Rachel Angela Clark

Reasons to Be Happy

2012-01-22T19:03:00.001-08:00

I've found a new reason to be happy this year, that I've never enjoyed any other year. SNOW! Wow I love the snow. Somehow having bought and paid for a season pass to Snowbird has made me revel in the scary roads, dark days, and frosty windows. And it got me thinking...

How much do I see in my life that I think the worst of? What do I come across that could be an opportunity to feel great about? What can I do to increase my own happiness so that I can increase the happiness of others?

There's a sister in the Relief Society Presidency in my stake. Every single time I see her, she makes me feel like the greatest person she's ever met. She lights up and immediately validates anything I have to say to her. She is incredible, and she makes everyone around her feel incredible as well. I once made a goal for myself to have a "contagious" but very genuine personality, and I've realized that this is exactly what this amazing sister is. She is genuinely contagious. And I want to be just like her. Now it's in figuring out how to do that. Here's a quote that will help me start...

"Be helpful. When you see a person without a smile, give him yours."
Zig Ziglar

My bluntness has always been a problem of mine, it gets me into trouble. I'm hoping to turn it to a positive thing instead.So to anyone that reads this, I truly and sincerely think you are fantastic. I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it.

Where have you been?

2011-11-17T18:22:00.000-08:00

Rachel, where have you been? Rachel's been wearing the invisibility cloak and has been replaced by Miss Clark.

Oh Miss Clark, how your worries and fears differ from your counterpart's.
When someone asks "What are you doing later this week?" My thoughts revert to: "Preparing my sophomores for their final test from To Kill a Mockingbird. I also need to create a rubric for my junior's presentations for 'The Federalist Papers'. We're getting started on DBQ's for the AP test and I'm really worried about how well they will catch on."
When someone asks me how my day was, it relates directly to whether it was an "A" day or a "B" day.
Miss Clark dominates the majority of my thoughts, and I kid you not, I've even caught myself unintentionally use teaching techniques on my friends.
With that said, Miss Clark will be temporarily taking a rest as of Dec. 5. I will be done student teaching. That's right, I've survived this far, I can make it 7 more days. But before that time comes to an end, I'm going to post Miss Clark thoughts. Feel free to stop reading. This may be just for me...

A week and a half ago, a student at my school took his life. He was not one of my students, but I had students that were heavily affected. When a student dies, it affects every student in the school because the grief and sadness is related to such a young life being taken away. This causes me to grieve. But not on behalf of myself, on behalf of my students.
Last Friday my school went to the semi-finals for state football. The odds were heavily against us, and in the 1st quarter, our QB broke his collarbone. In goes 2nd string QB which is one of my 8th pd. students. He played an AMAZING game, and in the last minute of the 4th quarter, the opponents scored a touchdown making the final score 45-41. All I could think about was how sad my student must have been, and how difficult that ride home for him was.
I had a student who's mother passed away at the end of the quarter. I can't imagine what that would be like to handle at such a young age. She's missed hardly any school, but it is apparent how much of a struggle she is going through. All I can do is tell her that I'm sorry for her loss, and give her as much time as she needs to make up work.

As I see my students go through hard things like this, it makes my heart ache for them. Because of that, I enjoy the happy moments all the more. If only I could give them a glimpse of the potential of everything that they are. Even my the students that make me want to scream. I want them to know that they are amazing, and that life will always get better. Laugh. Sing. Dance. Do whatever it takes to make yourself feel good for a little while, and always count on the fact that tomorrow will be better. Always believe that things can be better. Everyone around you is going through something hard, believe that happiness is worth it.

That's all.
Laugh, be happy. It's always worth it.

Contradictions...

2011-10-04T07:16:00.000-07:00

I realized today that I'm somewhat of a contradiction...

I'm sitting here working on lesson plans for teaching my 10th and 11th graders how to better understand the English language and use it properly. I'm dressed up because it's Parent Teacher Conferences, and I'm hoping parents will take me slightly seriously. I've got heels on, rings, earrings, bracelets, a cutesy little jacket, the whole nine yards. My hair is curly, and I bleach it blonde on purpose. As I do this, I'm listening to some new music I just bought off iTunes. What songs would you guess?
Well, if it were to be according to the way I'm dressed, it would be Brittany Spears (whom I own much of and teach a lot of dance to).
If it were according to my occupation, it would be some classical, or possibly soft rock, such as James Taylor or Carly Simon (also have on my computer).
Would it be my generation's pop culture music? Maybe some Katy Perry, or some Fray or Script, or maybe even B.O.B. or the beloved Jason DeRulo (again, I have all of these bands/artists in my library).

No, it is none of these people, instead it is a personal favorite that I can never get enough of and listen to way more than any of the artists listed above...

Rise Against. Angry, loud, wonderfully poetic, and crafted by the vegan genius that is Tim Mcllrath. I would LOVE to see them in concert, they've been to Utah a few times, but I haven't been able to go yet. They're the kind of band that you just know would be even better in concert and your life will never be the same after you see them. I would totally be the girl at the concert in a pink t-shirt and American Eagle skinny jeans... hated by everyone around me.

Do I think this makes me unique? Not really. I'm sure there are oh-so-many more just like me. I can't help but laugh when stuff like that comes up though.

Are you a contradiction?

Secrets to Interviews

2011-09-15T06:41:00.001-07:00

I have a friend that's interviewing for a job, so I text him to tell him good luck. The conversation from there went as follows:

Me: "Good luck today!"
Him: "Thanks. As fate would have it - either after 23 years I suddenly have allergies...or I have a head cold.
Me: "Don't let the snot drip into your mouth during the interview...they'll think you're immature..."
Him: "Haha. Done. Also, I sneeze about every 3 minutes. Hopefully the interview isn't longer than that."
Me: "Oh I'm sure it won't be...grown-up interviews are quick. In and out. I mean, what do they really need to know?"
Him: "They have my resume...they should really just e-mail me all their questions and I'll get back to them when I can.
Me: "That seem reasonable. Who are they to try to take up your time with their useless questioning?"
Him: "Also, I wanna hit the gym after, so I just wore my gym clothes. And I rode my motorcycle so excuse my hair. Also, I'm expecting a call on another job so I may have to take a call in the middle of this."
Me: "Well, it's less of another job, and more my friend calling, but we need to talk about our fantasy football team, so you understand right? I'm kinda hungry, do you have any bagels or anything?"
Him: "But I'm testing my gluten allergy, so we're gonna need to go gluten free on these. No bagels? I'll call in an order - we can take a 15 - you go run and pick em up while I wrap up this football gig."
Me: "Lol! You win. Add on an "mmmkay pumpkin" and I think you've got the job."
Him: "Also, is this a smoke-free workplace? I don't smoke...but my dog does. And he can't go more than 45 minutes without me rubbing this ointment on his sores, so he's gonna need a place to run around while I'm here. Also, while you're on that bagel run, mind if I ask ya to swing by place and rub this on him? Thanks chief."
Him: "Ya know what, I feel good about this. I'll take the job! I'll start tomorrow!"
Me: "Lol, I won't be in until about 10:30 though. I don't like to wake up to early, makes me look groggy, and I don't do groggy well. And my band is playling a gig at Somedude's Playground this weekend, so they're going to come practice during lunch. You're gonna love it."

I think he's going to get the job, don't you?

Sigh...

2011-09-14T08:15:00.000-07:00

"We are all worms, but I do believe I am a glowworm."

*Winston Churchill

Wisdom from Teen Wolf... =)

2011-08-29T13:14:00.000-07:00

So, yeah, I watched MTV's Teen Wolf this summer. Epically awesome because it was so terrible, but I couldn't help myself. I LOVED it! In the 2nd to last episode, Scott(Teen Wolf)'s mom gives Scott some love advice... and I still think it's genius, so I thought I'd post it.

"Have you told her how you feel?"
"She's knows."
"Come on, she knows. She knows? Listen, dumba$, I'm gonna let you in on a secret that most guys don't even have a clue about. Right? You ready? Women love words."
"Huh?"
"You need to tell her how you feel. Just say it. Say it again. Say it differently. Learn how to say it better. Learn how to sing it. You know, just, write it in a poem, in a letter, attached to flowers. Carve it in a tree. On the sidewalk with cement. Tattoo on your arm."
"Really?"
"No, not really a tattoo. Just, tell her the truth. Tell her anything and everything you want."

Women love words. Agree?

I guess it IS just me...

2011-08-16T15:00:00.000-07:00

We all know the age old statement "Is it just me or...(insert funny/stupid/depressing statement here)". Example:
"Is it just me, or is it hot in here?"
"Is it just me, or are you sick of all the rain this year?"
"Is is just me, or is that an incredibly ugly baby?"
"Is it just me, or do you get annoyed by the sound of your voice?"
Well, I recently had a comical revelation that helped me answer this rhetorical question... It IS just me....

I recently had Taco Night with some friends. We made some tacos (naturally) and dessert, walked to the nearest Redbox, and watched Unstoppable. It was a fun night for all. The part of the night that made it great, and has left me thinking even 2 weeks later, was a brief conversation I had with my friends. It started out:
*Talking about fun nights out
*Talking about plans girls make
*Talking about "girl's nights"
*Talking about how girly girls are
*Talking about how funny girly things are
*Talking about how guys would never purposely have "guy's night"
And that was the point where I could no longer follow the conversation. I actually interjected, and said,
"Wait a second, I have tons of guy friends that do 'guy's nights.'"
My guy friends responded by telling me in various ways that guys will never turn down the chance to be around girls. If they do there's something wrong with them. I was like
"No seriously, I have way more guy friends than girl friends, and a whole bunch of my groups of guy friends do it. There have been a bunch of nights that I don't get invited to stuff because they decide to make it a guy's night."

There was a disturbing and embarrassing silence that followed that statement. Followed by muffled giggles. And it suddenly occurred to me. My guy friends are just telling me that because they don't want me around. Harsh reality, maybe, but honestly, it made me laugh more than anything. I don't take offense super easily, and still won't in the future. But the revelation of this statement really made me laugh. I don't know how I didn't see it sooner, but really it is true...

So, for the most part, guys want girls around all the time. Yes, this makes sense. But it seems that the statement "Is it just me, or do your guy friends have guy's nights ALL THE TIME" really IS just me... HA!

You're going to LOVE this guy!

2011-07-13T08:32:00.001-07:00

I have a friend that recently posted a website on her blog, and I can't get enough of it. I read it all the time. Prepare for shock and awe. The website is:
singleswardhopper.com
And my friend's blog/response to it is:
Brooke's Begining

I wish I had more clever and amazing things to add to Brooke's post, but she's pretty much got it covered. I will add this though, I sent an e-mail to this fine young lad asking if the post was a joke. He responded, "No, it's for real." There you have it folks. This guy is bonafide.
Enjoy, because I certainly do.

More Restaurant Rants...

2011-06-12T21:34:00.000-07:00

Dear Mr. Winking Winkerson... stop it. Seriously, stop it. It's not ok, particularly when you are a grown man, to wink more than once a conversaton, sometimes a sentence. It's not charming, I won't give you free dessert. It's just creepy and gross, and creepy. Stop winking.

Dear Old Lady Campers... I make 2.13 an hour. Your tip, while certainly based on the quality of my service, also acts as a way of renting your booth/space. If you stay for 4 hours, you're cheating me out of 4 more possible tips. Not to mention, sweet old ladies, just because you're old, doesn't make it ok to leave 10%.

Dear Sir Talks-a-Lot... I'm sure you're an entertaining person. I bet you have a rich and full lifestyle that basically forces the sharing of deeply personal stories. You know what though, I'm a waitress, I've got stuff to do, you're not the only table in the restaurant, and mostly, I don't care about your life. At all. I'm always up for a good joke, or a silly anecdote, but I just don't want to hear about your genius grandson, or about the time that you drove to South Dakota with your dogs. I'm a stranger, not your barber.

Dear Questions McGee... My job is to know everything about the food in my restaurant. All of it, every ingredient. So when you ask me questions, I'm happy to answer them. Unless you ask a series of questions about food you know you don't care about. Requiring me to tell you about 13 things on the menu, and having you end up saying "Eh, I'll just get what I always get" makes me want to punch you. In the face. Hard.

Dear Really Ready Rudy... If you take a long time to decide what you want to eat, that's ok. I'll come back to the table 9 times, because that's my job. But if you make me stand in front of your table while you decide, I'll get upset. "Are we ready to order? Do we need another minute?" "No, we're ready.... I'll get the....Well I'm trying to decide....I got this last time, it was really good, but I don't think I feel that that this time...What are you getting?" "I can give you some more time, that's no problem." "No, really, we're ready....I can't decide what I want, what are you getting?" Yeah, that just makes me want to kill you.

Would it sound like a lie if I told you that I actually really like my job?

Blah, blah, blah.

2011-05-01T19:56:00.000-07:00

*I could seriously live off cinnamon bears and ice cream for the rest of my life.
*One of my favorite parts of the day is cleaning out my ears.
*I love Celtic music.
*Word searches could keep me entertained for hours.
*Boy Meets World is the greatest show ever created. That's not even opinion, that's just fact.
*One of my pet peeves, and I don't have many, is eXspecially.... not a word. Not a word.
*If I could be an animal, I'd be a duck. Hands down.
*I absolutely love the taste of chocolate SlimFast...
*The clicking noise that iPods make is one of my favorite sounds. Seriously.
*I have a weird celebrity crush on Seth Meyers and TJ Thyne.
*The first cd I ever owned was 14:59 by SugarRay.
*Sleeping in my contacts was a bad habit of 7 years that I broke as a New Year's resolution this year. Last year I stopped biting my nails.
*In December I found a pair of boots in my closet that I forgot that I owned..
*I make the best cupcakes IN THE WORLD!!
*In 3 years of waitressing, I've only dropped a plate of food once. It was a little boy's spaghetti. When dinner was over, he told me he'd be my boyfriend.
*I've never had a pet. Mostly, I don't really like animals. Yes, I do think this makes me a bad person.
*One of my favorite items of clothing is a well-fitted white t-shirt. Just can't get enough.
*UFC fights rock my world. Faber, Muir, and GSP!
*I can't eat Jell-o. I can barely even look at Jell-o. It's making me sick to even think about it...
*This is the top most played song on my iTunes right now... Not to mention this video is HOT!!

The second most played is...

Bones, Bones, Bones, Bones!

Suit up!

Ohh.. siblings. How I love thee.

2011-03-08T13:41:00.000-08:00

My birthday was a couple weeks ago. Yay. 23. Finally here. I'm stoked for 23, good things to come. On Sunday we had a party for me and my brother Jesse. I got the most wonderful card from the oldest of the family, Josh. As a pre-req, if you don't remember or know about the story of my sister La, click here. This is probably the best/worst/meanest/greatest/funniest card I've gotten in my 23 years... enjoy.

Happy B-day Sis.
We love you. La would be proud of you this day. May
you laugh when no one is there, always. La is
listening.
Love, Josh and Alexza

My new favorite thing....

2011-02-07T20:30:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting something for several months now... I think about it all the time, and I get overly excited to think about actually having it. I have all sorts of plans about what I will do with one in the future, and I've become a little obsessed with it. I wanted one for Christmas, but that didn't end up panning out the way I thought it would. I thought maybe I would ask for one for my birthday, but I was still hesitant. In reality, I could probably have just gone out and found one myself, but I kept putting it off for some reason.

Well...

My birthday is at the end of the month, and for some lucky reason, I got an early birthday present... A UKELELE!! I can't tell you how excited I am about this. I've already been on YouTube learning chords, tuning it on my piano, and I'm starting to learn how to play "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World". I can't wait to be able to sit down and just play songs. I'm totally gonna play for my students, and they will think Miss Clark is the weirdest teacher they've ever had. And I will love it. I will play for my nieces, and my eventual nephews. And they will tell me that I'm weird, and I will love it. Oh my heck, I just thought about finding a hymn book for the ukelele. Oh no, now I'm even more excited..
Only catch though... I'm really not much of a singer, so everyone else will have to sing for me. But it won't slow me down!
My new favorite thing.. my ukelele. :)

Shhh... you're all alone....

2011-01-23T14:11:00.000-08:00

Alone. Ah, alone. Can you think of the last time that you've spent more than 6 hours alone? (With the exception of sleeping for my single friends) It's not something we do a whole lot. We go to school, we go to work, we spend time with friends, we talk to our spouses... well, you do, not me so much. I will now turn to the I form to avoid such a mistake again...

I live at home. Yes, almost 23 and at home. And I LOVE it. I've been the only one in the house for around 8 years now. I lived in Orem for the first 4 years of school, but now reside in the basement of my parent's beautiful home. Because it's just me and the 'rents, no siblings, no roommates, I get to spend a fair amount of time alone. Now I'm talkin' just me hanging out doing homework, watching Glee or Boy Meets World, making some din din, solving word puzzles, and such. But as I do these things my Mom and Dad are around. I get to talk to them a lot. I talk to people at work and school all day, then I come home at night and talk to my parents and friends. Generally, I do a lot of talking in the day. I like this. I like to talk. It feels normal.

My parents have been in St. George since Wednesday. It's a frequent thing for them to do. My parents travel quite a bit, and go to St. George all the time. Consequently, I get to spend a good amount of time in the house alone. And I like it.

I spent much of this weekend in a stationary state. I hurt my foot in my dance class at school, and had to elevate and ice and compress and what not. As I did this, I caught up on my reading for my literature classes. I had a total of 3 1/2 novels to complete this weekend. After about 5 hours of this on Thursday, I started to not feel normal, and I started to wonder if my voice worked anymore. I had to call a friend to make sure. It did, and does. On Friday, after about 4 hours, I just fell asleep, cause I was bored. On Saturday, the silence was relieved by a night at work, and P.S. I Love You when I got home. And today, after church, the silence begins again. I've gotten to the point where I'm blending normal and abnormal... and talking to myself out loud has set in. (Just to make sure my voice still works, and to increase my insanity...)

I really like to be alone. I think it's refreshing and it keeps me in tune with me. But right now, I might be too in tune with me. Stop talking to yourself Rach... it's not normal...

2011-01-20T21:54:00.000-08:00

The rise of man is endless. Be in hope.
All stars are gathered in his horoscope.
The brute man of the planet, he will pass,
Blown out like forms of vapor on a glass.
And from this quaking pulp of life will rise
The superman, child of the higher skies.
Immortal, he will break the ancient bars,
Laugh and reach out his hands among the stars.
—Edwin Markham.

2011-01-10T17:38:00.001-08:00

"It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship...There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations- these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit... Next to the blessed sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses."
C.S. Lewis

Boys are stupid, and girls are mean.

2010-12-22T23:16:00.000-08:00

It's nothing new. I've used this blanket statement an endless amount of times before. Yet, no matter how many times I say it, I still feel it to ring true.

Boys are stupid, and girls are mean.

Why Rachel, how could you say such a terrible thing? What a rotten generalization you've created for the human race! Well, you know what!? It's true.
It comes as no surprise to any of you that I've dated some winners. We're talkin' down home cookin, old fashioned, gee-golly-darn-fresh winners. These guys should win awards for the special kind of winners that they are. I'm not pinning anyone down here, just more of an all encompasing statement really. If you threw them all in a barrel, shook them up, threw them off a mountain, and made some soup of them, you'd have the world's greatest winner soup. (I use the term winner as an attempt at a lighter, more jocular word. If I used the words I'm really thinking, which let's be honest are still incredibly mild, I'd feel bad for a long time. So to avoid my own personal self-hating guilt spiral, I'm goin with winner.) Buddy the Elf would have to sincerely congratulate this soup for being the world's greatest winner soup. And what has it mostly boiled down to for me? Boys are stupid.
I have a lot of guy friends. A LOT. I've called myself the chronic homegirl. (Yes, I realize that's probably some sort of reasoning for my statements above, but just go with me here, ok?) As chronic homegirl, which I absolutely enjoy by the way, I have heard a lot of stories about girls. I hear about the trickery, the manipulation, and the meniacal little snots that my friends find themselves dating, and each time I just want to find these girls and punch them. Or slap them, or pull their hair, or break their necklace or something. I'm probably not tough enough to actually punch a girl, so I'd just make some attempt to physically harm them. Why? Because I'm a little bit mean. These girls lead my friends on, they go back to their ex-boyfriends, they use them for their motorcycles, they rebound, all of it. Too many girls have messed with too many guys, and each an everytime, it breaks down to the same thing. Girls are mean.
Well Rachel, not all girls are mean. You know what, that's really true. There are some good hearted and sweet girls out there. A lot of them I'm sure. I could even name a few. But too many times when there's a problem, and even though it can be unintentional, that problem is that girls are mean.
Rach, not all boys are stupid. Scientists, presidents, doctors, lawyers, teachers, comedians. There's all kinds of really intellegent guys out there. Some guys are really sensitive and thoughtful. My husband's not stupid. I love him. But you know what, at some point, if you run into a problem with a boy, it's probably because he did something stupid. Because boys are stupid.
Now I say this with love and respect for both genders. I love being a girl. And I love boys. Seriously. I love them. Someday I'll love a stupid boy of my own, and I'll probably do something to be a mean girl. When we fight, I'll laugh, and smile, and think in my head 'Oh honey, you're so stupid' and I'll give him a kiss and say 'Babe, I'm sorry I was mean.'

No Burgers or Fried Foods, it Agitates Godzilla.

2010-12-20T16:10:00.000-08:00

Sometimes things go wrong at my place of work. It happens to everyone right? Well, I worked this chilly Monday morning, and we had a little issue at work. The fans in the kitchen went out, and when you fire-grill and fry the majority of your food, it creates a lot of smoke. Without fans, the smoke has nowhere to go but throughout the restaurant. Naturally, the room got pretty smoky. We were moderately busy, and guests were upset, UNDERSTANDABLY! We couldn't really open the doors to air out the restaurant for long periods of time, because it's about 22 degrees outside. So, we shut everything in the kitchen down for about a half an hour until someone could come to remedy the problem. Yep, that means no burgers, no fries, no onions rings or cheese sticks, no grease, which is what our restaurant does best. After it was mostly over, I had this conversation with my one of my co-workers, Sean.

"Wow, that was fun wasn't it?" (Sean)
"Yeah, the best part is that I have about 23 dollars to show for it." (Me)
"Wow, it doesn't get much worse than that.... long pause..." (Sean)
"What?" (Me)
"I'm trying to think of something that could've made it worse, but I've got nothin." (Sean)
"Ha, yeah." (Me)
"Godzilla. That would have made it worse." (Sean)
"You know, you're right, that would've been worse." (Me)
"Sorry about the smoke folks, Godzilla's in the back" (Sean)
"He just ate one of the cooks." (Me)
"He's pretty upset." (Sean)
"We'll be holding funeral services in a couple of hours." (Me)
"If you stay for it, you get free desert." (Sean)
"But no burgers or fries." (Me)
"No, no burgers or fried foods. It agitates Gozilla." (Sean)

On days like today, despite the pathetic amount of money I didn't make, my serious re-consideration of continuing into a 3rd year at this place, and the potential of black lung from the fryers, I love working. Red Robin.... yumm....

Sleepy sleepy sleepy.

2010-11-15T14:37:00.000-08:00

I'm sure it hasn't escaped anyone's attention that I haven't blogged for a month and a half. I just get into ruts where I just don't have anything to say.... the rut still isn't gone, so I'm posting a g-mail conversation I had with my friend Bryce back in March. When I found it, I laughed out loud, and still wish that this were possible.... If only this invention existed. If only....

me: that's good... i oddly have not gotten tired enough for a nap today... i think it's cause i've gone to bed before midnight this week..

Bryce: i just ran out of ink...good times.

Ha, I took a 10 minute nap an hour or so ago

me: ha ha

Bryce: bliss

7:01 PM me: those really can be. unless you wake up two and a half hours later. that's the worst.

Bryce: and then you can't sleep at night

and the cycle continues

me: ah sleep. how you control my mood, and my day, and my life

7:02 PM i desperately love my friend sleep, but we generally don't get along. i guess it's a love hate relationship.

Bryce: haha

I agree

7:03 PM sleep, he's an interesting one

me: He likes to tease

7:04 PM Bryce: and the jokes on us

cuz he always wins

7:05 PM me: I know it

I think he's roommates with Satan.

Bryce: HAHA

and they love to go tubing together

7:06 PM me: Indeed. Indeed they do. And the inner tube is gigantic.

7:07 PM Bryce: Satan loves it

Sleep is indifferent

he just likes to learn Satan's tricks

and use them on us

I wish we could store sleep

7:08 PM me: Oh my gosh. That would be amazing. Like rollover minutes. When you sleep to long you can keep them for when you don't get enough sleep.

Bryce: You could decide, ok, for the next week, I'm gong to stockpile my sleep

7:09 PM and then use it for months

We should invent a device to capture it

7:11 PM me: Oh man. If only. Like, next week, I don't really have time to sleep on Monday or Tuesday, and I leave for Cali on Wednesday. I don't work Saturday, so I could just take like a 6 hour nap and load up for next week.

My Fall Soundtrack

2010-10-06T00:02:00.000-07:00

It's finally fall. Finally. And along with fall comes some music that, for me, really makes the season what it is. If mix tapes were still around, this cassette would have stickers of red and orange leaves and a quote by Robert Frost on it. These are all songs that I feel are meant to be listened to with your windows down, sweater on, cool breeze coming in... basking in the incredible that is the autumn season. These songs bear no other theme than that. I hope to compile another set, but for now, I hope you can enjoy as much as I have.

Finally Fall Mix.

1-Trevor Hall-Sing the Song 3:38
2-Band of Annuals-David's Country 3:34
3-The Starting Line-Something Left to Give 3:35
4-John Mayer-Perfectly Lonely 4:28
5-Switchfoot-Enough to Let Me Go 3:52
6-Joshua Radin-They Bring Me to You 3:59
7-John Mayer-The Heart of Life is Good 3:21
8-Guster-Demons 4:26
9-The Weepies-Living in Twilight 3:04
10-Jason Mraz ft. Tristen Prettyman-Shy That Way 3:31
11-Dave Barnes-Little Lies 2:48
12-Eric Hutchinson-All Over Now 3:27
13-Augustana-Either Way I'll Break Your Heart Someday 4:11
14-The Format- Sore Thumb 3:19

When Everything You Thought Was Wrong....

2010-09-29T21:03:00.001-07:00

Once in a long while, things come out utterly different than you could have expected. Something you never wanted to like, you end up loving, something you love gets old, someone you didn't expect to talk to again calls, etc, etc, etc. You know what I'm sayin'. This can be fun once in a while... or it can suck. But let's focus on the fun things. A few of my discoveries as of recently...

I really like avocados. I went nearly 22 years without appreciating the things. This new love is mainly due to my sister in law's incredible guacamole.
I like travel books. I think they're fascinating. This is due to one of my classes at school. We literally study travel books and maps. Gotta love upper division courses.
The Orem Library is AWESOME. I don't think I'll ever become a member because it costs like 80 bucks if you're a non-resident, but I greatly enjoyed the place. The visit was due to an assignment for my amazing travel book class.
And to wrap up the post for the day.... I usually don't like entertainment that is old school. Things like black and white movies, old music, that kind of stuff... but due to Pandora's genius suggestions, I can't get enough of this song lately, so I thought I'd link the YouTube vid.

Enjoy. I certainly have.

And, just to make the moment more legendary, this song was sung on my one of my favorite TV shows on Monday night. True Story.

Fall is Finally Here.

2010-09-20T19:33:00.000-07:00

For me, fall is a time for my soul to be inspired. As corny as that sounds, for me it rings true. The colors and the crisp smell and feel of the air brings out good things for me. I love sweater weather, driving with my windows down, and the festivities of the beautiful season.

Try not to get caught up in something
you don't have...

I said this to a friend tonight, and as soon as I said it, I realized it was for me. There is so much beauty to take in right now. I smile just thinking about it. Happy Fall everybody. I'm so glad it's finally here.

Things That I Like... and Things That I Just Don't.

2010-09-07T22:40:00.000-07:00

I really like my new boyfriend fit shorts from American Eagle, they're comfy and wonderful.
I really don't like my dad's teeny tiny running shorts, they make me want to throw up a lot.

I really like the smell of my amazing new perfume, every time I spray it I'm delighted.
I really don't like the smell of the squash that I accidentally left on the stove top for the weekend... sorry mom.

I really like to get letters from my friend Jessica on her mission, they make me smile.
I really don't like to get my cell phone bill in the mail, it's always more than it should be.

I really like to sleep with my window open, it makes my room smell nice and I sleep kinda chilly.
I really don't like when I come home at night when the parents are gone and realize I left the back door open, I have to call someone to come make sure no one's creepin in my house.

I really like pb&j sandwiches and Capri Sun, they make me feel like a kid.
I really don't like when my parents ask me why I came home so late, they make me feel like a kid.

That's all for today... this may be a post I do more often...
Rach :)

Lies We Tell

2010-08-31T14:15:00.000-07:00

I found that meeting new people can be a game sometimes... just waiting to see what they think of you. Waiting to see what their first impressions are. Soon those impressions wear off, or, they end up being right, either way, always entertaining. I was hanging out with my friend Chris a few weeks ago, and we talked about our first impressions of each other, considering we had known each other for about 2 years, but had never bothered to really get to know each other until then. Well, some funny first impressions came off, and it gave me an idea for a post... The lies we tell people, or let people believe. Just for the sake of it. Come on, you know I'm not the only person that's ever done this... here are some of mine...

These are things I've had people assume about me, so, lying, I played along...

I played soccer in high school. (I get this one a lot for some reason...)
Also, that I'm really good at sports.
I'm a natural blonde.
My hair's not naturally curly. (I usually proceed this one with telling them I have a really tiny curling iron. Guys fall for this all the time. It's hilarious to see their reactions.)
I have a lot of younger siblings and I love kids.
I ran track in college.
I'm a really good student, and I get really good grades...
My favorite kind of music is country.
I like to go hiking and camping, ie I'm an outdoorsy kind of girl.

And, lies I get a kick out of telling other people...

I'm from Vermont. (Nobody knows anything about Vermont, so they don't ask questions)
I'm an only child.
I've never traveled out of Utah.
I have a kid... I never let this one last long, it's just great to see people's faces.
I've auditioned for American Idol.
My name is Rebecca. Sometimes Michelle. (I don't particularly like either of these names, no offense to anyone, they just seem to be the first ones that come to mind.)
I've shot an elephant.

Yeah... that's all I can think of today. Who knows why I get such a kick out this, but hey, we all gotta do something to keep ourselves entertained right? It's always a good thing to be able to laugh at yourself. I just might do it too often...

Things That Must Go.... Restaurant Style

2010-05-19T19:12:00.000-07:00

I like to listen to the X96 morning show... I like this idea... And I'm a waitress... here ya go.

~Children that run around the restaurant at free will while their parents ignore them and talk to their friends.
~Asking your waitress for one thing, and when she comes back with it, asking her for one more thing, and when she comes back with it, asking her for one more thing, and when she comes back with it, asking her for one more thing.... BRAINSTORM PEOPLE!! Do you need napkins and fry sauce? ASK AT THE SAME TIME!!
~Complaining about the selection on the menu... you want steak? Go to Ruby River!
~Verbal tipping. Doesn't do me any good just to hear I did a good job. Doesn't do me any good if you just write me a nice comment card. I am working. For money. If you can't afford to tip, you shouldn't come to a sit down restaurant.
~Sitting in your booth for 3 hours on a Friday night. I don't know how to explain this to you to help it sink in, but as servers, we make $2.13 an hour. $2.13!! My hourly wage depends on how much I'm bringing in off of tips each hour. If you tip me $6.00, and you stay in that booth for 3 hours, I only made $2.00 an hour off of you. If you're gonna stay, you've gotta leave more money. I'm trying to pay for college my friend.
~Standing in an isle for 15 minutes talking to friends. We need to serve people food. You're in the way. Please move.
~Getting REALLY upset that we don't have Pepsi. There is nothing I can do about that. I'm sorry you're addicted to Pepsi, but you getting upset does not change our soda machines magically somehow. Just get water. You'll live. I swear.

Sigh... Ok, I try really really hard no to complain when I'm working, and I know there are only like 3 people that read this... so I'm sorry if you hated it. But I needed it. Ha. Thanks all....
:)

So far from where I feel like I should be.

2010-05-02T20:32:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel that way? I don't say it in a depressing, "I think I'm a pathetic excuse for a human being, so you must pity me and tell me how great I am" kind of way, just stating a fact. I wonder sometimes how I'll be able to get closer to the person I want to be.
This all stemmed from that chance I had to attend General Conference for the second Sunday session, and Elder Foster gave that amazing talk about mothers. I bawled nearly the whole way through. My friend Ben was sitting next to me, and put his hand on my back and said, "Aw Rachie, it's ok." I looked at him and with tears streaming down my face, I whole-heartedly said, "Benny, I'm scared to be a mom." Frankly, I am scared to be a mom. I'm terrified. Not only because I am some day going to house a growing fetus inside of me that in 9 months has to come out, but because I am so far from where I feel like I should be. The way that I spend my time, the shortcomings I have, and the lack of responsibility I possess even for myself show me how far I have to go. I will be a terrible mother if I carry on like this.
I'm not a bad person. I don't make terrible decisions. But I want to be stronger. Less lazy. More committed. I'm working on it. Get back to me in 10 years. I'll let you know how it's going.

If I weren't me...

2010-04-22T12:39:00.000-07:00

My friend Jordan and I were sitting on the stage of Studio 600 a few weeks ago. The night was winding down from hours of country dancing, and they were playing the last few songs. (Yes, I still go country dancing.... ) Despite my attempts to be a kind and loving individual, Jordan and I were poking fun at a few people on the dance floor. As we did so, I got that crappy feeling knowing that I shouldn't do that, and I promptly tried to stop. It then occurred to me. We were sitting on the stage, not dancing with anyone, laughing hysterically to ourselves, ages 21 and 22, wearing friendship bracelets. No doubt in my mind that if there wasn't someone currently making fun of us, they had at one point during the night. More than that, I fully deserve it. So, I've decided to make my blogging come back by pointing out all of the things about me, that if I weren't me, I would definitely make fun of... cause let's be honest, I'm kind of an idiot.

I crack my knuckles about twice an hour. All of my knuckles. Every knuckle in my hand. Loudly.

I'm 22 and the background on my computer is Glee.

I have 3 different friendship bracelets that I wear often.

My laugh is incredibly loud.

I laugh all the time.

For some reason, everything is funny to me.

Even when I'm mad, I'm smiling. That's really annoying.

I hiccup just once about 7 times a day.

My hands wave as though I'm speaking sign language when I'm telling a story.

I only have one dimple.

I also crack my ankles about every hour.

When I yawn, my eyes water. I'm tired a lot. I always look like I'm crying. With a smile.

I dance in the isle of the grocery store.

I almost always run and jump onto my shopping cart, pretending I'm a race car driver.

Coloring books and fairly new crayons are a staple for me.

I wear my hair in a prom do, everyday.
I tend to think that I'm hysterical.

Country dancing is a frequent hang out for me.
Poking people is a way of life for me.
I bite my nails incessantly.
If my fingernails are painted, it's an insanely bright color.
My socks never match. This is on purpose.
My hands look like an 80 year old woman's.

Well, that's all I can think of today. Feel free to add.
Seriously, I would make fun of me if I weren't me. A lot.

My hands hurt.

2009-08-04T09:07:00.001-07:00

It's been a long time since, I've posted, yes? Have you missed me?

Today's topic... washing your hands...
Washing your hands. Vital to your health, or so we are told by our parents and our doctors, and the signs in public bathrooms. It is the best way to prevent the spread of disease. At summer camps, hand sanitizer is ever prevalent, and even restaurants are starting to provide the alcohol smelling wonder that kills 99.9% of germs. I am a huge fan of hand sanitizer, but at my restaurant, I do not get the chance to indulge on my love of hand sanitizer. I get to wash my hands. All day long.
Recently, due to the fun sickness that has decide to infect the nation this summer, my restaurant has implemented a heavier hand washing rule. Now, I'm not going to tell you that I'm against health and sanitation. I think it's great. But take a dive into a 6 hour shift for me for a moment. We're required to wash our hands for exactly 20 seconds. Not 15, not while you sing the birthday song or your ABC's. We wash our hands for a stop watch timed 20 seconds. Not so bad? Well, the other thing we're required to do while at work is pre-bus all of our tables. Everything that isn't a glass, silverware, or paper, must be off the table before the bussers come to clear. (What do the bussers have to do then? I ask myself the same question every day. Don't get me wrong, I love our bussers, it's just a hassle right now...) So, as we take the other things, plates, baskets, appetizers, etc, back to the dishwasher, we have to wash our hands. I'm usually working with 3-6 tables at a time, and I average 2 trips for a pre-bus and I generally get through a table in 45 minutes. 2x6=12. Every 45 minutes I'm washing my hands 12 times. For 20 seconds. My hands already looked like an 80 year old woman's!! They're drying out. They're cracking! I hate washing my hands! The ritual has become a miserable experience for me! Right next to the sink in the back, there's a glorious hand sanitizer dispenser that I do not get the priviledge to partake of. It sits there laughing at me while my hands get washed raw.
Now you know. Red Robin workers have really clean hands. Well, at least I do. And I hate it. Appreciate your watiress. If you look at her hands, and they look like mine do, tip her a couple extra bucks, and feel sorry for her.

I try to avoid the online journalish feel for my blog. I mostly do it to give myself a kick once in a while, but I have had a lot of great things happen to me in the last little while that I'll fill you all in on. I got the chance to be an EFY counselor this summer, and it was incredible in every aspect of the word. I loved every minute, and am so grateful that I was able to do it. I got to go to Lake Powell for a week with Jordan and her family, and I loved it! It's so beautiful there! I went to the Lady Antebellum in St. George, also with Jordan, and we lived it up!! Lady A was amazing, and Charles Kelly is intensely good looking.
Rach

The Joys of Siblings

2009-04-27T09:19:00.000-07:00

The Saga of La

I have three older brothers. Josh is 8 years older, Jesse is 6 years older, and Dan is 4 years older. When I was younger, my brothers developed an extensive and elaborate story about a sister they once had name La. She was the best sister in the world. She would do anything and everything for my brothers. She was the sweetest and the brightest, and no matter what I ever did, I couldn't live up to what a great sister she was. Of course, in the beginning, this provoked questions in my young mind about what happened to her. Well, my brother's explanation was simple. Arnold Schwarznegar chained her to a post, and ran over her with a Corvette. This, naturally, was terrifyling to me as a young girl, and the very thought of that big, scary, muscley man shook my very sould. Anytime that my brothers were baby-sitting me and bagan to tire of my energy, they would run to the window and scream, "Rachel, Arnold is coming, run!! Go hide in your room!" This would immediately bring my tiny little mind to tears, and I would run to my room and hide in my colest for a half and our. Not only was this effective to get me out of their hair, but anytime that were too lazy to do something for themselves, they had a wayto coerce me into doing it for them. If they wanted a glass of water, but didn't want to get up to get it themselves, they owuld ask me to do it. I would reply with asmart and childish no, but they would lay into me about La. They would tell me what a grea sister whe was and that she would ahve done it for the. I wouldd immediatley feel guillty and run downstiar sto get them a drink of water. Often times they would even go as far as timing me, telling me that La could make a sandwich in 15 seconds. Every single time, I wasn't fast enough, and they woudl tell me once agian that La was a better sister than me. You may be asking yourself how exactly my borhters got away with this. Yet another one of their ploys. They would explain to methat I could never tell my mom and dad about La, becuase if I did, it would bmake them cry, and I didn't want that. So, this is how I lived out the majority of my childhood; in hear of Arnold, and consisitenly in the shadow of a nonexistent sister.
Several years later, when I was about 16, I had my family at home for some type of holiday. We were all standing in the kitchen, and like a WWII flashback, the horrors of La came back to me. I gasped remembering what my brothers had done, and I began to pour out the story. My mom was in shock, and my dad laughed for about 10 minutes. My mom couldn't believe that my brothers had gotten away with it, and that I had never told her about it. To this day, I am still teased about La, and what a great time my brothers had with it.

Observations made on a sunny day in April...

2009-04-20T10:58:00.000-07:00

Really short shorts that are too small and thick legs usually don't make a great combination

Being alone for a long time can be lonely

Paying 80 bucks for a parking pass and living in a camper in the UV parking lot seems kind of financially savvy

Warm fresh air and snow on the mountains makes me smile

When your backpack is the size of your body, it might be time for a new backpack, 0r a new body

Sleeping in feels good sometimes

Twilight is a great watch any time of the day

The green grass grows all around all around, the green grass grows all around

Opening your blinds makes your room look messier

Even if you shove them to the very back of your throat, steroids still leave a nasty taste in your mouth

Holding hands is picturesque

Some days jeans don't fit as well as they're supposed to

Thoughts of summer make me exhale

Today, spring is here, and that's reason to be grateful

Hands

2009-03-24T19:48:00.000-07:00

Today I developed an appreciation for something I took for granted only a few hours ago. As I sat at the UVU/BYU baseball game tonight with my hands inside my sleeves because it was FREEZING! I thought to myself... What would life be like without fingers? What if I had to live each day with nubs!? How very grateful I am that I have fingers... So, I decided to writed a tribute to fingers, and all the amazing and wonderful things that can be done with them.
1. I can wear rings on fingers. Someday, many many days from now, I'll be married. And with nubs, I wouldn't be able to wear a pretty wedding ring.
2. If someone else didn't have fingers they wouldn't be able to pick their nose. And for someone else, not me, that would be a tragedy. A happy and not gross tragedy.
3. Fingers allow me to scratch my arm, or my leg, or my back. If I didn't have fingers I would remain uncomfortable, and that would probably escalate to lots of frustration.
4. Fingers let me type on my blog. Something I like to do from time to time. Such as now.
5. Picking things up is a heck of a lot easier. And dialing the telephone. I tried both of these things with nubs. It's tough, give it a try.
6. I drop stuff a lot. A lot. If I didn't have fingers, I imagine this would be alarmingly more frequent.
7. I like to eat suckers. Without fingers to hold onto the sucker stick, I would probably look rather foolish holding a sucker, and would probably stop eating them as much.
8. Fingers let me poke people. I tend to be a little annoying, but I can't even stop myself most of the time. Poking and prodding is just so much fun.
9. I can run my fingers through, well get my fingers stuck in my hair.
10. And the last thing thing that I'm grateful for fingers... is holding hands. I like to hold hands.

HMS Smiter...

2009-03-05T09:11:00.000-08:00

There's a new, fun, little game going around on Facebook where you find out the name of your would be band, first album, and the cover art.
My band name would be the HMS Smiter. The album would be called Cause for Prejudice by Noon. And the picture to your left would be my album cover...
Sounds like a political heavy metal band to me...
Well, I'm going to need to learn to scream. And I'll need to buy a decent distortion pedal. Wish me luck.

Rachel's Dictionary

2009-02-26T16:04:00.000-08:00

For my Adolescent Literature class we recently read a book called Freak the Mighty. I give it about a 7, but that' s besides the point. One of the main characters writes his own version of a dictionary, and as an assignment for the class, I did the same. It ended up being pretty funny, cause let's be honest, I'm hilarious. So, I thought I'd go ahead and post it...

Achmed the Dead Terrorist- a really funny puppet
Bologna- a silly spelling for disgusting sandwich meat
Clammy- a word for gross hands
Deja Vu- frustrating repeats of your day
Ehnic- something I wish I was
Fur- how Utahns say "for"
Grenadine- fancy way of saying cherry flavoring
Hick- name for people from Spanish Fork
Idiot- someone who's hard to talk to
Jamboree- some secret camp that all boy scouts go to
Karma- boomerang effect
Liverwurst- the worst of a liver, something very bad
Moun'ain- the way people from Utah say mountain
Normal- something that no one is
One- the loneliest number
Phat- me: pretty, hot, and tempting
Quarter- something that will buy you bubblegum
Rachel- coolest name ever
S-word- naughty word
Thermos- a magical instrument that keeps things hot or cold
Unicorn- they exist.
Viagra- something that my mom won't tell me about
Wadder- the way we pronounce "water" for some weird reason....
X chromosome- the thing that makes you smart
Y chromosome- the thing that makes you less smart
Zylophone- the way xylophone ought to be spelled..

Watch out Webster...
Rach :')

It's My Birthday!!

2009-02-26T12:01:00.000-08:00

That's right. I am shamelessly telling myself Happy Birthday, and I'm ok with it. Happy Birthday to me. How will I celebrate? Maybe I'll get a little extra crazy and drink a Sprite tonight. Maybe I'll go to Vegas and walk the strip. Maybe I will buy an underaged kid some bubblegum. Who knows, the possibilities are endless. Really though, it's already been an amazing day. I've had 1,000 little kids at Snow Springs Elementary scream Happy Birthday, my sweet family has called at wonderfully early hours of the morn, my amazing roommate decorated my bathroom, well wishes, cheek kisses. And Heavenly Father has blessed us with incredible weather that creates smiles all around. Happy Day.
21, who would of thought I'd be doing the exact things that I'm doing today. I wouldn't have it any other way. Thank you everyone. I'm blessed to have each of you in my life.

Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T10:09:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!
Tell someone that you love them today.
Even if it's by force.
Heck, boost the economy and buy someone flowers. :)
Enjoy the day.
Rach

TMI Via Rachel

2009-02-05T17:08:00.000-08:00

Ah, yes. I am putting this horrendous picture on my blog. Why? Because I think it's hilarious.

So, this time I though I'd rip off an idea from one my favorite blogs to read, written by my good friend Nate. Apparently it's some sort of game that's been circulating on facebook. Gist of the game, you write 25 random things about yourself. So exciting. But really... Nate deemed the title of his list "Dejunking Bag's Head." I like that. I've decided to call mine..

TMI Via Rach :)

1. I have an unusual fetish with white and black plain t-shirts. I have like 13.
2. I also have an unusual fetish for jeans, but I won't tell you how many pairs I have...
3. My mom is my hero. She's more than i could ever ask for.
4. For some reason, I get a real kick out of candy suckers. Especially Tootsie Pops. Maybe it's because they make me feel like a kid again.
5. I hate jello. Please don't ever talk about it. If you try to feed it to me, I may puke all over your face.
6. I only have one dimple. But you know what, I have found out that it's not that weird. Lots of people do.
7. My hands are as wrinkled as an 80 year old woman's. On the top, and on the palms. I have met only 4 other people with this condition. One is my brother.
8. I'm a straight up sucker for 3 things: apple pie apples from The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Ben and Jerry's Cinnamon Bun ice cream, and my mom's carrot cake.
9. I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve, but I'm ok with it. I pretty much only have two emotions though. Really really happy, or really really sad. Not too much gray area for me.
10. Little kids are beautiful, and I love them, but I'm not very good with them. Especially naughty ones. I don't have much patience. I will learn for my kids though. No really, I will.
11. I love music. I listen to it anytime that silence isn't required. I've even started to listen to classical while I read my textbooks. It makes me feel cultured.
12. I've had the opporunity to go to some amazing places in my short almost 21 years of life. And for that I feel grateful and spoiled.
13. I have 3 older brothers that love me, and I have a little bit of each of them in me. I brag about this at will because I love them too.
14. My mom is a speech therapist, and as a result of that I have little or no tolerance for people with speech impediments(other than a stutter, cause that's not really fixable, nor do I consider it a speech impediment...ha). It's cruel yes, but it's like nails on a chalkboard to me when a 25 year old man has a lisp and can't say his R's. There are specialist that can fix that you know.
15. Dance is my true form of expression. My soul smiles when I dance.
16. I would take the mountains over the beach any day of the year. Even today, when it's cold outside.
17. The guys I have dated have all been insanely different from each other. I don't think I could even put them in a category together. I haven't decided what that says about me.
18. My first kiss was before I turned 16. I admit this shame-faced.
19. There are only a few things in my life I wish I could take back or do differently. My way of coping with this is to tell my kids and hope they don't make the same mistakes.
20. Something in other people that I have a hard time with is when they blame their personal problems or difficulties on other people. I really believe that you can only solve problems if you first look at yourself.
21. Ms. Rush, my 12 grade AP Literature teacher, is still to this day, the best teacher I've ever had, and is a large inspiration for my career.
22. I want my future spouse to learn to be handy like my dad. It has saved my parents thousands and thousands of dollars throughout the years.
23. When I get married, I want my wedding dress to be the size of my house.
24. Smiling makes me happy. That's why I do it so much.
25. I wear a bracelet everyday, for more than one reason, that says "Happiness is the key to success." I live by that.

There you go. Too much information. Take it or leave it. Love.

Sillyheads

2009-01-31T10:58:00.000-08:00

First to describe the title. My dear friend Peter uses this term quite a bit. I find it endearing for more than one reason. First, I love Peter, and he himself makes me smile. Second, because it seems like a term a 4 year old would use. Third, because it's seemingly harmless, and a lot nicer sounding than the word I'm usually thinking. Last, because its uses can be all encompassing, and you can call anyone for just about any reason a sillyhead, thus making the term incredibly useful.

Today, I'm going to use the term to describe some of the people in attendance of one of my favorite pass times... country dancing.

Now, my following description does not by any means describe all guys that I know, nor does it describe all guys that go country dancing. It does however describe a select handful of guys that seem to find themselves in Salt Lake City, at Studio 600, on Thursday nights. (Oh, and just a side note, the boots in that picture are hot, and I wish they were mine,) So, as I mentioned, country dancing is one of my favorite pass times, and I go probably about 3 or 4 times a month. I've been doing that for a while, so I've gotten to get into a pretty good swing of things. One thing that never ceases to throw me off are these great group of young men that I will categorize as SILLYHEADS.

These sillyheads don't always have a reputation of being the greatest dancers, which is fine. Not everyone can be expected to be a great dancer. But the thing that throws them into this category is the incredible things they choose to say... a few examples, not all examples by any means, only the great quotes I can remember at the moment. And of coarse, I've had help from friends, because I can't get to all the sillyheads on my own...

"Hey, did you know that you have really curly hair?"

"You have a really strong...body."

"You have really nice teeth."
"Thank you."
"Yeah, my whole family is in the plastic surgery business."

"Did you play soccer in high school?"
"No."
"Oh, it's just that you have really thick legs."

"Wow, it looks like you've been dancing a lot tonight.."

And this one may be my favorites so far. This was said to my dear friend Abby this past Thursday..keep in mind, this is while music is blaring, while they are dancing...

"Do you prefer Smith's or Albertson's?"
"Um...Smith's I guess."
"Really, why?"
"Uh, because it's closer to my house."
"Really? That's the only reason?"
"Um.. yeah, I guess."
"Well Albertson's has a really great produce section. Their salads are really cripsy."

Sillyheads.
I understand it's not always easy to come up with conversation, but that's one of the beauties of dancing. You don't have to talk! Anyway, bless their hearts. Sillyheads.

Unsolved Mysteries

2009-01-20T09:32:00.000-08:00

What do you see when you look at this picture? Well, as my dear friend Jordan put it best, I see, "A bunch of tiny little men running around on a field." That's what I see, yet, somehow, most of the men that I know see hours and hours and hours...and hours of entertainment. This to me, will remain an unsolved mystery.
Jordan and I ate at Ernie's Sports Deli this morning. Oh so very delicious. As usual, Ernie's had ESPN on, and that struck up a conversation between the two of us. How in the world do guys enjoy watching ESPN all day? Especially when it's endless sports clips. How is it that most guys know exactly what's going, what team is playing, and how that ten second play effected the entire game. All I see is nonsense and hours of boredom. My brothers in particular can watch sports highlights for a longer amount of time than I can spend on my hair, which is impressive. More than ESPN, the channel that captivates a man's attention in an inexplicable way is...
How in the world can guys watch sharks for four hours? Why is it interesting to watch elephants spray each other with water? How is it enjoyable to watch people from foreign countries eat bugs? What makes Bear Grylls the man? Why do you love to watch super geeks blow stuff up? Why is Planet Earth the greatest show ever created?
Almost every guy that I know over the age of 21 makes his first big investment by purchasing a nice big TV. Why do they do that? So that they can watch ESPN and the Discovery Channel.
Maybe the key to it all is that women just aren't supposed to understand....

2009-01-15T11:38:00.000-08:00

So if you eat as much candy as I do, you begin to learn some things about different types of candy. One of my favorites things I've come across are the silly messages inside the wrapper of Dove candy. (And by the way, why is it that the same company that makes the soap and lotion I use on my skin makes the chocolate I put in my mouth. They had better be two separate factories my friend.) I recently had the pleasure of enjoying a bag of caramel chocolates that my dear friend Jordan purchased. Here were some of the Dove-isms from this time around...

The most enjoyable experiences are often free.
Let chocolate warm your soul.
Think without limits.
Patience is a virtue.
Make a pledge to get 8 hours of shut eye.
Think without limits.
Success is the sum of many small efforts.
Think of someone who makes you smile.

Profound. Certainly not. Entertaining? Sure. Worth putting on a blog? Probably not. But I did it anyway. Yay for post #2. :) Rach

Suprise!!

2009-01-11T12:09:00.000-08:00

Who ever thought I'd see the day that I made myself a blog.... ha. This should be fun.