Summer 2011

This summer I want to do things that will help me enjoy being in Provo working all day everyday. These things include activities that might not be as extravagant or foreign as previous summers or my friends summers, but they're still going to make this summer.

I want to finally get up on a wakeboard. You'd think after all the boating I've done I'd be able to do this but alas, tis not the case.
I want to go skydiving.
I want to run in a half marathon.
I want to hike Mt. Timpanogos again.
I want to survive getting my wisdom teeth out.
I want to bike to Utah Lake.
I want to have a fire up the canyon.
I want to go to the pool as often as possible.
I want to hike up to the next level up Bridal Veil Falls.
I want to take a road trip to St. George.
I want to take my friends to Logan.
I want to go road biking at least once.
I want to light one of those big fireworks that are usually illegal.
I want to go to Lagoon.
I want to get a henna tattoo.
I want to get razor scooters and scooter all around campus.
I want to go to the park to study as often as possible.
I want to sleep outside a few times.
I want to watch every episode of the Bachelorette.
I want to get a tan from my sandals.
I want to actually sleep on the dock at Hebgen.
I want to go to the midnight premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (my first midnight premiere)
I want to go to outdoor movies.
I want to get outside of my comfort zone.

These are just a few. Given I've already done some of these, but that just means that I can be sure to check them off my list come August 29th.

Ugh...let's not think about that day.

check

As I drove back up to Salt Lake Friday night, I was listening to the radio and thinking about what the weekend held for me. I was driving back home for several reasons. Sunday I had the farewells of two of my oldest friends. We grew up on the same street and have known each other since preschool so there was no chance I was missing those talks. My little cousin was baptized on Sunday and being there and spending time with my family is always a blessing. Saturday was what was most prevalent in my mind however and as I contemplated the next 24 hours of my life, this song started to play on good ol' 99.5.

Please don't think that I am dying. I feel quite healthy. But what struck me as ironic about this song playing is that I was going skydiving the very next morning.

Yep. I did it. And it was a blast.

I wasn't quite as nervous as I thought I was going to be. Given that ascending to the proper altitude of 13,000 ft was a little bit of an anxious time, when they opened up the door of the plane and I got to look down over the landscape below, I didn't feel very scared. Just excited. The ground was so far away that it didn't seem like crashing into it would even be a problem. Plus I trusted the nice stranger strapped to my back.

We free fell for about 60 seconds and then parachuted down the rest of the way which was about another 2 minutes. We did some swirls/loops while coming down and then came in for a perfectly smooth landing. Annie also scored a 10 on her landing but my dad and Spencer didn't do so hot.

As I look back on the experience I've made quite a few correlations to doctrinal teachings and lessons, but I'll save those for another time. Right now I'm just going to revel in the fact that I have one more thing checked off my "To Do in Summer" list.

That list should be making an appearance next blog post.


...."I went skydiving, I went Rocky Mountain climbing..."


Hope that's stuck in your head for the rest of the day and that you think of me every time you sing it.

please don't judge

So about a month ago I found a new guilty pleasure and I'm finally ready to admit it to whoever reads this. Are you ready? Let's see if you can guess what it is. I'll give you some hints.

• It's a T.V. show
• It airs every Monday
• The main character is in the pursuit of love
• This love can only be attained while vacationing in Thailand
• Extravagant dates include:

• Dinner in the middle of the Belagio fountains
• Sea kayaking off the coast of Thailand
• Personal concert with Colbie Caillat
• Flying to Vegas for the evening
• Riding elephants through the jungle

• 1 girl, 26 guys

Have you guessed?

The beginning of the week can't come soon enough.

June 20th is a great day

Dear Mom,

You do so much for me and our family that making this list has been easy. But, in honor of tradition, I was limited to the number I could put up. Here are 51 things that I love about you:

1. You brought me and my siblings into this world
2. You are active in the community
3. You took me to the naturescape at Canyon Rim to weed many times throughout my childhood
4. You tease me but I always know you do it out of love (you do, right?)
5. You are an example of humility
6. You are known throughout the neighborhood
7. You've given me someone to brag about (I'm still working on the humility thing)
8. You put Art Festivals on every year at school which benefit hundreds of people
9. You are a teacher that the kids love (I've seen some of the notes)
10. You are up for adventure when most moms would choose to sit out
11. You can't jump on the tramp but sometimes you would anyway
12. You let me experience a little bit of danger (babysitters would never let me)
13. You always made sure I was safe though
14. You made me lunches everyday throughout my elementary school
15. You would occasionally surprise me with a gourmet lunch in junior/high school. I was always much more excited for lunch when I had an extra heavy lunch sack
16. You have taught me to not judge others and always try to see things from a different perspective
17. You brought me dinner when I would be babysitting late
18. You have helped me write quite a few papers (I specifically remember one about a submarine that I was very proud of)
19. You have a sort of obsession with submarine movies (Das Boot and Hunt for Red October)
20. You beat me in ping-pong on a regular basis (I don't love getting beat but I love that you can do that)
21. You like to prank people and have an excellent sense of timing and humor. The pranks are also very clever
22. You know how to teach Relief Society lessons with the Spirit and are consistently finding new and interesting ways of presenting material
23. You'll often hide behind a wall to jump out and scare Dad
24. You hide candy bars around the house so that we won't eat them. It's always fun to find them in odd places
25. You have your specific TV shows that you must watch (Project Runway and Hoarders)
26. You decorate our house so that it looks like something that could be featured in a magazine
27. You know exactly what flowers will look good where in the yard
28. You have pretty, big, blue eyes (Don't listen to your students)
29. You always make delicious dinners and have cool table settings to boot
30. You always make our home a welcoming place to both frequent faces and new visitors
31. You know how to come up with awesome baby/wedding shower games
32. You helped me realize at a young age the blessing that living in this country is by giving me extra lessons outside of school on the Revolutionary War  
33. You've been lovingly realistic with me and helped me get through hard times at school
34. You used to braid Rebecca's, Caroline's and my hair every summer. But not a normal braid. The little braids that covered our head like the kind we got in Mexico
35. You always accepted the ugly bouquets I would pick for you out in the sagebrush at Hebgen
36. You laughed so hard with me when we were hiking back down Halfdome and realized we were barely moving while hiking through the sand at a slight incline (Remember?)
37. You've always wanted a house in the country and have been diligent in making that desire a reality (Now we get to benefit from fun weekends spent there)
38. You would take us on drives in the country on Sunday afternoons
39. You helped me realize that reading a good book was sometimes more enjoyable than watching hours of TV
40. You took me on a walk about 5 years ago in St. George and we just talked
41. You're always up for talking and continue to answer the phone when I call, even though it's probably rough to listen to me complain about work
42. You urged me to practice playing the piano, a talent I'm very grateful to have
43. You'll sometimes just want to watch movie after movie (usually on the holidays)
44. You sometimes choose movies that we can laugh about later (Legend of the Gaurdians: Owls of Ga'hoole anyone?)
45. You often surprise me with articles of clothing when I come home for a weekend
46. You have excellent style and good taste in your purchases. You take the time to get something that you really think someone will like, and they more often than not do like it
47. You've put up with kids that don't know anything but think they know everything
48. You love your parents and are close with your siblings
49. You love Spencer, Rebecca, Caroline and me and show it every day through the sacrifices you make. Most of which we don't even see or realize
50. You married Dad
51. You are my mom

I love you very much and couldn't have been placed in a better family with a more loving and caring mother. Happy birthday. Thanks for being my mom.

weekend of fathers, feathers, family and fabulous fun

I got kind of excited with the title of this blog

As you may know, I have a feather in my hair. Observe.

My dad, Kirk, is cool. So when he found a feather in the yard of our Logan home, he decided to imitate this recent fashion. Observe.

Yeah, he kept it in all day. He's a fashionista. And we love him for it. 

Glad he's mine.

Going to Logan is always fun for me. It's relaxing, has beautiful scenery, and I get to spend time with my family. While we may tease each other a lot, I think I laugh hardest while with them. All of these things make Logan a great place, but every time I go there I'm also so impressed with the architecture of the actual house. 

It's beautiful.

It was built in 1879.

By someone named Peter Peterson. (coolest name ever?)

This is what it looks like:

My mom has done a great job of accenting the 1879 elements while working the 21st century elements into the home as well. It's the perfect mix and we love having visitors. This weekend my aunts Nancy and Linda joined us for the getaway and attended the Summerfest Art's Festival held on the lawns of the Logan Tabernacle. Things were expensive but Linda bought a beautiful landscape painting, we all delighted in chocolate strawberries, caramel apples, and three layer chocolate mousse. I also purchased this little accessory.

Oh, and what's that on my wrist? Perhaps a little bit of henna?

It is.

Props to my mom for free handing the whole thing.

So, that's what I did this weekend. I didn't have any homework to worry about and am super happy to say that I won't have any for the next 7 weeks. Sorry to all of those who are going to Summer term. It was a superb weekend and ended perfectly with the whole family (Dad, Mom, Spencer, Annie, Rebecca, Wes, me, Caroline) together at my Salt Lake home for a Father's Day dinner/Mom's birthday dinner. I love being together.

Who's to blame?

Dear person who schedules finals,

Do you really expect me to be able to think at 7 in the morning, let alone ponder the unanswerable questions of this world?

Sincerely,
I blame my philosophy grade on you.

Dilemma

Money.

That's my dilemma. I go to work to make it but then what? What would you do with your money?

1. Put it in the bank; that's what you've always done
2. Put it in the bank; you might need to help put a spouse through school
3. Put it in the bank; there's that really appealing study abroad you've been looking at
4. Take it out of the bank and buy this beauty

Those are my options. What do you choose? 

(These options all take place after the unspoken assumption that a tenth of the money is first dedicated to tithing. Well...I guess it's not an unspoken assumption anymore)

call me crazy

This summer has been very different from the last. One year ago I was looking over Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower, exploring an old castle in Assisi, Italy, touring the salt mines of Germany, hiking to the top of Yosemite valley, pondering at the majesty of the giant sequoias in Mariposa Grove, laughing with my friends on a road trip to the best place on earth...

This summer has been very different from the last. I have been in Provo, pondering the unanswerable questions of philosophy, going up the canyon, to the pool, attending concerts, trying to wrap my head around philosophy, taking trips to Salt Lake, seeing my friends off on their missions, going crazy over philosophy...

I'm going to be in Provo for the rest of the summer, clocking in daily at the McKay Building. Making some big bucks....(cough cough) Despite the fun that this future radiates, I decided to participate in a few activities that I never thought I would. Hopefully these things spice up the summer a little:

June 25th: Skydiving with Dad, Spencer, and Annie

July 9th: Hobbler Half Marathon (hopefully I won't have to hobble the whole way)

Some Saturday: Take a 3rd trip up Mt. Timpanogos

Who needs to travel the world to have fun, right?

Well that made me smile...

Earlier this evening I made the weekly trip to the grocery store. Personally, grocery shopping is one of my least favorite things to do, but as I have begun to cultivate my domestic skills while experimenting in the kitchen (no disasters thus far) it has become less gruesome. It helped today that I had a catchy song stuck in my head and that I had just spent the last 2 hours outside enjoying the nice weather.

The clerk at the checkout was nice as was the bagger. It just seemed like everyone was happy and it was making me happier. I didn't think much of my happy mood, just accepted it for what it was. As I began to load my groceries into the back of my car, something that's never happened to me before happened. Just as I went for the next bag of groceries, two hands appeared and took it before I could reach it. A little bit worried about the safety of my chicken, I looked up into the face of a very handsome stranger. I just kind of stood there as he continued to load the rest of my groceries into the back of my car. I was astounded. This type of thing doesn't happen to me. It's never happened to me. I finally got over my shock and found my words, thanking him for his help. He smiled and responded with a simple, "You're more than welcome," and proceeded to take my cart and return it for me.

After standing there for a few moments, I finally got into my car and drove away, kicking myself for not being more charming and social. Heck, I didn't even introduce myself to him! As sad as that is, I couldn't help but smile all the way home from the store.

Dear Handsome Stranger,
My name is Rachel. I'm sorry for not being able to talk while you helped me with my groceries. I was so astonished at what was happening. Thank you for restoring some of my hope in your gender. Feel free to call me.
Sincerely,
That awkward girl you just helped

P.S. Do you always go to Macey's on Thursday nights?