Wandering

Remember over the summer when I posted that I like being alone. I’m back at college, and I still like being alone. I’ve come to prefer it actually. Which is super duper weird for me. So one of my classes is called Visual Literacy. It’s all about how what we see influences our behavior and our creativity. So one of the assignments was literally to wander around. And then we had to document our experience. Here’s my wanderings that I posted on our class blog. I’m not sure what happened, but I like being alone.

I decided to do the assignment about wandering. I packed a bag and set off, planning on taking a quick whiz around the block and being done. After about two blocks, I was wondering if I was doing the assignment right. I decided not to pull my phone out or bring a camera and ruin the wander. It slowly became fantastic. I walked to places I had never seen before. I found a house that I’m pretty sure is a murder house, as well as some houses that I would have moved into on the spot. I followed a couple (against my instincts) until I’m pretty sure they were going to call the cops. I went and swung on a swing in the front yard of a house even though every bone in my body begged me not to. I stood out front of a house and watched TV with the girl through the window. I stayed until a tattooed man (who I’m fairly certain will end up being my husband) gave me the dirtiest look I’ve ever gotten. I figured out how to distinguish between a married couple’s house (neatly trimmed lawn and twine/flower wreath) and single people’s houses (lawn long enough for me to braid and a sofa on the front porch.) I eventually got so lost, I had to pray to the phone gods to get me home. When I got home, I looked at the time. I’d been gone for over an  hour and a half. And it was fantastic. 

College is hard.

Guys. College is hard. Let’s make a list of why college is hard.

-You have to go to school. A lot. And they put up power points and make you take notes, or ask you hard questions and explain things in scary new ways.
-You always have homework
-You need to clean the kitchen seriously all the time. It’s never clean
-Ditto with the living room.
-You live with a bunch of people, and figuring out the dynamic is difficult.
-You meet new people all the time, and have to explain yourself. Which means you kinda have to know who you are.
-Your family is not there. And they’re the greatest.
-You have to buy things. With all the money you don’t have.
-You have to make your own food, and do your own laundry. No bueno.
-You have to walk up a million and five stairs to get to campus (if you’re me anyway).

But there’s also good things. Like getting flowers, good friends who write you adorable birthday notes and make you birthday treats, that nice kid that bought you a Jamba Juice shirt, having to talk a walk as an assignment, and getting to talk about things that matter. So I guess I’ll stay.

Happy Tuesday everyone.

And happy 8 months down:)

20 years young

Today was my birthday. It’s super selfish, but I love my birthday. There’s something great about looking back on your life, and looking ahead at the good things to come. It’s fun to have a day that’s about you. It’s weird to be away from your family on your birthday, but I have an amazing family, great friends, and wonderful roommates (who are also my friends, don’t be offended) who made the day great. Thanks to everyone who made me feel special today, and for making me feel special everyday:)

My creativity project where I made a stone for each year of my life. I had some alone time and it was great to just be with me today.

Super cute socks from Japan:)

Jonas came for the weekend and we had super good Italian food on Friday.

He also made me french toast and took me to an art museum. It was great:)

Pouring rain with this girl as a part of birthday weekend!

And we won. Because it was my birthday weekend.

Do I look 20??
My family is too cute:)

My roomies are great:)

This awesome package all the way from Japan was great today:)
Happy Sunday everyone! And happy birthday to me:)

Hellos and Goodbyes

Two first days of school down! Here’s your cliche first day pic….fun right? And my apartment is clean! Which is great:) The first day(s) of school were great! I really like all of my classes, especially the ones that have to do with my major and minor. Call me weird but I love school. It’s stressful, but the things I’m studying are just fascinating and I’ve missed that. Also my teachers all seem fantastic (one of them LOVES the word fantastic. She’s fantastic:)) and I think it’s going to be a good semester. Stressful? Yes. But good? Yes.

I also had to say goodbye to this beautiful girl today. Allison Yost is one of the most Christ-like people that I know. She’s going to be an amazing missionary to the people of Milan, Italy. I couldn’t be more proud of her, or more lucky to call her my friend. Goodbyes are hard, especially with people that you love. But I know that she and, all of us really, will be friends forever. And that’s something to be happy about. I love you Sister Yost! See you in 18 very short months. I can’t wait:) 

Happy Wednesday everyone, happy second first day of school to me, and happy life, really. It is a happy life, isn’t it?

First day of school!

So today is the first day of school. Expect a huge blog post tomorrow with all the details:) But for now here’s just a little story. I’m weepy and nostalgic and whatever, it’s fine.

We walked across the street toward the familiar door. I’d walked that parking lot a million times. Too many of those times with you. It’d be nice to have you here now. But the current company was more than enough. The activity room had the same furniture, virtually in the same place. The decorations in the hallways were different. They seemed meant for people younger than us, and I guess they were. I walked the stairwell that I’d walked a million times. The second floor was welcoming. It felt like coming home. But it’s not home anymore. Down the hallway I knew where everyone lived, but someone strange stood in front of a door. It wasn’t mine anymore. I chuckled at the bulletin board and the new Carnival theme of the hallway. It was an age ago that I lived there, but it was also yesterday. I stopped to talk to a friend, and saw the inside of her apartment. It looked so much like my old place. I almost had to laugh at the absurdity of it all. It was like walking through a dream, or a bizarre deja-vu. Back to the parking lot in the pouring rain. Driving away felt like Freshman year again. But then we came home. To the underground parking lot and the blasting air conditioning in one room, to the broken refrigerator and the three foot high bed. And I love everything about it.

Happy Tuesday everyone, and happy first day of school to me:)

Welcome Home

So I am all moved in and things are good! It was rough, and there are still things that are going to be rough, but life is good!

I went to my new ward and it was a blast. Everyone seems so nice, and it’ll be a good year.

Here’s my apartment. Welcome home:)

Welcome to Rachel asleep on the couch as per usual….

Heidi is going to hate me for this picture. But this is our kitchen:)

This is also our kitchen

This is our map of all our missionary friends

This is my room (complete with three pairs of viable pointe shoes for me to play with:))

My desk and shelves:)
We also saw these awesome guys perform in Sandy yesterday. This is The Fellows. They are fantastic:) You should totally go check them out!
This is the thing you need to know. There is a God in heaven who is so mindful of you. He was mindful of me today. There have been so many crappy things going on, but also some really great things happening in the midst of all the bad things. 
Happy Sunday everyone!

Too many odds and ends

Dearest friends. I am a bit behind blogging wise. I’m all moved in, waited in a horribly long line for a parking pass, am bruised and battered from surgery, spent way too much money on groceries and books, and now am working out wifi problems whilst trying to blog. Our kitchen is a mess and there are boxes everywhere. I keep telling myself we’ll figure it all out, but right now it seems like a good time to do nothing instead of try and do everything. I think I’ll take a breather, and then tackle the dinosaur problems I need to get tackling.

Leaving home yesterday was very hard. For a million reasons.

But I get to keep moving forward.

Maybe I’ll have a minute to snap some better pictures of my apartment and put them up for all you lovely folks tomorrow. We’ll see!

Happy Saturday everyone.

Hiatus

I just had surgery or whatever. That plus moving into my new apartment equals a hiatus from the blog for a few days.

I’m doing great, I love you all:)

Happy Thursday everyone!

Moving……

Remind me why I ever unpacked everything when I moved back home for the summer?

Hope the first day of school went well for most of the world (I swear BYU is the only place that doesn’t start for another week. I’m totally fine with it, it’s just weird haha)

I’m off to do more packing and wish I didn’t have to move away.

Happy Monday everyone!

My college week failed

I got to day three of my college week posts, then I worked a double and then I worked again and then went on an awesome date. SOOOOOO I’m sorry. Hopefully ya’ll are ready for college?;) Anyway here’s what’s been up lately.

I had my last day at Cherry Hill. I’m all nostalgic. I’m an emotional, passionate person. Maybe that’s a bad thing. Maybe not. But anyway, I was sad. I walked around the whole place, taking in all the sights and sounds. I’m going to miss the people I work with. I’m going to miss whizzing around on the golf cart early in the mornings. I’m going to miss all the interesting and fun people I would meet. I’m going to miss the smell of fresh pie pockets and the sound of the scanner as I check someone in. So maybe I’m stupid to get all weepy and nostalgic, but I really am going to miss The Hill. But maybe I’ll be around next year:)

This guy took me on an amazing last date before I move away next week. Dinner, the best dessert you can imagine….

These beautiful flowers. I had to play with my new Over app….and yes I’m obsessed. And aren’t these roses just the prettiest color EVER?!?!

A carriage ride with Bill and Charlie around beautiful Salt Lake City…

With this perfect view of the temple.:)

I was trying to be all artsy with this picture. It was a perfect date.
So now I’m packing and hoping I can survive this week of moving in. Good luck to everyone who is starting school tomorrow, especially my cute sisters! 
Happy Sunday everyone.