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