an ode

(wait. what's an ode?)

halloween. 

this is the holiday when i revel in the ingenuity and creativity of others.

why?

because people are cool.

especially on BYU campus.

my coworks and i didn't dress up.
we both concur that it stresses us out

but when there was a break at work we went out and became paparazzi. 

so...maybe that was our costume?

yeah. let's go with it.

behold:

people.

and that's not a costume.

President Cecil. O. 

in the flesh.

behind the guys head

we shook hands.

i think he remembers me from when i gave the prayer in devotional?

even if he introduced me as rachel WELLER.

but...no hard feelings.

but here's the kicker.

aka. best moment of my life thus far.

i give you, the coconut guy from monty python and the holy grail.

peace and president samuelson

rrw

but...i'm only 20?

today i felt like i had a mid-life crisis.

do i really know what that is?

probs not.

but i'm just guessing it might feel like today.

explanation:

i felt out of place and overwhelmed by the abhorrent pile of laundry suffocating my room and enveloping my living space.

so i sat there and thought about my dream life.

living and working in glacier national park, probably at one of the beautiful lodges.

or teaching english somewhere foreign and cold.
or hiking along the appalachian trail while listening to a playlist dedicated to jonsi.

but...i'm not in those places.

i'm here. in provo.

and i have school tomorrow. and reading to do. and a ward to try to fit in with. (not doing so hot with that right now)

and once i thought about all of that, the midlife crisis came back.

so i thought to myself, "rach. you're 20. save the crisis for another 20 years. and stop being dramatic."

so i did my laundry.

(even washed my sheets. it's a big deal)

and cleaned my room.

and read about conspiracy theories.

and listened to lion king and jonsi (because that gave me a little taste of the dream).

and read doctrine and covenants.

and played the card game "nines."

and wished bob ross a happy birthday.

and decided to blog about my mid life crisis.

and came up with this slogan:

"mid life crises: they're better when your laundry is washed and your room is clean."

so, based on my scientific calculations, i can expect my next mid life crises to happen in 3 weeks.

when it's time to do laundry again. 

...

(maybe i can push it to 4 weeks)

peace and pancakes.
(made those for breakfast this morning)

rrw

to the boys

today i got yelled at by a man.

he used foul language and offensive hand gestures.

he stopped his silver pickup truck right in front of me so i couldn't leave, rolled down his window, and let the insults and degradation flow.

it hurt.

i've never experienced this before.

and i realized how grateful i am that i hadn't.

i'm grateful for the men in my life.

they are respectful, kind, funny, caring, gentle, and strong.

they are my dad, my grandpas, my brother, my brother-in-law, my uncles, my cousins, my friends, my home teachers, my bishops, my classmates, my coworkers, my neighbors.

these are men.

not that person in the pickup truck.

boys, please don't let yourself ever become that.

"Fathers, single adults, leaders, home teachers—be worthy models and help the rising generation of boys become men. Teach them social and other skills: how to participate in a conversation, how to get acquainted and interact with others, how to relate to women and girls, how to serve, how to be active and enjoy recreation, how to pursue hobbies without becoming addicted, how to correct mistakes and make better choices"

-Elder D. Todd Christofferson

details of my life

i love october. 

i love soup and roles and the way orange and black look. 

i love rain and colors on the mountains and low clouds.

i love my mom's collection of pumpkins.

i love big knit scarves.

i love sweaters.

i love sweaters that come with built-in-scarves. 

(ok. i know they're called turtle necks or cowl necks but i like built-in-scarf better)

i love boots (even though I'm still busting out the sandals on a daily basis) 

and pumpkin flavored everything. 

i love that all the best tv series start up.

i love leggings with sweater boots.

i love homecoming.

(DON'T say anything. we lost. it's fine. it was still fun. the uniforms looked cool)

BLACK OUT. yay couples.

oh you know. i'm probs just being hilarious right there.

cfl. (coworks for life. or until we graduate and get real jobs)

...did that really just happen?

ps. have you ever had a professor look at you and say, "oh, you're wearing your sexy shirt today!"

no? just me?

cool.

late night thoughts

i'm the kind of person that doesn't think people fake bake.

i'm the kind of person that thinks lance armstrong won all his races without steroids.

i believe that everyone knows right from wrong.

even if it's buried deep.

i count on people to be where they say they'll be, when they say they'll be there. 

no matter how many times they're late or they bail.

when someone tells me he was a national level jump-roper, i believe him.

i'd rather listen to music with no words.

kisses still mean something to me, not just a number to throw around.

sometimes i catch myself believing that politicians really do want what's best for our country.

i always think the mail will be there today. ok...today. ok....today!

i always think i'll wake up earlier than i do.

i still don't know anything about drugs.

it still really surprises me when i find out people actually do them.

every time i watch a tv show i think it will resolve itself quickly.

not take 6 seasons to do so

i think cheering at games makes the players play better.

and i think God wants the best for us.

i know He does, actually.

sometimes i get called innocent, naive, gullible.

and maybe i am.

but i'd rather be that than hopeless.

here's to hope.

peace and patience. 

rrw

secrets of the secretary

today at work i experienced something...unusual.

i was sitting at my desk with my big screen computer and engraved nameplate chatting with my coworker who was chilling on the couch next to the fake orange flower.

then a professor walked up to me.

she put a plastic bag on the counter of my desk, right next to my engraved name plate.

the conversation went as follows:

professor: "i just threw up in that office. i've cleaned it all up and it's in this bag. will you take care of it?"

rachel: ".....uuhhhhhhh....what? i mean, ok, um, ok."

(i slowly reach for the bag)

professor: "it's all in there and wrapped up so you won't get anything on your hands."

rachel: "...ok. um, anything you want me to do with it specifically?"

coworker on the couch: "there's a dumpster outside." (trying to hint to the professor that she could take it herself)

rachel: "ok. ok, yeah, i'll just...deal with it." (closes grasp on plastic bag. can see through said bag and beholds the contents therein) (refrains from gagging) (proud of myself)

professor: (looks down hall, sees garbage can) "oh, there's a garbage can. i'll just go take it."

rachel: "ok. ok, are you sure?" (i am silently willing her to be sure. please. don't make me do this)

professor: "yes. i'll just take it."

rachel: "ok. ok."

the professor left the office. i slowly sat back down, spread my hands on the desk, and stared straight ahead.

coworker burst into a fit of giggles.

i just stared.

giggle.

stare.

giggle.

stare.

finally i turned to look at her.

coworker: "please tell me you're going to blog this."

day in the life. aren't i blessed?

peace and pizookies. 

breaking news

psych. 

this post is simply an update. not breaking news. but the title got you here, didn't it?

i have no pictures. i have no news.

i know one of you that has already stopped reading. 

eventually there will be news. 

but i'm waiting for everything to be solidified before i declare it to the world.

so...stay posted?

anyway. back to the update.

last week i:

*watched the presidential debate. most entertaining thing since japanese game shows

*used a groupon, almost got jipped, and then saved my money

*fixed the internet in my apartment

*sent A LOT of postcards

*watched an eye-opening documentary

*got locked out of my apartment 

**failed at breaking back in 

***sat on the steps for an hour and half

*went to logan. sat in the middle of the front seat of our truck with my parents like a little kid

*watched bernie

*tried to convert my family to dry shampoo. failed. they now think i'm an unhygienic hobo.

*made breakfast

*took down a fence

*played games and consequently made a fool of myself. wits and wagers: the quickest and most efficient way to reveal your ignorance

*listened to conference on a radio from my dad's high school days. awesome blossom.

*loved the logan canyon

*went on a pony and cart ride with my mom to the logan city fair grounds. i tell you what. that pony is lovable. 

ok. i lied. i had a picture.

it's an oldie. but a goodie.

peace and blessings.