Its Christmas Time in the City

Ok so since we're getting close to the New Year...it is time for that yearly review.

Lessons learned this year:

1. You always get sick over Christmas/New Year's vacation
2. My husband actually remembers our anniversary (and he brings roses)
3. Valentines Day becomes pretty lame after you're married....so really its only cool when you're
dating someone...or under the age of 12
4. All your friends will decide to get married the same summer...we went to 6 weddings this
year...
5. Wymount Ward Testimony meetings sometimes hurt my face...who starts their testimony
by talking about a movie nobody should ever see....uhhhh what?! (literally the testimony
began....I saw a movie this weekend that I wouldn't recommend...who are you?! Siskel)
6. Apparently you have to have children to be a part of the in-crowd in student married
housing and apparently plants don't count.
7. Apparently pillows from Kirtland's don't last an entire year before they become little lumps
of broken home design dreams
8. When moving it is always a good idea to invite burly relatives (seriously one of my cousin in
laws carried our entire couch by himself...on his back...)
9. Red roses look dead when they're dried...so if you want a morbid gothic look red is the way
to go (and don't put them next to a wedding picture...people might start thinking your
marriage is on the rocks)
10. Half of the wedding presents you thought "Oh wow...I'll totally use that everyday" (like the
bread maker, George Foreman Grill, Cuisenart Food Processor, etc)...will just sit on the top
of your kitchen shelves....ok not half...ALL
11. The temple becomes easier the more time you go...just remember to wear a slip....
12. Those vinyl signs and marble tiles aren't nearly as hard to make as they look...people
THEY'RE STICKERS!!

Books I've Read and Loved
1. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows
2. Pendragon (the series)
3. All and anything Tom Clancy
4. James Patterson...lots of gore and a good mystery
5. The Book of Mormon...it changes each time you read it...only book I know that does that


Alright so maybe I'll rehash the year more later...that's all for tonight.

Television Recaps

Ok, so can television watching be a hobby?? I'm just wondering because I seem to do that just about whenever I can. My husband, being the buff gentleman he is, choses such raucous activities as basketball playing, baseball throwing, football catching, etc as his hobbies, whilst I chose to lounge on the couch watching the finales go by. You see its the end of the summer once again which means 1:All the summer reality shows are ending and 2. All the really good shows will be back on shortly!!! HOORAY! So let me recap all of the finales that have taken place thus far infiltrating my own comments throughout the short synopsises.

HELLS KITCHEN:


Ok so Hell's Kitchen made the blog last year, so of course I wasn't going to miss out on this season's firey spats amoungst food. This season was spiced by the usual cornicopia of personalities. One large Asian guy (which in and of itself might be an oxymoron) who fainted mid stir because he literally couldn't take the heat was one of the standout moments of the season. Julia, a Waffle House short order cook and waitress, was a pure joy to watch. Seriously, Waffle House might be the one of the scuzziest places on earth but man do they know how to cook eggs and hashbrowns. So Julia always seemed to be in charge of anything involving eggs (which made me giggle each time I witnessed such occurances). On one occasion 5 of the remaining cooks were thrown into a high school cafeteria and ordered to produce 150 lunches for the students after which the students would partake of and choose a winner for the best lunch. Julia's gourmet decision...Grilled chicken and cheese sandwiches with fries....an item I KNOW FOR A FACT they serve at Waffle House....HEEE! AND SHE WON! Oh the irony...gourmet waffle house. She was actually kicked off at the end of this episode but I still enjoyed her thoroughly. The final two were two chefs named Bonnie and Rock. Bonnie was a personal chef and nanny for some high folutin' (thats some southern talk for ya) folks in some New England state. While Rock was a chef in like a real fancy shmancy restuarant and everything, so lets think about who would win this thing. In the finale they bring back all the fired chefs to help the finalists in the last competition. Oh joy to watch. Some of the people were still bitter about being fired so they would purposefully "forget" to do things...ahhh bitterness bodes for brilliancy! (I know you just loved that alliteration) Rock pulled it out in the end (let me tell you it wasn't exactly a breath holder). And Bonnie's all like...I didn't really want to win...I don't think I really want to run a huge restuarant....at which point I just stared at the TV because FREAK WHY WERE YOU ON THE SHOW THEN?! But she's a pretty little blond thing...so we all know why she was a finalist.

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE

Ok so this finale just went live last night...and I was at the temple...and BOY AM I GLAD I WAS! BECAUSE IT WAS STUPID! Ok so for all those living amongst wild animals in a cave for the last 3 months, So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) basically pits good dancers against each other in an old school dance off. They start out with 10 guys and 10 girls, pair them up and make them dance crazy routines, and at the end of the show one pair goes home because they just couldn't shake their groove thing hard enough. Throughout the season there were some choice and I mean CHOICE! routines...then came the finale...and it was LAME. The 4 finalists I'm sure danced their hardest but the choreography just didn't make my heart sing the way it should have. I mean one routine which the two final girls (Lacey and Sabra) performed was supposed to be them being FOXES....no not foxy...but foxes like the animals...so in the beginning Sabra's laying on the floor pretending to be asleep or dead I really can't tell and then Lacey comes skulking out dressed all in black with a red bandana in her mouth. Ok so when was the last time you saw a fox with a red bandana in its mouth...so I'm thinking Wade (the choreographer) doesn't know what a fox is and somehow has it confused with a robber. Anyway so Lacey continues to skulk over to Sabra and drops the red bandana on her and then begins to nudge her with her head...ahhhh to wake her up...SHES ALIVE! So Lacey is like the momma fox and Sabra is like the baby fox...they prance around the stage for about 2 minutes...nothing remotely exciting happens and then its over. Crickets. I think the audience is still wondering what the heck it was they just watched. Because I think it was supposed to be all symbolic of the animal kingdom but in reality its about as symbolic as poo. AND THIS WAS ONE OF THE FINALE DANCES!! So the judges kind of look at each other and shrug their shoulders and were like...um so you pranced really well...but I didn't get it. HA! I'm proven right by their comments and because of that I'm content. Anyway, then there were some other dances...and judges judged..and then america voted...and the WRONG PERSON WON! The girl who had only been dancing for 4 years, Sabra, beat out everybody. and I have to say it was the wrong choice...don't get me wrong she was alright...but she wasn't all that talented...I mean Danny the ballet guy...while obviously struggling with his sexuality...could DANCE...twist, turn, and turn and turn...I mean the guy could REALLY dance. And Lacey...she knew how to entertain...and dance...something that is just hard to find apparently. So those were the two people I thought should win...but NO...of course they didn't win...I mean they were only the best...anyway..thats why the show was stupid.

Well so there you go. This summer's top rated shows summarized for your pleasure. Now can we please get back to the REAL television. HOUSE, HEROES, etc!!! It's about time!

100 Things You Might Not Have Known About Me!

100. I once ate half a caterpillar. I was like 3 so don't judge me.
99. I can't spit. I pretty much look like Mulan, from that hit movie Mulan, when I try to spit. It's just gross.
98. I like carrots more than chips....I know it's weird.
97. My eyes change colors. This I think is a pretty common occurance among the general population. They go from blue to green depending on what I'm wearing.
96. I once had an almond stuck in my lung. I put it there on purpose.
95. I didn't really learn how to drive until I was 18....I learned in one day and then went to get my license...they didn't even make me take the driving test because it was almost closing time and they were lazy old ladies.
94. When I was a baby I could projectile vomit 4 feet.
93. I've performed in Disney World...it's not that cool. What was cool was seeing Mickey with his head off!!! Now THAT was cool.
92. I went through a whole winter in Utah with my bedroom window open...partially because I didn't know how to shut it and partially because it was broken....I was very cold.
91. I've met Kofi Annan, former United Nations Secretary General.
90. I learned how to drive a stick shift in a porsche on the Auto Lot in Georgia (where I worked one summer).
89. I love flip flops, but my feet hate them. I get blisters on the sides of my feet everytime I try to wear them. It's pretty annoying.
88. My first name is Racheal....that's right look at the spelling people....you'll probably never see it again.
87. I hate lima beans....and I mean hate....like bitter dark intense hatred that makes you recoil in fear.
86. I've been in the tunnels under the BYU library. They're dark and moist, and not all that exciting. But they're bigger than you'd think they'd be...because they have to fit a golf cart down there to transport important church authorities.
85. I've shared a cab with Kristi Yamaguchi. Ok, not really "share" but she got into the cab as I was getting out of it..but it was totally the same cab.
84. I took a class at BYU, we'll call it a Cowboy class, where I rode horses and branded cattle, and then read books about cowboys and wrote papers on it....it was pretty cool.
83. I've met Hugh B. Nibley. He came into the BYU library all the time...cause thats where his office was. He was a cute little man, about 5'5 and always wore a sky blue cardigan that reminded me of Mr. Rogers.
82. I'm going to be married to Gregory J. Hawes, forever and ever and ever, and am still pretty excited about it.
81. I've never won anything on the radio...ever. I suck at winning random drawings or anything call in.
80. I slept on the floor my entire high school career...by choice. I liked sleeping on the floor better than in my bed.
79. I love cats but will never be able to have one because Greg is allergic.
78. I tend to take medicine in high quantities. This isn't necessarily a good thing.
77. One year at girls camp I got in trouble for telling a pianist joke. They said it was crude.
76. I love chinese food...especially egg rolls....I could live off those things.
75. Another thing I could live off of is salad.
74. I once owned a Lisa Frank trapper keeper, and it matched my Lisa Frank backpack. I thought I was pretty darn cool.
73. I have cut myself with children's scissors before. Don't ask me how thats even possible because I still can't answer that question.
72. I bought Titanic..the movie...not the ship... and never watched it.
71. I've stayed up all night just to watch the sunrise.
70. I really love Cold Stone....the ice cream place...I should live there.
69. I don't like frozen pizza at all....probably due to the fact I threw it up once. Of course that might have been because I had a piece of pizza followed by a helping of sweet potatoes...which might not be a good combination.
68. I've seen a colt take it's first steps...they were wobbly but they totally counted.
67. Baby Ruth candy bars!!! Heaven!!
66. I can't ice skate, but every winter olympics I wish I could.
65. I used to want to be a jet fighter pilot like Maverick on Top Gun, then I found out you had to join the Navy...and go through boot camp....I figured that was a bad idea.
64. Every school morning when I was little I would watch Mr. Wizard whilst eating my breakfast...I thought it was the coolest show EVER.
63. I had the nickname Squeakers for quite some time because one day I was talking to my roommate and I all of a sudden looked at her and said "My bra squeaks like a barn door." She thought that was the funniest thing she'd ever heard of.
62. I love milk...I drink a whole gallon a week...by myself.
61. I haven't been stung by a bee in over 20 years.
60. I've only been fishing once in my life.
59. I graduated from High School with the same kids that I went to Kindergarten with.
58. Whenever I have a bad dream I hum church hymns to myself....The next time I sing that hymn in church I remember that bad dream. (it's a vicious cycle)
57. I'm not sure if I'm smarter than a 5th grader....I tend to miss some of the questions on that show.
56. However I'm a wiz at Trivial Pursuit Pop Culture Edition...LOVE IT!
55. One of the goals in my life is to learn the entire Animaniacs "Nations of the World" song....listen to it....I'm sure it'll become one of your goals as well.
54. I'm the only person in the entire world to have seen The Spice Girls movie 3 times in the theater....Twice on dates with guys where they were allowed to pick the movie and the third with a friend where we mercilessly ripped it apart. I'm not proud of this....but its true and theres nothing I can do about it.
53. I've been stepped on by a horse...he stepped on my foot....I had a very blue foot for about 2 weeks.
52. I know a very little Latin. It's truly a dead language....
51. I had a professor die during a semester at BYU....it was a little awkward...they canceled the class for a day and then the next time we came to class we had a new teacher....we didn't know she had died until somebody asked.
50. I have 3 pictures on my living room wall above the TV, one of the pictures is perpetually crooked and I can't fix it because I'm too short...and Greg doesn't really care.
49. I tend to leave boxes and packets and ties around the milk caps on the kitchen shelf. This really annoys Greg....so I'm working on that.
48. I like to keep my shoes under my bed....and not in the hall closet.
47. I'm a little OCD.
46. So little in fact, that I used to have horrible visions of my siblings and parents being killed in the middle of the night so I would get up and check to make sure they were all breathing...I would do this by holding my hand near their nose to see if I could feel their breath.
45. The bedroom door HAS to be shut for me to fall asleep.
44. I love watching scary movies with my ears plugged....it's the music thats really scary anyway.
43. I have a scar on my leg because my brother decided it was a good idea to put a flaming hot pan in the dishwasher and I leaned against it when I went to put my own plate in the dishwasher.
42. I have a scar on my chin because I fell up the stairs when I was young. It didn't hurt and I got a cool snoopy bandaid because of it. Oh and I swear to this day that they used a paint brush type thing to put the orange iodine on my chin.
41. I once lost my wedding ring in the grass while playing softball. (Greg found it though) Moral:Don't wear jewerly whilst playing sports.
40. I've been in one car accident in my life while I was driving. A girl hit me while I was waiting at a stop light. (ummmm she didn't know red meant stop)
39. I've gotten one speeding ticket in my life....I was going 92 in a 75 on the highway in a small town in Utah on my way to California. Beaver, Utah....don't ever go there.
38. I've never had a horrible haircut in my life.
37. I don't bite my nails....I tend to rip them off when they get too long.
36. My feet are apparently too small for my height. My sister says I look funny.
35. I don't think I look like myself in pictures.
34. I can get ready for work in the morning in 15 minutes. (this is only if I absolutely have to...so I rarely actually get ready in 15 minutes)
33. I love reading.
32. I want to write a book. But I don't have any good ideas for a Best Seller yet.
31. I hardly ever wear jewerly besides my wedding rings. My sisters say I need to learn to accessorize.
30. I almost burned my face off at Christmas trying to make Andes Mint chocolates. Don't worry I still have my eyebrows. (and just so you know there were actual flames)
29. I hate fruit flies. I have no idea why God created them. They are perhaps the most annoying creatures on the planet....especially when they're in your kitchen for 6 weeks and WON'T DIE!
28. I have a very odd resume. I've worked as a waitress, a librarian, a driver at an Auto-Auction, an International Bio-photonic Scanner Calibrator, a Staffing Manager, a Marketing Manager, and the Director of Operations.
27. I think my body is a funny shape...and therefore shirts fit funny....my mother tells me it's hour-glass figure....I don't believe her.
26. I rub my eyes way too much and people are constantly telling me to stop it.
25. I rub my eyes because I have this OCD fear that I have eye boogers in the corners or am about to have eye boogers in the corners.
24. My mouth is the size of a 3 1/2 yr. old. This makes the dentist hate me.
23. My wisdom teeth are never going to come in.
22. I've had 10 cavities at one time once....my mother believes this is because they put sugar in the mouthwash they gave us at the Dentist's office.
21. I can read a book more than once and not be at all bored.
20. When I used to swim in meets I would imagine there was a shark after me and I had to swim for my life. (that was the only thing that motivated me to go fast....I didn't care about the person next to me)
19. I once bruised my heels doing a flip turn. I hit them so hard I blacked out for a second and people had to jump in and pull me out. I thought that was very ironic.
18. I like to think I can dance....but I'm pretty sure I can't.
17. I hate to run. Hate it with a passion.
16. I like that feeling I get when I put on a pair of jeans that I've worn a couple of times (without yet washing) so they're all stretched out and comfortable. It makes me feel like I've lost weight. Of course this feeling vanishes when I try to put them on after washing and drying them.
15. I have fat cheeks....I'm pretty sure I don't even have cheek bones. Greg likes to call me Chubby Bunny....even when I don't have any marshmellows in my mouth....
14. I hate marshmellows.
13. I can only sing soprano....I'm not smart enough to sing anything but the melody.
12. I'm pretty sure I have the smelliest feet on the planet.
11. I hate feet in general. (probably because mine smell)
10. I always forget to lock the car door.
9. I used to fall asleep in Calculus class every morning. (and I sat in the front row so it kind of annoyed my teacher I think)
8. I didn't really care that it annoyed my teacher because she couldn't teach anyway.
7. I'm pretty much MacGyver....I once fixed a running toilet with dental floss....ok maybe not MacGyver but like his first cousin.
6. I hate driving in traffic, at night, in the snow, or any other condition where I might die.
5. I get really bored when I take days off from work.
4. I am now an early riser....though genetically I'm predisposed to sleep in.
3. I love Jelly Belly Jelly Beans and can tell you what flavor the bean is just by looking at it. (oh and I love the buttered popcorn flavored ones....there are two types of people in this world...those who like buttered popcorn flavored jelly bellys and those who don't.)
2. I love board games. Scrabble is my favorite.
1. I know for a fact that I can't lick my elbow.