thursday

dear blog,
yesterday was so lovely. i haven't had a great thursday in awhile. but it was full of happy memories and good friends.
also, we told santa what we want, so I should be good to go. Becca asked him for a boyfriend though... you should have seen his face!!! CLASSIC.
love,
rochelle
p.s. I'm so excited for christmas.
p.p.s I wrote this on my new smarty phone... booyaw!!

MOST embarrassing moment

dear blog,

so, you know when someone asks you what your most embarrassing moment is? well, i have never really been able to think of one. it's not like i don't get embarrassed. i think it's more like i get embarrassed so often that i easily forget about so it's hard for me to categorize any one of these moments as the "most" embarrassing... until last friday night. i experienced one of those "most" embarrassing moments, and let me tell you it was NOT GOOD.

here's what happened:

i was going to babysit for the wrights at 4:45 on friday night. i wasn't feeling super great, but i thought i was just tired and hangry. my mom was like "don't you think you should cancel?" and i was like "no way, i'm totally fine." plus, janae had called me just a little while earlier to confirm. so my mom drops me off (because the blue car is still not working and she needed the car to take carly somewhere) and i start walking up the stairs to their front door. as i'm knocking on the door i'm thinking "okay, as long as i just relax, i will be okay." so i walk inside their front room and she was telling me the plan and all of a sudden it was like if i opened my mouth at all i was gonna hurl. so i awkwardly nodded to everything she was saying as i tried to think of a way i could escape the inevitable. well, there was no way. she walked into the other room for a second and i let it rip. i puked. vomited. ralphed. blew chunks. THREW UP. all over their front room.... it was mortifying. and then i had to call my mom to come back and pick me up. it was pretty bad. as in there was regurgitated costa vida salad all over the walls and the carpet and a lamp and a door and underneath the door and on my coat, my shoes, my bag, my sweater and my shirt. but my mommy cleaned it up and then we went home and i spent the next twelve hours puking my guts out. but in all seriousness, i have NEVER been so humiliated in my ENTIRE LIFE. they were actually really nice about it, but on the drive home i sobbed like i have never sobbed before (and if you know me, this is A LOT.)

so, there it is folks, my MOST embarrassing moment. and i sure hope that you never have to experience anything so humiliating.

abashedly yours,
rochelle

p.s. a few things i've learned? 1. mom always knows best. 2. it's probably good to err on the side of caution and 3. i feel like sharing this story will make people uncomfortable ergo displacing some of my discomfort. thanks for the load off, friends!

giving thanks.

dear blog,

so i intended to write a timely thanksgiving post, but i guess i was too busy being stressed out and grumpy to do it. plus, i have been a little too obsessed with christmas (i mean, who can blame me) but today i have been a royal grinch all day. i'm not entirely sure why i have been so angry the last couple of days (no, IT IS NOT PMS... well, maybe it is, but i really don't think it is.) anyways, i was thinking about it and thanksgiving really is a blessed holiday and a wonderful reminder to be grateful for all of the blessings in my life. and a reminder that for everything that i maybe think i am lacking, i really do have a million other things to be grateful for. so, here is a list (in picture form, because i am just not feeling very articulate right now) of what i am thankful for.

happy belated thanksgiving.
love,
rochelle

j.r.c.

dear blog,

the summer after my freshman year i worked as a conference assistant at helaman halls. this was an awesome opportunity that i did not initially greet with open arms or a very good attitude. i remember the very first day when i met my fellow co-workers i just looked around and thought "i have zero desire to be friends with anyone here." (which is just plain horrible.) but there was one girl in particular, jessica, who seemed particularly exuberant. she was so invested in the idea that everyone we worked with were all going to be best friends. i remember the first time that i decided that i would be her friend. i don't remember exactly how this happened, but somehow i ended up asleep on the couch in her room and i was out cold until the next morning. and when she covered me with a blanket and thought it was hilarious that i wouldn't wake up, i knew that we were going to be good friends. and good friends we became. actually, jessica is more than a friend to me, she is more like a sister. sometimes we even like to tell people that we are sisters and they always believe us! i love so many things about jessica, but what i think i love the most about her is that she is her own person. jessica makes up her own mind about everything. if someone tells her "you can't do that." she throws it in their face and proves them wrong. i love that! but even more than being strong-willed, jessica can also be very sweet and gentle. jessica is so intelligent. she will be an excellent doctor, an excellent wife and and excellent mother. probably all at the same time, because she is awesome like that! i love that jessica knows what she wants and she knows what she likes. she is a loyal friend and has so many close friends that she knows all about and cares so much about. today is jessica's 23rd birthday and i just wanted to send this positive post out into the interwebs so that jessica can get some positive karma in return on this day of celebration. i'm so glad that she was born and i'm even more glad that i have had the opportunity to know her and to be her friend. she's such a gem!

and now a photo montage of me and my beautiful friend:

bowling that fated summer that we met

she & him concert in the park last summer

jillayne's wedding reception

harry potter at midnight!

jessica's golden birthday last year

love,
rochelle

as of late

dear blog,

nothing too exciting has been happening these days so... i'm just gonna ramble for a bit. k?

i got pulled over last night and i was HORRIFIED. because every time i've gotten pulled over the officers were really mean and they tried to give me a ticket. but last night that was not the case! he just pulled me over to let me know the car had a headlight out and he was just a sweet, kind old man and it was one of those experiences that restores my faith in humankind. he even was joking around with me and told me to just take care of it whenever i could. i cried as i drove away-- happy tears for once. such a beautiful experience!

jessica's 23rd birthday is on tuesday and she just had a beatnik birthday bash. it was such a brilliant idea! we all dressed up as beatniks and read poetry and ate fondue. i had so much fun... except i kind of get stage fright so i felt a little weird standing up in front of everyone to read, but in the end it was worth it!

 maddie and carly are both on the basketball team this year. the season just barely started, so i will be going to loads of games starting next month.

i've started making christmas presents for everyone. i started off with the idea that i would make the same thing for all my family and friend buuuuut... i think i'm going to change my mind. (yes, this is cryptic, because yes, some readers of this blog will be receiving said creations and i don't want to spoil the surprise!)

nickie, nickie's roommates, ally, carly, harriet, scott and i all went to go see the latest twilight movie when it came out on thursday night. WEIRDEST MOVIE I HAVE EVER SEEN. i tend to like science-fictiony/fantasy type stuff, but this was just...strange. and... just read this article.

i've discovered what a podcast is! more like lauren taught me what a podcast is and told me how to download one. prettttty awesome.

i thought i got a job this week... but it turns out it didn't really work out. which is sad, because it sounded ideal, but que sera.

i started sleeping with an extra blanket and i canNOT wait to go to bed because this extra blanket has changed my life. i don't think i have ever slept more comfortably.

we sent richie a package through the mail with a paper christmas tree that chris thurman and carly and maddie and i made and a stocking that my mom made with a missionary on it (both of these items are so much cooler than they sound.) also, candy. i'm so excited for him to get it! and i'm so excited that we get to talk to him on christmas!

well, happy thanksgiving this week!

love love love,
rochelle

bagels

dear blog,

yesterday i was pretty bored so i made cornbread and then when carly got home from school we made homemade bagels! i will definitely be searching for a better cornbread recipe, but the bagels that we made turned out so good! they are all already gone. and i definitely plan on making them in the near future so, for no other reason than if i don't save the recipe i will never be able to find it again, here it is:

Homemade Bagels (makes 12 bagels)

ingredients:
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups warm milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg yolk
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Add the butter, sugar, salt and egg yolk; mix well. Stir in enough flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down. Shape into 12 balls. Push thumb through centers to form a 1-inch hole. Place on a floured surface. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes; flatten. In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil. Drop bagels, one at a time into boiling water. When bagels float to the surface, remove with a slotter spoon and place 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

yummy!!!

love,
rochelle

dazzled to death

dear blog,

on friday night lauren and i had a murder mystery birthday party!!! it was SO FUNNN. i have never been to anything like that before and i don't think anyone that came had either, so i didn't really know what to expect, but it was fantastic! i have such wonderful friends, and even though i couldn't invite everyone (i seriously feel really bad that people i love were left out) it was still amazing. all of the guests came in costume and in character. i was afraid people wouldn't get into it, but everyone was SO into it. anyways, basically i just wanted to say that i love my friends and my family so much, and i feel so blessed to know them and have them in my life.

also, a shout out to my mom and dad who worked so hard and made the evening a success! and to nickie, who purchased the murder mystery kit as a birthday gift. thank youuuuu!

love,
rochelle

hayride

dear blog,

last night i went to a haunted corn maze with the wellings, lola, matthias, tony, bob and his lover amy (who is nickie's age, which is weird, but she is really cool so i guess its okay), and it was SCARY. but to get there and back we had to take a hayride, which was scary on the way there and just delightful on the way back. but seriously, on the way back i felt like i was in an old musical and everyone on the hayride should break into song simultaneously, and believe you me i would have broken into song except for i really couldn't think of any hayride appropriate songs... until i got home. and i thought of this beauty, and truth be told it has been stuck in my head ever since.

and, let's be honest, who doesn't love some burl ives.

love,

rochelle

22

dear blog,

i turned 22 years old yesterday. i think normally on my birthday i either feel older or younger than the amount of years under my belt, but today i feel just about my age. here are 22 goals i have for my 22nd year:

1. read 10 books.
2. purge my belongings.
3. get a manicure.
4. go to the beach.
5. turn in my mission papers.
6. get a mission call.
7. go to a concert.
8. throw an awesome party (not including my birthday party this week).
9. be more selfless.
10. travel somewhere i have never been.
11. meet at least 22 new people.
12. reupholster something.
13. lose 50 lbs.
14. be nicer to my sisters.
15. go to a midnight premiere.
16. sew something excellent.
17. wear full-on make up everyday for one month.
18. be more gracious.
19. craft something once a month.
20. finish a rubix cube.
21. brush up on my piano skills.
22. cook a 3 course meal by myself.

love,
rochelle

all the single ladies

dear blog,

my bosom friend, harriet, got married yesterday.

it was an all-day event and needless to say it was fabulous. that's not to say it went off without a hitch, because i feel like SO MANY THINGS went wrong, but in the end the bride and groom were happy and i really had so much fun!

however, this post is directed to all my single friends/sisters. if you could please not get married for awhile, because i'm pretty sure i couldn't handle a day like yesterday again. at least for awhile anyways. is that too much to ask?

love,
rochelle

pining

dear blog,

i spent my childhood in sunny southern CA. it was a solid 75 degrees year round and the only time it gets cold-ish is the dead of winter during christmas time. sooo, when it starts raining and getting chillier my subconscious can't help but yearn for christmas. and i know it is nerdy, and i know it drives a bunch of people crazy, and i know its not even close to halloween yet, but i just can't help it! all day yesterday and today i have had the christmas music blasting and i absolutely love it.

love,
rochelle

thursday

dear blog,

in true thursday fashion today was a lovely day. i woke up and ate breakfast. i went babysitting and while baby hazel napped i watched a movie and also took a nap. i spent time with my sister. then we went to the farmers market. we got peaches and honey sticks. and i got to hang out with becca. and we went to diego's. they have the BEST gringa tacos i have had in the u.s. of a. then i got to see my friend sam lyman who i haven't seen in 2 years! and i saw my friend dan too. and it was lovely to see them. then i took becca home and i thought i should call jessica callahan (having two bffs named jessica is CONFUSING). anyways, i called her and while the phone was ringing i saw her walking down the street! how fortuitous! and then we went to jessicas apartment and i locked my keys in the car... and then we broke into my car. it was pretty hard core. and then we chatted with marie. and while i did nothing extraordinary today, it was still a lovely lovely day.

love,
rochelle

p.s. i have a TON of plans this weekend: babysitting jackson, wedding shower planning sesh, 46th ward reunion fiesta, levi's birthday celebration, marilyn's birthday party and babysitting davis and sarah during the big game! phew! and then next week i will be staying with my cousin's 5 kids all week! yikes! have a blessed weekend!

nickelodeon

dear blog,

ever since nickie moved out, the house has been noticably tidier. and i don't think it is because nickie is a slob and took her slobbish tendencies with her. im pretty sure it is just because there is one less person living in this house. it is so weird how just one person leaving changes the whole dynamic to a household. physically, our house is different, but emotionally and socially our family is different too. two sisters is so much less than three. and the thing is, i miss nickie so much, but i have probably seen her more since she has moved out than i did when we lived under the same roof! on saturday night maddie and carly and i went to see her at her apartment and she was busy playing games with her roommates and boys and she couldn't even be bothered to stop and spend time with us. and while i probably would have done EXACTLY the same, it still hurts my feelings that she doesn't miss me the same way i miss her. and then on sunday we had a family dinner at gma and gpas in springville and nickie came, but she left early and we went to get the car from her and she was obvioulsy upset about something and when i tried to comfort her/have her tell me about it, she threw the keys in my face and ran inside. i need to just get over it and let her be on her own, but i just don't want her to get hurt, or mess up, or sleep through a class, or flirt with the wrong boy, or get embarrassed, or make any of the mistakes that i have already made! i know that this is a ridiculous and unreasonable notion, and i've made a goal to not call her every time i am in provo (which is a lot,) but is it wrong if i still try to protect her a liiittle bit?

sigh, this is actually not at all what i intended to write when i started writing this post, but i guess this is what is on my mind.

love,
rochelle

p.s. despite her smothering problems (guilty,) health problems (nose bleeds!) and roommate problems (i want to know who DOESNT have roommate issues,) i really think she is loving it. look how HAPPY she looks!

scared.

dear blog,

so i graduated from college and that was great, but since then i've been doing pretty much nothing and i wasn't sure what has been holding me back. and as everything around me changes, i am left wondering, what is wrong with me? i don't think i'm depressed or anything, but i really do think a LOT about what i am supposed to be doing and how i'm supposed to go about doing that. i feel like i am in such a limbo right now and my life has no structure or consistency. there is nothing to spark change and i have little motivation to change anything. and the truth is, if i wanted to be doing something, i could be. i have always been blessed with success, but lately i have been so petrified by fear that i just have no desire to even try. and i know that nothing will ever happen (good or bad) if i don't at least make an attempt, but the idea of doing anything (moving away, getting a better paying job, taking the GRE,) is mortifying to me! when did this happen? when did i become so afraid of living life?

and the reason i haven't brought this up in the past is because i have justified all of my non-goings on. "i'm babysitting, and i want to be a mom when i grow up, so it's like an internship." "i don't pay rent, so i don't need money for a real job." "i like living at home with my family." "i am happy."  and while these are all partly true, for the most part they are just a mask. excuses for why i wouldn't have to buck up and live up to my potential.

but here's the thing, blog, i'm not scared anymore.
(okay, that's not true, i am terrified,) but i have made a decision that i am not going to hide anymore.
i have decided that i am going to (try to) move away. to the east coast. new york, actually. and be a live-in, full-time, honest-to-goodness, nanny.

cue shocked/excited faces.
thank you, thank you very much.

love,
rochelle

yes, you may mock me for this.

dear blog,

sometimes when it rains (like, right now for instance) i think about this song:

love,
rochelle

p.s. i may or may not know the words to this song...

dear everyone with little to no social skills,

when you ask someone what they are up to and all they say is, "not much." they really mean, "none of your freaking business."

love,
rochelle

apple pie

dear blog,

i watched a couple of episodes of "mad men" the other day and so i was feeling very 1960's housewife and i thought i would make an apple pie from scratch. this was weird because 1. i made it for jessica's summer solstice party and i didn't need to make something nearly as involved as a double-crust pie (its WAY more involved than it looks) and 2. i don't even really like pie. buuut nevertheless, i made it. i used this recipe and i cooked it for the minimum amount of time because i was running late, but i definitely would have cooked it longer because the apples were pretty underdone. but, it looked BEAUTIFUL:

 i would definitely recommend a warm slice a la mode. yummmy (i think pie is growing on me...)

love,
rochelle

p.s. ariel took loads of pictures at jessica's lovely summer solstice party and she happened to capture this lovely moment in time:

i literally canNOT stop laughing everytime i look at this picture...