Sunday, December 21, 2008

Christmasness Is Not Really A Word (But It Should Be)


I haven’t posted in a long time. I’ve been content to let all of your creative Christmasness permeate my soul for a little while. This year has been a tough one and I suppose it’s been harder to share. I didn’t send out very many Christmas cards. I sent out a few handwritten ones to family members and friends far away. I was going to include the following Christmas letter inside the cards, but thought instead I would share that here. So here goes:

Tony has kept super busy. An example of the nights he has been experiencing: the baby up coughing, Conner up losing his dinner, and me recuperating from surgery. There is a special place reserved in Heaven for a man who cleans up vomit two nights in a row, from two different people…or else a special place in hell experienced right in the moment. The bags under his eyes are mostly hereditary, but when you see him out on the road, move away a little bit because he hasn’t been sleeping well. He recently switched jobs and Human Resources is the next best thing to saving the world. I sometimes have to pull him out of the super high energy trance that benefits and employee recruiting puts him in. He started a new blog. Someone made a comment on it once and he’s still talking about it. It’s about politics, a topic that Tony only has a LITTLE interest in, so throw him a bone and check it out. The address is conservativegrange.blogspot.com. Tony rocks Rachel’s world and keeps her grounded and she still loves him even after 13 rather long years of marital bliss.

Rachel’s been running amok in the past year. Not running literally, because that would be a form of exercise and she has been putting that off. After a gall bladder attack that was her own fault really since she had tried to take her own life in a chocolate frenzied overdose, she had the offending organ taken out and is feeling much better. She manages to now belong to two book clubs, and one and a half writer’s groups where she dazzles (er…rather dazes) with stories of murder, mischief and camp. She is recovering from addiction to her own blog. That’s right admittance is the first step in recovery. She checks her own blog so much that the stat counter at the bottom is probably mostly her. When she’s not chanting “serenity now” while driving so that she doesn’t say anything else that could be construed as offensive or staying out past her bedtime giggling with pals, she’s molding young minds in the primary. She is grateful for her favorite calling as wife and mommy and loves those in her life.

Conner is mapping out the rest of his life. No really, he makes A LOT of maps: World maps, road maps, maps into different worlds, maps of major battles. Yes he realizes (we think) that he is seven years old, but believes in thinking ahead. How can he earn money for space camp has been a riddle for him to solve. He figures if he sells something for 5 dollars wouldn’t it be wiser to sell it for 10 so it won’t take as many to sell? He is approaching baptism and scouting and longer legs at lightening speed (well the legs not so much…but you just wait) He got top spot in the classroom Geography Bee and second overall in the second grade round and was delighted with the silver medal. Conner enjoys public speaking. He was the youth speaker in sacrament meeting and spoke for seven minutes. Mommy has asked him to not speak quite so much before she fully wakes up in the morning when he enjoys discussing important topics like the Revolutionary war, electromagnets, and deep doctrines of the church. He at least needs to wait until after breakfast so she can google anything (everything) she doesn’t know. We are so grateful he’s in our family and that he is thriving in school and with his friends who are so important to him.

Cecilia has only caused a few injuries this year. We upped our premiums due to the head butting incidents, but they are usually in church during the sacrament and inflicted on members of her immediate family, so we are not going to sue at this time. She can say 1,739 words- well maybe not that EXACT number, but at least 75. She has stopped walking like Frankenstein and occasionally lets us brush her hair. She can sound like a kitty or a dinosaur at any given time, and trust us, that’s talent right there. She gets a joke, refuses to eat anything green, is careful not to hurt herself when she throws a tantrum (because that would be silly), and is extremely adept at throwing a ball. She has a larger than life personality and is quite a social little thing and we apologize now to anyone who has a hard time concentrating in church because our daughter is oinking or dancing or pulling faces at you. It’s not you, it’s her. We adore her and love to see her and her brother interact. We waited a long time to have her in our family.

So there you have it. If you wanted a polished, perfect look at our family I’m sorry you didn’t get it. That’s just not us and we are grateful for that. The Lord has blessed us tremendously and allows us to grow and develop through out the year in the hopes that we will ultimately become more like Him. We frequently mess up and chaos and hilarity ensues, but we keep trying. We love our Savior, we love each other, and we love you.

Merry Christmas everyone! This will probably be my last post until Christmas so have a beautiful one.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

This, That and the Other

Well, first things first. The surgery went well and I am slowly getting back to my life. My days of gorging myself on chocolate are over...at least it's been a few weeks and for me that might as well be forever. I'm still pretty sore and can't pick up the baby yet, but the surgery story and the gift basket I received are a post in itself. One of these days I will share! I have a few things I need to catch up on. I won a contest over at my super cool new friend Kerri's blog. It arrived a little while ago and I have loved reading it as I've been convalescing! A huge thank you to Kerri for an awesome blog and this great gift she sent. Thanks Kerri :D
Also, I have a couple of tags to catch up on. Kerri tagged me with a tag to show the fifth pic from the fifth pic file so here it is: It's Conner smooching his sister. Not the clearest photo, but the sentiment is there! Also In Time Out gave me an honest scrap award (soooo cool- thanks, love it!) but I have to name 10 honest things about myself. I just named eight random, but detailed facts about me, so I will keep this brief.
1-I have a temper
2-I feel bad about that
3-I can be sarcastic
4-I painted my toe nails and finger nails black in honor of my surgery
5-I don't paint my nails very well
6-I really want to jump out of an airplane
7-I don't like to cook
8-I like to win
9-I don't like to lose (yah, I really, really DON'T, but I try to be polite :D)
10-I check all the time to see if more people are following my blog...is that honest enough???
Thanks so much to all that have and if you haven't yet, just take a moment and click the mouse...it only takes a second. You don't even have to check my blog EVERY day or anything...it can be every other day...I won't mind :) hee hee (I'm pathetic)

*Also, my hubby has been a gem through this whole ordeal! The kids have both been sick, I've been down and I know he is just exhausted! Thanks babe!

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

'Gall'y What A Day


Oh Gallbladder we used to be so close. I admit I never really knew you all that well at first, but this last little while we’ve spent some quality time together. I know you must have been one of my favorite organs to hang out with. Your function of storing all my lovely Bile was much appreciated. I admit I really resented it when you brought your friend ‘Stone’ into the picture. Did you really have to introduce him to me on Thanksgiving and did it have to be in the ER? It wasn’t that I was jealous, but things started feeling a little crowded between us. At 1.6 centimeters he really threw his weight around. I wish he could have left us, but you made your choice and now I’m going to have to ask both of you to leave. I wish you could just go quietly and that there need not have been a third party involved, but I’m going to need some help when you move out. I’m actually going to need to throw some money at you (money that was earmarked for Christmas I might add) to help with the final goodbyes. I want you to know that I will miss you and I wish you and Stone the best. Oh by the way, thank you for the five pounds you’ve helped me to lose. It’s funny how your last meal requests have been applesauce, PLAIN noodles and alfalfa sprouts. We have until Thursday, so think about what activities you’d like to do together until then…sleeping…not eating…not drinking…resting…lying around. Yes, yes, Stone can come too…but only until Thursday. I’m already talking to my new favorite organ Small Intestines about Bile and I think once I introduce them they will make a beautiful couple. Dang, I HOPE they get along well! I’m not nervous at all, no not ONE LITTLE BIT. (oooohhhhh)

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

On Gratitude Part 2


I am grateful:

I am grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ. He is my dearest friend and my rock and my strength.

I am grateful for my handsome, passionate, intelligent husband and best friend.

I am grateful for a little boy who makes me want to be better every day (and who just won the Geography Bee in his class)

I am grateful for a little girl who is just like me and who keeps me on my toes

I am grateful for a calling that requires me to stretch and grow beyond any capability I have

I am grateful for dear friends who walk shoulder to shoulder with me through this life

I am grateful for my pain and weakness which helps me rely on the God who gives me breath

I am grateful for this beautiful holiday in which gratitude is celebrated and which reminds me that I need to remember to be grateful every day.

I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving and thank you for your friendship, your stories you have shared with me, and your talents in writing, photography and wit. I am grateful for all of you.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

It's All About ME

Ok I got tagged by my cute new bloggy buddy Tink. So here are 8 facts about me that I know that you cannot exist another second without knowing!! Let me put you out of your misery...

1)People sometimes call me for random Hollywood facts. Can't remember who plays an obscure part in an obscure movie? I'm you girl. Even if I haven't seen the movie, odds are I still know about it. Yes, I follow entertainment news and not just current stuff. I love old Hollywood as well-classic movies rock!
2)My nickname is Clarabella Firewoman. I am ridiculously delighted with it! I picked it up one year at a little place called girls camp and it stuck. Before I knew it people knew me as Clara instead of Rachel. If you want to make my day call me Clara (weird I know) I guess in all my moving around it's from a time and place that holds the happiest memories for me.
3) So along with that I have moved 19 times in my life. I have lived in 4 different states and the longest I have lived anywhere is 4 years. That was hard for me in not establishing deep roots, but I have loved, loved, loved the opportunity of all the friendships I have made along the way.
4)I took acting lessons as a kid. We lived in So. CA and I tried out for a McDonald's commercial. I was so nervous, I laughed through the whole thing. Drat! I could have been a star...Unfortunately, my only time on stage has been in ward roadshows (once as a dancing road cone...my proudest moment-sniff)
5)I love to write. I have been writing since the second grade when I wrote my first poem entitled "I Love My Baby Brother." Pretty professional stuff. I belong to a writing group and we critique each others work and it's something I try to make a priority in my life.
6)I went to junior high with Jaleel White. Remember Steve Erkel?? (snort, snort) I ate lunch with him everyday before he played a famous TV nerd- back then he was only in Apple Jacks commercials...hopefully I wasn't his inspiration...you know Junior high is an awkward stage and all.
7)My hubby and I got stopped by the secret service for filming footage of the Senate chambers. Yes you just read that sentence correctly. Oh, you're NOT supposed to do that?! They confiscated the camera and the battery died right then. Shoot...um, we are really nice people...kinda dumb...don't kill us...or take away our social security number. Luckily, my hubby is a Steeler's fan (is that really lucky?) Apparently, they respected that and let us go. Phew!!
8)I once worked as the Boots and Jeans girl at Reams...it doesn't get any more ironic than that. It was my first job and if there is any one person in the world who shouldn't have had that job...it is me. "These snake skin boots have real leather uppers...and would you like a belt buckle the size of a dinner plate with that?" Good times...

I am going to tag 8 friends if you want to play: Kerri, Melissa, Mindi, Bonnie, Cami, Angie, Lyndy, and Kimberly

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Pasty Bloodsuckers And The Women Who Love Them

I’m going to the midnight showing of Twilight. A woman rented out a theater…no screaming teenagers, just screaming mommies? I just found out the ticket includes pizza, candy and a water bottle (sweet) Heck she would just have me at the water bottle, but midnight sugar and cheese…priceless. I’m hoping we are all on our best behavior and that there’s no pushing, shoving, or snoring (cuz face it we’ve already had a full day and Robert Pattison isn’t enough to keep all of us awake.) I'm excited to be with friends and for the adventure of it. And if it’s not good (which would just be SHOCKING :) or if it is, which also would be a bit shocking) either way…I’m going to the midnight showing of TWILIGHT!!

PS- I’m really looking forward to seeing Daniel Craig...er, um... Quantum of Solace-anyone seen it yet and what did you think? Honestly, even if you hated it, I'm still going to need to go see Daniel Craig... Also I can’t wait to see The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Read the book first, it’s fabulous!!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

The World's Longest Sentence (English majors I'm apologizing now!)

You know when it's late at night and you've only got healthy snacks 'cuz you're addicted to sugar and you sneak up into your kid's room and quietly borrow...take...steal a Kitkat which turns into seven, but then they're all gone and you realize there's only jugi fruit and candy lips and he'll notice, oh he'll know his own mother is a thief, unless he thinks the baby did it and you make a promise to yourself that you'll buy a whole bag tomorrow and just dump it in his sack and he'll never know the difference and how awful that you're taking candy from well you know the proverbial phrase, but he's not a baby, and you'd never really take candy from a baby because she would just happily hand it to you and trade it for a binky, and you sigh with relief as you finish off the last of your baby's teddy grahams...yah, me too.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Kleptos and Ferretts and Dustpans...OH MY

Did the title suck you in??? Well, did it? I remember back in the day when I actually used to scrapbook :) that my favorite thing was the titles. I had such compelling ones like 'The Benjamin Bunch on a Bench' and 'Rub a Dub Dub There's a Bub in the Tub'. Professional, huh? But this fascinating bit of trivia actually has NOTHING to do with my actual post so here goes:


AHEM...Dear friends would you do me the honor of taking a short, yet informative multiple choice quiz? If you get all the answers right there is no real prize, except finally getting through this post...


What items are currently missing at casa Benjamin?

A-the remote control

B-daddy’s glasses

C-dustpan for the kitchen broom

D-mommy’s favorite concealer

E-all of the above and a bunch of things undiscovered as of this posting


What items have been “misplaced,” but later found?

A-most of mommy’s jewelry

B-all clean clothes folded in the purple bedroom’s drawers

C-dirty cups from the dishwasher

D-Conner’s homework

E-yes, you guessed it all of the above


Who is the perpetrator to these crimes?

A-a pack of nearsighted, makeup wearing, tv watching wolves

B-Wynona Ryder

C-a ferret infestation

D-Her-------------------)

E-all of the above, now wouldn’t that be funny?


What should the sentence be?

A-we tried jail, but she tore down her surroundings

B-three more years (she’ll outgrown kleptomania eventually)

C-give everything we own to the Goodwill

D-ACTUALLY BABY PROOF THE HOUSE????

E- enjoy every moment cuz it all goes by way too fast :D

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Soldiers and Rappers

Our FHE (family home evening) lesson was about putting on the whole armor of God. It went really well. Tony gave a great lesson and talked about us standing together as a family and fortifying ourselves against the evils of the world and how to protect ourselves against temptation and despair and being prepared. Good job hon, it was one of the best lessons we've ever had, actually. We collected armor for the young'uns and Conner was looking soldieresque (do you love my liberal use of the English language?) Really ready to face the world there kiddo. A shining beacon during dark times. Now because each child needs an equal chance to put on that armor of righteousness we also collected (leftovers) for the other child in our family. Nothing says preparation like rain boots, a bicycle helmet, and brother's old basketball shorts. In fact when all was said and done, she looked a bit like MC Hammer (does that date me or what?) That's either a shield or one serious piece of bling!


What has been your favorite FHE? You know you want to tell me...besides I love new ideas!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Baby Bird





Need I say more? Excuse me while I go dig up some worms to bring back to this nest...

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Love Is A Many Splendid Thing

First off, my brother David and his darling Beth got married on Thursday. What a beautiful couple and what a beautiful day. Now I have friendly children, right? They saw the love between these two people and wanted to find a piece of this happiness. My charming son met a sweet little girl and the two instantly hit it off. Check out the pic of my boy and check out the eyes, the hands.
I think he's smitten... Never one to be outdone, my girl CC decided to get in on the action. She and a little friend circled each other for a moment. CC had a beautiful corsage and I thought for sure the two would get into a fight over it. Thank heavens for my brother in law and his camera, cuz the next thing I know the two gave each other a big kiss. Now everyone had had a lot of punch to drink...CC was pretty high on frosting. Still, love can be spontaneous and what better place than a reception, a celebration of two souls beginning life's journey together to bring out those moments of affection for another person.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Witchy Woman

Remember the playwright I met this summer? Tony got over it, but he did get kind of friendly with a gal on a bench tonight.
I don't know, but I am thinking cute couple. Maybe I should move over... Ok we were going to go to the pumpkin patch, but my brother is getting married on Thursday and they are having pumpkins at the luncheon for decorations, so we are good on the pumpkins. So tonight we decided to head on over to Gardner village. Conner was navigating when we got there... "Mom we are heading southeast" and upon seeing the flattened witch against the silo "Mom, is she going to get in trouble for being up there?" CC was in witchy heaven. They have a witch using the outhouse and CC pointed at her and said "POTTY!" (Hallelujah, maybe we can potty train her early....honey, if the witch can do it...) She saw some ducks and geese and ponies and little baby boys and went after all of them. If you haven't been there yet this year, check it out. They've added a lot and it's well worth it. If only for the photo ops!

Saturday, October 11, 2008

The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year





I absolutely love this time of year! I love the fall colors, the harvest decorations. Halloween is a favorite for me. I am always looking for new pumpkin decorating ideas and I know a lot of you might be too. A friend had this link on her blog and there are some amazing ideas for this year's pumpkins. I am a very visual person and I love colors and textures. These pics were some of my favorites that I saw. What are your favorite ways to decorate you family's pumpkins?


Here is the link.

Happy decorating! If you have a fun idea or do something wild and crazy this year with your pumpkin, post pics. Now I just need to go to the pumpkin patch and get some!!

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Now That's Refreshing

So I have this parent's handbook. I wrote it. The first rule is that I am no longer a mommy after 8pm. Now before you say "Rachel that is awful!" let me make my case. The first rule helps me get up the next day. The first rule helps me follow all the other rules I have written like not going crazy, not medicating myself with chocolate (well that rule gets broken, so that doesn't count) giving my best from 6:30 AM to 8 PM. I ADORE my kids, but when it's bedtime, it's bedtime and I don't look back. Give me all the hugs and kisses you can, but Sianara, Au Revoir, Buenos Nochas it's Daddy and Mommy time...it's mommy recharging when let's be honest, sleep is not enough to do that, not really. It's reconnecting to the essence that makes me ME. Writing, reading, chatting, creating, listening, pondering, laughing, remembering. And when 6:30 AM comes again, I hold the little ones close, grateful for every second with them... because I feel refreshed again. (DISCLAIMER:) "Refreshed" at 6:30 AM may be pushing it just a bit....

Friday, October 3, 2008

A Fairy Tale


Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess. She was having a bad day. There was much crying, head butting and attacking of inanimate objects in the land. Her royal nursemaid was on scullery duty and the distressed princess began to relax. She climbed into the apparatus for cleaning off caked on foodstuffs and began pulling out the dirty goblets and placing them back into the cupboards. The weeping and wailing had ceased and the nursemaid was happy. Now the nursemaid realized after capturing the sheer moments of joy, that the royal dagger was near the princess as she worked so please do not call all the king's horses and all the king's men. It was promptly removed and the princess was unharmed...until she head butted a drawer.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Good Reads




Annalisa had posted this on her blog and I wanted to post my list here as well. It seems to have a nice mix between classics and modern, but there are still so many missing. Maybe it needs to be a top 500 :) How many have you read? Post your own list if you want to. I have really enjoyed Good Reads because I am reading more than I ever have (and keeping track of my books) as well as seeing what all my friends love to read. Thanks for all the great book suggestions everyone!!

Here’s what you do:
Bold those you have read.
Italicize those you intend to read.
Underline the books you LOVE .

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible*
7 Wuthering Heights-Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Hundred Eighty Four-George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller*
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare (most)
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy (haven't finished)
25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brides head Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51
Life of Pi - Yann Martel

52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen

55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Friday, September 26, 2008

Just Because...




The day before Tony started his new job, which he loves by the way, we just had a spontaneous day. We had no plans in the morning and found ourselves up on the East Bench in a park eating blueberry muffins and holding hands. This was followed up by a morning game of miniature golf. I highly recommend going on a Monday morning (there was NO ONE there-so nice) Anyway, TWO hole in ones later by the red head in the twosome who hasn't played in ten years, though might be the next Tiger Woods, and we were ready for Zupas. Yes, that little piece of heaven capped off with the chocolate dipped strawberry no less. We headed over and picked up Conner from school early (a real treat) and headed up to the Alpine Slide. IT was picturesque and there was joy on my little boy's face for it had been a total surprise and he has never been. We raced down and followed it up with a bungee bounce for him (should've taken pics on the other side to see his face) and a bit of window shopping at the outlets and we pretty much had the perfect day.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Tag Your It

Thanks Bonnie- it's been a while since I've been tagged. Before I respond, I wanted to tell you more about my previous post. I found this website and it finds your celebrity twin. I kid you not, my #1 look alike according to their "scientific process" was Paris Hilton...(crickets are chirping now and your jaw has fallen down to the basement) Yah, cuz I always thought she was my long lost twin!! :O That's why I went with their #2 choice of Emma Thompson- I still don't see it, but it was still fun.

Ok back to the tag: 6 quirks I have-

1) I will only eat the middle of meat (especially if I have seen it raw) If you give me a piece of chicken I trim off all the edges. I don't enjoy meat very much and the fat on meat (never gonna happen) I was at a stranger's house one Thanksgiving and I got some gristle in my mouth...I'm still not over it.

2) I'm superstitious. I knock on wood and make a wish every time I look at a clock and it says 1:11
(Conner's birthday) I used to do something every time I drove over a railroad track, but I can't remember what that was and luckily I gave that one up. :)

3) I am obsessed with flossing my teeth. I look forward to it. It is my favorite part of getting ready for bed every night. In fact, probably because I overdue it (if that's possible), my gums are now receding. Too much of a good thing I guess.

4) I have no idea what direction I'm facing at any given time. I'm not very good at giving or getting directions. I use map quest a whole bunch more than I'd like to admit. Maybe it's the California girl in me, but I still think 3 houses down from the lamp post is easier than 10076972 South and 10 billion West.

5) I named my daughter's middle name Grace because I don't have any. If there is a wall six feet away I will hit it with my elbow. If there is one pebble on the street I will stumble on it and if we are walking towards each other from opposite directions, we might as well 'dance.' I always choose the wrong direction if I have to make a choice about how to avoid hitting the oncoming individual. It's strange...does it have to do with my lack of direction??? Hmmm.

6) If I see a cop I turn into Bambi. Let me explain what that means. If a cope is near me in the car my eyes widen (not in fear), but in earnestness. They take on a gentle expression like a child on the front row listening attentively to the teacher. I smile ever so gently, not too widely with just a hint of serenity and my hands immediately adopt the 10 and 2 o'clock position. I must feel guilty or something...

So there you have it and I'm sure there's 200 more but those are some highlights!! If you guys want to play, then I tag Cami, Lara and Donna.

Celebrity Morph by MyHeritage

MyHeritage: Celebrity Morph - Family search - Family history

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Road Rage

I really need to know if others are feeling the same way I am. With all the construction around our home, and everywhere else it seems as if people in general out there are getting angrier on the road. I have had NUMEROUS people cut me off, blatantly turn in front of me so that I have to come to a complete stop, etc. etc. etc. and every detour I take is the same way. Yes I know this is normal, but do you think it's gotten worse lately? When I took a walk and saw the construction trucks lined up along a little road in our neighborhood too I wanted to cry. For some unknown reason they have blocked off the right turn lane onto the main highway as well. Who remembers when the state of Utah had a party because construction was over (with our tax dollars I'm sure) Why do they have to do it all at once? I understand that our roads are atrocious, but I'm ready to move out to the middle of nowhere. It really makes me realize how congested and crowded this town has really become and you know what? I'm not sure I'm enjoying it. This is what I do know: I will not leave my driveway without a word of prayer not only that my kids and I will stay safe out there, but that I will stay sane. Maybe I will invest in a horse and buggy and move to Amish country. Can you tell it's been a day??

Friday, September 12, 2008

Flashback Friday


About 5 months after Tony and I were married, he got an internship at a senator's office in Washington D.C. We packed our Honda CRX with all our earthly possessions (two suitcases full) and hightailed it out of Logan. Our adventures en route to the east coast and the four months we spent there I will leave for another post. On our way back to Utah the car broke down in Wheeling, West Virginia on a Friday about 5:30 pm. Unfortunately for us, the mechanic would not be in his shop until 9 am the following Monday. Wheeling is an old coal mining town and a shell of it's former
self which I'm sure back in the day was a flourishing, beautiful city. There are probably many nice parts of the town, which unfortunately we didn't see being trapped in one central location. The whole place seemed to be covered in coal dust and we were the ONLY guests at the rundown hotel. We asked the woman at the desk, who seemed amused to see a very young couple staying for the weekend, what there was to do nearby since we had no car. "Well, you've got a couple of choices," she said. "There's a Denny's restaurant and a dirty bookstore down the street." "Great!" I cried. "We love to read." She smiled widely and we headed in the direction she told us. Now as I mentioned a thick layer of dust was in the air and made everything look gray. We wondered how old and dingy the bookstore would be. I didn't mind as long as the books weren't too expensive and that they cleaned the inside of the store. We saw it up ahead. Tony stopped me in my tracks. "There's the 'dirty' bookstore." I averted my gaze from the line of X's all along the windows. Oh yah, she wasn't kidding-that was one DIRTY bookstore all right. We turned on our heels and trudged straight into the adventure of eating from a Denny's for the next 9 meals of our apparently immature and naive lives. So the moral of the story- no matter how gray and dusty the town is you're stuck in, only read the postcards...the bookstore needs to be cleaned.
ps...only one channel on the old tv set- I learned A LOT about livestock and tractors- really, it's come in handy...really...

Thursday, September 11, 2008

IT Happened

Tony got a job today...

Monday, September 8, 2008

Duh...


Tonight at dinner:

CC- Night night! (She knows it's time for bed after we eat- we've trained her well:)

Tony-yes CC is going night night.

me- She can say banana now Tony. CC say banana.

CC-banana

me-that sounds an awful lot like night night- think she knows the difference?

Tony-is CC going banana?

CC-(as clear as a bell and with an incredulous look on her face) No, night night.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

I Am So Impressed




Oh yes, I will be voting for her.

Monday, September 1, 2008

On Gratitude





My heart is full an awful lot. I am grateful every day. I live my little life in the cloistered world I dwell in and I am constantly overcome with profound manifestations of joy. I have learned after many years that it is all about love. It is during those times that I forget this that I struggle to find my place and I dwell too much on myself. I am always unhappy when I am selfish or hold back and I have to adjust my bearings and get back on course quickly to find my peace again. I am deeply moved as I ponder the Atonement of my Savior Jesus Christ. In Him I rejoice. In Him I rely. Only through Him do I remember who I am and who I can become. He provides me with breath, with sight, with stamina, with the ability to comprehend beauty and inspiration. He has given me my weakness so that I will partake of His strength. He has blessed me with pain so that every day I will call upon His name and remember from whom all my blessings flow. I love Him with all that I am.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

My Mosaic (I'm trying this again)


A Mosaic to Describe Yourself
Follow these directions and then post it to your blog!
1. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
http://www.flickr.com/search/
2. Using only the first page, pick an image.
3. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker. Go to
http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php (choose four columns and three rows)
Type the answer to each of the questions below in the search line and choose a picture from the first page of results that come up. Then you click on the pic, copy the link into the mosaic website


Questions:
1. What is your first name? Rachel
2. What is your favorite food? Pasta Salad
3. What school did you go to? BYU-Idaho
4. What is your favorite color? Red
5. Who is your celebrity crush? Kevin Spacey-weird I know
6. Favorite drink? Water
7. Dream vacation? Italy
8. Favorite dessert? Cinnamon Roll
9. What you want to be when you grow up? A Writer
10. What do you love most in life? Jesus Christ
11. One word to describe you? Passionate
12. Your nickname? Fire Woman

1. Perfume - Rachel Hurd-Wood in bed, 2. SouthWest Chicken Pasta Salad, 3. BYU-Idaho (14), 4. Summer Berries Red Current01, 5. Kevin Spacey, 6. Tap Water, 7. Italien - Venedig / Italy - Venice 1.625☺066 Wandeln in Historie - stepped in history, 8. Hot, homemade cinnamon roll, 9. writer's teeth, 10. Jesus Christ, Mormon Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah, 11. passionate sky and quiet sea, 12. Fire Woman Three.jpg