welp, that's all folks. Peace and love.

ALMOST THERE

2009-12-01T21:38:00.003-07:00

Ok so the semester is FINALLY starting to wind down and I couldn't be happier about it. I CANNOT wait to put this little stint at SLCC behind me and get back to the U (don't get me wrong- I've met some pretty awesome people there... it's just some of the classes have been less than... how you say, challenging?). Anyway, I must say I've actually enjoyed my journalism class. Writing an article every week hasn't been my favorite, but my professor is awesome and it feels awesome to be published. Soooo here is my latest published article. I thought I'd give op-ed a shot. Did You Really Just Do That

And for my picture:

Me. With a huge bunny. How I love the fair!

latest obsession

2009-11-16T20:45:00.002-07:00

so I just discovered this site today and I've probably already spent 2 hours exploring it. Needless to say, I'm in love and I wish I had more time to try some of these CUTEST ideas.
check it out

ma birfday

2009-10-29T19:56:00.005-07:00

Once again October the 20th rolled around. Making me yet another year older and wiser. Although I didn't do anything too exciting, I loved it. I seriously have some of the greatest family and friends. Ah, cute. :) So I know birthdays aren't/shouldn't be all about the presents but (ah, the infamous "but")I definitely was the recipient of some great gifts.

1. cute clothes/shoes (of course)
2. a new laptop!!! whoot! my old one was slowly dying and though I was told I'd have to buy myself a new one my dad pulled through... "whatever it takes to get you through school.." -Steve
3. SILKY sheets.. if you know me at all you know how hard it was for me to give up my silky pillow case (that I had for probably 10 years) but my mom surprised me with the ultimate gift, purple satin sheets AND pillow cases. love.
4. The Proposal. Mmmm Ryan Reynolds.
5. Thriller! My dear friend Kyle took me to see "Thriller". Um so cool! I really had no idea what it was, but I had such a great time. (For those of you that don't know, it's basically a dance concert but Halloween themed.)

6. Dirt/Ghosts in the Graveyard. MY FAVORITE.

Anyway, that's all I can remember since it's almost a month later. Let's just say it was a GREAT birthday. I have seriously the best friends and family. I wish all birthdays were this great. :) XOXO.

An Ode...

2009-10-19T18:27:00.017-07:00

Here is an ode to my very best friend, Holli soon-to-be Pierce.

She got engaged last night and I'm super happy for her! I'm trying not to think how lonely I'll be once the deal is sealed (ha, sealed.)

I love Holli for several reasons:
1. She's beautiful inside and out.

2. She's ALWAYS up for a good time.

3. Apparently we are fans of the kissy face.

Congrats Holls! I'm so excited for you. David is seriously one lucky man. LOVE YOU!

PS if you want to read about the proposal (which I know you do...)
click here

A Few Things

2009-09-30T14:54:00.002-07:00

1. I got published again. Apparently, I'm just going to be the resident movie critic for the Globe. That'd be neat. To read it:
Click here
2. What is with American Girl? A homeless doll? Seriously? Can I just say I love that the reporter interviewed homeless women... classy. To read about it: click here
3. Moll Doll showed me this video and I'm CONVINCED we need some teams here in Utah. I've never even read HP but I have a little spot in my heart for it. quidditch for muggles
4. Ok, now for my last video. This one rings so close to home it's not even funny. Meg- you should appreciate it. my brothers?

Can I just say I love being a communication major? I feel like all the time I spend browsing the internet actually pays off. I'm sure every link I just shared would be applicable, one way or another, in all of my classes. C'est magnifique.

And for my picture:

Christmas card quality? I think so.

50 and still kickin

2009-09-27T13:25:00.002-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

Some tidbits about mi madre:
1. she turned 50 yesterday and still looks like she's in her 30's.
2. she cooks like nobody's business
3. she has a beautiful home she so graciously let's me continue living at- even in my old age
4. she's always been supportive of all of us kids (even if one of us ended up being a Ute)
5. she. is. buff.
6. she loves her granddaughters more than anything or anyone
7. she loves/hates Bailey

LOVE YA!

a little clarity.

2009-09-21T21:01:00.003-07:00

Alright, since I've had soooo many inquiries about my "I'm a published writer" facebook status (or not.. but still) I decided I had better clarify. And since I have been ever so diligently thinking about doing my homework, now's the perfect time. Heaven forbid I actually get past thinking and actually do... So here I am blogging. Fantastic.

Anyway, here is a link I found to my article: (sorry you'll have to cut and paste)

http://www.slccglobelink.com/user/index.cfm?event=displayregistrationprompt&requiredregistration=1&thereferer=http%3A//media.www.slccglobelink.com/media/storage/paper442/news/2009/09/16/ArtsEntertainment/It.Is.Not.all.About.Steve-3773221.shtml%232

I'm not really sure if the link will work, but hey, it's almost better than nothing. Eh, eh? Haha, not so much. But yeah, it's just a little movie review because I NEVER in my life thought I'd be in a journalism class writing for the paper. But now that I've seen my name in print I kind of like it!

Now, I'm sure you're all a bit confused as to why it's for S.L.C.C.'s paper and that my friends, you'll never know. I kid, I kid. Long story short, the U was being a pain and nothing was working out with them this semester which made me super frustrated and freakishly emotional. That's when my dear friend, Holli, suggested I just go to S.L.C.C. for the semester. So literally the night before classes I registered for S.L.C.C. and got EVERY class I needed (don't worry, I already made sure with the U that they'd transfer). It was a seriously a miracle and a huge relief. And now that I've been at SLCC for almost a couple months I must say I really like it. 1. The classes are smaller. 2. The professors are less.. how you say.. cocky? 3. It's closer to my house and 4. The classes are significantly easier (or maybe I just got lucky?) So yeah.. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Kind of funny because I was planning on keeping it a secret (because seriously, it's not worth trying to explain to people why I'm not at the U for the semester) but once I got spotted by a couple people I decided to embrace it. So here I am, not so frustrated or freakishly emotional. It feels great. Hopefully my transition back to the U will be seamless like it's supposed to! Only time will tell.

And since I REFUSE to have a post without a picture here is one I uploaded exactly a year ago. :( Go ahead, feel sorry for me.

Un Foto

2009-09-03T19:51:00.018-07:00

Chateau Chillon. Switzerland.

Kailie P! The french men LOVED her.

All over Switzerland are these fountains, eau potable, basically it's like a water fountain with clean water.. if you've ever been to Europe you will know how awesome these really are.

Twins?

St. Peter's Cathedral, Geneva.

The view from the top of St. Peter's overlooking Lake Geneva

Old Town, Geneva. Beautiful.

The U.N.

The "beach" in Geneva.

The Louvre! Not gonna lie, it just about killed us.

The Eiffel Tower as seen from L'arc de Triumph

Notre Dame (NOT worth standing in line for THREE hours.)

Paris as seen from the Notre Dame.

Ze Eiffel Tower. (And just for Nate, "it reminds me of Vegas!")

The gracious hosts that made it all possible:

I can't wait to go back!!! We're planning a trip to Europe next summer again. (Haha, be proud for planning THIS far ahead instead of 3 weeks..)

PS I LOVED Paris. It's REALLY not as bad as people say. Everyone was super friendly to us... but maybe that's because we're 2 cute girls, eh? :)

Ready... Set... Jet.

2009-09-03T18:08:00.004-07:00

[Pictures to follow]

I figured it's about time I blogged about Europe. I've been WAY busy lately with school and work and all that comes with them. Boo.

Anyway, the day after (yes.. I said the day after) returning home from Hawaii I packed my bags and headed to the airport once again with my good friend Kailie P. But this time we were heading to the international terminal... and where were we going? Ummm PARIS. Yes, seriously. Since MnM were living in Switzerland for the summer we thought it would be a perfect time to take advantage of Kailie's mom's buddy passes (she's a flight attendant for Delta). So, pretty much we showed up stand-by and crossed our fingers. Obviously we made the flight or this would be a sad little depressing post. Best part of all, we flew BUSINESS CLASS. Our seats could lay (or is it lie?) nearly completely flat and we were absolutely pampered. Best 10 1/2 hour flight of my life.

Here is a picture of us with our tickets... we were SO excited when the lady at the podium called our names.. literally jumping up and down. People stared, so what? (Also I love that I'm so freakishly tan. Better believe I peeled THE WHOLE time in Europe.. sick.)

Once we got to Paris our plan was to catch a couple metros to a major train station where we would catch a direct train to Geneva, Switzerland. Pretty sure we were WAY nervous because neither of us can speak a lick of french (well.. alright, I guess I can speak enough to survive... but it was hard for both of us to not let our spanish kick in). Luckily, my genious brother Nate wrote step by step, detailed instructions for us to catch our trains (he's a doctor, naturally) and with that in hand we were successful. Nearly 24 hours later we made it to our final destination- Geneva! It was so fun to see MnM in Europe, regardless of Madeleine's request of "no see me." Haha, she's such a cutie.

Anyway, we spent 5 days in Switzerland (mostly Geneva) and then 2 full days in Paris on our way back. We'd heard rumors that the french aiport/airline people were beasts and that we should be COMPLETELY checked in at least 2 hours before the flight or they wouldn't let us on and buddy pass tickets are first-come-first-serve. So, to be safe we arrived like 5 hours early. Haha... it was a long day but we got business class once again so I can't really complain.

If I said I had a good summer that'd be a lie. I had THE BEST summer. Sad it's over. Sad school has started again. Sad my car got hit. Sad about Uncle Bob. Happy that my job is starting again. Happy that I can make some money again. Happy that my car is fixed. Happy that I'm finally figuring out Linger Longer. Happy that my sister and I have the same life. Happy. :)

Home

2009-08-20T11:03:00.007-07:00

So I was ever so blessed to go back to Hawaii for almost 2 weeks this summer with my family. Unfortunately, we weren't lucky enough to visit my island (yes, it's mine) but we did go to Maui and the Big Island. Ahh, how I love the Hawaiian islands.

Anyway, Maui was a splendid time. We stayed right on Ka'anapoli Beach which was only alright. The waves weren't my taste and the beach right outside our hotel was completely covered in rocks and coral so it didn't make for much. Our time on Maui seemed to be a lot of driving (Hana, Iao Valley, etc) so it was alright our beach sucked. (Ha, can I use that word? Meh.)

Iao Valley... gorgeous.

On one of our long drives we came across this place. Who knows?

The Big Island... oh, what to say? Probably a runner up for my favorite island after
my island of course. It was so gorgeous. Half of the island is dry, and covered in volcanic rock EVERYWHERE and the other half is the lucsious green most people think of when they think Hawaii (which really isn't the case..) Anyway, it was beautiful and it had some EXCELLENT beaches. You better believe we got some awesome boogie boarding done where the amateurs (ahem, my family) did pretty well. Not gonna lie though, I did get munched pretty hardcore on a couple waves. LOVE.

We hiked through the jungle to this extinct crater. Probably one of the coolest hikes ever.

The view from our window.

But by far THE coolest thing I have EVER seen was on the Big Island. As most of you know, the Big Island has an active volcano that is pretty much always spewing (haha I can't think of a better word.... oozing? Meh.) Anyway, there is a spot on the island where you can watch the lava hit the ocean, which at night, is pretty freakin amazing. The only problem is on some nights you can't see the lava at all so it's a chance you take when driving the distance to the lookout spot. But, lucky for us, the volcano was super active. We could see explosions and the amazing orange glow.

So yeah, Hawaii. God bless. XOXO.

Sunshine, Blessed Sunshine.

2009-07-13T17:10:00.008-07:00

I miss these kids more than I ever thought I would. We'll call the girl "T" and the boy "J". I was lucky enough to be their buddy in the regular ed preschool class for the spring. With "T", that meant trying to get her to sit in her seat and use her words. I was lucky if we got more than a whisper. For the record, she was the little bugger that bit me, but I wouldn't trade her for the world.

With "J", my job was mostly to chase him around the classroom and try to get him to sit for ohhh, maybe a minute. Mostly I was there to try to keep him quiet and make him slightly less of a distraction and try and get some learning in (haha, who knows how well I really did). One of my most favorite things about him was his favorite color was brown. If I stopped watching him for even half a second he'd run off and I'd find him peeling the wrappers off ALL the brown crayons. I won't be working with them next year and it makes me really sad. They changed my life for the better. What cuties!!!

there are certain people you just keep coming back to....

2009-07-13T16:42:00.010-07:00

So I've been thinking for a while I need to update my blog but for the past little while things haven't been going quite so well and I've been really frustrated. That's when I had the great idea about a week ago to blog about all the crappy things that have been happening, but now that I'm actually blogging I can't think of a thing for the life of me. I guess that's the beauty of life. It keeps going good or bad and before you know it, the bad doesn't matter. [Which leads me to another point- I always admire and enjoy reading the deep, often inspiring blogs people have but alas, I am not able to open up so freely and this paragraph is probably as deep as I'll ever get on this here blog.]

Anyway, my summer has been the best. I'm already freaking out that it's July and that means it's practically August which means school days. Blah. I still need to organize that fiasco of my life. I'm confident I'll get there.. haha....

Well, in true Rachel style I'm just going to put up some pictures of what I've been up to. Enjoy!

Also, shout out to Holli for making my freakin cute header thingy.. (is that what it's called?) Anyway, she's amazing. XOXO.

Zack Morris Lives

2009-06-09T09:53:00.003-07:00

Priceless.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/76560/late-night-with-jimmy-fallon-saved-by-the-bell-reunion-update-3

thunda

2009-06-08T15:23:00.002-07:00

I just bought this: It should arrive within the next few days. I'm crossing my fingers it's actually cute and not
"too much". We'll see. XOXO.

Full Steam Ahead!

2009-05-16T09:13:00.011-07:00

Yesterday my good cousin Matt got married in the Salt Lake Temple. Unfortunately I wasn't able to go to the temple (for obvious reasons) but I made it to the luncheon at This is the Place. Oh my, what a treat. I don't think I had ever really been there before and I was in for a surprise. Basically it's like a small town back from pioneer days- kind of like Nauvoo. And evidently they have "volunteers" (I use quotes because I don't understand exactly how they volunteer. I swear they all really live there.. weirdos.) ha anyway, the "volunteers" all dress, speak, act, etc. like people in the 19th century would. They give cute little tours of all the buildings and demonstrations of everything. It was tender. But the best part of the luncheon was we all got to go on a train ride through the town... it definitely made the day. So funny.

The Happy Couple

"Volunteers"

In all seriousness, it really was a good wedding. Definitely something new and fun. Matt and Kaylin were made for eachother. Congrats guys!

"People don't smile in pictures in the 19th century. So don't smile, ok." -man in the middle

the epic battle

2009-05-13T17:44:00.006-07:00

On May 9th, my little brother's band, Stroble Light Chaos (SLC), competed in the battle of the bands. They were invited to compete after being named one of Utah's top 10 bands in High School. Way to go bud! Anyway, my Mom, Dad, JB +1, Nicole, my friend Kyle, and I all went to support him. Unfortunately Zach's band didn't win (a band from Alta High did...) but it was lots of fun. Thanks for everyone who helped and voted for him.. now I'll just be really sorry if you get stupid texts from Studio 600... but if it's any comfort, I'll be receiving them too. ;)

Here is a little video from the battle. The sound quality is terrible but you kind of get the jist of what it was like! (Mostly I just like that you see Kyle and I rockin out.. we're cool.)

In other news, I finally made it through the semester. I wasn't sure if I ever would! I'm way happy with myself though because I got an A on my final paper for my writing class so that makes me excited. As far as my other grades are concerned- TBD. (I considered using TBA here but that would be a lie.. I am definitely NOT announcing my grades here. funny.)

So yeah, my job finishes for the summer on the 22nd and I have no idea what I'm going to do. I was thiiiis close to taking a nanny job in NYC for the summer until the mom decided she wanted the nanny through September which is no bueno with my school schedule (that's right, I'm trying to get my priorities straight!) So now I'm just planning on being unemployed. Sa-weet.

Welp, peace out!

creeps

2009-04-29T22:14:00.004-07:00

I don't know who is a bigger creep. The person that drives this truck or me. But hey, at least I took the liberty of smudging the license plate out!

april went where?!

2009-04-29T22:01:00.006-07:00

SMILE

Over Easter I had the opportunity (thanks parents) to go to Michigan to visit M'n'M. Oh my, I loved every minute of it.

This is a picture of us in front of Cake Nouveau in Ann Arbor. If you know me well enough you know that I LOVE food network and all the cake decorating shows. This just so happens to be a shop that belongs Courtney Clark who does amazing cakes on the food network challenges. I was in heaven! (PS Notice Maddie is OUT cold. Ha, poor thing.)

Anyway, it was great and I'm hoping to visit them again soon.. this time in Switzerland though! ;)

my family's not rich by any means, but I feel we won the lottery...

2009-03-08T22:39:00.003-07:00

Umm yeah!!!

2009-03-08T13:41:00.004-07:00

Well, this weekend has been a great one for several reasons but here are 2 of the more important ones:

1. My dear WJHS won state 5A basketball! Eat that Miners. I couldn't be prouder!
http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705289440,00.html

2. Best news of all.... I just found out today that this most favorite place of mine is coming to a store near me! Trouble could ensue.

Ninjorman

2009-02-26T21:46:00.001-07:00

http://russelm.multiply.com/video/item/38/Ask_A_Mormon_Ninja_Ninjormon

Nerdy, but pretty funny.

2009-02-18T22:39:00.004-07:00

I think it is widely agreed upon in the blogging world that blogging is merely a resource of procrastination. So here I am.. .procrastinating. I should be writing an essay about who is to blame for the environmental crisis, but I decided the environment can wait a few minutes for me to indulge myself. Kapeesh environment?

Plus, the quiz takes me back about 8 years ago when these were all the rage in emails. Enjoy! Or not.. that's cool too. :)

20 Firsts

Ok, you all know the drill.

1. Who was your first love? Micah Heaton- 6th grade.

2. Who was your first kiss and when? Riley at Ashley Wilson's 16th birthday party. What a party! let me tell ya! Pretty sure all my friends watched and I'll never live it down.

3. Who was your first prom date? Jared Day- he wore a top hat and had carried a cane... yeah.

4. Who was your first room mate? Britanee P.

5. What was your first job? Haha! I worked at Walmart doing samples... never again.

6. What was your first car? the best car ever! 94 Honda Civ.. fondly known as the Black Bullet... you could hear it miles away!

7.When did you go to your first funeral? I don't know, I feel like I've been going to them my whole life.

9. How old were you when you first moved away from your hometown? 18!

10. Who was your first grade teacher? Mrs. England.. I think she just passed away, in fact.

11. Where did you go on your first ride on an airplane? gosh, I have no clue. I think the earliest time I remember is to Florida? hmm..

13. Where did you go for your first date and who was it with? my first date was Sadies with Jared Day.. I think we went ice blocking and to Wingers...

14. When you snuck out of your house for the first time, who was it with? Holli, Krista, and Mark Allred. Ha! Fox Pointe for life.

15. Who was your first best friend and are you still friends with them? her name was Mackell. and no, we're not friends. no idea what happened to her. I was like 4.

16. Who was the first person to send you flowers? gosh, can't say I've ever had flowers sent to me!!! sad...

17. Where did you live the first time you moved out of your parents house? Cedar City!!! haha

18. Who is the first person you call when you have a bad day? hmm.. no one usually. But I guess if it's really bad I'll call my mom.. or maybe my sister.

19. Who's wedding were you in the first time you were a bridesmaid or a groomsman? Nate and Meg's!!!

20. What is the first thing you do in the morning? haha well I am not a morning person at all so I usually moan and groan about the alarm going off.

In other news, top 5 things I'm looking forward to:

1. June-ish: Roadtrip with some besties. Any suggestions where we should go? We're leaning towards Seattle/Vancouver

2. June 20th: a visit from my favorite Trayners

3. June 25th: Jeff home :)

4. June 28th: Baby Girl JB!

5. end of July: BAHAMAS. You can call me MK and A. Holiday in the Sun anyone?

Freak, is it summer yet?!

[ TT4Eva.]

A Little Perspective

2009-01-17T12:23:00.001-07:00

http://www.legacy.com/DeseretNews/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonID=122814537

I get by with a little help from my friends

2009-01-14T16:53:00.003-07:00

Alright folks, I need some help! So for my Human Exceptionalities class I need to find a person or group with exceptionalities to work with for a couple hours a week (service, of course). Now you'd think "oh perfect! Rachel works at a special education preschool so that should be easy enough." Well, not exactly. I've decided I want to actually get involved in the community and now I need some suggestions or ideas on ideas for my project and that's where you all come into the picture. So think up and help a girl out! :)

[As Z-Train would say, "T for Tender"]

I've gone and done the impossible

2009-01-12T13:18:00.003-07:00

Since it is the new year, it is expected that I should have some resolutions. So in my quest at accomplishing my goals I have gone and done the impossible...... deactivated my facebook account. Those of you on facebook know how much time is wasted on that addicting and fabulous networking site but I am determined to free myself of it. I'm ready for REAL communication. I feel like too many people these days can't/won't use effective communication and use technology as a crutch and I refuse to be part of that any longer! So, if you want to talk to me give me a call.. or possibly a text (there is no promise I'll respond because texting=lame).

Let's see how long I can make it last! :)

Upside Down

2008-12-01T19:31:00.003-07:00

..Judge me all you want, but I've ALWAYS wanted to fill one of these out. So.. here's to me!..

1.Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc. on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. You must write that song name down no matter how silly it makes you look.
4. Title this post what the answer to your last question is.
5. Good luck and have fun!

IF SOMEONE SAYS 'IS THIS OKAY' YOU SAY?-When I'm With You (Simple Plan) haha!
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF-Postcards (Amber Pacific) what?
WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?-Sexyback (Justin Timberlake) too true...
HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?-Dog Problems (The Format) true again
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?-Sun (Daphne Loves Derby) I do love the sunshine
WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?-Photography (The Starting Line) um. hm..
WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?-Almost Here (The Academy Is..) haha does that mean they think I'm not all the way there?
WHAT DO YOU OFTEN THINK ABOUT?-Young Hollywood (Head Automatica) gotta love me some TMZ.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?-Never Take Friendship Personal (Anberlin)
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?-[Untitled] (Sugarcult) how deep!
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?-An Affair to Remember (Trans-Siberian Orchestra) haha no comment.
WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE? Last Summer (Lostprophets) I only wish!
WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?- Say Anything (Else) (Cartel) sad..
WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?-Cindy (Mo Tab) haha weird.
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?-Life is Good (LFO) I guess I'm a little backwards
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?-Snakes on a Plane (Cobra Starship) that's right. weird.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?-Daddy's Little Defect (Sugarcult) in yo face friends!
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO NAME THIS EMAIL?-Upside Down (Jack Johnson)

HALLOWEEN WEEKEND

2008-11-03T13:40:00.006-07:00

...So I started this post the night before the big announcement we were moving home and never posted it, so I decided I'm going to do my best to finish it.. This blog is pretty much my journal of Hawaii...

I don't know about you guys, but I had a pretty rad Halloween. Man, does Oahu now how to celebrate! So lucky for you, I'm going to give you a little recap of my week. Ha, get excited! Wednesday was a great day because not only did Angela Awesome Davis and I get to work together AND get off early, we were able to go the Polynesian Cultural Center's Haunted Lagoon. All thanks to our new friend Kevin-with-a-car. Kevin-with-a-car is on the island for a couple weeks for business and is actually from South Jordan. Small little world, isn't it? So yeah. The Haunted Lagoon was so much fun. Basically you rode the canoe on through the lagoon and BYU students jumped out and scared you. They even came out of the water. So scary! Unfortunately we had to squish onto a full canoe and I had to sit alone. Ha, poor me, right? Well funny story.. our awesome canoe was full of crazy Samoans and when we first got on the canoe I said something to Angela Awesome Davis about having to sit alone and then this biiiig Samoan that overheard me offered to sit by me. Well, of course I just laughed it off and told him I'd be fine. But after about 2 minutes I realized I did NOT want to sit alone so I batted my eyes a little and told the guy he could come sit by me if he still wanted to. And what do you know? He totally did. It was hilarious because he was an even bigger of a wuss than me, but I was just glad to not be sitting on the end anymore where the scary people could grab me and soak me... (yes.. they GRABBED the people on the ends. Ask Angela about her experience.) But yeah, if any of you, my readers, are going to be on O'ahu around Halloween I definitely recommend the PCC's Haunted Lagoon. Seriously so much fun!!!

Anyway, Halloween weekend only got better because our friend Lyman aka Mowgli flew in from Maui and stayed a couple nights with us. We got to share Halloween night in Waikiki with him and it was HILARIOUS. First I must explain what Halloween night in Waikiki is like. They shut down the strip and around 9 PM or so all the creeps come out. Thousands and thousands of people head to the strip to just walk around and show of their costumes. I've seriously never seen such a large strip FULL of people/creeps. There were some AMAZING costumes. One of my faves was a group of people that were dressed as Polygamists. Hilarious. Lyman's costume was pretty awesome as well... he pretty much just walked around town with just a tiny red cloth around and called himself Mowgli. The Japanese LOVED him. They would stop and ask for his picture and Angela and I would feel lame because our costumes were just that, lame (especially mine, I admit it!). Otherwise we saw a lot of Jokers and girl's with pretty much nothing on. As the night grew later and later it got a little unsafe so Angela and I called it a night and went in. I'll never forget that Halloween! Once again were dumb and didn't think to take any pictures. I think we were just in shock as we walked the strip- nothing like Utah, that's for sure!

Dinner at Senor Frogs. Lyman's friends took us out. :)

I LOVE HAWAII.