Hey Dude

Today was my last Sunday before I head back to school. Kind of bitter-sweet. But mostly sweet. I really am looking forward to being in a STUDENT ward again. Not a SINGLES ward. Both are very, very different. I don’t feel like I am being hunted in a student ward by all the creepy older men. Which will be a relief.

My room is whirlwind of mess. For some reason I am leaving with so much more than I brought home. Oh yeah. Maybe it was because I went shopping yesterday. Lots of cool new toys? Check.

Today my family wrote to our two missionaries. My youngest brother Jordan wrote a little something that went like this:

Hey dude. I hope you are having a good mission. I hope you are hyper. I wish you were going to serve here in Oregon so I could beat you up. Tell your mission president to switch your mission to Oregon. Okay? Is the food good there? If they serve you cake, soda and ice cream, please bring me back some. I am eating ice cream right now.

                Love, Jordan

Ohhhh… you gotta love eight year old brothers. I sure love mine.

Welcome to BYU-I

I can’t believe it… a week and a half before I start school. 13 days. 432 hours. 25,920 minutes. 1,555,200 seconds. Am I excited? Yes. April to September. Six months is too long to be at home. I don’t care who you are. Going back to Brigham Young University – Idaho will bring many adventures. New roommates, new apartment, new classes, new friends, and… new dating experiences. Yes. It is true. Dating is part of college life. A good/bad part. For example: when you go on a date and he proposes the first date = bad. Do I know from experience? What? As a wise friend recently pointed out, dating is like a game at BYU-I. No wait. It is a game. At first it is incredibly exciting, but as time wears on, you begin to grow tired of the game. The rules are always the same. Ten steps to eternal happiness:

1. You see the guy for the first time. Whether he is in your class, or you seem him across the row at devotional, or maybe you just pass him every day on the way to your religion class. You think he is gorgeous/attractive/good-looking. Well, he is enough to catch your eye.

2. You play the eye tag game. He catches you staring at him and you feel flustered but you want to play it cool. So you smile a little as you look away. He is hooked. This can go on for days/weeks/months depending on where it takes place and the kind of guy he is.

3. He will finally work up the courage to talk to you. Or maybe vice versa. Either way, you will talk about classes, the weather, the devotional that you just had… trivial things.

4. He will ask for your number. You give it to him.

5. He asks you to devotional. You go with him. The devotional is about marriage. You feel kind of awkward.

6. He asks you on a real date. You go to Twizzle Berry. You find that you have a lot of things in common. You go on a walk around campus. He takes you home five minutes before curfew. You tell each other you had a great time. He will hug you. You do not let him kiss you.

7. He asks you to hang out. You oblige. You enjoy yourself. At the end, he asks you if you will go home with him to meet his roommates. You do so. They are nice. You take him to meet your roommates. As soon as he leaves, you all gather around and they tell you how they feel about him. Whether or not they think he is cute, if they think he likes you, if you should date him… etc,etc.

8. He asks you to hang out yet again. This time he suggests that you go home with him to meet his parents and family. You do. You like them. They like you. You invite him to meet your family. He likes them. They like him.

9. He asks you to marry him. You say yes. You get married in the temple for time and all eternity four months later.

10. You have five kids.

The end. The same. Welcome to BYU-I.

Do You Hear the People Sing?

Much has indeed happened since I have last written:

1. It is now August. The summer is almost over. My paper chain that I made back in May is getting very short. I leave in one month to go back to school. September 9^th. The same day Harry Potter left to go to Hogwarts. Just putting it out there.

2. I saw Les Miserables last Saturday night. It is perhaps the greatest musical ever conceived. No. It IS the greatest musical ever conceived. I cried and cried throughout the entire play. At the end I was a wreck. There was not a single dry eye to be seen in the theater. The hero of the story, Jean Valjean, is perhaps the greatest man ever known. No. He IS the greatest man ever known.

                Dear Victor Hugo,

Thanks for writing such a great story. I don’t know if you know this, but it has been turned into a musical. A good play. A little raunchy in some parts (okay… a lot) but a good play nonetheless. You are a wonderful, brilliant man. You should win a prize or something. Maybe a gold star. I just wanted to let you know that I am now reading your book. Yes, the unabridged 1222 page, three inches thick book. I’m not planning on finishing it for a while. Probably a few years.

                Much Love,

                Rachel

3. One of my good friends is getting married. Soon. Before the year is over. Am I in shock? Why yes I am.

4. I have decided that next summer I am taking the Disneyworld internship (if I get it of course…). End of discussion.

5. I have decided that the next summer I am going to do study abroad. I will be going to Europe and traveling all around the different European countries.

Do you know what this all means? That I don’t think that I can get married any time soon.

I Hope They Call Me on a Mission...

Today I had the privilege and honor of saying good-bye to the world’s greatest soon-to-be missionary. Elder Jonathan Kiser will be leaving to report to the Provo MTC on July 26^th 2011. It has been a privilege to be his friend and I know he will be a wonderful missionary serving the good people of Brazil. Good-bye Elder Kiser! You are going to be such a fantastic missionary! You will be missed!

Yesterday, my family went on a wonderful boating trip all day. Can anyone say sunburn? Yes. I have never been more burned in my life. My thighs are so burned that they are swollen twice their size, and are covered in blisters. I have almost used an entire bottle of refrigerated aloe vera but it seems to evaporate right when I put it on. Ouch? You got it. This morning I could hardly get out of bed. It hurt so incredibly bad to stand up, my legs were so stiff and swollen that I couldn’t straighten them. My arms and shoulders look like a lobster. I have a pretty cool swimsuit line though. Luckily my face didn’t get burned at all. But was it all worth it? Oh yeah. I basically had thee best experience. We learned how to water ski, knee board, surf, and then we went tubing. Whoever thought of it deserves a gold star. What a great way to spend a Saturday with my family.

So now, all my good friends from BYU-I are back. Do you know what this means? Yes, it means we get to party, but it also means that there are only seven more weeks until I get to go back to school!!! Yee-haw! I am sooo close now baby! I can see the finish line.

Gavin. Dear Gavin. Gives me a panic attack almost every day. Yes. He has learned it. He has learned how to climb the stairs. This wouldn’t be a problem, except for the fact that there aren’t enough gates to cover all the staircases, and the stairs are all hardwood floor. I just feel like I can never relax unless he is sleeping. But the good news is this: he is at the age where he knows who I am. Whenever I pick him up he just cuddles into my shoulder and gives me snuggles. BEST part of the job. Right there. Makes it totally worth it. No matter how nasty his poopy diaper is. I am trying to teach him how to say my name. Except Rachel is kind of hard to say, so I am trying to just teach him how to say nanna. It is easy to say for a baby, even though it kind of sounds like grandma. Which I’m not… but nanny and nanna sound pretty similar. Don’t worry. He will learn how to soon. I will make sure of it.

Did You Know?

Did you know? In Disneyland while you are waiting in line to ride the thrilling ride Indiana Jones, all the props that you see are authentic antiques or movie props from the Indiana Jones series. Like outside is one of the German Patrol-Trucks used in the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark. There are handlebars with golf balls on the top of the front bumper which were put there specifically for a car chase stunt in the film. Yes. I bet you did not know this. Well, now you do. You’re welcome.  Next time you go to Disneyland it will just be that much more magical.

Gavin can crawl forwards now. This is bad. If I don’t keep an eye on him he gets into things he is not supposed to. Like the electrical outlet on the wall. That seems to be his favorite.  Oh and the laundry room. You gotta love that laundry soap. On Thursday he called me momma. It warmed my little heart. Too bad I don’t think he knows what it means…

I am pleased to announce that I will be in Rexburg in four days. Four. It seems like an eternity away. I am so very excited to get out of Oregon and experience the beautiful Idaho weather. My brother is quite excited to go as well. But I think it’s just because of all the cute college girls he will be meeting. 12 hour road trip anyone?

Tyler just got back from EFY on Saturday which caused me to reflect on my own EFY experiences. I went three times… when I was 14, 15 and 16 and I went to BYU all three times. Ohh what a great experience they were.  It is funny how much time has passed. My COW is now on his mission serving the good people of Texas, and is doing very well. My one goal in life is to become an EFY counselor.  The end.

Also. I made a new friend. Her name is Aly Rutter.

Also. My birthday is a week from tomorrow. Woohoo. I will be the big one nine. Woohoo.

Life is Good

Today was… uneventful. Just like every other day of my life. Want me to prove it to you? Here is my schedule. Monday through Friday:

1.       7:00 a.m. -- Get up

2.       7:05-8:00 -- Take a shower, put on makeup, put my hair up, eat breakfast, brush my teeth

3.       8:00 – Leave the house and drive to work in my hot minivan

4.       8:30 – Arrive at my destination (work)

5.       9:00 – Feed Gavin breakfast (usually 1 tbs. oatmeal with 3 tbs. breast milk and I mix in mango and pear baby food)

6.       9:30 – Gavin goes down for a nap

7.       10:25 – Gavin wakes up from his nap

8.       10:30 – Heat up 5 oz. of breast milk and feed it to him

9.       10:30-11:30 – Play with Gavin’s toys

10.   11:30-12:25 – Embark on a walk around the incredibly hilly neighborhood

11.   12:30 – Feed Gavin Yobaby yogurt (vanilla flavored) and some vegetable baby food (his favorite are prunes)

12.   12:30 – Gavin goes down for a nap

13.   1:25 – Gavin wakes up from a nap

14.   1:30 – Heat up 6 oz. of breast milk and feed it to him

15.   1:45- 3:00 – Play with Gavin’s toys

16.   3:00 – Gavin goes down for a nap

17.   4:00 – Gavin wakes up from a nap

18.   4:30 – Mommy comes home!

19.   4:30 – Leave work and drive home in my hot minivan

20.   5:00 -- Arrive at my destination (home)

21.   5:00-10:00 – You don’t want to know

Yes. You can see plainly here that there is something wrong with this picture. Do I have a life? Not really. But that is a-okay.  Because I am going to Rexburg in the Fall. Woohoo!

But you know what? It is nice being at home. Free laundry. Free food. Free room and board. I get to spend time with my family. I get to spend time with my friends before they leave on their missions. No homework. No tests or projects. No stressful finals. Life is great here at home.

4^th of July was so great. Polly and A.J. came over. I love those two. It was great to spend time with my family and friends while we watched all the illegal fireworks from my front porch. They remind me of Disneyland. I want to go back. End of story. For dinner, my dad made delicious salmon and a yummy fruit salad and watermelon. Then we had a superb jello cake. Yum Yum!

Life is good.   

A Moment of Silence...

I would like to call a moment of silence for Grommit Beta who passed away June 30^th at approximately 5:00 p.m. We mourn for him. His beautiful red color brightened the room. He was kind to everyone. He was gentle and loving. He loved to play in the rocks. He loved to hide behind his pink tree. He loved to starve himself.  This was most likely the cause of his death. My heart aches as I think of him and the wonderful, fulfilling life he led. One can only hope to have the kind of life that dear Grommit had. Wallace Beta is heartbroken that his best friend now is dead. As I write this, tears are streaming down my face. Grommit: I know you are listening. Thank you for being such a wonderful fish the past six days. No one could have asked for better. You will be missed.

This past week has been quite good. I went back to work and was pleased to find that baby Gavin still remembered me. He is now such a big boy! He is now starting to crawl, except he still can’t figure out how to crawl forwards. He can only scoot backwards and he backs himself into corners and gets stuck. It’s pretty funny. He also figured out that if he doesn’t like the food I am giving him he just has to spray it all over me and I will stop feeding him. I have many orange and green stained shirts from his food. Mmmmmm. Yummy.

This past week, my family went camping without me. I was home alone. I watched Criminal Minds. Big mistake. I had to sleep with a butcher knife. Don’t worry though. That serial rapist that broke into my room? I got him.

And last before I close, I would like to talk about someone very special to me. It was her birthday yesterday but I did not get to write about her in my blog because my internet was down. So here I go: Quinci Whatcott. My husband. As a new freshman in college, she was thee best roommate anyone could ask for.  I will never forget throwing bubble gum at her our first night. Singing A Whole New World. Practicing our princess walks. Heart shaped waffles with peanut butter. Talking about marriage. Talking about marriage. Oh, and did I say talking about marriage? Criminal Minds. Glee. Eating Top Ramen. Eating picnics in our living room. Taking care of our two children. Watching Jurassic Park. Hulu videos. Sending our children off to sketchy college dances. Baseball games. Playing MASH. Stalking attractive men at devotionals. Facebook stalking. Stealing cookie bars from Kiah. The late night one-way talks. Talking in our sleep to each other. She always put up with my crazy Disneyland-ness. Hanging laundry all over our room. Going out to dinner and watching her stuff herself. Staying up for me when I was on a date and then eagerly waiting to hear all the horrors about it. Stadium singing. The list goes on and on… She became one of my best friends and still is. She always listens to what I have to say… even if it’s two in the morning. She can make me laugh, and she puts up with me and all my craziness. She is smart and kind. She thinks of others before she thinks of herself. She is an incredibly wonderful person. And I am so blessed to have been her first husband and to be her friend. So Quinci? I love you. And happy birthday.

Wallace and Grommit

I am officially a new mommy to two new fish. Two new beta fish. Yes. I own two beta fish. And they share a fish tank. Don’t worry though. I put a divider in between them so they won’t kill each other. See? I am going to be a good mom. The blue one is Wallace and the red one is Grommit. They live in a very happy home with rocks on the bottom. They each get their own plant to swim in. So they don’t have to fight. Wallace is doing just wonderful. He eats his food twice a day and is a healthy bouncing boy. Grommit on the other hand… well, I’m a little worried about him. He won’t eat his food. I think he is anorexic. Or just trying to starve himself to death. He could just be a little bit mad at me for naming him Grommit. I think it is a beautiful name, but to each his own right?

This past week has been verrry long. Why you may ask? Probably because I didn’t work this entire week. Gavin and his family went out of town so I was stuck at home mooching around. It’s fine really. I just went on random errands and watched random t.v. shows. I went on lots of bike rides with my family through the beautiful town of Sherwood. Don’t fret though. I go back on Monday. Thank goodness. I miss him so much. His poopy diapers and all.

Confession: I have been listening to Christmas music. I have nothing to say to defend myself. It just happened. I can’t do anything about it. My mom gets mad at me when I play Christmas music on the piano (I think it’s because it is the middle of June, although I can’t be sure) so I just resort to listening to it. I am actually listening to it right now. Carol of the Bells. What a beautiful song. I found out that my middle name, Noel, literally means Christmas in French. I did not know this. It is a part of me. Unavoidable. Inescapable.

Today, my family and I had our family pictures taken. A very nice lady named Annie did them for us. They turned out very nicely. Actually I don’t know, I haven’t seen them yet. But I bet they turned out just lovely.

Tomorrow I am teaching the eight year old primary class. About the Parable of the Talents. My little brother happens to be in this class.  So I am pretty excited.

On Monday, my family is leaving to go camping without me. This grieves me greatly. I can’t go because I have to work. They will be gone for three whole days. I happen to just love camping.  My family has been going every year since I was ten. We always go to the same lake (Lost Lake), camp at the same campsite, eat the same food (pizza, and beef stew, peach cobbler, s’mores, oatmeal, hot chocolate) while my dad tells stories around the campfire. We go on a hiking trip as a family up to a beautiful view of Mount Hood, and we go canoeing around the lake while we fish. Then we search for the hidden waterfall (we still haven’t found it yet… after all this time, I’m starting to think it doesn’t exist) and then take another hike around the lake. And I am going to miss it all. Cheer up Rachel…

And last before I close, I would like to talk about someone very special to me. It was her birthday yesterday but I did not get to write about her in my blog because my internet was down. So here I go: Quinci Whatcott. My husband. As a new freshman in college, she was thee best roommate anyone could ask for.  I will never forget throwing bubble gum at her our first night. Singing A Whole New World. Practicing our princess walks. Heart shaped waffles with peanut butter. Talking about marriage. Talking about marriage. Oh, and did I say talking about marriage? Criminal Minds. Glee. Eating Top Ramen. Eating picnics in our living room. Taking care of our two children. Watching Jurassic Park. Hulu videos. Sending our children off to sketchy college dances. Baseball games. Playing MASH. Stalking attractive men at devotionals. Facebook stalking. Stealing cookie bars from Kiah. The late night one-way talks. Talking in our sleep to each other. She always put up with my crazy Disneyland-ness. Hanging laundry all over our room. Going out to dinner and watching her stuff herself. Staying up for me when I was on a date and then eagerly waiting to hear all the horrors about it. Stadium singing. The list goes on and on… She became one of my best friends and still is. She always listens to what I have to say… even if it’s two in the morning. She can make me laugh, and she puts up with me and all my craziness. She is smart and kind. She thinks of others before she thinks of herself. She is an incredibly wonderful person. And I am so blessed to have been her first husband and to be her friend. So Quinci? I love you. And happy birthday.

I Dreamed a Dream...

Wow. It has almost been so long since I have blogged that I almost forgot my password. Don’t worry though. I remembered it. So let’s see… what has happened in the past two months? Well… my birthday is less than a month away. Woo hoo. I will be turning 41. Well not really. But sometimes it feels that way.  And guess what I am getting for my birthday? Les Miserables tickets. Yep. It is coming to Portland in August and my parents bought me tickets. I wasn’t supposed to know that it was even coming. But I found out anyway. Probably because I heard it on the radio. I didn’t even know that it was back on tour until then. I raced home and almost bought a ticket before my mom stopped me and told me they already bought me tickets. I ruined everything. As my dad keeps reminding me. Oh well. At least I have something to look forward to now.

Also. I am going to Rexburg sometime in the next month. When is kind of undecided. I was supposed to go July 14^th to July 17^th but I might have to go sooner. Like July 7^th to July 10^th. I better figure this out soon. I am getting a headache from this.

My job is going just peachy, thank you so much for asking. Gavin is growing so quickly. He is already sitting up by himself and is very close to crawling. He has two bottom teeth and a top tooth is growing in. He loves baby food. His favorites are carrots, peas, apples, bananas, sweet potato, squash, mango, green beans, oatmeal, and baby yogurt. But he doesn’t like spinach very much. Ewww. I don’t blame him. I love this baby human. I think I may bring him to Rexburg when school starts again. People will understand. Or maybe they will think I had a baby out of wedlock. Either way. It’s fine.

Tomorrow there will be a new family member added to my family. Two actually. Their names are going to be Eunice and Grommit. Yes. This is a true fact. Do you ever just wake up and think I want to be a mommy today? Well I do.  I am going to be a mommy to two new fish. I just hope they last longer than when Quinci and I tried to be mommies to new fish. They didn’t even hatch.

I also just want to add that I am the new Settlers of Catan champion. True story. I won twice in a row. Take THAT Tyler and Jonathan…

Do You Like... Beer?

It’s funny. I don’t even know why I am writing in my blog today. Nothing eventful has really happened this entire week. Hmmmm… I went to an abs and core strengthening class on Monday? Yes. Yes, let me talk about this. So since my family is a member at the YMCA, we get to go to free exercise classes. Yep. Free. I rolled out of bed the next morning (I literally rolled out) and I just laid there on the floor. I could not get up. No big deal. My legs didn’t want to move. And my non-existent abs refused to let me up. It’s fine. Good thing our carpet is soft.

Today, my dear brother Tyler asked a girl to prom. I know, I know. I’m proud too. He said that I was being a Nazi about the whole thing. Which may or may not be true. I just wanted to make sure he did it all right. I went down to the Dollar Store with him and bought a cute Easter egg basket and Easter eggs. We bought some candy (jelly beans and cheap chocolate), some fake grass and two cute teddy bears. (Don’t worry. The guy working at the Dollar Store is a guy I used to go to High School with. He is incredibly attractive. I knew going to the Dollar Store was a good idea.) We filled the eggs with the candy and spelled out “will you go to prom with me?” in the left over eggs. It was just so beautiful, I started to tear up. So yes, Tyler now has a date to prom. My little baby is growing up.

Ummmm…. Let’s see… I got hit on by the gas attendant a few days ago. I know… I always get the greatest guys. He came up to my car leaned over in the window and asked if I liked beer. I’m not gonna lie. I have never been asked that before. I told him that I don’t drink. He smiled, nodded his head and told me that it’s smart of me. He leaned closer and said “wait, are you serious? You don’t drink beer??”  I told him I thought beer was just disgusting. He looked at me like I had three eyes. “You mean you don’t even drink a little bit of light wine with your cheese?” I seriously almost broke out laughing. I asked him if he likes beer. Apparently he does. I never would have guessed.  I think he tried to keep flirting, but the gas nozzle clicked. He gave me my receipt, and I sped off. Too bad. He was rather cute. But somehow, I get the feeling that he is not my type.

Ahhh yes. And Gavin. My nanny job is going wonderfully, thank you for asking. But honestly, it’s a little boring. He has been kind of sick the past couple of days, so he has been sleeping a lot. Today I changed two diapers, put him down for three naps, played in his bouncer three times, played with his toys for an hour, fed him two bottles and… gave him bananas for the first time! I mashed up the bananas and mixed it with some breast milk so it was kind of like a soup. I’m not really sure if he liked it, he kept grimacing. I guess I’ll just have to try again tomorrow. Oh goodness… I sound like a proud mother. And it’s only been a week. But this little boy really is special.

Kyle came home today. Thank goodness. I hope he can keep me sane.

Singles Ward? What?

I went to my home ward today. See any problem with this? I do. Let me just start off with saying that I adore my home ward. I really do. But I am just getting so tired of hearing “how was your first year of school?” or “how do you like being home?” or “how are you enjoying this rain?” or “do you have a job yet?” or “wow! You made it through your first year of college without getting engaged!” I mean come on people. Of course my first year of college was wonderful, and of course I am happy here at home but I want to be back and of course this rain is a sick joke and of course I have a job (thank goodness!) and really? I don’t know why my entire ward thought I was going to be engaged before I came home from my first semester. One pleasant ward member approached me with a genuinely surprised face as he said “I thought everyone gets engaged at BYU-I their first semester… I guess not!” Ouch. Don’t even worry though. I’m going to the singles ward next week.

Yes, I said it. The singles ward. You know, I think the singles ward gets a pretty bad rep. Why? I don’t know… but everything that is said about it is entirely true. Once upon a time I went with Ashley over Christmas break. I think the only word I can come up with to describe it is zoo. Enough said. Seriously though, the tension and pressure in the air to find a wife is almost tangible. I may just need to pull out that old fake engagement ring.

Right now, I am talking to my dear friend/roommate Kiah who is currently living in China. She is doing very well, and is enjoying the cheap shopping at the big, beautiful malls they have in Beijing. She starts her work this week at a school where she will be teaching English to preschool kids. Go her. She is going to be making bank. I’m pretty jealous. No big deal.

Good news: I start work tomorrow. At 8:30. In the morning. Woohoo! Gavin! I’m coming! Mommy’s coming!  

I Think I Can... I Think I Can

So you would think that because I’m home from school it would mean that I would have more time to write in my blog. Which is true of course. But here is the thing: I don’t know how I am going to do it. Get through this summer I mean. The drive home was torturous. For a number of reasons. I was almost killed multiple times by our driver who kept falling asleep on the wheel, and also the fact that for every minute I was in the car, the farther away I was getting from my dear Rexburg. It sounds a little melodramatic, I know. What has made it so hard is the fact that all my friends have left. I’m all alone… I never thought being away from school could be this hard. And it has only been a week.

                This week has consisted of: skyping my friends, facebook stalking people, sleeping, baking, catching up on my T.V. shows, and playing solitaire (more times than I would care to admit). The awful part is that I don’t have a car so I can’t drive anywhere. Cabin fever? What?

                Fact. It is a good thing that I am starting my job on Monday. I nanny for this six month old named Gavin. I’m not sure if it is Kosher to say, but I am in love with this little boy. He has to be the most adorable baby known to man. And I get to take care of him. I just can’t get enough of him.

The Birds are Singing

I may possibly be the worst blogger ever. Possibly. It has been almost an entire month. Can you believe it? So… since February 27^th, there have been many exciting events in my life that I would like to discuss:

Exciting Event #1: It is officially spring. Yep. You heard me right. Right now, here in Rexburg the sun is shining, the blue sky is showing its beautiful face, and I can hear birds singing. Well, no, that last one was a lie. I can’t hear any birds. But I bet they are singing in their minds. Oh and I forgot to mention that it is a whopping 45 degrees. I know. Time to bring out those shorts and t-shirts! I better enjoy the sun before it starts snowing again. Like it is supposed to do tomorrow.

Exciting Event #2: Conference weekend (aka next Friday) I will be going down to the beautiful city of American Fork and will be visiting my dear first husband Quinci. I can’t wait to see her and her fish. But mostly her fish. And we are going to go to In-and-Out because apparently they forgot to put one in Oregon. My heart is full of joy.

Exciting Event #3: I might be staying in Rexburg Spring Semester. The problem is, is that I don’t know if this is a true fact or not yet. I first have to get a job at Melaleuca. Apparently they take two weeks to schedule a job interview. I hope I get the job. I hope I can find housing in time. You might be wondering why I possibly want to stay in Rexburg when I could be enjoying Sherwood Oregon. Well let me tell you why: I just do okay? It kind of feels like a good thing to do. So I’m going to do it.

Exciting Event #4: I’m getting married. Probably.

Exciting Event #5: This weekend, I will be having my first Ballroom Dance Competition. We will be dancing the Cha Cha, the Swing, the Foxtrot and the Waltz.  I’m not going to lie. I reeeaaallly want to win. I have spent so many hours outside of class practicing. I don’t want to tell you how many. It’s kind of embarrassing. Oh, and a few weeks ago I got told I do my Cha Cha like a ballerina. Great. Well, it figures since I took ten years of ballet. So I have been practicing my Latin moves. Oh yeah… moving them hips! I must say. I am a lot better now. And don’t worry. I’m going to win.

Exciting Event #6: Quinci is taking Marriage Prep. She is following in my footsteps.

Sometimes I think I’m going crazy. I probably am.

Today has been such a wonderful day. Truly. And here is why: I found out Quinci is coming. To Rexburg. I don’t think anyone understands how much joy this really does bring me. It really will be just like old times. She’ll sleep out on the couch, and I’ll bring out my mattress. We’ll talk about boys and how much we want to get married. We’ll talk about our weddings, and promise each other once again that we will invite each other to our weddings. We’ll talk about Jace coming home. We’ll talk about how great it is being moms to our two daughters Kiah and Morgan. We’re going to go for walks up to the temple and back. We’re going to watch Glee. We’re going to watch Disneyland proposals. We’re going to watch Criminal Minds. We’re going to visit Jordan. It is going to be oh so wonderful.

Sometimes I think I’m going crazy. I probably am.

“To all those who come to this happy place: Welcome.”

Yesterday, Kiah and I went to Idaho Falls. This was the first time I have left Rexburg since the semester started. Wow… yeah. We went to the mall and went shopping for… things. I actually didn’t buy anything. Just kidding. That was false. I did buy a pretzel. With no salt. I was going to get new perfume but I decided I didn’t need it. I know, I know, I was pretty proud of myself too.

Last night was not great.  It seems that with each passing day I get sicker and sicker. I felt like poop yesterday so I just took a rain check on the date I was supposed to go on and stayed in. Unfortunately, all my other roommates were out (none of them stayed to keep me company… but it’s okay.) So I was home by myself with my Disney blanket and hot chocolate. And I watched Titanic. It really wasn’t the same without Quinci, but I still enjoyed it. And then I watched While You Were Sleeping. Oh what a great movie. It’s one of those classics like Sleepless in Seattle that everyone just loves. Or everyone is supposed to love. Apparently.  

Okay, I just need to get this off my chest: I love Disneyland. Oh… there. I said it. I really don’t even think you understand. Right now I am listening to my Disneyland soundtrack, and my heart has really been warmed. There is no place on earth that makes me so happy. Honestly, if I could be anywhere right now, I would be in Disneyland and riding Splash Mountain or Indiana Jones or Pirates of the Caribbean or Peter Pan or Space Mountain or Star Tours or…. Well you get the point. And then I would watch World of Color, or Fantasmic or the firework show. Last time I watched Fantasmic, I started to tear up. Truly. It was beautiful. It is magical in that park, and I believe magic happens every day. It really is the happiest place on the earth. Oh, and don’t worry. That’s where I am going on my honeymoon. Oh, it’s going to be great. “To all those who come to this happy place: Welcome.”

Boxing is my Thing

I was sitting there in my Early Childhood Development class. It was beautiful and warm outside, and I was staring longingly out the window. I was just thinking about how much I wanted to frolic in the meadow when my professor said something that I really do think changed my life. It was just one word: RAD. Rape Aggression Defense. From March 15^th to the 31^st, twice a week, Brigham Young University Idaho is offering a Rape Defense class in the Hart 204. My life will never be the same. I need to take this class. I don’t think you understand. I will be a beast. I will be terrifying. I will be aggressive. And the best part is that I won’t even need a rape whistle anymore.

We had a power outage today for an hour. It was so dark. Don’t worry though. I went to the BYU-I Center, and it was very well lit. I was pretty terrified walking up there though. The streets were dark, and I was afraid because I didn’t have my rape whistle, and I haven’t taken my Rape Aggression Defense class yet. But please don’t fret. I made it okay.

Today I had a boy who I have never met in my life walk up to me and ask me if I am a boxer. Yes, a boxer. Like someone who boxes in a ring. I told him no and asked him if I looked like one. He told me I did… I’m still trying to figure out if I should be offended or not.

Good news. I am volunteering at I-Night for Spring Semester 2011. Do you know what this means? I am staying into next semester for a few days. Woohoo!

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I woke up this morning and looked out the window. I almost cried. Truly cried. And here is why: I saw blue sky. The sun was shining, and the birds were singing at it was 44 degrees outside. My heart was so full of joy I wanted to sing. And I did. This has to be the first time it has been this warm since the beginning of this semester. I almost just wore a sweatshirt… almost.

So today in my dance class we learned two new dances: the waltz and the cha cha. Let me just explain a little about my oh so dear dance class. The male gender participants of that class (bless their hearts) I really do believe are trying their very hardest. After about two months of practice, they finally got the foxtrot and swing down, but there is just something about the waltz that none of them can get. 1…2…3, 1…2…3, 1…2…3… I think they all missed that day in preschool when we learned how to count. That’s okay, we all have sick days. But I can honestly say I have never had my feet stepped on so many times. It is just a little hard to be graceful when your feet are being stomped on every other step. Or maybe it’s just me. But I am sure that it will come with time. Please be sure to include them in your prayers. And my feet too. That would be nice.

Today was also devotional. I’m sure it was a really good one. Yes, I was there, in fact I was supposed to meet up with a boy there. Unfortunately this did not work out so I was sitting all by myself. This is what happens when your roommates don’t go to devotional. But that is okay, I really am not bitter. Anyway so I was sitting there all by myself watching all the gorgeous guys walk past, and then it hit me. I suddenly could hardly keep my eyes open and it was very, very warm. So after the prayer I decided to just close my eyes for two seconds. Next thing I know it’s the closing prayer and I have red sleep lines down my face. The guy behind me was laughing at me. I told him he was dumb. It’s totally okay though. At least I was there right? Heaven points? Maybe?

Oh and one last thing. Today Kiah and I got a beautifully wrapped package from dear Quinci. Inside were delicious sugar cookies. Thank you Quinci. They are so yummy. All of our roommates agree. Maybe you should go on a cooking show or something. I don’t know. Just a thought.

Dear Quinci

Here I am. Writing a blog. And I'm not even from Utah. My question is: what is wrong with this picture? Well, let me tell you. It is an enthralling story really. Once upon a time, I went to college. I just so happened to have a roommate named Quinci Whatcott. She really was great. And I'm not even lying. Well, one day I made a promise to this dear roommate of mine that if she started a blog then I would follow suit and start one myself. I really didn't think that Quinci would start a blog, it would just confirm that fact that she really is from Utah. But lo and behold I am sitting here on my bed in by apartment writing out a blog entry. Thanks Quinci. I keep checking out the window and door every few seconds. I don't want anyone to see me and think that I am from Utah. But hey, I think I may actually like this. Maybe...

So today was full of wonderful events. But let me be first to say Happy Valentine’s Day. Actually that’s a lie. Today is not Valentine’s Day. It's a half an hour past Valentine’s Day. But that is okay. It was a pretty good day. And let me tell you why: My roommate KD and I really enjoy going on walks together. In the freezing weather. When you step outside and your fingers turn blue and you can't feel your toes and your breath freezes in midair, you know it’s going to be a good walk. That is how today was. But before we left, my throat was still kind of sore. So naturally I did what any intelligent human being would do, I grabbed a popsicle and brought it outside with me to eat. Two seconds later, my lips were frozen to the popsicle. Yep. Frozen. Solid. If you can believe it. I stood there feeling pretty stupid. I mean it wasn’t like I had licked a frozen pole or anything. Luckily, just in time, an attractive male walked got out of his car. So quickly I did what anyone would do. I yanked my lips away from the popsicle so that I could smile at him. Bad plan. I looked down at my white coconut popsicle to find it completely covered in blood. Cool. Don’t even worry though. I wiped it off. Too bad it wouldn’t stop bleeding. I still can’t figure out why he looked at me like that.

So that’s my story of the day. I need to go to bed. And I have written too much. This is embarrassing. I hope you’re happy Quinci. This is just for you. Because this is how much I love you. Enough to sit and waste a half an hour of my life trying to figure out how to post an entry. But it is okay. No hard feelings.