New Computer!!!

oh my gosh I am so excited to be back online. My poor little macypoo was on the last straw for about a year -- it still will boot up for me every now and then but it is missing about 30 or so screws and I have to hold the keyboard just right -- and i really can't do much with/about it. SO... Sean and I held to the great black Friday tradition and bought a freakadillin awesome computer for cheap. I don't know all the geeky parts but I know it holds 1 terabyt (which is huge) and is a quad-core so I can blog while moving all my music over... hahaha! I just downloaded all my pics and realized I don't have any new ones to put up... but it still feels good to blog. The computer itself came really quickly, and then we really quickly how much you NEED the internet to make a computer useful. We have a wireless router and I guess desktops don't come with wireless cards, so after a few weeks of daudling we bought a wireless receptor, which didn't work. And then I bought a really really long wire... which Sean still couldn't get to work correctly, BUT I DID. so this is my gloating!!!!! ha ha !!! Anyways here is about the only stuff you missed in the last few months.

I HAVE A NEW JOB. Ok well it is not very new anymore but I'm no longer the Administrative Assistant, but am only now a billing personnel. I guess I officially have been in the billing office since August, but was only filling in for a girl on pregnancy leave until one of the ladies quit and now I officially am a billing personnel. I realized the other day all I really do is data entry, but I work with some fun ladies and the job in general is much easier and less stressful.

WE LOVE OUR KITTY. I know this is kind of bad, but I feel even less pressure to have a child now that I have a little kitten to keep my occupied. He even sits in my little sling (i got for free go to www.sevenslings.com and use the code valpak and you only have to pay shipping and handling! About $12) OK he doesn't really like the sling but it is cute to put him in -- i will try to get a picture soon.

XMAS IS COMING! And I'm excited to go to Idaho. Shopping was all done before Thanksgiving, which makes Black Friday so much more dull btw. And now I just need to finish wrapping up the presents (luckily I have plenty left over from last year). Well I think I'm going to go mess around on the internet -- becuase now I can!!!

Halloween

I like Halloween.

Pumpkins...


Pumpkin seeds...
(This year garlic salt seeds were my favorite!)




Dressing up like a crazy person....

Dressing up other people like crazy people!!! I attacked a coworker and made her a geisha.


Eating lots of candy... we had a table at work that had a new treat every day of October!!! :) :)

And scaring small children who come to the door... mwahahaha.


What oh, WHAT could be better?

I finally get it...

No... not how to blog every week, month, quarter -- that I obviously struggle with still -- But I FINALLY get all those crazy couples who fall in love with their little pets. For the longest time I thought it was absolutely RIDICULOUS that people would bring pictures of their pets to work, talk non-stop, get babysitters, spend A LOT of money, and even call their friends crying about pet illnesses... BUT I FINALLY GET IT.

Say Hello to Ramsey!!!!!



No I am not totally obsessed and this is just a crumby picture I took with my cell phone, but I love having another little "thing" around to keep me entertained. He is our little pharaoh -- and we already spent too much on taking him to the vet.
We got him from this lady at work; she has at least 17 cats running around her backyard/farm and was wondering what to do with some of them. Her daughter lives across the street and had a whole nother batch of indoor kitties that were living in the closet and about to burst. SO I asked if I could keep one for a year, and then if we moved, give it back to live in her backyard. She said yes and I ended up with the cutest little thing living in our house! He is fully potty trained FROM DAY 1. How many people can say that about their children?! Even when he was sick and had what my dad calls "the squirts" he did all his business in the kitty litter! He is great and likes to sleep in our bed, though inevitably we have to kick him out because he gets bored/hungry around 2 AM and thinks biting my ears is a good way to get attention. OK, now I'm done rambling about my kitty because I am not, repeat am NOT totally obsessed.

Yes, eventually I will have children and not be ever so thrilled about the cat. But in the mean time I love my little pussy!!!!

Summer Runs

This summer, much like the last has been full of racing. I really enjoy it and will put up pictures of the Bone N Back up (My camera batteries were dead by the time the Firecracker came around). I'm not trying quite as hard this year (and my times definitely reflect my effort and training), but I'm having a good time.

And this is the most puzzling thing to me, I GAIN weight every single summer. Last summer I ran 7 races that were at least 3 miles or more. I was in good shape, and was racing quite quickly. But I was looking at an Excel I keep at work with my weight (always using the same machine at the same time of day) and I peak every stinking year around the 24th of July. Maybe I have a stress complex -- I want to be outside all day, and since I can't I eat. Maybe I can just blame it all on the cruise. Or maybe I just loose control when the warm summer comes around. I don't know what it is, but it definitely isn't helping my swimsuit season.

Pictures (not of my swimsuit season) soon to come.

BAHAMAS!!

Alright, first of all sorry to all you family members, friends, and co-workers we did not tell about the cruise. We decided about a week or two before we left that we would like to do one big vacation this summer, and we might as well do it now before Sean gets a job and I run out of a job. We were looking up Disneyland, Cruises, and California road trips when we found out just how cheap it is to go on a cruise if you wait till the very last second. 3-5 days in Mexico: 299 a person. 5 Days in the Bahamas 259 a person!!!! Ok I realize with flights and stuff it probably costs us a bit more, but we were super frugal about excursions and spent less than 30 on souvenirs! We had a great time, I was expecting a lot more "go" and a little less "relax" but it was good. .... and can I just say that Miami is the creepiest town ever? I mean seriously we flew in at 10:30 at night, locked the hotel door and were afraid to go out again.



After the cruise our flight was late -- we literally spent 8 hours in the Miami Airport -- and we missed our layover so we spent the night in Houston. We were SO glad that we didn't get stuck in Miami, really it is that bad. And Houston was fun, we had Texas shaped waffles and had a huge room all to ourselves. I recommend a cruise, but I think they are way more fun if you have a million cagillion dollars to spend on swimming with dolphins and buying diamonds.


And lastly thank you to all you who have helped us get through BYU. We would never have been able to take such an extravagant vacation without your financial and emotional support along the way! :) :)

A Whole Month

Ever gone a whole month without getting on facebook?

Surprisingly it is not hard. In fact I barely even touched my home computer (gotta love the little macypoo but still) at all. People keep asking me if I got their emails etc, and I think... no, where do those go again? I have a separate work email that I have to check 20 times a day, and coming home and checking my email just keeps getting pushed to the bottom of my list. I really am not sure how people get addicted to facebook. Even after not signing in for a whole month, I spent ten minutes trying to figure out why all my friends didn't tell me they were engaged/married, and what the heck other events they were trying to "invite" me to. Then I started to feel a little guilty looking at their pictures (Yes they are public but it still feels a little like spying to me). Then after cleaning up my 270 unread emails, figured I was better off internet shopping at Kohl's. Which was sad because Kohl's website is surprisingly hard to navigate for such a simple store. Anyways... I went a whole month. Can you?

Palm Sunday

(a smidge early) see this site for full explanation/the rest of the days.

Day 1 – Palm Sunday.

OK, so here are the facts (in the words of Elder Uchtdorf) “Today is the day the Christian world traditionally calls Palm Sunday. You will remember that it was on that Sunday nearly 2,000 years ago that Jesus Christ entered the city of Jerusalem during the final week of His mortal life. In fulfillment of Zechariah’s ancient prophecy, He rode in on a donkey, and as He did so, a great multitude came out to greet the Master and carpeted the path before Him with palm leaves, flowering branches, and even their own garments. As He approached, they cried, “Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord” and “Hosanna to the Son of David.” “

And now here is what I think, this was an AWESOME day. Christ’s disciples were probably ecstatic; finally Christ was receiving the praise they knew he deserved! The Jews were probably stoked because they thought Christ was coming to deliver them from bondage and lead them into victory. Daniel H. Ludlow explains, “All of these acts [placing their garment and palm leaves in the street] were symbols of respect, and the use of the title ‘Son of David’ indicated that the multitude accepted the Savior as the long-awaited Messiah, for this was the sacred title reserved for the Messiah. No wonder the common people followed him in great multitudes, greeting him as the Messiah, the ‘Son of David.’ Evidently many of the people expected him to now go into the city and fulfill some of the other prophecies stated about him, including his taking possession of the armies of Israel and leading them to victory over their enemies and then establishing a reign of peace and justice and righteousness upon the earth.”

To fuel their hope, Christ rides into town and clears out the temple of the moneychangers. To a people who are seeking peace, Christ first gives it to them in their temples. And as if that isn’t enough, he continues to heal the blind and the lame, performing miracles as if to show his power to their enemies. Christ even verbalizes what they were probably feeling when in John 12:23 he states, “The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.” The people were so excited that the chief priests start to get nervous about the power Christ has (Matt 21:15).

But I think there was more than just a jubilant party. If you think more about Christ’s words, “glorified” could mean a whole lot more than simply “praised.” Christ explains in John right after this phrase concerning glorification, “Verily, verily I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” Christ knew long before this day what his fate was, and perhaps even knew what this act set in motion. In John 12:27 Christ says, “Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.” I am not claiming that Christ by any means was not thrilled to see his followers, but I think He understood much more concerning the situation. I think he knew that by riding into Jerusalem, He was declaring Himself as Messiah, and setting Himself up for crucifixion.

Christ came into Jerusalem praised and glorified on only one day. He cleaned the temple and spoke to the people. The voice of God was even recorded. But my understanding was that Christ saw and knew this to be a start to a greater hope. I think He knew what declaring Himself as the Messiah would mean, and I am grateful he took that dangerous ride into Jerusalem.

So on Palm Sunday a lot of religions put up branches etc to celebrate His entrance (in reality to celebrate the recognition of his role as Messiah). The LDS religion doesn’t DO anything special but they do preach an important message:

He is the Messiah.

And I think that is the real point of Palm Sunday.

I need to update my blog

There, I said it. Which means I am thinking about it. Which means eventually I will really do it. And I will make it upbeat for all you family members who think I am about to "off" myself.

Actually my next post will be a little assignment. A friend had an idea to write about every day of the week before Christ's death. Since there is a ton of info she asked a couple people to take one day, research and write about it, and then post a link to the other blogs for the rest of the days of the week that you didn't do. I think it's genius and a great way to think/learn about Christ right before we listen to His disciples.

So Ha! It will be done!

Dear SNOW in March...

YOU SUCK! I loath, loath, LOATH you. You couldn't have chosen a worse day to show up. You have officially accumulated on one of the worst days of my life, lightly falling on top of me eating a whole pizza by myself (breaking lent), bawling in my bedroom, and literally scarring my coworkers with my emotional instability. So thanks, I may not have realized just how bad things were without having to walk home in you while my ears bled from the cold.

March!

Dear March,

Thank you for bringing warmer winds, small blossoms, and lots of birthdays. I really DID feel the difference as I walked to work on Monday, and it was wonderful. I am trying not to be too terribly excited for Spring, but I sure hope you bring it to me. As a birthday gift?

Thanks again!

Rachel B

Valentines...

EVERYONE seems to be blogging about Valentines... so why not follow the crowd.

As one of my co-workers put it one I told him my plans (snowmobiling with my family), "Well that is not a very romantic Valentines weekend!"

But OH how I was able to think about LOVE. And not just lust, or all the gooby feelings I have for my Seanypoo, but honest-to-goodness REAL LOVE. And it hit my at some of the oddest moments...

As I'm getting suited up to go on my first snowmobile ride of the season, I couldn't help but be a little dis-heartened. I was assigned the weakest snowmobile that is older than poop. I'm sitting there talking out loud a little bit with my mom, OK I was complaining slightly, and I think my mom pointed out, that it would be a much nicer ride for ME when Sean was driving. Sean did not end up going, but about half way through the ride I realized that our 2 guests were on the best snowmobiles, and my dad was on one of the worst. My dad has the most experience; he also enjoys riding more than anyone I know; he should have been on the very best machine. He really was never thinking about himself, and although sometimes I may not fully understand what is going on, he is always looking out for ME and willing to sacrifice for ME. A father's love is something I was very much schooled in this weekend.


On this same ride I was easily cruising along (I really loved being on pinky and being able to enjoy the scenery) and I was REALLY enjoying the scenery. The trees were covered with snow, there was white all over, and it was just me and my thoughts. I really took this alone time to think about the greatness of God. What an amazing world He has created for us to enjoy in so many different ways. How awesome it is that He has given us a path to follow, and examples of those who have gone before us. If you have never been snowmobiling, then you have no idea how bumpy the path can be. Because you are riding on a white path surrounded by white snow, and traveling anywhere from 20-40 miles per hour, it is very difficult to tell where the path is flat and where it may be bumpy. Luckily I was second in line, and was able to see my dad hit all the bumps. As he led, it became easier for me to know when I could speed up, and when I needed to slow down. There were so many religious ties to one silly snowmobile ride, I could hardly stand it. Godly love was hard to miss.

And lastly, after the long drive home, I was flipping through channels waiting for the Olympics to come on, and chanced upon what I think was The Bachelor. In a mere 5 minutes of watching I witnessed a women decide to sleep with a man, who admittedly was in love with 2 other women, after years of dedication to only 1 man. Then I saw another women (in love with the same guy) explain how she simply could not stop thinking about him all the time, even when he was not there (aka dating other women. aka sleeping with other women!!!). Since it was just Sean and I home, I grabbed the remote and blabbed out, "That is called INFATUATION, not love." I looked at my husband, felt nothing but recognition, and realized that sometimes love is boring. Boring but so real. It was awesome to realize that not every second with Sean has to make my stomach flutter for me to know that I love him. I don't have to want to mac his face to know that he is the guy for me. And I don't have to fight for him, because he is already mine.

So all in all, no, Valentines wasn't the most romantic event of my life, but it definitely was full of love.

I've Never

Since our ward just split/changed... and we got a whole bunch of AWESOME new young women, we decided to play some get-to-know you games this Wednesday. I admit I went with a pretty surly attitude, not because of the changes or the new girls, but I had just kind of "had-it" with the day already. Of course I showed up and had a great time (like people keep telling me 80% of life is just showing up), but I was amazed as we played the "I've Never" game how many of my old standby's didn't work.

In case you've never played the game, you stand in a circle of sitting people, you say something you have never done, and anyone who HAS done that thing has to switch seats (hopefully you get one and someone else has to say something they have never done). As I played, I realized that a LOT has changed since I played the game in high school:

I've never broken a bone.......... still stands. Hope I never do.
I've never been to Paris............ went in 2004 and had an amazing time.
I've never kissed a boy..............OK I failed that one not-so-long-after my 16th bday.
I've never ridden a rollercoaster.... Devin Boyle made me go on almost everyone at Lagoon.
I've never swam in the ocean.......... I guess I've still never been in the Atlantic
I've never left the continent............ Obviously I went to Europe, and have been to Japan too.
I've never been (insert a year or two older than my current age)...... you just stop saying your age after 20, it is kind of weird.
I've never had a little sister...... still stands!
I've never been back East....... Chicago airport for 5 hours doesn't count. Still stands.
I've never killed a sibling........ not literally anyways (but this doesn't usually move too many people).
I've never not been born on Friday the 13th...... still stands but again... you just don't say your age.
I've never been skydiving........... but I watched Sam's video so that comes close enough for me.
I've never kissed a frog........... I really bet I did at least one time at Girls Camp, but I would never admit that during a game.
I've never been to Arches or Zion National Park....... Went to both in my first 2 years of marriage.

Anyways... it was rewarding to think of all the things I have done, and quite recently too. The YW came up with some that would never have hit my radar ... I've never been married; I've never had kids; I've never owned a car; I've never owned a home. It was really enabling to think on all I have done, and all the tonz of adventures I have ahead of me.

Da Bling

I LOVE RHINESTONE SUNGLASSES!!


I dunno what it is, but I think that all sunglasses look so much better with a little bling. Ok, I think all sunglasses look better ON ME with a little bling. The very first pair of sunglasses I owned were black, sleek, and had awesome rhinestones on the outside. I remember them very well because I wore them all around debate tournaments (which were inside highschools). There is something warming about that little shine that peeks out from your purse so that you always know where your sunglasses are. There is also something very re-assuring about knowing that not many people will actually try to walk off with your sunglasses. I have lived a couple years without them, but I was finally able to buy a pair with rhinestones, like the ones up above, and in some little way... I feel complete!


I think I will stick to my rhinestones, but if I ever start to get WAY out of line ---> Please let me know!

My House Won!!!

The votes are in!!! House number 3, which was MY house won with an astounding 4 votes. Dave's house was number one, it was also the one with retractable awnings and is 100% biodegradable. I think this was one of his first attempts ever at a gingerbread house so he will get the rookie award. Sean's house was house number 2. He claims that my house only won because it had a snowman... which really only means I am awesomely ingenious for putting a snowman on in my gingerbread lawn!! But because of Sean's snowman comment he receives no award, but has my undying love so that should count for something.


Thanks to all of you who took the time to vote. It really solidified my viewpoint of life.