See this movie.

If you consider yourself well read, well versed and an overall intelligent person, you need to see this movie.  

I'm grateful for my religion, I often feel like I won the lottery being born into such a blessing.

Stay Away Christmas!

I am dreading the Christmas season. I don't want the decorations, I don't want the presents, I don't want the lights and I definitely don't want any Christmas cheer.I want the Christmas season when I can have a better attitude. I have had such a lousy attitude all semester and I'm scared that it will continue through what should be the happiest time of year. This is a very selfish approach, I'm very aware thank you, and I'm trying to work my way out of it but it's looking a little bleak.

My solution? Other than petitioning for a three month delay of Christmas, I have decided that every blog will end with something I'm grateful for. Maybe expressing my gratitude will help me snap out. I have no idea, but it's worth a try!

I'm grateful for the most amazing family on Earth! Heavenly Father matched us up perfectly!

Word Vomit

Most of the time word vomit is attributed to putting your foot in your mouth over and over again with you being unable to stop. I have lately been listening to the way people talk and when they use their words, I vomit a little. One such vomit inducing word, which really isn't a word, is bestest.  It is not a word.  In fact, as I write this, my computer has highlighted it to let me know that something' not right!

Main Entry: bestest

Part of Speech: adj
Definition: the very best
Example: my bestest friend
Usage: slang; incorrect superlative

The above was taken from dictionary.com...I am shocked and annoyed that it's even on the site. Why list slang and incorrect superlatives?!?! I hear it constantly from my high school students and from people at UVU who have not yet left high school (which is many of them). If you are reading this and are offended, I don't apologize. It's my opinion and I am allowed it. I'm positive that I do things to shock and offend people everyday.

Thank you for reading.

Black Friday

Yep, I went shopping this morning with my mom, brother and little sister, Maria. We got to Shopko right as it was opening because we didn't really need anything, we just wanted the experience. It was mayhem and I think I love it! The adrenaline and the pushing are great for when you have any sort of tension in your life.

We got there technically late but still walked away with everything we had circled in the ad. After that we went to Best Buy and I got season 3 of The Office for $15. It was definitely a successful trip.

After shopping we went to IHOP for a delicious breakfast and then home to sleep for a few more hours. It was wonderful.

I woke up at 1pm and went to lunch with my sisters at 2pm to one of our favorite restaurants, The Bluebird Cafe, up here in Logan. It was delicious and cheap, just how I like my food and my men.

Since I rarely get to spend time with my sisters I let them choose the movie after lunch and they unanimously decided on Twilight. I had kind of decided to boycott because I really couldn't care less about the books, but I'll do anything for my sisters. It was good, not great, but good enough. I wanted to see Bolt, but I will be blessed for my sacrifice.

Black Friday? Nope. Awesome Friday.

First Day

I've decided that I need to be more responsible. I'm some what of an adult so I should start some what acting like one. I think I put on a really good responsible sort of facade but most of the time I feel really immature and unprepared. Today I had to meet a student at my office so I laced up my running shoes, put on some athletic apparel, grabbed my iPod and ran to UVU. You're probably thinking, "Who cares?!?!" Well, I do! I haven't done any running since I was in DC and it was tough but it felt really good.I have decided to improve my eating, exercising and spending habits. I already started on spending and I'm doing much better! Even with Christmas approaching, I have it all budgeted and ready to go. The eating and exercising will prove to be more difficult, especially with winter creeping up on us, but I'm ready for a challenge. The best challenges are the ones against your natural instincts. My natural instincts are as follows:

1. Eat fast food for every meal (I really, truly love it)

2. Never, ever work out. Unless I'm playing volleyball or dancing, then it's acceptable but it doesn't feel like exercise!

3. Spend money everyday. Even if it's just a piece of gum or something I just have this urge.

4. Be SUPER lazy. Watch too much TV, take lots of naps, etc.

If you catch me doing any of these I give you permission to kindly remind me to get off my lazy bum and to do better. Unless I'm shopping with with Kat or Eliza, then none of us have any control and you just need to step back or you'll get creamed. True story.

A Great Way to Get Out of Work

The title is incredibly untrue. Tonight I had my ASL students perform a 4-6 minute story about their lives in front of the class. Everyone was super nervous, especially because I was videotaping. The final girl was about a minute into her story when she fainted! It was scary! I ran to her and she stayed knocked out for another 30 seconds or so and when she came to she started hyperventilating. It was so sad! But again, it was Rachel to the rescue...I'm good in emergency situations if I know the person. Lucky you!

Being a teacher is not good for my nerves. I might want to rethink my future. Maybe be a dental hygienist or a zookeeper. Any suggestions?

Welcome Dallin!

Last week was a big week for babies! First we had Cru Archer and then on the 19th Dallin Roderick Haight was born! He is the son of Kristy and Tom Haight and I couldn't be more thrilled!

Kristy and I go way back and I know that this motherhood thing is going to suit her quite well. From my experience she makes excellent mac and cheese (with ketchup) so she's already half way to giving her kid an awesome childhood! It's tough being so far away when some of your dearest friends are getting on to bigger and better things with their lives but I take a lot of peace from the fact that they have all made excellent choices in baby daddies.

Welcome to the world Dallin! Be good to your momma!

Poor Thanksgiving

This may sound just a little kooky, but I actually feel badly for the Thanksgiving holiday. After Halloween people immediately start thinking about Christmas. They play their music, make their crafts, decorate their homes and completely overlook Thanksgiving until the week of. I think it is sad, I love Thanksgiving. It has always been good to me. For the past few years the kids in my family have the tradition of going to a movie on Thanksgiving day. At the moment we're less than thrilled about the cinematic choices we have but we'll make do.

I'm an impatient lady but I can wait for Christmas, it has never been a big deal for me. I love buying other people presents but I couldn't care less about what I get. So, that being said, I hope we all have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving!

Benny!

Shanna ever so kindly reminded me that I forgot to add Benny from "The Sandlot" to my list of boys I loved. I am shocked, plain and simple. I loved this guy, I have The Sandlot memorized because of him.My sincerest apologies Benny-Man, I never meant to leave you off my list! Thanks for being one of those guys that us ladies could count on to be awesome, gorgeous and have such a kind heart. I mean, you let the square join your baseball game even though he only had a rubber glove. I love you.

Ugly? Pretty?

Sorry about the poor picture quality but this is what you get! When Kat and I were in Vegas a few weeks ago we went to DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse) and I found these awful Steve Madden shoes. They only cost $100! Give me a break! I seem to remember Kat kind of liking them...or just liking my super hot legs, I can't remember at this time.

Click on them to enlarge, it's worth it

I think my flip-flopped foot looks pretty dang stumpy, but whatever, all in the name of art.  I can't believe that someone actually designed these, they were approved and actually produced!

To My First Loves....

As a young girl you have dreams of being saved from the awful boredom of your life by Prince Charming. Often times Prince Charming took form in actors from the now defunct T.G.I.F. (thanks ABC, we all loved it while it lasted). This post is a dedication to the special men from my youth who made me dream and hope that someday my very own Uncle Jesse would come.

This is Devon Sawa, my sisters and I would rent the movie Little Giants incessantly and then fight over whose boyfriend he was. I'm the biggest girl out of all of us, but I'm pretty sure he never ended up being mine. You may also recognize him from Casper, which I hated mainly because Christina Ricci's dumb dad ruined everything for him.

Theo Huxtable....dang. I loved him, even when it came out that he had dyslexia. I think it made me love him more. He was just so cool and funny, sigh. The Cosby Show is still totally hilarious but I'll admit sometimes I catch myself watching reruns just for this guy.
I'm going to get in trouble with my sister Meghan for this one. Anyone else remember Sully from Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman? Be still my heart! We (all the girls in my family) LOVED him! He was so brave and wild and we didn't understand the tempestuous relationship he had with Michaela Quinn but we wanted it to work SO badly! I normally like the clean cut look but for Sully, I'll make an exception!
Need I really explain this one? Who didn't love JTT? Even at 13 this kid had it going on! I hated the show Home Improvement but would still watch it just to be able to stare at him a little bit every week. What ever happened to him? Is he still single? While I'm in LA stalking Jim Halpert maybe I'll swing by JTT's place and make sure everything is going alright.
I don't care what anyone else says, Christian Bale has been mine since Newsies! Yum. Luckily, my sister liked Spot Collins (leader of the Brooklyn gang) better so there wasn't a ton of fighting over Christian. I'm completely creatively blocked right now because I'm missing the perfect words to describe my love. Christian, I know you read my blog religiously so for whatever reason you're holding back, I'm ready. Come get me!
Remember Cody from Step by Step?!? He was a total idiot on the show but also totally hot, so really it all balances out! In the show he had a crush on his step cousin and she never liked him back and I remember thinking that she was the biggest moron this world had ever produced. Hey, when you're 12, looks are the ONLY thing that matter!
Zack Morris....what do I say about him? He was the first love of many girls in my generation despite his tight jeans and giant cell phone. When Kelly dumped him for the manager of The Maxx I desperately wanted to be the one to console him. When they got married in Vegas I wanted to scratch her face off. Zack Morris was probably on more games of M.A.S.H. than any other teen heartthrob and for good reason!
For me, this is saving the best for last. Uncle Jesse from Full House was the first man I had a crush on as a little girl. Even when he had the mullet and the Elvis obsession was a bit over the top, my devotion was there. Can I even begin to describe the jealousy I felt toward Aunt Becky? She got to marry him and kiss him! Have mercy!

I'm sure I'm forgetting some but this is just a quick list of the guys who held my heart for many, many years. Unfortunately when you love a TV character, real life boys tend to fall short. At least that is my experience....so far.

I Can't Breathe!

So I'm sitting here messing around on the computer and all of a sudden I am having an asthma attack. Nothing major, I can control it, but it's always a bit scary and it makes me SO tired. I also feel like the biggest nerd on Earth. I feel like the last kid picked for dodgeball whose mom has stitched her inhaler to her gym uniform "just in case".  You can graduate from Junior High but sometimes it doesn't release you from it's grasp.  

Welcome Cru!

I got a text at 6:58am today about the arrival of Cru Coleman Archer!  He is the son and first child of Julie and Joby Archer, two of the coolest people I have ever known.  Cru is destined for the cool kid club with parents like he has!  

I love you guys!  And congratulations Julie on making it through 29 hours of labor...if it were me, Joby would be dead by now.  Thanks for including me on the text message list Joby, I'm honored to be a part of this great day!

I Love My Dad

Today is Veteran's Day and for most people it is an excuse to not go to work. They seem to forget the reason for the holiday which is to honor military veterans of the greatest nation on Earth. I am so proud to call myself the granddaughter and daughter of veterans. They all served proudly and willingly. They went into dangerous situations, were away from their families and missed important events to serve their country. I am so proud of their selfless natures and the fact that despite all they went through, they still have instilled their fierce love and pride of this great country in me and my siblings.  

I took this picture over the summer while I was in Washington DC. I was touring Arlington National Cemetery and was overwhelmed at the spirit I felt. I saw this headstone and immediately thought of my dad, Gary Irvin Johnson. Pretty awesome middle name, right? It is his dad's first name and they both served honorably in the military.  I love my dad and am so impressed by his military career and how he juggled it along with raising our fantastic family.  I am so grateful to my dad because of all he has taught me about life, the gospel and who I am.  I am also supremely grateful for his military service.  In a day and age when my peers mock and degrade our nation, it's leaders and values, I am proud to stand up and defend what we have.  If I didn't, I wouldn't be worthy of a Veterans Day.  

Thank you Dad, Grandpa Johnson and Grandpa Sawyer.  I love you and I love this country, I hope I can make you proud.

Love My Students

Two amazing, blog worthy things were said this morning when I was teaching my high school students. I love them!

Randomly, one of the girls said, "Can I go to your wedding if you ever get married?" Ouch. IF??? Ok, I know it's a longshot if I stick around Utah, but come on! Have a little faith....I'm awesome, someday somebody's going to want me!

One of my other students likened boys to penguins. I mentioned that boys are funny, they normally don't want to be the first from their group of friends to get married. He said that they are like penguins, they will all crowd at the ledge and get close but won't take the leap until another one has either fallen in, jumped or been pushed. I think it's the perfect analogy.

Quirky, Smirky Rachel

Kat's Momma, Linda, tagged me!  I have to tell you about six quirks of mine which is tough because I'm a super quirky person!  Well, here goes....

1. I LOVE spoiling my friends and family!  I pretty much need to be wealthy so that I can lavish amazing gifts on my fabulous friends and family.  It's tough still being a poor student and having the crazy urges I do, I just love taking care of people!

2.  When I drive on the freeway I tap my feet so that they "land" in between the painted lines on the road.  On residential streets I tap them to "land" in line with trees.

3.  On every single flight I have ever taken, I touch both sides of the entry door with my right hand before stepping foot on the plane.   I'm too scared to stop doing it!

4.  I don't eat ice cream unless it has chocolate already in it or can be smothered in chocolate sauce.  I don't think I have ever even tasted strawberry, pistachio or pralines and cream.  Yuck.

5.  I make "to do" lists everyday, but I'm pretty sure I have never completely crossed one off.  The one for this weekend is: clean car and room, do homework for Will's class and Flavia's class, grade a ton of papers, buy black paint, call Tira and hang up pictures in my room.

6.  I have two holes in each ear and I own a bunch of earrings but I never wear them because I have tiny elf-like ears and the tiniest lobes you'll ever encounter.  I like them in theory but not in reality.

THE END

M.A.S.H.

Remember when you were little (or last week) and you didn't want to pay attention in church?  Lots of girls would play M.A.S.H. which is easily one of the greatest time wasting games ever invented.  I'm not sure boys ever played because I'm guessing most boys haven't obsessed about their honeymoons their whole lives.  So, here's my adult version of M.A.S.H.

Honeymoon - French Polynesian cruise.  I have wanted to go on a cruise since I was 8 when my friends mom got remarried, went on a cruise and told me they have 24 hour food.  Sold.  Count me in! 

House - I want one with a wrap around porch, a large kitchen, a giant back yard and for it to be a place where people can come and feel happy and comfortable

Kids - I want either 4 or 6.  Definitely an even number because I really don't like odd numbers.  I used to want 8 because it was a volleyball team with 2 subs.  Now, not so much.

Car - My dream car is a Jaguar.  I know, it's your rich 84 year old grandma's car.  Maybe I'm your 84 year old grandma...ever think about that?!?

Job - For a very, very long time I have wanted to be a film critic.  I love my current job but anyone who knows me, knows how much I love movies and I watch kinda artsy ones sometimes.  I think I would be good at it!  Two problems: I wouldn't want to watch all the dirty ones and nowadays anyone who has a blog can be a critic, those jobs aren't readily available.  

Husband - I don't have a specific person in mind.  When I was younger it would have been Jonathan Taylor Thomas, am I right ladies?!?  Now I just want someone who loves me, wants to take care of me and has my best interest at heart....because that is exactly what he'll get from me.  Or Brad Pitt.

50/50 ?

Just an odd thought for today:

If a couple gets divorced....who gets control of the blog?

Many, many couples have blogs and proclaim their love for each other incessantly, but as we all know, nearly half of all marriages are ending in divorce.  This probably seems like a damper but I just got to thinking about all this as I was blog stalking a few people.  Honestly, how do you blog about your divorce and subsequent therapy?  Hmmm.  Your thoughts?

The Most _________ Time of the Year

I cannot handle Christmas music before Thanksgiving....unfortunately it has started.  One station here is playing it 24/7 until who knows when and I am about ready to reprogram my radio selections in my car.  I have yet to hear the greatest song of all, "All I Want for Christmas is You" by Mariah Carey, but I'm sure it's just days away.  You should see how I rock out in my car to that song!  It snowed today and was quite a rude awakening for me.  I am NOT ready for the winter!  I need to be wealthy eventually so that I can have a winter house somewhere tropical.  Yes, you can come visit.  

Fall in Orem

I walked around my neighborhood yesterday to snap some pictures of the lovely colors that are exploding right now all over Utah County. I got some really great pictures so I decided to go up the canyon to take more today. Unfortunately, Mother Nature didn't want me to. It has been raining buckets all day today! Boo! I want more pictures, hopefully I can get more later this week. Fall is here with a vengeance!

I'm a Collector

Most people don't know that I collect piggy banks. I only have a few, but they are all awesome. I don't just collect any old pig bank, it has to be something super special.My sister, Meghan, studied abroad in Mexico this summer and brought me the ugliest (but coolest) pig bank ever, his name is Juan Travolta. She knows that I think ugly is pretty, she did a great job picking him out for me.

I love the picture above, one of them says "Rachel"!!! You can't imagine how happy I was to find this! The one below is the handsome Juan Travolta.