Just Think About It.

Why do the words

OVERSEE

and

OVERLOOK

mean such completely different things?

This is what I think about in class.

Plug it in, plug it in

In case you were wondering...

Having a long-distance relationship means you have to charge your phone a lot more.

Good thing I'm moving home in two weeks!

Six and a half more weeks till the wedding!

One Hundred

Well folks, it's finally that time. After nearly two years of haphazard blogging, I have finally reached my 100th post! To celebrate this not-so-monumental occasion, I will bless your life by telling you one hundred semi-interesting things you probably never cared to know about me. So without further ado and in no particular order, I give you an excruciatingly long list that you probably won't finish reading. Cheers!

1.       I was named after my grandma Nell who was named after her father’s favorite horse.

2.       My family has lived in the same house my whole entire life and I’ve traded bedrooms more times than I can even count.

3.       You know how most little kids have monsters or ghosts under their beds? When I was little, I was convinced that there was a giant purple hairy octopus and a witch residing under mine.

4.       I STILL remember a dream I had when I was 3 or 4 years old where I got kidnapped by the milkman.

5.       I always keep Play-Doh, coloring books, and a large box of crayons on hand.

6.       I eat cereal as a late-night snack more often than I do for breakfast.

7.       Someday I want an old Victorian house with a huge yard, complete with a picket fence and wooden swing hanging from the giant willow tree out front. Oh, and don’t forget the breakfast nook.

8.       I am almost done with my sophomore year at Utah State University, and I love being an Aggie! I am dual majoring in Elementary and Early Childhood Education with a dual emphasis in math and English as a Second Language (ESL).

9.       Thanks to my daddy, baseball has always been my favorite sport.

10.   I will see Beyonce perform live and in the flesh before I die.

11.   I not-so-secretly wish I could belt it like a black girl.

12.   It is not rare for me to narrate my life in my head.

13.   One thing I cherish above most others is the close, personal relationship I share with both of my parents and all six of my siblings.

14.   Ever since I was little, I’ve had a strange love for elephants. Someday I will ride one.

15.   I’m not what you would consider the “outdoorsy type,” but I love spending time in nature. I like to think of nature as God’s artwork.

16.   Bear Lake is probably my favorite place in the world. I have gone at least once a year since I was born.

17.   Cheesecake is my greatest weakness.

18.   I really want a puppy.

19.   I have never cheated in school.

20.   In sixth grade, everyone called me George.

21.   I love pizza.

22.   I can spend a whole day in a bookstore just browsing. I want to have a library in my house one day.

23.   Hot chocolate should only ever be made with milk, not water.

24.   My favorite accessory is earrings.

25.   My milk of choice is 1%. I drink two gallons a week by myself.

26.   I absolutely love birthdays!

27.   Sometimes I buy underwear from the little girls’ department. I have no hips or bum.

28.   I am probably the whitest person I’ve met. I don’t tan, meaning I stay my winter shade of white even in the summer time.

29.   I have never owned an iPod.

30.   If I could go back in time and learn an instrument, it would be the cello.

31.   I get really excited about the idea of being a teacher.

32.   Even more than a teacher, I want to be a mommy.

33.   I’m not afraid to slip into the world of the imaginary.

34.   As far as I know, I was not born with any birthmarks.

35.   I frequently skip places instead of just walking.

36.   One of my biggest pet peeves is when cupboard or closet doors get left open.

37.   I have a lot of OCD tendencies.

38.   Ever heard of the love languages? My top two are quality time and physical touch.

39.   The ukulele is my instrument of choice.

40.   In high school I learned how to sword fight for our production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. I’m probably a nerd for liking it so much, but sometimes I wish I could do it again.

41.   I don’t miss a single thing about high school, but I really miss the stage.

42.   Pet peeve #2: crumbs on the counter.

43.   I hate living with roommates. I can’t wait till my only roommate is my husband.

44.   In general, I really don’t like the color pink.

45.   I could read by the time I was four. I may not be very smart, but I’ve always loved learning.

46.   I was super shy when I was little. Really though.

47.   Even though I sometimes like to pretend otherwise, I’m probably more of a country girl than a city girl.

48.   I’ve always thought it would be fun to buy a trailer and a dog and spend a year or so road-tripping across the whole United States.

49.   I know it will never happen, but one dream of mine has always been to be the voice of a character in an animated movie.

50.   I take a nap almost every day.

51.   All three of my brothers are my heroes in different ways, and all of my sisters inspire me.

52.   I have an unhealthy love for TLC (as in “The Learning Channel” on TV).

53.   I am not afraid to belch and can usually out-perform most guys.

54.   I don’t shower every day.

55.   I have a slight fear of escalators.

56.   I secretly hope that my future family consists of mostly boys.

57.   My boys WILL be gentlemen.

58.   I thoroughly enjoy climbing trees.

59.   For a long time, I thought the tall towers with fire on top at the refineries were so we could still see in case the moon went out. (I have my sister to thank for that one.)

60.   Growing up, my favorite thing to do was to play house with my siblings.

61.   I am 20 years old and not a registered voter.

62.   I really regret quitting piano, and not practicing harder when I was taking lessons.

63.   I sleep curled up in the fetal position.

64.   I love being a big sister.

65.   Whenever I get stressed, my room gets really messy and I hate it.

66.   I relate everyday events to Harry Potter.

67.   Speaking of Harry Potter… I adore the books and hate the movies.

68.   I still enjoy watching cartoons. I’m a fan of Phineas and Ferb.

69.   I am terrible at getting my visiting teaching done.

70.   I have a secret, undying love for office supplies.

71.   I want to live in IKEA.

72.   I frequently find myself deciding what songs I would sing to certain people in various situations if my life were a musical.

73.   I’m poor, and I’m okay with it.

74.   When I was still a fetus, the doctor sent my mom to a specialist because my head was too small. They thought I was going to be handicapped, but it turns out my head is just a really weird shape.

75.   My skin is so fair that at one point, I started special ordering my makeup to get it light enough.

76.   I went through a phase as a child where I wanted to be a ventriloquist. I got a dummy for Christmas one year and would sit in my room practicing for hours.

77.   I went through another phase where I became obsessed with balloon-tying. I learned how to make all sorts of animals, toys, and hats out of balloons.

78.   I’m the only one in my immediate family with blue eyes.

79.   I’m really good at sounding like I know what I’m talking about.

80.   One time I dreamed that I was a golden retriever.

81.   Another time I dreamed that I was Steve Martin.

82.   I like to think that if I went to Hogwarts, I would be good friends with Fred and George Weasley.

83.   I have terrible eyesight. I can’t wait to have Lasik surgery one day.

84.   I love people-watching.

85.   Sometimes I talk in different accents in public if I don’t know anyone around me.

86.   I’m terrible with words, but I’m a really good speller.

87.   I love to play games with people, especially my family.

88.   Someday I want to own a children’s bookstore and/or old-fashioned toy store.

89.   My ultimate goal in life is to become the world’s coolest grandma.

90.   I have to learn to play the recorder in my elementary music class. Instead of actually learning the notes, I just watch other people’s fingerings and then play by ear.

91.   My mom has always been my best friend.

92.   I read for fun.

93.   I love hanging out with my family.

94.   I have always been close to the cousins on my mom’s side of the family. My dad’s family, on the other hand, conveniently forgets to invite us to stuff on a regular basis.

95.   In sixth grade, the computer teacher let me play games instead of doing the regular assignment whenever we were in the computer lab because I could type almost 60 words a minute.

96.   I consider myself a top-of-the-line Facebook finder. (It’s not stalking.)

97.   Maybe I’m just cocky, but I’ve always considered myself to be very mature for my age.

98.   I really like to talk, but I tend to be really quiet in unfamiliar settings.

99.   I love having painted toenails.

100.   I am a firm believer in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Front Porch Sittin'

I always like to dream of the future home I will own someday. 

My idea of what I want changes slightly from time to time, but there's one thing that always stays the same:

I want a front porch big enough for my couch.

Now, I'm not meaning something fancy and expensive like this (although it does look quite nice and relaxing. And I'm a fan of the color scheme, but that's besides the point) :

No, I'm talkin' deep south, lemonade sippin', shot-gun shootin', lazy summer day porch sittin'.

Put a ukulele in my hands and a hound dog at my feet and I would be a happy girl for the rest of my days.

Oh yeah. That's what I'm talkin' about.

FYI...

Dead, soggy marigolds don't smell very pretty. 

And after dead-heading a couple dozen flats of them, you start to taste it.

I think my hands are going to smell like marigolds for the rest of my life.

(At least I'll keep away the bugs, right?)

Oh the joys of working at a nursery.

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Either that or it just makes you fat 'cause all you do is sit on your butt all day eating chocolate chip cookies or brownies that your mom makes because you have no friends.

I miss you all like a fat kid on a diet misses his twinkies and cake.

These Girls Are Hilarious.

Seriously. I wish I was as funny as them. And as talented.

...And this is what happens on a boring Monday night when Hilary's husband is out of town. Don't we make such a great team? There will most likely be more where this came from... Dun dun dun!

New Summer Goal

Become less severely handicapped with my left hand. 
I used to be nearly ambidextrous at one point. Not any more! 
Seriously. It should not take me this long to paint my nails.

I Should Be Sleeping.

It is currently 1:42 AM. I have seven pages of my essay written, but probably still have another three or four pages to go. I also have a math assignment to finish. Want to know what I can't stop thinking about? Food. All I want to do is eat. I'm seriously contemplating sneaking into Thing 2's bedroom and stealing the package of Double Stuf Oreos she bought yesterday. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! I wonder if she's a heavy sleeper...

Bad, Rachel. Bad.

Tastes Like Summer

Friday I roasted marshmallows over a fire in the canyon. Yesterday we ate dinner outside. Today (after a long afternoon of relaxing on the lawn), we had a barbecue at our 1st Counselor's house for FHE. I love the taste of summer!

Everything I Need to Know, I Learned from Dora the Explorer

This semester in Institute, I have been taking a "Writings of John the Beloved" class and we are currently studying the book of Revelation. Today when we were going through chapter 9, Brother Irwin* (name may or may not have been changed) got a little sidetracked and we began discussing emergency preparedness and what we would do if there was an earthquake. He then told us about a meeting he and the rest of the faculty had to go to where they learned that if there was a sniper in the building we were supposed to lock the door and hide behind the piano. It was decided that I was not allowed to be in charge if there was ever an emergency, because my idea was to have everyone stand in the halls and say "Sniper, no sniping! Sniper, no sniping! Sniper, no sniping!!" in hopes that it would make him change his mind.

I still think it was a good idea.

I Relate Life Events to Harry Potter

If I could have just one single spell from the wizarding world at my disposal, it would be the summoning charm. That way when I'm in bed at night and realize I've forgotten something, I can just say "Accio [insert object here]" and it'll come zooming to me without me having to climb out of my warm comfy bed. That'd be the life.

Life is Ironic

Today Brooklin was in a really bad mood so she cleaned and organized her half of the room.

I came home and was in a really good mood, so I deep-cleaned the rest of the room.

I find that funny.

Ever Since Kindergarten, I've Wanted a Pet Elephant.

This is fantastic.

FOOD!

Welcome to Friday. Today I FINALLY got to go to the grocery store. I haven't been for about two weeks, and I was very much out of food. No milk, no bread, no graham crackers (yes, those are as important as milk and bread), no nothin'! Before I went to good ol' Smith's, the only thing I had eaten today was a dinky Chewy granola bar. Not very sustaining. I bought a lot more food than usual (including a bakery markdown giant cream cheese single serve brownie... mmmboy!) and made myself a great big sandwich (with MEAT, not peanut butter) as soon as I got home. Do you know what I had along with my sandwich and baby carrots? A great big glass of delicious 1% milk! This is the first time I've had milk all week and boy was I grateful to have it! In fact, I think I'll go pour me a nice big glass right now. After all, I did just eat that whole giant cream cheese "single serve" brownie. Is my stomach going to be mad at me for it? You bet ya. Was it worth it? Ooohh yeah!

Today

Today, I felt stunningly beautiful. (Which doesn't happen very often. Mostly because I very rarely get myself ready for the day when I have no where to go but school.)

...Too bad I didn't have anyone I wanted to impress.

Oh well! Thanks for the new clothes, Mom!

Just Nod and Smile and He'll Think You're Listening

I had a really hard time focusing in Stake Leadership Training tonight. Want to know why? When you close your eyes, my stake president sounds just like Sean Connery.



And when you open them, he kind of looks like him too. Sorry for sniggering, President Low.

Tipping the Scale

I was just given proof that good will always outweigh the bad.
Thank you, attractive bookstore boy, for asking me for my number. Now let's just hope you're not a creeper in disguise.

The Dementors are Breeding

FACT: It is impossible to find places you've never been before in the nasty Logan fog that sets in at night.

Revelation

I finally figured it out.

Today, the lovely city of Logan, UT won the prize for the worst air in the whole United States. YUM. Makes me want to walk outside and just take a nice, big breath. I think the air quality is the reason why I break out so bad everytime I come back to school after a break.

Yep. Mystery solved. And now you know that I have acne.

Go team.