Thanksgiving 2009

So, Thanksgiving 2009 was spent in D.C. at the apartment of Adam, Carl and Steve. We fried turkeys. In the apartment. In a deep fryer. IN THE APARTMENT. Just thought I'd make that part clear. In this second picture, if you look closely, you will see that Carl is behind Steve, using him as a human shield against the oil while shielding Steve from the oil with the lid. At one point, I was recruited to the team. Luckily there is no evidence of this, so Mom can't kill me. =)
Super Steve supervises Myles in the carving of the turkey as I look on in amazement. Yay for great friends!
We all wanted to nap after we ate, but frankly, Laura slept enough for all of us. She slept through at least three hours of Rockband being played right next to her, and Ciara is not a quiet singer. Bless her heart. (Says the kettle.)
This was our pie collection. My stomach expands just thinking about it.
Rockband! We had SO much fun. Laura enjoyed as well, when she finally woke up. It must have been some sort of power nap, because she broke the drumset!
Carl kindly held up the broken portion of drums while we finished the song. =)

All around, a success! Thanksgiving 2009 was so much fun!

November Trip Home

November 2009 called for a quick trip home to visit. I had a few days off in a row, so I hopped on a plane and flew in. I got a rental car and drove straight to a friend's wedding. It was a lovely wedding! Then I went to my sister Ember's house for a visit. I stayed a few nights and got to visit with family for a few days. It was a fun short trip for a weekend!

Plus, Ember and I got matching pajamas! Reminds me of the good ol' days. =)

Philly

Your Rachelized Tour of Philadelphia

November 7, 2009 (with Adam, Merry, Myles, Sarah and Teresa)

I had the chance to go to Philly with some friends in November. We had all sorts of fun running around for a day. It was great! I hadn’t been there since my “8^th Grade Trip” (as we Deltans like to call it). It was interesting to think about what I remembered and what different things stood out to me then and now.

The first place we visited was the Liberty Bell.

It’s housed in a museum dedicated solely to explaining the significance of the bell. The bell itself is surrounded by window almost three quarters of the way around, so you can also see it from the outside; however, if you want to see the infamous crack, you have to go inside. =)

We also went to Independence Hall, which is where the Declaration of Independence was signed. We didn’t make it there in time to get tickets inside, but it is one of the things I remembered from the summer of ’98. I remember thinking it was such an awesome place, and recognizing that I could feel the spirit there.

We went to the Old City Hall, where the U.S. Supreme Court met between 1791 and 1800. It was pretty nifty. I know the first pic is interesting, but I like it anyway. Make sure to read the sign in the last one. Kinda pointless... =)

We went to the Philosophical Hall, where there was a display of Darwin’s books. We tried to be intellectual, but mostly I think we were just a nuisance!

This is a pretty cool statue called "The Signer". =)

There is a lot of Ben Franklin history in Philly. We went to the Ben Franklin Underground Museum (named so because it is all underground… trippy!). My favorite part of that museum (and the main reason we went there) was because they had a demonstration of the armonica, which is a pretty cool instrument good ol’ Ben invented back in the day when playing water glasses was a key form of entertainment. These days you hear this instrument in the Harry Potter soundtrack.

This museum also wins the award for the most pointless exhibit. We never really figured out what it was all about, and most of it didn’t work…

This is a picture of me walking through the same passage Ben Franklin walked through to get to and from his home. Let’s just say I was slightly more enthused about this than my friends! I like the idea of walking where other awesome people have walked. =)

We went to Christ Church (if you don’t know what that is, here is the website.). We were all pretty tired at that point, but we were trying hard to stay focused. I maybe kinda fell asleep…

Benjamin Franklin’s grave is at the burial grounds at Christ Church.

Ooo… Elfreth’s Alley was also pretty cool. Lots of little houses were crammed in there. It reminded me very much of the U.K.. We were lucky enough to be there just when the 2^nd Annual Philadelphia Tweed Ride came through. It was fantastic! Also, I saw a window-box with peppers in it instead of flowers, which I loved.

We saw The Hulk on the street and then got some yummy desserts at the tiniest little walk-up bakery EVER!

Then we got back in the cars and drove over to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which is home to the steps from “Rocky”. We took some pictures at the statue in the middle of the roundabout, which was an interesting statue. Then we got pictures with the Rocky statue, us running up the stairs and our feet by his feet.

After that we headed over to Geno’s to finish the day right with some Philly Cheesesteak. I have to say that I was kind of scared, having had a bad cheesesteak experience in my childhood, but I liked it. Plus, I got a free pen for “having to buy my own sandwich.” Apparently a girl like me should have had a date to buy one for her on a Saturday night. Go figure. =)

All in all, it was a great day! Thanks to Merry for supplying most of the picture, and to Myles for driving when I was too tired. Thanks to Teresa for finding me a bathroom on the way there =), and to Adam, Merry and Sarah for supplying my car with *ahem* such awesome music...

Halloweekend

I had a fun Halloween weekend this year. On Friday (Oct. 30th), my ward had their annual Halloween Barn Dance. It was well attended, and a lot of the costumes were awesome!

My costume was a modest Jessica Rabbit (from Who Framed Roger Rabbit).

This pic is of me, Molly, Merry, and Myles at the barn dance.

On Halloween, a group of us went into DC to go Trick or Treating at the Embassies. I got ready at the metro. Luckily, Merry was kind enough to hold the mirror for me. Adam held my purse with the make-up (a manly job for a ninja) and took pictures with Merry's camera.

Not really sure why this pic was necessary. I only have so many hands, I was standing, and I needed somewhere to put the lipstick.

Adam, Sarah, Merry (kind of) and I at Dupont Circle, waiting to Trick or Treat.

The crew at the Cosmos club, where we got some candy. Autumn, Adam, Cosmos Club guy, Jane, Molly, Merry, Heidi, Sarah and I.

A lot of the embassies didn't participate this year, but we had fun anyway!

Later that night a group of us went to a "haunted" corn maze at Field of Screams in Olney, MD. One guy with a chainsaw does not constitute "haunted", in my opinion.

.... but I'll admit, I screamed a little.

Later that night we all crashed out after watching Corpse Bride.
But we all popped up the instant we heard the words "chocolate cake"...

Even though Trick or Treating and the corn maze weren't as great as we had hoped they would be, we had fun! It's all about the people you're with, and I was with some awesome people! Not everyone that was there is in the pics on here, but you know who you are (Rob, Carl, Mazel). Thanks to great friends for a great weekend!

The Reluctant Blogger

I'm blogging, and no one is more surprised about it than I am! After years (no really, years) of getting blog invitations from friends and family to read their blogs, being frustrated with trying to keep up with everyone, and growing to dislike the word "blog", I have finally started my own. Why? Well, for a couple of reasons. The first one is this: without my own blog site to remind me of the people whose blogs I want to read, frankly, I never read them. Apparently, some people take offense when I don't follow their blogs, because they think it means I don't care about them. Actually, it just means I'm lazy. =)

Lately, people have been expecting me to have read their blogs. I feel like I'm behind in conversations because I haven't read blogs. My social life is suffering because I have to be caught up verbally in the midst of discussions. It's like going to class without having read the assigned chapters. Fail.

Also, since moving away from my family and friends in Utah, I've discovered that some of them actually want to know what I'm doing and thinking from time to time. Go figure. I was sending a weekly email to them for a while. Then it became monthly. Now I don't remember the last time I sent one. Two weeks ago, I got an email that said, "I thought maybe you were dead. Hadn't heard from you in so long." That's the complete email. You know you're not communicating well when people think you have crossed over. I'm hoping having a blog will encourage me to write things down and send them to said people. Even if it only helps for just a month or two.

So, friends and neighbors, that's the long and short of it. I finally have a blog. If you want me to follow yours, now is the time to invite me. If you are like I used to be, and you never want to hear the word "blog" again, it's okay, I understand!

Falling

(Originally posted on Myspace 12/15/2008)

(From this post on=old stuff posted on other sites originally)

Feels like I'm on the edge,
but which way will I fall?
Last time you changed my everything.
You took my heart. You took it all.
The pieces drifted back to me slowly-
one by one.
Everything was different-
they weren't sure they were home.
And so I took the pieces and tried
to make them whole.
I thought I'd made them stronger;
I hoped that they would know
better than they did before
you came into my life.
I hoped they would be able
to separate the truth from lies.
And then I prayed my broken heart
had paid special attention
and would not let me repeat mistakes
I'd rather not mention.
But all these broken pieces want
is to be wherever you are-
to hold you close, to feel your touch,
to kiss away your every scar.
So if you want to be with me
there's not much I can do,
since all the pieces of my heart
only want to be with you.

Walking on Fire

(Originally posted on Myspace 7/23/08)

DISCLAIMER: Don't try this at home.

So Monday night, I walked on fire. Yes, I said fire. The prevailing questions seem to be: Really? When? Where? How? Why? Let me break it down for those of you who are asking.

REALLY? Yes. I really did. Three times. I realize this is shocking to those of you who know what a chicken I can be, but it really happened.

WHEN? Monday. Round about 10 p.m. The actually preparation started around 7 p.m.

WHERE? West Jordan, UT. I attended a firewalk hosted by my friend Lynell and directed by Trent from Quantum Step, Inc. If you have questions about that, go to www.firewalkutah.com.

HOW? Wow I just have to say that a week ago I disagreed, but it IS possible. The coals were about 1200* fahrenheit at their hottest and didn't get much cooler than 900. Yes, there are supposed to be that many zeros on those numbers! We've all been told all our lives it's impossible to touch fire without being burned, but I'm here to tell you that's an illusion. I walked on it, all my weight, three times--BAREFOOT-- and there is not one mark on me. It didn't hurt. In fact, it kinda felt like walking on packing peanuts or old marshmallows.

WHY? Because I needed to. I heard about the firewalk, and something in me said, "You HAVE to do that!!!!" and then I said, "Um, what?!" (Yes, I talk to myself. Don't deny you do it too.) I just knew it was something I needed to do.
I walked three times.
The first time was the most difficult. I spent the entire seminar trying to find what I was walking across fire for. As we walked out to the fire, I imagined all the people I love and all the people who love me on the other side: my Heavenly Father, Jesus, my parents, my siblings, my siblings-in-law, my nieces and nephews, my friends, my future children, my ancestors. And as I was imagining, all the people started to step to either side, and I saw me walking towards myself on the opposite side of the fire. I stopped and waited. And that was when I knew: I needed to walk on fire for myself. I needed to know I could. I needed to connect with myself on a higher level. I am capable of so much, but in the past I always denied or put myself down. I kept that visual in my head and in my heart. I was fully in the moment. 100% in myself. My heart felt like it was pounding out of my chest and out of my back, like it was swollen with expectations. I lifted my foot, and strode across the coals. There was no pain, no heat; there was only connection, joy, love, peace, and enthusiasm about life.
It's possible that some people will see this as insanity, but it was one of the purest, sanest, most perfect, empowering moments in my life. There was such clarity.

So, if you should ever have the opportunity to go to a firewalk (even just to watch), please at least consider; it's always your choice once you're there what to learn from it and whether or not to walk. It's your experience.
Know the possibilities, and always expect the best!

Namasté.