And so I went and let you blow my mind

• Brother graduating from Twin Falls High? Check.
• Getting a hug from my best friend for the first time in two years? Check.
• Grocery shopping with my best mate? Check.
• Singing this song with my youngest sister (who's not yet 3)? Check.

Letters

Dear Weather,
Yesterday I awoke to a snowstorm that foiled my plans for reading on the grass, made me very cold and wet and was very out of place among all the spring flowers. Thank you for being 70 today, and try not to let the fiasco from yesterday happen again until at least October. Just because I've lived in Idaho/Utah for the past 12 years and am used to crazy weather antics does not mean I enjoy your bipolarness.
Sincerely,
Wants Blue Skies and Sunshine
P.S. To quote Jordan quoting one of his friends: Dear Global Warming, Affect Utah.

Dear Ukelele,
Please fall into my hands so that Emma can teach me how to play you.
Sincerely,
Not Ingrid Michaelson

Dear Emma,
When are we going to have our first Uke-German lesson?
Love,
Rachel

Dear Friday,
Come quickly.
Love,
A very ecstatic girl

My Brother is Such a Stud

Um. Is it really 2010? I guess so. Apparently. It's what the calendar has been telling me for 5 months. You know what that means? My little brother graduates from good ol' TFHS (said: Tiffhiss) on Saturday. So crazy. I can't believe it. It doesn't seem like 3 years ago since 2007 and it was me. See. Three years since this:

Senior prom, Angel Moroni being put on the temple, graduation itself, all those memories from senior year and high school...Really? Three years? Crazy. I just find it so hard to believe. And yet, completely not at the same time. There are things I miss about high school. Mostly this.

But most of high school I am so glad it's over. I am not living in the past and I'm happy with where my life is now. Oh so happy. Especially for the experiences I've had in the past 3 years and more so, the people I've met. Anyway. That is not what this post is about. This post is to awe about how my little brother (who is like a foot taller than me, okay, not QUITE a foot) is graduating. This is the kid who dumped a cup of milk on his head (accidentally) trying to be funny around the age of 4. This is the kid who I remember driving me crazy all growing up, who I remember when he used to be so much shorter than me and chubby. The kid who used to hate going to Jive shows and who cracked his head open falling down the stairs. You know, the one who squeaked, "Hi, this is Matt! Straight from the living room!" during a home movie. Once he kicked off my shoe during stake conference so, after much asking-nicely and fair-warning, I whacked him with it on the elbow and he passed out and fell into all the folding chairs in front of us. Well, that kid has turned into a stud. A water-polo-ing, tall, bass-singing, Jiver, Genius, still-somewhat-obnoxious, cool (because his older sister taught him everything she knows), handsome stud. This is him. On the right/in the front.
Now he is one of my best friends. I hope I'm one of his. I am so excited for him to come down to BYU in the fall. Whoot! GO COUGARS! There will now be two Idaho Ashby's at the Y--just as soon as one of them graduates. I was going to post pictures of us being awesome, but I guess there still copyrighted by Kerianne and not my family because I can't get them from her site like I can the other family pictures. So this one will have to suffice:
Congrats Matt. You're great. I love you.

All pictures in this post taken from my Facebook, except for the first one of Matt, which I found under pictures of him while FB stalking him. He is my brother. I'm allowed to do that.

Postal Woes

(Look at him, all so nice and friendly. Deception. Actually, mailmen are nice. They must not know the evils they are a part of...)

Dear Mr. Postman (insert the Postman song here).

Now would be a good time to stop messing up my life by HATING ME AND BEING STUPID WITH MY MAIL! Just saying. Here are your offenses:

• Repeatedly delaying my mail. Don't even use the excuse that it takes a week for a letter to travel from Salt Lake to Provo. If sometimes I get a letter from Salt Lake in two days, then I expect it to always be around two days. And definitely not a week (which has happened on multiple occasions) because once, I got a letter from GERMANY in a week. Yeah, you know that country in EUROPE halfway across the world.
• Sending mail back to me, or the person who mailed it to me, and taking your time doing it. This last letter that I just got back? Took over a month. I sent it to Ohio. And it took over a month for it to get back to me. UNACCEPTABLE. I was getting frustrated because I hadn't heard back yet, and then I find out that he hasn't even gotten my letter. Really? Really...
• Sabotaging my mail. I know what regular wear-and-tear on an envelope looks like. I have a whole box of letters from throughout the years that have gotten to my place of residence perfectly fine and in one piece. But I have also had letters (all sent just in the States) that have had the side of the envelope split open, gaping holes in the front of the envelope, like someone ripped out something inside (and come to find out, there were things missing from the letter, things that I know have been through the mail system before and haven't been problems...now this makes it sound like it was something illegal. No worries, it was just a microtape). I've had letters that have been dyed pink and have had ruined pictures in them because they'd probably been dropped in a puddle.
  

So, please Mr. Postman, look and see, is there a letter in your bag for me? But seriously. STOP. I just want to get mail in a regular fashion without an exorbitant amount of difficulties like a normal person. Especially since I just ordered this dress (modcloth)

and would like it to come sooner rather than later, so that I can try it on, decide if I am as in love with it on as I am with it on the site, and then send it back if necessary. So PLEASE, if you could get it to me in one piece and quickly, that'd be awesome. Also, just send me letters and stop trying to destroy my friendships with multiple friends on missions, because that's not going to happen. Thank you.

UNITED STATES POSTAL SYSTEM:
YOU ARE NOT GOING TO DEFEAT ME!

Sincerely,
Rachel

WRITING

(vi.sualize.us)

I'm writing again.

I love writing. I love getting everything out and putting the puzzle pieces together and stringing words together in just the right way and finding that one perfect way to express what is running through your mind and heart at that very moment. It feels so good, but I had forgotten how hard organizing my thoughts is. If anyone wants to read about 7 single-spaced pages (as of now) and give me ideas about how to maybe organize it, please let me know. This would probably require you and me talking about my writing face-to-face (or as close to it as possible) and one-on-one. Oh, it's a personal essay, kind of more serious and very personal subject matter, so only serious applicants, please. Just kidding. There's no application. But really, if you're seriously interested in reading it and giving me good, serious, writerly feedback, post a comment and I'll shoot it off to you.

Goal: Having a full draft of this essay ready for writing group when my turn comes up in 4 weeks. I'm finally going to be assertive with myself and write and make progress on all these half finished essays. For real this time. Also, decide which picture(s) to use in a blog post quicker.

(this one too)

Come on with the Rain, I've a Smile on my Face!

Cloud-covered mountains. South Indian music. Delicious, healthy food. Fashion and toast with Jessie. Kate's beautiful flower arrangement and looking at buying flowers wholesale. Speaking a few words auf Deutsch with a native German. Speed scrabble. Letter from my best friend who comes home in 10 DAYS! Dancing in the pouring rain with Katelyn and Jessie joining us for puddle-jumping. England memories. The making of new memories. Showering. Listening to the rain as I fall asleep.

I consider this day well and fully carpe-d.

Girl Power

(vi.sualize.us)

Here in Regency 208, we've been reading our Wikipedia. Here are some things we've learned tonight.

Women are not allowed to serve on submarines in the U.S. navy. Or the British navy. Turns out there are only a few countries who allow it, Norway being the first in 1986. In fact, women were only allowed to start serving on U.S. Navy surface ships in 1993. 1993! I'm glad I live when and where I do. Not that I want to serve on a submarine or anything, but still. I'm glad that in 2012, they will at least start letting small groups of women officers serve on subs. Even though I believe that the divine role of women is in the home, we should be able to do whatever we want. We should be able to serve our country, get an education, and live our divinely inherent rights just like anyone else. If I want to serve my country on a sub, I should be able to, dangit!

"New Zealand is the only country in the world in which all the highest offices in the land have been occupied simultaneously be women." (from the Wikipedia article on New Zealand). I think that is so awesome. Whoo! That must be why it's one of the happiest countries with such a high standard of living. And why Wellington receives an annual 2,000 hours of sunshine. That's almost 167 straight days of sunshine. Wow.

Also. I forgot to mention yesterday that on my stats test, the last two questions dealt with...TWIN FALLS, IDAHO. I read it and started laughing. And then scoffed at the outdated population it mentioned. 35,000? Naw. It's around 42,000 now. Silly Stats test. Twin Falls Represent!

Kissing a Frog

(all pictures via)

I need to kiss a frog. Maybe. For the most part, I am more than fine being single. Honest. But there are some days, usually Tuesdays, that are rainy days where I just want to find a cute boy to curl up on the couch and giggle about stupid things with. And although I know that someday, eventually, I'll find it, it's these Tuesdays when I wish I had this:

(except this one, which comes from here)

P.S. I know, I know. I'm cheating. I'm doing pictures mostly. It's not even that I'm busy. But really, I haven't had much to write about lately. Besides the 91% I got on my stats test and the awesome waffles we had for dinner that I could smell all the way at the White House while walking home...nothing REALLY exciting has happened today. I worked 8 hours. And you know how the library is SO (sarcasm...) happening during spring...

Yum

Today is happy.

It is NOT snowing here, unlike my poor family and friends who are getting snowed on in Twin and Rexburg.

I am listening to A Fine Frenzy, and the newer CD, Bomb in a Birdcage. Love. Especially the opening track.

Jessie is done with the Hunger Games, which means that it's my turn, and I am so excited to read this book.

It's a red coat day. And I look really good in red.

I'm speaking Deutsch with Mariah today--BUT NOT FOR CLASS. Double joy.

Garin gets home from his mission 3 weeks from tomorrow, and all the boys start coming home then.

I'm just feeling really happy about everything. I'm not thinking about certain things and places and events, and when I do it's not depressing. I love my job. It's beautiful outside. It's just one of those days where even the things that are usually obnoxious or annoying or sad just aren't.

A long, long time ago.

(Carl Zoch Photography)

A long time ago, back when I had first decided I was going to apply to England, when I was struggling with whether I should really be an English major, and when going on a mission still seemed so very far away, I went on a drive to see a friend. And then we rode bikes. And talked. And stargazed. It was windy, and cold, but wonderful. And I didn't care that it was late or that I had classes in the morning. I want more nights like that in my life.

P.S. I want a letter from above-mentioned friend.

P.P.S. I love this guy's (Carl Zoch's) engagement pictures. And his family pictures. I actually just really love good pictures. Okay. The end.