Up the canyon

I have been quite burdened lately with the woes of job hunting. I know I've talked about this before, but after dedicating so much time and effort to my education and doing every extra thing I could to be more competitive, it is crushing to get told NO over and over and over. Employers saying they are very sorry and they were impressed with your qualifications is just not really any consolation for the awfulness of being told you were not good enough for them. It is crazy just how competitive the job market is right now. Some of the positions I have applied to in the past little while have less than a 10% acceptance rate (i.e. they have thousands of applicants for a small amount of spots). I will keep trying though because I know there is some business out there who will need just what I have to offer, and I can't wait to find them!

While my parents were here in December we drove up Provo Canyon. I admit that I have definitely not taken advantage of this beautiful place I live in nearly as much as I should. I had never even been by Sundance Resort until I went with my family and Tony a few weeks ago. As part of my new year goal (I say goal because it sounds more likely to be kept than a resolution which we all know are made to be broken) I want to take more time to appreciate the wonderful things in my life--and there are many. Just to name a few: I have a loving husband, a supportive family, friends who are better than anyone could ask for, an opportunity to go to a great school at a ridiculously good price, I have not one but two parttime jobs that I enjoy, and I only have four months left until I complete my graduate education.

If those aren't things to be grateful for then I don't know what is!

I am going to try to count my blessings instead of add up my disappointments and trials. I think the first list will always outweigh the latter as long as I take the time to remember them all!

Here are some pictures from a snowy trip up the canyon:

I know this is just a wooden floor, but it is an awesome wooden floor at Sundance. I love it!

Moose tracks (not the ice cream)

Happy 2012!

Wedding Pictures Part Deux

Today was a rainy day in Provo--and I loved it. I am sick of the miserable dry heat and I loved the coolness in the air. Fall is really setting in now, and I'm not too terribly sad to see winter go. As promised here are some more wedding pictures that I particularly enjoyed and hope you will enjoy too!

And off comes the veil!

I had a great maid of honor!

And a great husband!

Peeking during the prayer...I got caught!

Some of my amazing bridesmaids

Wedding Pictures Part 1

I got my wedding pictures in the mail the other day. I've been kind of busy so I've just started uploading them to my computer tonight. Here are a few of my favorites from disk 1. More to come. There are 6 disks so be excited!!!!!!!

 A classic posh picture with laughing and Michael making a sassy face!

 Cousins!!

 Barefoot and looking all fabulously windswept!

Who doesn't want a good man to help a girl into her heels I ask you?!

15.9

This past Saturday evening, Tony's roommate invited us on a hike to the hot springs. I have lived in Provo for about 6 years now, and I have still yet to make it to this particular activity. It was cold and I was tired but it was a short hike so I decided I wanted to go.

Little did I know I was in for much more than I had agreed to. Turns outs, the paved road to the trailhead is closed during the winter months when there is too much snow for vehicles to safely drive on it. None of us knew exactly how far it was from the gated road to the trailhead. (We were thinking maybe 2 or 3 miles) None of us brought any snacks or water on the trip because we were expecting a 5 mile hike.

Before I continue with this story, I need to show you the boots I was wearing for this hike.

These boots are awesome when it comes to keeping my feet warm and traversing through treacherous ice and slippery snow . . . but only for short distances. These warm, fuzzy boots felt like lead strapped to my feet towards the end of the hike.

Turns out we hiked on the road approximately 5 miles before we reached the trail head. By this time we were all exhausted, but we were much too far to turn back now. Plus I suspect, and I know it's true in my case, no one wanted to be the wimp that suggested we turn back. So we all persistently and perhaps grudgingly trudged onward.

I will admit despite the general tiredness and freezing cold, it was beautiful. There was snow, mountains, a river, and more stars than you can see in and around Provo. It was bright enough on the road to walk without a flashlight, so I felt as if I was strolling along in my very own black and white photograph.

Much to our collective delight we finally made it to the hot springs. It may have smelled like rotten eggs, but even the thought of a little warmth was enough to cheer me up at that point. After a grueling hike, sitting in the warm (sometimes extremely hot and sometimes really cold) bad egg-smelling water was basically heaven.

BUT then we had to get out.

It was COLD. It was oh so cold, and I was oh so wet and underdressed. I have never been so cold in my entire life (and that includes the time we swam against TSD and the heater was broken and my lips turned blue). My toes literally felt as if they would snap in two from the cold (I was still barefoot at this point). Everyone was too cold to even care that we were in mixed company, and everyone changed as quickly as they could. (don't worry nothing scandalous . . . we were all too worried about ourselves to look) However, others had it worse than me that night (right Tony?) and I am thankful I did not misplace my pants.

Luckily I have a good boyfriend who offered to carry my bag for me on this trip and made sure I did not tumble down the side of a mountain into the freezing water below. Those snow boots made my feet progressively clumsier as I got more and more tired, and I slipped and stumbled on more than one--a lot more--occasion.

Every step was painful the last few miles. My hips hurt, my back hurt, my toes hurt, and my face was numb. I have never been so happy to see a car in my entire life. I couldn't have been more glad the hike was over.

I went home ate a pop tart and proceeded to pass out until nearly 2 the next afternoon. I felt as if I had been run over by a train the next morning.

But you know what? I'm glad I went. I hiked about 16 miles in the snow! Let me repeat that . . .

I hiked 16 miles in the snow.

I've never even hiked more than about 7 miles at once before, and this was not only my longest hike ever but it was in the snow. I feel incredibly strong that I was able to finish this hike, and I am certainly more confident in my body's ability to do hard things. I am now determined to hike Mount Timp this spring or early next fall. I've always doubted whether I could do it or not, but now I know I can. And I'm excited!

More Life Lessons (Stress Management Pt. 2)

I'm having sushi for lunch tomorrow and tomorrow night is my turn to cook

darn it! i should have knocked on wood! as hard as i could!

Yes, you should just always be doing that.

keep doin that, mama cat

Why are you obsessed with rhymes?!

they pass the times!
so get in line
and say a rhyme


That is Michael's and my conversation. do you see

what i put up with?

(Excerpt from a conversation I had with Jessica tonight.)

So how often is it that you get to talk to two of your best friends who live nearly 2,000 miles away in one night? Yeah, not so often. But tonight I did! They were both on Facebook at the same time, and I was very happy to talk to them. I was simultaneously carrying on three Facebook conversations, texting three different people, and watching a WWII Doc on The History Channel.

I kept laughing because of things said in the Facebook conversations, but all my roommates saw was the WWII Documentary on T.V. I think they were marginally worried I saw a sadist until I explained why I was really laughing--and it certainly wasn't because of the documentary. I was mostly the poem above, how Michael wants Jessica to name her new VW Jetta Puddlesmacks, and how Michael will randomly show up in D.C. (most likely at the worst possible time like while we're at the pentagon or something) and get dragged off by the security guards while yelling "Fin!" with his free arm outstretched toward me. When my classmates ask if I know him of course I will respond, "No."

We had another amazing lesson in OB class today. We talked about what anger really is and the chemical processes behind it. It is literally possible to be angry for 2-3 days straight if you let yourself get so angry that your adrenaline starts pumping. I don't know about other people, but I can't handle the yucky feeling of being angry for days at a time. No thank you.

Just like stress, we learned it is possible to control anger. When you get that first little pop of anger (this is not adrenaline) you just have to let it go. Don't let it get to that stage where your body is producing anger-fueled adrenaline for days at a time!

We talked about how expressed anger and violence are merely a manifestation of need for control. We even watched a clip from Shindler's List about power.

Truly effective leaders lead by example with love and tolerance. When a king pardons a thief, he likely has created a loyal subject. When he kills the thief he just has a corpse.

(On a lighter note side bar--"And you think killing people will make them like you, but it just makes them dead." Is possibly my favorite quote from A Very Potter Musical said by You-Know-Who himself who incidentally is played by Ralph Fiennes in the movie who also happens to play Amon Goth in Shindler's list.)

Basically, as a leader you want your subordinates to follow you out of respect and love--not fear. Showing mercy and pardoning when someone does something wrong makes one a good leader. Amon Goth was unable to to see the power in mercy and forgiveness and simply continued on in the violence and punishment power he was used to. Needless to say it did not turn out well for him--not at all.

We also talked about how a lot of people shy away from power because they do not want it. We always hear how power corrupts and absolutely power corrupts absolutely. However, we have to learn how to exercise power in this life. God, our ultimate exemplar, is omnipotent. That is to say He is all powerful. If we want to become like him one day, we must have power and use it the right way or how will we ever be ready to assume a position of omnipotence?

Also, the person who said never let a sunset on an argument needs to be kicked in the teeth. Sometimes the best cure for an argument is to step away, calm down, and then rationally discuss the issue when the anger is gone. Trying to address an issue when you are still upset (and consequently irrational) nearly always ends badly.

Now I am certainly not a morning kind of person, but I will admit that things never seem so bad in the morning. Sometimes the best resolution to an argument is to sleep on it. The angry-I am right and you are wrong and that's the way it is mentality from the night before is gone. Chances are if you tried to duke it out when you are in this mentality (not to mention tired on top of it) the situation will only escalate.

Even though we might know all these techniques for coping with anger and stress sometimes things seem completely overwhelming nonetheless, and it is nearly impossible to discern any reason why things are the way they are. In those times, the best thing to do it put things into the eternal perspective. Remember who is really in control of things and put it in His hands.

Only here would I ever learn this in a graduate school organizational behavior class.

Can't Go Back Now

This weekend was good. It was so good.

It was yet again another one of those weekends where you expect nothing much to happen, and then so much does happen. I end up realizing that life is actually pretty wonderful and I have friends that love me.

Pretty awesome stuff huh?

I would be lying if I didn't admit that sometimes when I'm in Provo I feel a bit cut off. I have no family here. My reliable, wonderful, go-to friends are just as far away as my family. I will also admit that making friends is not always the easiest thing for me to do. I think it's the awkward period where you almost feel like you're inviting yourself to stuff and you're not sure that you're wanted period that gets me. Sometimes I would rather just sit at home alone that subject myself to that.

Anyways, I digress.

On Friday I went to Park City . . . all by my lonesome. I drove through the canyon after finishing work and the day was gorgeous. I'm not much of a driver, but something about driving through the mountains on a sunny day with unusually warm weather for a November was pretty spectacular.

(I took this picture en route to PC, possibly a little dangerous but it was too beautiful outside to resist.)

I drove to PC with the intention of revamping my business clothes wardrobe. I think I did a pretty good job, and would prefer not to admit how much money I spent. I will say I have absolutely no buyers remorse. It felt good to go into store, pick out what I wanted, and just buy it!

I find spending productive alone time rather empowering. My drive back through the canyon that night with a chocolate banana vivanno smootie and some great music playing in the background was just pure happiness.

Then the night took me in a pretty unexpected direction. I went to a birthday party at 8:30 with the intention of staying for an hour, and then going home to get work done. When I finally got home at 2 a.m. that morning I felt even better about life though slightly more exhausted than earlier in the day.

Saturday consisted of early morning homework I had procrastinated. Then 1st row (that's right I said 1st row) tickets to the football game where BYU decimated UNLV. Oh, and I got a free shirt. How cool is that?

Then I ate more sushi than any one girl should ever eat in one sitting. It was delicious!

By this time I was sleep-deprived, full of food, and ready to crash hard. I assumed my weekend fun was over when I headed home with a fuzzy head and heavy eyelids. I promptly passed out after getting home around 6.

And then wouldn't you know it, but the next thing I know I'm hanging up the phone from a conversation I barely remember having. I was out of it asleep at this point so I had to check and make sure I really did get a phone call and that I wasn't just dreaming. It was almost like texting in my sleep all over again! In retrospect, even though I felt like poo when I rolled out of bed and inspected the damage of my early evening nap (crazy crumpled bangs and red lines from the sheets all over my chin and neck), I'm glad I did it. Another fun evening.

Then came a wonderful Sunday with an uplifting church meeting, an impromptu dinner that didn't turn out half bad, a fireside, games, and some completely ridiculous nonsense (which is my very favorite kind).

But don't you love to laugh? I got my fill of it this weekend. It was definitely one of those hey Rachel, your life is really pretty great kind of weekends. Even though I am far away from my family and I have wonderful friends at home, I know some pretty great people out here, too. Next time I'm feeling a little down I will tell myself this.

I love that I've reached the point in my life where a lot of my insecurities are dissipating. I realize that most of them were pretty irrational in the first place. Maybe I'm not the most well liked person around (I'm sure I'm not because sometimes I think I can probably be a complete pain), but I don't need to be that person. Sure, being the outgoing person will never really be my thing, but I certainly shouldn't be afraid of putting myself out there sometimes. Showing up at a party where you don't know very many people can be a really great thing sometimes! Great people are all around us, and I should never shy away from getting out there and getting to know them.

On the flip side, learning to do things on your own is a different kind of wonderful. I really didn't want to go all the way to Park City by myself, but I am sure glad I did. There was something nice about knowing that I was doing something alone because I wanted to--not because I didn't have any other choice. There is a BIG difference between being alone and being lonely, and that is a pretty empowering idea!

I love this song. And I love The Weepies.

Running the Numbers

Hello friends!

Happy happy day! I showed up to work and guess what?

Cancelled!

That's right . . . cancelled for parent-teacher conferences!

I must say Thursday is my least favorite day of the four days I teach, and it was a nice little surprise to get some unexpected free time (well free time to do homework). I am working on a decision analysis for one of my classes, and I have found some rather exciting information regarding the possibility of a short, after Christmas trip for the posh.

Here goes (these costs are for three people):

NYC:

Roundtrip gas: $45/person

Hostel: $20/night/person with breakfast, wi-fi and lockers (in Upper Manhattan)

Broadway shows: approx. $50 w/ student discounts on day of

Orlando:

Roundtrip gas: $38.20/person

Hotel: $13.33/person/night

Combo Universal Studio/Islands of Adventure (WWHP) for two days: $134.99

Think on that please! We will discuss is come Thanksgiving (in about 2 1/2 weeeeeeeks!!!)

I love this song: The Observer by Chris Chavez (it's the first song on the list . . . just hit play)

Wand

A wand (a mascara wand that is) was the start of my troubles today. In the morning I am hardly coherent, and putting on mascara is definitely not the safest thing for me to in that impaired state. However, I must do what must be done. I braved the danger and put the mascara on anyways. Alas, it was fated to be an unsuccessful attempt. I proceeded towards my eyelashes with the brush and then I proceeded a bit too far.

You got it.

I poked the darn thing right into my eye (with no contacts if you please). My eye has not been the same since . . . who knows it may never be.

Ok . . . it will be.

On a bright note though, I did score well on my quiz. 22 out of 24--my best yet.

Oh, and my favorite new winter food:

A cup of Stephen's Milk Chocolate Cocoa with one spoonful of Stephen's Pumpkin Spice

and (here's the kicker so get ready for it)

Thin mints.

You use them as straws! You bit a bit off of one side and then another bit off the opposite side. Then you suck the hot cocoa through the cookie. The cookie gets soft and then you eat it (all at once or it will fall apart and get messy). It is like melted minty chocolaty heaven in your mouth.

It will certainly make your bad day better. I promise!

So will this song:

And hopefully this picture:

Why I have the best friends in the world

Please note the advertisements on the side! This brightened by day considerably--not that it was a bad day of course. It was actually a rather good day. There is always room for improvement though.

I am so happy and grateful and thankful that I have stayed friends with such amazing people for so long!

Michael, did you know we had our first class together in fall of 2001!!!! 2001! (or possibly winter of 2002) Who can remember that far back anyways? And let's be honest, who doesn't try to block out freshman physical education?! I am still to this day thankful that I got my braces on during slideshow day! Oh, that makes it fall of 2001 for sure!

And Jessica we started swim team together that same fall!

And Wewe . . . we roomed together on the 8th grade field trip in Spring of 2001 and swam together that whole preceding year! We're talking about 10ish years of friendship here!

That's pretty extraordinary in my opinion.

(Click on the image to make it large enough to read.)

One month to HP 7 everyone! Can I get a "Somebody Scream"?

Anyone?

Toes and Dresses

I got a long over due pedicure today. I've always wanted to be tan enough to have bright orange toes, and have it look good. However, I came to accept my NC15 complexion long ago and just went for the orange without the tan.

It turned out pretty well if I do say so myself . . . and I do!

You can't even tell that half of one of my toe nails broke off the other day. Go ahead, try and guess which one it was.

I have looked and looked and looked at multiple Ross, T.J. Maxx, Marhsalls, Goodwills, and so on and so forth for a dress like I wanted for my party. Unfortunately, the only one I could find in the color that I wanted was not my size nor would the cut have been flattering even if it was. So after lots of looking I found this one:

it's not this one:

but I do like it anyways.

This is much more pink that coral so I hope you don't mind Jessica. Finding a suitable dress that is both flattering and affordable is much harder than I anticipated. 

Should we get our hair done the morning of . . . maybe a nice big hair do or some pin curls perhaps?

I think that would be marvelous!

I won't reveal me in the pink dress yet because minus accessories, makeup and nice hair it would ruin the effect.

BUT

You can see me in the white I tried on.

I figured I'm already pale enough as it is, and I don't need to beg the comparison by wearing a white dress. If anyone sees anything is a seafoamy green color please let me know. The pink dress still has the tags and a receipt. My choice is amenable if a suitable alternative is found. Maybe I should just dye the white one?

They'd probably make me eat a live chicken!

I'm going to a lawn party come April 24th. It's true! Complete with dresses, hats, pearls, bowties AND

CRAWFISH!

Doesn't that just sound like the epitome of Southern gentility and sophistication?

Well I don't eat crawfish. The eyes are still looking at you even after you boil them! uuuggghhh . . . you know how it is.

It's very Steel Magnolias of me if I do say so myself.

I cannot even wait. I think about 99.9% of women want and like to dress up at least every once in awhile. And as everyone knows from my post a few days ago I do love wearing hats. A pretty dress with a hat is even better. Add those pearls and I'm practically in heaven!

Maybe a little something like this:

I do always wish I could dress like the characters from Gossip Girl you know.

But seriously. I am very excited to go home. I'm from the South, and it doesn't really matter where I live or go for the rest of my life--I'm Southern through and through and that's not changing.

Seventy Times 7

I love music! Did you know that?

Directions for this post:

1.) Play this video




2.) Read this post while listening




I love how a song can transcend just being a song. It can be connected to a thousand memories. The song means so much more than just the original tune and lyrics that the artist records. Because of your experience with it you make it your own. It doesn't matter how many years go by or how your musical tastes may change. This song comes on and you can remember with almost perfect detail the moment that this song became something so much more. Unfortunately this can be a good or bad connection, and I have songs that qualify in both categories. But I certainly have more songs that remind me of some of the best times, friends and memories I have in my life than ones that remind me of the bad times.

I'm going to tell you about one of them.

While driving to work this morning Seventy Times 7 came on my iPod . . .

Immediately I was driving through the Smoky Mountains by the Little River en route to Gatlinburg. The car is full of my very best girlfriends. It is the perfect day in one of the most perfect summers of my life. All the windows are down, feet are hanging out the window and we are young, relatively carefree and anxiously awaiting our post high school lives. We weren't really sure what would happen come fall when we would all go our separate ways or how the years at college or wherever else we were going would change us, but I know at that moment we couldn't care less. All that mattered was that we were together and having an awesome time. I don't remember what we did in Gatlinburg, where we went that night, or even who's car we were driving, but I will never forget that drive and that song.

Using cell phones, water bottles or whatever we could find we sang (or maybe we screamed)

And is that what you call tact?

You're as subtle as a brick in the small of my back.

So let's end this call, and end this conversation.

and is that what you call a getaway?

well tell me what you got away with.

cause you left the frays from the ties you severed 

when you say best friends means friends forever

just as loud as we could into our "microphones".

It was definitely one of my infinite moments (see Perks of Being a Wallflower for explanation).

I will admit that if I heard Brand New's first CD for the first time today, I probably wouldn't think much of it. But Your Favorite Weapon and I have history, and I will certainly never forget it. How could I when it is the background music to practically every good memory from the summer of 2005? Or as I like to call it the summer of the Posh Elite complete with high school graduation, Warped Tour, hooker high heels, Kelsie's hot tub, Jessica's dad's pool, being water logged practically the whole summer, hanging out in Kelsie's basement, Tom and Blockbuster, my first job at Mr. Gatti's, scary movies and the circular conversations of which of us would survive in a scary movie situation, my brains falling out (i.e. nosebleeds) and perpetually loosing my contacts at Kelsie's house, driving down a curvy road at all hours of the night either to or from Kelsie's house, late night trips to Wal-Mart and late night meals at IHOP. 

Ahh . . . can't you just feel the nostalgia? 

This isn't what it should be

I had this glorious post all planned out for tonight. However, after watching 30 Rock, Community and The Office I have no energy left to put in the time and effort this post deserves.

So here is another one of my favorite things lately:

Post Secret

No, these are not my postcards. Just examples of post secret ones.

Also, I was told about this by a friend. Which is true of most of the things I like. Sometimes I like to think I'm original, but I'm really not so much.