Peru or Bust... or should I say Barf?

Incase you haven't heard, Brady and I are going to PERU!!! I'm so excited I can't even stand it!It's been over two years since I've been home and I'm so excited to go back and visit. So I thought it would be a good idea to give Brady a little taste of Peruvian food, so he knew what to expect. So last night we went to eat at a Peruvian restaurant. Brady ordered Tallerines Saltado- which is sauteed chicken, tomatoes, and onions over pasta- pretty normal. And he liked it. When we were ordering he jokingly said, "I'm going to get this one" and pointed to something that looked like this.....

But, he had no idea that I was going to order that dish. It's called aji de gallina- and is one of my favorite Peruvian dishes. It's shredded chicken in a creamy garlic and peanut sauce. It's really not as bad as it looks.

Brady really liked his meal, but the more he watched me eating my meal, the more he got grossed out. I talked him into trying it, hoping that he would see that it's really not as bad as it looks. Boy, what a mistake! He was totally sicked out once he tasted it, he said it just looked so much like puke, that it didn't matter what it tasted like. The more he talked about puke, the more I wanted to puke. So we both got sicked out. We both really enjoyed our meals, but we left completely discusted and grossed out. And the two gay guys that sat across from us and were checking out Brady the whole time didn't help settle our stomaches either!But, at least Brady knows what he's in for when we go to Peru.

Lost

MISSING

DUSTPAN

Oxo brand

Red w/ black trim

Okay so... I was swept my kitchen floor tonight and I went to grab the dustpan, and it was gone. So, I looked in a couple of places... nothing. I looked EVERYWHERE, there is no sign of my dustpan. How the heck do you loose a dustpan? You use it, and you put it back in it's spot. It's not like you just leave it laying around the house. I've looked everywhere... under the sink, in the laundry room, under the couch, even outside. It has disappeared. And yes, there is still a pile of crumbs and junk in the middle of my kitchen floor. I will keep you posted on where I find it.... IF I find it.

Love is in the Air

This past week, Brady had to go to Las Vegas for 4 days for a convention. That's the longest we've been apart since we've been married. It was soooo hard! He was suppose to get home on Wednesday night. But, because of the horrible storm he didn't get home until Thursday- Valentine's Day. I came home from work that day to find two dozen red roses, an adorable homemade card, and a beautiful necklace waiting for me. Although I was thrilled to get all those fun things- I was even more happy just to have BRADY home!!!! I don't think I've ever hugged and kissed him so much. I had been so worried about him and so excited to have him with me! So I wanted to let you guys know why I love Brady soooo much!

1. He is a worthy Priesthood holder - Brady has always been active, served an honorable mission to Georgia, and knows the Gospel in and out. I love this about him because I know that he that he will always be steadfast. This is important to me, to have someone by my side who shares the same values and will set a good example for our future family.

2. He is ambitious - Brady has always had big dreams and has gone after them. When he was young he wanted to be a ball boy for the Utah Jazz, so he became one. When he got home from his mission he wanted to work for the Audio Visual Department at the Church, now he works there. He had a desire to become a real estate agent, now he is one! He wanted to be my husband, now he is! Whatever he wants- he makes it happen!

3. He is a hard worker - No matter what Brady sets out to do, he does it well. He works hard with all that he is involved with and is very dependable. Whethere it's work, school, or a calling- he will work hard.

4. He is so much fun- Brady and I have found that we just love being together. We are best friends and have so much fun and laugh all the time. I love being married to my best friend!

5. He is ADORABLE - I just about melt everytime I look into Brady's blue eyes. I remember our first date, when I first answered the door, my jaw dropped and I don't think I could keep my eyes off of him the whole night.

Style of Rach

So... I was going through some pictures and I began to notice that I'm always wearing funky things, so I thought I'd share. Rachel as an Oompa Loompa... the resemblence is frightening.
Rachel wearing gigantic boxing gloves- obviously they didn't do me much good.


This is a picture of "Pre-Mission" Rachel, dreaming of Peru and sporting a missionary tag and leading my demon llama. (Watch out, he'll get you!)

Duh, doesn't everybody have a Mexican Wrestling mask?

I am wearing my 4 year old niece's jacket. And she took this picture. Don't ask me why it looks like I have no neck and my head looks like it doesn't belong to my body.

4 year-old Rach sportin' the hottest Woody Wood Pecker sunglasses at Lake Powell. Hot stuff!

Sticking with a bird theme- here I am in a pink flamingo hat.

Staying in the animal kindgom- I'm a deer in the headlights. (Halloween, 2006)

Last, but certainly not least- This is me and my old roommate Kendra at our radical 80's party. Love the mullet Kendra.

Alta Butler Wanlass

Nov. 3, 1913 - Feb. 2, 1994

Most people think of Groundhog Day as a day for Punxsutawney Phil and antisipate his weather prediction.But, for me Groundhog Day marks the day that my Grandma Wanlass passed away 14 years ago.

My Grandma Wanlass was a sweet, classy lady that had a spark about her that drew people in. I don't think she had any enemies because she was so lovable and she loved everyone.

I remember when I was very young- probably my first memory of my Grandma Wanlass- she was reading me stories of Brier Fox and Brier Rabbit and sang to me:
"Baby, baby Bunting,
Daddy’s gone a-hunting,
Gone to get a rabbit skin
To wrap the baby Bunting in."

She always had a treat for us kids- whether it was ice cream cones, striped-short bread cookies in the cookie jar, freshly made pink lemonade, or -our favorite- she would throw us candy from her bedroom balcony down to us on the back lawn.

She was quite the green thumb. She and my Grandpa worked tirelessly on their amazing yard. You've never seen such petunias and roses as my Grandma Wanlass'.

I only knew her for 10 years of my life, but in those short years she impacted me forever. She loved her family more than anything. She treated us Grandkids with so much respect and love.

I hope and pray that I can carry on the legacy that my Grandma left for me- and that is to love unconditionally and to always wear a smile.

The Legend of the Exploding Egg Yolk

I am coming to believe that a trick was played on me by Fred and George Weasley. I’m not kidding. I truly believe that a wizard of some sort pulled a prank on me this morning. It was just a regular morning- I got up, showered, got ready and then went to eat some breakfast. Yesterday I had made some hard-boiled eggs. I pulled one out of the fridge to eat it, but I didn’t want to eat it cold. So I microwaved it for one minute. It was a little too hot when I got it out, so I ran it under some cold water. Then I took the shell off, sat down to watch the morning news and started eating my egg. I ate most of the white part first- when I got to the yolk I decided it didn’t look to appetizing so I decided to squeeze the yolk out and just eat the white. As I squeezed it out- all of a sudden BANG! The egg yolk exploded with an audible pop. I couldn’t help but scream! Yolk chunks went everywhere! It was all over me- my hair, the couch. It was the weirdest thing. It was just like a joke that would be played at Hogwarts. Next time I’ll think twice about microwaving an egg.

Meet Little Rach

I just wanted to give you all a little peek into the life of Rach, and why I am who I am.

First off- I am the youngest of 7 kids. I have five brothers and one sister. My mom says I was born with a suntan- which is good. But, I was also born with short genes- which is bad. A short and dark little girl... that's who I was then. That's who I am now.

Growing up I had a fun and adventerous childhood. I had a big imagination and a love for life right off. In high school I was very involved, I was on the drill team, yearbook staff, student body presidency, track team, and at one time I was working to jobs. I liked to stay busy! But, most of all my loved my friends and I still do!

After high school, I went to the big city of Provo to attend BYU! I didn't know if I wanted to be a journalist or an advertising major. But, then I got a job designing ads, and I was hooked! I decided to major in adveritising with an emphasis in creative advertising and a minor in graphic design. How's that for specific? I knew what I wanted to do, I went for it and never looked back! I loved my years at BYU, they were some of the most memorable times and I will never forget the things I learned and the friends I made.

I never thought it would happen to me, but when I was 20, I got the feeling that I should go on a mission. It was the strangest thing, because I was completely anti-sister missionary. I thought sister missionaries were frumpy and only went because they couldn't get married. But, I had the strongest feeling that I need to serve. I knew that if I didn't do it I would regret it for the rest of eternity. So I prepared myself and went! I served in the Peru, Lima North mission. It was amazing! I served in the Amazon Jungle and saw things I'd never seen, and ate things I never want to eat again. But, most importantly I shared my source of happiness- the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I loved seeing people's lives change and see them find true happiness. Even though the people were poor and had nothing in the eyes of the world, when they found the Gospel, they had everything in the world that mattered!

When I got home, I continued my education at BYU, and graduated. Then I met Brady, or met him again. He and I had grown up around the corner from each other in Grantsville. He was a shy little boy, I had invited him to my 5th B-day party and he was in my preschool class. But, he moved away when we were 9, then later he returned to our home ward for a homecoming. My mom saw him and told him that he should ask me out. The only problem was- I still had a year of my mission left. But, when I got home, Brady asked me out. He wsa no longer the shy little boy I remembered. He was a handsome, smart, ambitious, spiritual man and I fell for him in an instant. Ten months after our first date- we were married- April 28th,2007. The happiest day of my life!

Now we have been happily married for 9 months. We live in Sandy, Utah. Brady works for the Church in their Audio Visual Department. He's majoring in Business Administration at UVSC and does Real Estate on the side. I am the Marketing Coordinator for a structural engineering company- Reaveley Engineers. Which means I maintain relationships with clients, I help look for new projects, and I design mailers, brochures, ads, etc. (That's me, mingling with clients. Incase you don't recognize me- I'm the short little Mexican)

So, there you have it. That's my life. My wonderful, fantastic, incredible life! I think I am the most blessed person to walk this earth, and I'm excited to see where I go from here!