A WEDNESDAY FOR ONIONS AND ORCHIDS

onions

- my poor little tyranno-taurus rex/doris the taurus/"blink" recently collapsed roadside which landed her a month-long stay in the car hospital. meanwhile, we four ladies of the house have been rendered uni-car-ed. while i love running the family carpool, i'm ready to have my car back.

- i bowled a 37 at my mom's birthday party. a 37. for most people of anywhere from "barely there" to "above average" levels of athleticism, it would probably be impossible for them to get a score that low if they tried. and then there's me. the sad thing? i was trying. really trying. and all i have to show from it are 37 points and sore bum muscles (which really complicates things considering you bowl with your ARMS).

- to add to my list of weakling injuries: along with the return of my work-induced bicipital tendonitis (i can hardly say that with a straight face) i have developed carpal tunnel in my left thumb? pass me the knitting needles, i'm officially 80. (no, wait, that would aggravate the carpal tunnel). 

orchids
- my family kindly rewarded me with "most improved bowler" after i stepped up my game and achieved a 64 in round two. while still in last place, i almost doubled my score! and lessened the gap! i rewarded myself with a heaping pile of breaded mushrooms and cauliflower. bowling alley, this bouquet of orchids is for you!
- reason for a night out at the bowling alley: we celebrated my mom's birthday over the weekend! we baked, bowled, indulged in greasy bowling alley food, braved the blizzard together, and watched the super bowl (commercials). we sure love a good excuse for a weekend-long celebration! happy birthday mama!
- harry potter and the goblet of fire. it's a goal of mine to some day finish the harry potter series. this urge is less out of actual interest in the story (it's good, it is, don't get me wrong! but i wouldn't necessarily call it gripping) and more as a result of societal pressure to not be the only human being on planet earth that hasn't read the books or seen the movies. i want to be able to understand and sympathize with the harry potter memes and lord voldemort twitter account, okay! i'm on book 4 and am really enjoying the turn it's taken.
- my latest fix: starbucks's pike's place blend with a mega-dose of half and half. keeps my heart warm, my body energized, and my wallet a bit plumper as i try and avoid the daily $5 spruced-up store-bought latte.
- my sisters' crazy busy schedules keep things pretty entertaining around here. i have no idea how i ever juggled so many commitments in high school (college is a beautiful thing) and i commend them for handling it with such responsibility and ease. in the last couple of weeks, they both made it to state speech (contest is this weekend!) and michelle made one of her life-long dreams a reality when she auditioned for america's got talent in chicago. they may be my little sisters but they're my biggest inspirations.

which parts of your week deserve onions and orchids? 

A SUMMER RECAP IN O & O

this summer was a hoot!
heh
see what i did there?

since i've done a horrendous job keeping up with documenting this summer's festivities and, honestly, outside of work there are really only a handful's (postful's?) worth of things worth documenting, i figured, hey! let's just pile it all together and make one big onions and orchids summer round-up.

so here we have it, my friends. a summer recap in o & o.

onions

- i am both a morning person and a night owl. do you see the dilemma here? my current status: tired.
- i miss my family already. ONE MORE WEEK!
- it's been 3 months of glorious, powerful iowa heat + sunshine and i have nary a tan line. now if this isn't the  biggest summertime fail. i've honestly learned to embrace it and figure i'll be thanking my early 20's self thirty years from now.
- the bachelor/ette (sometimes "in paradise"). face off. naked and afraid. pretty little liars. the next great baker. long island medium. ink masters. just to name a few of the gaZILLION trashy reality tv shows we've been sucked into watching this summer. on a weekly basis. and when we aren't watching our nightly dramas, you can find us perusing HGTV. we have no shame! the family that bonds over twisted story lines and crummy acting together, stays together.
- our local chinese restaurant was closed for an entire month from july to august. I KNOW. we practically starved.
- so remember when i was running? or, more appropriately put, walk/jogging, a.k.a. "wogging"? womp. #onions i promised michelle a 5k at some point before we're both old, married, and tired, so, there's always next year?

orchids

- jenna, my mom and i had a mid-summer girls' date and spent an evening at sephora getting our make up done by a professional. she gave us tips on colors and products that work well for our skin types and tones, all while making us feel bee-yootiful in the process. it was such a sweet, special evening; one i'll forever hold dear to my heart. 

- bruiser is bilingual. we've taught him to respond to both english and spanish commands. this might be the proudest moment of my life thus far.
- we upheld our annual attending-of-the-iowa-state-fair tradition. we laughed, we ate, we *didn't* even break a sweat because it was a glorious 79* and cloudy outside (which honestly made the fair feel less fair-y since almost dying of heat stroke is typically part of a genuine state fair experience) and we are 87% sure we saw duck dynasty's si exiting the men's restroom on the east side of the grounds. we later found out that this suspicion is, in fact, plausible, for apparently the duck dynasty crew was the grand stand entertainment of the evening. we swear by it!
- jenna, michelle, and i have been practicing origami. we've finally perfected "the owl." and that is the extent of our repertoire.
- i got my first winery experience at the local winery with my mom and her friend. fewer things make a woman feel more sophisticated than spending an evening at a winery.
- i started "doing" my eyebrows with some random, ancient avon eyebrow pencil from practically the 90's that i found hidden in our cosmetics drawer, and holy woah. game. changer. one wouldn't think that a few strokes of a mousy-colored crayon through the eyebrows would make such a difference, but i've gotta say, it really gives my look a refined, complete finish, and i've converted to team eyebrows. my face almost looks weird without it now.
- my ice-cream scooping induced bicipital tendonitis is finally clearing up. hip hip for physical therapy!
- have i mentioned? ONE MORE WEEK.
- i've had ice cream for dinner/somehow incorporated ice cream into one of my five daily eating sessions for approximately 96.8% of this summer's meals. while i should be ashamed, i personally find this to be a very brag-worthy feat.
- i recently found out i'm going to be the granada student blogger/vlogger for my school's study abroad website and i could not be more thrilled!
- rachbug's ramblings has officially reached +10,000 views! thank you thank you thank YOU my lovely readers for hanging in there with me and humoring me by reading my ramblings. this lil' bloggity is about to take a crazy turn towards excitement and adventure and i couldn't be happier to have you along for the ride!

ONIONS AND ORCHIDS; HEY WEDNESDAY

onions: 

- this interaction between a customer and me: 

   as he silently approaches the counter from his table...

   me: hi! can i get you something?

   him: well, i came up to get my second beer but it looks like you aren't even old 

      enough to serve it, so i'll wait until she's (gesturing to my mom, who was running the 

      register) available.

   me: believe it or not, i'm actually old enough to drink it, so... -_-

and then i awkward tortoise shuffled to the back of the kitchen and forgot his beer in the process.

- speaking of work (which i am always doing because i spend a majority of my time there and see a lot of people/hear a lot of things/you know how pizza joints are! it's funny really, since my mom, sisters, and i have all started working together, our social lives basically revolve around the pizza haus and it's literally all we talk about. we're workaholic obsessed. and this factual parenthetic statement deserves an onion to itself; moving on), i've developed "left bicipital tendinitis" from scooping ice cream and have been instructed to refrain from any intensive ice cream scooping for the next couple of weeks.
- liam neeson's voice. *shivers*
- liam neeson.
- i have gone my entire listenerationship with lana del rey thinking that "summertime sadness" was about having seasonal depression in the summer or something and went as far as twitter-ranting about my annoyance with the unlikelihood of anyone being sad because it's summer, only to have a friend point out to me that the sadness is simply a result of summer being over. OF COURSE IT IS.

orchids: 
- my mom surprised me with a morning trip to dunkin' donuts yesterday morning after i (apparently) not-so-subtly mentioned my interest in and sudden craving for a dunkin' donut and DD iced coffee combo. my mom is the most wonderful. and so is dunkin' donuts.
- jenna is off at church camp this week, and while i selfish-ly miss her, i'm so proud of and happy for her. her strong, growing faith is so admirable and i can't wait to hear all of the amazing ways the lord has worked through her this week.
- we had the best independence day. it was a casual day spent around town; we kept up with tradition by attending the pancake breakfast, afternoon parade, and fireworks in the evening at a family friend's and just enjoyed being together in the down time. i love our little fourth of july.
- i absolutely love my summer job at the pizza haus. the atmosphere, the customers, my coworkers, (the food)... all things that individually make me so happy and together make the place such a special, cherished one to me. the job keeps me busy but i wouldn't have it any other way.
- we are crossing items off of our summer bucket list left and right. boo-yah! take that, summer!!

what super and stinky things in your life deserve orchids and onions this week? happy wednesday! 

O & O

it's thursday and here i am, publishing a wednesday post that i've been working on since tuesday. that's how summer brain works sometimes. shall we? 

onions

- i've found that i inevitably have at least one tragically awkward moment per shift at the pizza haus. it's a shame, i'm embarrassing, etc. etc., all facts i'm still trying to come to terms with. my latest: while carrying a tall stack of empty pizza boxes from the back room to the front counter, i was walking around a big loaded party table, making a conscious effort to refrain from running into the group's 102-year-old grandpa, which led to an overcompensation of avoidance on my part and i ran my boxes straight into the ice cream cooler, causing a few table members to shriek and grandpa to hunch over and take cover. keeping composure, i walked in the opposite direction to find my balance and shift the boxes back in place and smacked plum into the salad bar, boxes crashing down around me. others this week:

    + knocking the ranch dressing ladle from its tub in the salad bar onto the floor. ranch-soaked carpet.

    + dropping an entire tub of pickles onto the floor. juicy.

    + knocking over an ice-filled cup (completely and mostly just onto my own lap but also 

       in front of a customer. its party of 15 children erupting in a chorus of evil laughter. (kids) (psht)).

i'll stop while i'm not ahead. 

- i'm working on syncing the photos on my iphone to photobucket so that i have them backed up and can delete a majority from my phone to make room for new pictures, which sounded like a brilliant idea at the time, but is proving to be more difficult than i thought! i'm using the app which is so convenient, just time-consuming and a little hard to follow. any tips for an easier way? am i crazy for attempting this or just late to the game? probably (usually) the latter.

- summer's already flying by and i feel like i don't have much to show from it which is burning a little hollow hole of sadness in my heart. is this what it's like to get old? i can't wait for a little down time in the next few weeks so my family and i can start going on little adventures!

orchids

- we have gotten super into the world cup, which is extremely out of character for us, but it's been such a blast. i think what makes it the most is that it brings us together as a family, and since we're not die-hard fans, we can simply just enjoy it together. it gives us something to bond over and talk about (as if we ever were at a loss for things to talk about). we (i) don't know much about the logistics of the tournament or really the sport itself in general, but i'm amazed with what i've been able to pick up from the little i've watched. plus it's just downright adorable listening to my sisters (avid fans/players of the sport) whip out their impressive soccer terminology. ;) (we've also all agree that soccer players are the cutest).

- i've been back to running ("running") for over a week now! i can slowly see a small progression building, and the sense of pride and accomplishment i feel after working out only motivates me to keep at it. i can't wait to see how i improve within the next few weeks.

- divergent. i'm halfway through. i'm hooked. jenna thinks it rivals the hunger games - she'd even argue it's quite possibly better! what do you think? 

- speaking of little j, she turns 15 on saturday! fifteen. this is impossible. ludicrous! farcical i tell you! we shan't allow it. 

- i made muffins yesterday morning for breakfast after i got back from my run. they were of the blueberry sort. it was such a peaceful half hour; the sun warming my skin as it peeked through the kitchen window and the sweet aroma of baking muffins filling my nose. i thrive off of simple "me time" like that. and not to toot my own horn or anything, but the muffins were delicious. (toot).

- i really want a fanny pack. someone talk me out of it.

ONIONS AND ORCHIDS - IT'S WEDNESDAY

this is how i celebrated national donut day.

onions

- last weekend i made and ate a sandwich with jalapenos on it at 10:30 p.m. and then i proceeded to take my contacts out with said fingers that made said sandwich with said jalapenos. EYES. ON. FIYAH. terrible idea all around. embarrassing situation.
rachel: 0
fiery jalapenos: 2
- i accidentally cut my (sad, dry, wrinkled - thanks, dishes) hand on the cheese knife at work and almost fainted. it blows my mind that there are people out there that do surgeries, stitches, give shots etc. for a living. GOD BLESS YA.

- i still haven't seen the fault in our stars and it's been out an entire week. how can i be an ultimate superfangirl if i still haven't seen it? where do my priorities lie and what changes do i need to make to get it straight!? what is life!
- homemade local commercials. *shudder* do they make you extremely uncomfortable, too? 

orchids

- michelle attended a state-wide leadership conference over the weekend in which she and a friend represented their entire sophomore class. her positive enthusiasm is contagious and i know from this convention she will continue to make a difference and touch the lives of others. she makes me so proud!

- ^^said conference^^ happened to be held on my college campus, so we more than took advantage of this fine detail and made a mini family vacation out of the whole ordeal. we spent the days roaming around campus, hitting up our favorite joints (ehem smokey row), and spending time with special friends. oh and i slept 12 hours saturday night. 'twas a lovely weekend.
- jenna started her summer driving for driver's ed this morning! somebody shake me, i feel like i should be the one in driver's ed, not my (what to me still feels like) eight-year-old sister. time! stop! you villainous creature, you!

- i finished gone girl. HOLY MOTHER OF ALL THINGS INTENSE AND SUSPENSEFUL AND SHOCKING IN THIS WORLD. i'm still feeling sassy about the entire thing. it ended too wrongly and perfectly all at once. i digress. one book down, only three to go til i check that item off my summer bucket list! i've already moved on to divergent. i know, i'm shamefully late to the game. but better late than never, right?
- today marks day 2 of rachbug's radical running races!! (my self-titled, self-implemented, self-attending "workout" routine. yes yes, laugh laugh snicker snicker but YOU think of a more motivating, inspiring title for an interval training workout. i have to do something to make it sound like anything but death). i started running yesterday (obvs) and survived so i'm feeling pretty good about day 2. it can only go up from here? (hopefully not literally, hills kill).
- friday morning we started our road trip to pella the right way - by stopping at casey's for coffee and donuts. unbeknownst to us, we found out later that morning that it was national donut day! i could practically feel a celebratory confetti halo falling around the crown of my head; it was meant to be! let me tell ya, that cake donut with white icing and sprinkles tasted extra delicious on its own holiday.
- my mom and i carpooled the whole two blocks to work this morning. it was adorably delightful and *that* much more fun than just an average car ride together.

ONIONS AND ORCHIDS

my grandpa's flag waving high downtown williamsburg in honor of memorial day.
orchids to you, grandpa! orchids to all veterans!
(photo cred. to my pops)

onions 
- do you know how hard it is to work in an establishment that has you often scooping blue bunny ice cream? it is so, impossibly hard.
- i desperately need to start getting back into a consistent exercising routine (and adopt healthier eating habits along with that [see: blue bunny ice cream]). i've gotten sluggish and let my eating-whatever-i-want-whenever-i-want get a little out of control. i'll be in trouble when my metabolism catches up with me, so i need to start getting healthier now to hopefully soften the blow for poor, sad, slow-metabolized rachel of the future.

orchids
- i was on the receiving end of a true random act of kindness in the mcdonald's drive thru. after ordering my iced coffee, i was told the car in front of me decided to pay for my order. i was completely surprised and touched! i hung around to pay-it-forward for the order after mine and heard/saw they were just as grateful as i was. i have no idea if the chain continued (i hope it did!), but even so, the small gesture between our small trio of cars was a powerful one. it made my day knowing a stranger would go out of their way to do something kind for someone else, and made me even happier knowing i, myself, could spread the love even further and make someone else's day, too.

- my european backpacking adventure itinerary is complete! 

- i was having a bedtime snack with the adorable toddler i babysit last weekend when she suddenly leaned over, threw herself into my arms, wrapped her little hands around my neck and said, "ohh i love you, rach." in that moment my heart burst into a million tiny pieces. 

- tomorrow's my birthday! my twenty-first birthday. i thought i was going to be all cool and nonchalant about it but even twenty-one year old's get excited about birthdays. ;)
- lunch dates with my mom. they're one of my all-time favorite things.

ONIONS AND ORCHIDS

time to dole out some o&o for both the stinky and super happenings of this past week.

onions

- goodbyes. but i'm so thankful to have such amazing people in my life that make farewells so tough. so i'll take it and continue to remind myself that goodbyes are never permanent.

- it's funny how quickly my brain shifts into creative-writing gear when i'm faced with loads of important things i need to focus intently on. my heart has been trying to prepare for my final exams but my brain is spasmodically jumping from one topic to the next (none of them school-related), constantly striking inspiration mines. one positive side effect of this is i've drafted about 32 potential blog posts in the past week. lucky you.
- i recently discovered my absolute favorite toothpaste has been discontinued and i haven't been able to find it to buy since. last night i squeezed the very last possible drop out of my very last tube of toothpaste. 'twas a very somber moment and i have no idea what i'm going to do tonight. (but i promise i will do something).
- library naps. oops, that's normal, right?
- stress eating has never been a more real thing. and like i know it's wrong but i can't stop? ew.

orchids

- yesterday i treated myself to an adventure in between exams and ended up at the local greenhouse.  i am a 20-year-old woman-girl with an 80-year-old soul. the greenhouse has such a serene, natural aura and i left feeling completely relaxed and replenished.
- gift cards. and snail mail. and gift cards sent via snail mail.
- Godwinks. He amazes me.
- good grades. (!)

- at precisely 5:30 this evening my life kicks into full-blown SUMMER MODE.

- my mother is the most thoughtful, selfless woman. she and my sister knew how badly i wished i could spend mother's day with them and how terrible i felt for not getting to see my mom until a week later, so they plotted to drive down and surprise me on sunday. my mom (and sister, jen, you rock) took the time out of her special day to come and surprise me. i felt like both the biggest diva and luckiest girl on the planet sunday afternoon (emphasis on the latter, because shoot, i'm blessed).

to what/whom would you be giving your onions and orchids to this week? happy hump day!

ONIONS + ORCHIDS PORQUE IT'S (it was) WEDNESDAY

this is the extent of the excitement in my world as of late.

the world clock says it's friday but my internal clock still says wednesday. it is what it is. i've been working on this post for about 3.2 years and i'm going to get it out if it kills me.

onions 

- 1 exam. 3 presentations. 5 days. --> this week. oofta. our final exams are next week so this should be "dead week," but no no, don't be fooled. our campus is very much alive. however i'm afraid i won't be come this afternoon at 3:30.
- lots of lasts this week. resulting in lots of rachel sadness. i'm not much for mushiness so i try to block it all out but my heart is a little heavy in these "last" days as a traditional central college student.
- speaking of, this is my last week and a half on campus as a college student here. ever. it breaks my heart. thus, this is my last weekend... and i'm spending it on duty, stuck in the res halls. #RAlife. (i pretend like i'd be otherwise spending it out and about, which is unrealistic but i at least like having a little lingering hope that something might come up).
- man hacking loogies in the silent library? could we not? you all know how i feel about loogie hacking.

orchids
- productivity-wise, alive week has been very good to me! i've finished and turned in a majority of the semester-long papers and presentations i've been stressing out over for the last 10 weeks.
- i slept for 15 hours one night last weekend. fifteen. hours. i felt like a whole new woman the next day.
- i snagged another job for the summer! cue MEGA audible sigh of relief. my uncle owns a pizza place in town and offered me a position with both good pay and a lot of hours. my prayers were definitely answered as i have been worrying about how i financially was going to make spain happen.
- my sisters played soccer in a neighboring town last night so i was able to drive up and see them play and then accompany them on a classy trip to walmart followed by a KFC/taco bell run. reuniting with them feels like we never spent any time apart. i can't wait to spend a whole summer under the same roof as those hoots.
- i'm DIY-ing my mom's mother's day present which could either be really good or really bad. haha i'll keep you posted. cross your fingers.

feliz friday! finally! 

ONION BUSHELS AND ORCHID BOUQUETS

onions

- my sump pump got a little full of itself on multiple occasions this last week (literally) which allowed me to spend some quality time with various members of our campus maintenance crew. it's inconveniently located at the floor of my closet, so when it set off the first alarm i bashfully had to haul out the piles and piles of neglected things i have stored in there. needless to say the emergency initiated a closet-reorganization-hour and is now back to looking spiffier than ever! even flooded sump pump stories can have a happy ending.

- i discovered in genetics lab yesterday that i would make an exceptional criminal (i feel as though i would also consider this to be an orchid, i'm rather proud of this realization but understand it may be a little concerning to some folk so onions it is!). we were taking our own fingerprints and determining the patterns to figure out our dermal ridge count (which relates to quantitative genetics, obvs). I have pretty tiny fingers resulting in very small ridges and THUS my finger print is practically indiscernible. muahaha. 

- i spent six hours writing a paper for my religion class and i'm still afraid it's ranked in the top 3 worst papers i've ever written. i'm ashamed. but also mostly just relieved it's done and over with (the slogan of senioritis).
- our market hosted a bacon fest over lunch yesterday. a bacon fest. they somehow maneuvered bacon into every innocent little dish. bacon flavored ice cream, people. i could feel my arteries clogging just by looking at it.

orchids

- my flights to spain have been booked - it's official! there's no backing out now! it certainly has never felt so real up to this point, and i must admit, the nervous knots in my tummy have been replaced with fluttering butterflies. europa here i come!

- i have had so many sincere, deep, honest, "grown-up" conversations with my mom this week. we have so many memorable moments, but it's these little interactions and chats i cherish the most. i think she is the most beautiful, unique woman and i feel so grateful to have the opportunity to learn from her and grow with her by my side. she and i, we make a good team!

- speaking of my partner-in-crime, i get to see her in just a few short hours! my sisters, too! mid-week reunions are my favorite. i can't wait to love up on them (and convince them to buy me lots of food) (priorities).
- i am so blessed by friends who think of little ole me back home as they are embarking on wild adventures as they backpack through europe. today i received TWO postcards from one of my best friends who's studying in bangor, wales this semester. it was the sweetest surprise. (PS she tells me i'm going to love spain. i believe her).

happy mean girls 10 year anniversary! i hope you're wearing pink, it is wednesday after all. ;) 

ONIONS AND ORCHIDS

somehow it's already wednesday again! happy mittwoch! (have i mentioned i'm taking german? ja.) welcome back, miercoles! time flies.

onions
- i experienced my first official spain nightworry ("nightmare" seems a little too dramatic in this context...) i had a lot of mexico nightworries, too. bizarre, those things.
- tragic story-telling time: *pauses for audience to pass around a box of tissues and/or build suspense* so i have this big eraser. his name is shivlet. (diversion: my friend and i were desperately grasping for distractions from our physics homework one evening last semester which led to a sudden intense interest in eraser shavings [we were tired]. we got into a passionately heated discussion about how cruel and unfair this world can be sometimes because why don't eraser shavings deserve their own special unique name? why must they just be shavings from an eraser? shame on you, world! so generic! so inconsiderate! being the good samaritans that we are, we took it upon ourselves to re-name eraser shavings "shivlies," which are created  by "shivlets." and then we successfully convinced everyone we could casually create shivlies in front of that those little crumbs have a true title, that  being "shivlies.") so my shivlet! i had this weird desire to use it forever and ever until it ran out, just to prove myself that that's possible with big erasers? he and i went everywhere together. i habitually dug him out of my pencil pouch at the beginning of class so he could sit on my desk and help me with homework and then i'd tuck him back in when it was time to go. we really had something going for us. until tuesday. on tuesday i got too full of myself, thinking i deserved to go enjoy the beautiful day or something by taking a blanket and my homework and my shivlet out to write an essay by the pond. all was well until i got back inside and felt this pending doom rise in my stomach as i frantically searched, realizing my shivlet was nowhere to be found. i lost my shivlet. he's played hide-and-seek with me before, so i'm keeping my hopes high that he will reveal himself soon. (i realize it's awkward that i genderized him/it but..?) sadly i have a bad feeling he got consumed by the pond's canadian geese that we were specifically instructed not to feed. RIP shiv.

orchids
- my sisters, mom and i have all started wearing about the same size clothes. which is partly strange but partly the greatest most convenient thing that has ever happened to me. pants just aren't hugging right? no problem, try on a pair of jenna's! didn't bring home the perfect pair of shoes for my outfit? heck, just rummage through mom's closet!
- my family will be here in exactly one week to experience their first ever tulip time! poffertjes, get in our bellies.
- i get to sleep in tomorrow. it's the little things.
- i also get to use my full punchcard to receive a free coffee at the coffee shop in the morning. (i do have mixed feelings about knowing i've purchased ten expresso drinks in a relatively short period of time). you bet i'm getting a large iced snicker bar latte with whip. sometimes it's the large things, too.
- easter candy and finals prep go together like floral pants and earth day. the perfect compliments to one another.
- the floral pants made their debut appearance for the year of 2014! and on earth day to boot. it was a springy affair.

what memorable moments make your list this week? 

WEDNESDAYS ARE FOR ONIONS AND ORCHIDS

if you look reeeally closely you'll notice those are orchids i'm surrounded by. orchids and love. the only things a girl truly needs.

hi! it's me! isn't this the most random of randoms? surprise! i love surprises.

i've been thinking a lot about blogging lately. a lot a lot. the longer it's been since i've stretched my creative writing muscles the stiffer they get and the more hesitant i've become to start exercising them. (i often feel this way about my real muscles, too). life and time is just whipping by right before my eyes, and i tend to get caught up in the day-to-day, feeling like there's nothing special or significant occurring that's worth recording - but upon reflection i realized i've never been so wrong. these minuscule, insignificant moments are what i live for. i want to remember these every-day happenings that often go unnoticed because i'm just going through the motions on auto-pilot out of familiarity. it's these little memories, interactions, thoughts, and feelings that are what make my life so special and unique. they make me me. and i want to be able to look back and have a sweet and simple reminder of that.

in pure honesty there's just something intimidating about getting into the groove of things here again. it's like the first day of school after a long summer vacation and i've got a raging crush on this cute older "boy" so cue squirmy nerves because naturally i'm trying to be cool and calm and charmingly impressive in hopes of masking the plain lump of awkwardness that lies beneath. and of course i have nothing to wear!!
or something. you see?
so! i'm rusty. forgive me. but i thought what better way to ease into it than with a little onions & orchids action? time to reflect back on some of the sillies, awkwards and awesomes of this week, my friends. i will try not to have a life-dump right here and now but i can't make any promises. once i got my little typers goin' they just wouldn't stop!

onions

• i'm addicted to smokey row's iced snicker bar latte (with whip and crushed candy bar topping, duh). while my stomach is satisfied i can practically hear my whimpering wallet shriveling up and dying right there in my purse. i need an intervention.
• we experienced 70* weather, thunderstorms + tornadoes, and snow all in one weekend. one word: iowa.
• i wrote this post in my genetics/religion classes. shame on me. i've checked out.
• i was reading back through the rough draft of one of my final research papers that i submitted last week and realized i accidentally typed "social sloots" (ehem you know) instead of "social slurs." my gravestone reads rachel: death by embarrassment.
• the bestie and i started a "couch to 5k" program (using this smartphone app) to help motivate us to get healthier, in better shape, and reach my goal of running a 5k this summer. while i'm proud of us and our dedication to the cause (and for those of you who know me know just how big of a deal this is because i am so anti-any-pace-above-a-brisk-walk), it is doing the weirdest things to my body, making the transitional period interesting. and awkward? like junior high all over again? does this side-effect relax after a while? 

orchids

• i'm running! and i'm proud. it  feels good.
• in the matter of one week, one of my cousins got married and another got engaged. i've already started planning their wedding. LOVE IS IN THE AIR and i'm so thrilled for each of them.
• both of my sweet little sisters are on the high school soccer team this year and i finally get to cheer them on in person tomorrow! their team is undefeated 3-0, so i'm hoping i don't jinx it with my presence.
• our campus-wide service day was yesterday. classes were canceled so that students could participate in one or more service projects organized around our community. i went to a before school breakfast club through the organization CFUM (children and family urban movement) in des moines. a truly rewarding yet humbling experience.
• i got to see my organs last week! they are just so cute snuggled all up in there! my pancreas even made a surprise appearance! (no i'm not pregnant! no!)
• i'm doing an internship with student development and dabbling with study abroad this semester and i am downright giddy about all of it. that's when you know it's real.
• i have a huge surprise that i cannot wait to reveal in my next post.
  ..that was vague. i know, i hate vagueness too.
  but moderation is key. good things come to those who wait. that sort of thing. ;) so come back soon!

thanks for hanging in there with me. i'm happy to be back. :)

what would you dish out your onions and orchids to this week? 

ONIONS AND ORCHIDS (WEDNESDAY..?)

on thursday. i know. in my defense, i started this post yesterday. er, started thinking about this post yesterday. hmph. you know how that goes! however, magnificent things have taken/are taking place this week and it must be documented. i shan't wait any longer! 

onions:

- my sisters may be 13 and 15, but they have not graduated to watching mature and sophisticated television yet. (mature and sophisticated such as the real housewives, morning talk shows, tlc, hgtv, and uber cheesy series [what is the plural of series? series-ous question!] about unrealistic love between humans and made up creatures). our t.v. is constantly tuned in to spongebob squarepants, phineas and ferb, and those loud scream-y shows that play video after video of people get hurt doing something silly.
- speaking of michelle and jenna being teenagers (cringe!)... we spent money at victoria's secret this week. on them. one of those lifetime milestones a big sister never wants to come.
- i've been going through serious college best friend withdrawals. how much longer before fall?
- i babysat last week and woke up so sore the next morning! how pathetic can one be! one thing's for sure, i'm gonna be one jacked momma when the time comes! ;)

orchids:

- we went to molly's cupcakes. oh by golly hot wow.
- we also went thrifting for the first time, which is where i picked up that beaut of a wall hanging pictured above. so sweet, is it not? i'm already mentally plotting ways to use it to make a gallery wall in my dorm in the fall. tuesday was one of sweet victory.
- PRETTY LITTLE LIARS SEASON 3 CAME OUT ON NEXTFLIX YESTERDAY. i have only been waiting what feels like my entire life for this. now, i have 5 days to watch it and get caught up before the season 4 premier. ready, set, break!
- michelle got her braces off today! i barely recognize her with her gap-less metal-less smile.
- my best friends drove two hours on sunday to surprise me and take me out for my birthday. it was the perfect afternoon with two of the most perfect friends. i feel so blessed.

to what would you dish out onions and orchids this week? 

ONIONS AND ORCHIDS WEDNESDAY

a real life orchid! in a real life orchid garden!

onions

- i got fried last weekend (i'm sure no one's surprised by this) and i'm suffering through the itchy/burny/blistery stage. it's the worst on my back waistline, which has made wearing pants fun! ;) (just to clarify, i am still wearing pants)
- it hit me that this week is full of lots of "lasts." one last trip to progreso. one last wednesday starbucks date. one last "burger king session." one last trip to altabrisa for fro-yo. one last mega run. one last adventure to the centro... and it's sad. i don't think i'm quite ready to say goodbye.

orchids

- i'm beginning to not completely hate the air-dried version of my hair. sometimes it even looks slightly cute.
- today is may! may day! hello, sweet sweet month of may, i welcome your arrival with open arms and sloppy kisses. and this kicks off the 20th birthday countdown... only 28 days remain! gah i'm old.
- iron man 3 is already out in mexico! take that, united states! i think this calls for one last trip to the movie theater to gobble up caramel popcorn and 2 hours with of robert downey jr.
- 3 more days! THREE! need i even say until what?
- i found out i'm going to be an RA next year in the exact same room i was in last semester. year two of an all freshman floor. i can't wait to meet them all and morph them into my little college-dominating minions! muahaha.
- while i was odering at starbucks today, the man next to me looked over and just about peed his pants in excitement as he squeal-asked me in english if i was from the united states. and while i almost peed my pants in surprise at someone approaching me in english, i was a little offended. how could he tell?? is it that obvious? after four months have i still not been accepted as a local!?! this is ludicrous! fun fact: the locals can even tell when other mexicans aren't from the area. how,  you ask? their legs are covered in mosquito bites. :)

what would you give onions and orchids to from your week? have a lovely wednesday!

A WEDNESDAY FOR ONIONS & ORCHIDS

A few of us on "girls night." we're "white-girling it." obvi totes.

onions

- last night i walked into the kitchen to make a sandwich for dinner, flipped on the light, and saw this ugly, furry, squeaky little mouse scurry out of the bread box. it ran behind the cereal containers and out of sight, along with my appetite.

- today is my last day volunteering at an after-school english program here in merida. a program in which i have told you nothing about! [soon, soon. all good things come in time] they're throwing us a going away party, complete with food and all. i don't think i'm prepared for all of the upcoming goodbyes i have to give in the next 2 weeks.

- i've officially given up on blow drying my hair. i think my hair looks so flat and scraggly when it air dries, but the hotter it gets the sillier blasting my head with fake hot air seems. so i'm embracing the flat and string-ys!

orchids

- the majority of the girls in our abroad program got all spiffy and went out for girls' night on saturday. it was simple and relaxed, the perfect night after a stressful finals week. it started pouring during our dinner, and after about 40 minutes of waiting it out, we decided to invest in some free garbage bags and go for it! we ran through the flooded streets, getting absolutely soaked. well, all but our torsos! ;) it was one of the funnest, most memorable nights i've had in merida.

- i am slowly but surely checking finals week assignments off of my to-do list, my stress level shifting down a notch with every swift slash of my pen through those little boxed bullet points! it's such a wonderful feeling.

- ONE POINT FIVE WEEKS UNTIL MERIDA IS TAKEN OVER BY MI FAMILIA.

- rachbug's ramblings got a face lift! or more like a complete facial transplant? what do you think?? i got the itch to start experimenting with html and customization, and once i started scratching i just couldn't stop. like a dang mosquito bite, i tell you!

- my grandma figured out how to make skype calls and called me for the first time last week. it was the sweetest surprise and the perfect study break. i can't wait to see that lady in person!

- tomorrow i'm leaving for a "weekend getaway" to an island on the caribbean. is this real life? it sounds like i'm quoting something from the bachelorette. now if only my very own jef with one f holm and or roberto martinez and or jp rosenbaum would show up and sweep me off my feet. i'll be waiting.

which moments from your week deserve onions & orchids? happy giving!

onions & orchids wednesday

i wanted to start up again with onions & orchids wednesday to reflect on and chat about each passing week. and i figured, heck, what better day than today!?

onions
- i have shaved my legs every single day for at least six years. until monday (against my own will!). i have never experienced such a disgusting yet freeing feeling. and i couldn't stop petting myself?
- have you ever tried to peel clothes off (or put clothes on for that matter) your body when you're drenched in sweat? impossible.
and now i'm done dispersing onions to facts about my personal hygiene because i'm making myself sound like a gross human being.
- enter generic statement about the heat and how cruddy it makes my insides feel. 
- yesterday the burger king cashier, after seeing my friends and i on probably a tri-weekly basis, finally asked me where i was from. we had a nice conversation that ended with a very fast, confusing sentence on her part and an, "i'm sorry, i don't understand.. ha, ha.." on my part. she went back to the register, turned to her coworker and said (in spanish), "i don't think she understood me. hahahahahahaha!" um well i understood that, lady!! don't underestimate this! *sassy z-snap + booty slap + hair flip combo*
- i'm kind of getting tired of frappes? is that possible? am i human?

orchids
- i can blame the strange/awkward things i do on a daily basis on being foreign, even though i do these strange/awkward things in my home country equally as often.
- my family arrives in 24 days. three weeks from this saturday! eep! and no, don't think i'm sparing you of a countdown.
- my mom checked 2 things off her bucket list last week: participated in a 5K and received her coaching license. and that my friends is why my mom is a rockstar. good job, momma!
- it's official. the starbucks staff knows my name. (okay so this is a little embarrassing. and to them it's raquel, which makes me feel like i have this super sexy alter-ego or something). today starbucks man (after greeting me with an hola, raquel!) told me my spanish was really improving and getting good. at least i think that's what he said? ha, i'm that good that i still really have no idea if that's what he was saying or not. ;) we'll go with a yes.
- coffee dates with friends, guys. they're good for the soul. (bad for the wallet. this part is ignored).

update: starbucks man has a name. it's lalo. (?) lallo? lahlo? dudes, spanish is tricky.

what happenings of yours this week are worth of onions &/or orchids? share away in the comments!

onions and orchids!

a treat of ice cream sundae wednesdae's past. 

you wouldn't think being off one day would make a difference, but doing last week's o & o on thursday makes it feel like i just did it yesterday! but you know what they say, time flies when you're busy organizing, watching tv, running errands, and spending time with your loved ones!
oh, no one says that?

and now, the moment you've all been waiting for!

onions: 
- i went to the dentist last week {stinker number 1. i actually hit up the dentist AND the eye doctor in one afternoon! double whammy! but this is me we're talking about here and i have this thing for optometry so visits to the eye doctor are practically a treat}. the dentist sat me down and we had the talk. the one that starts with asking you how school is and then they smoothly transition into compliments on your maturity and while you're all blinded by flattery their sweet smile turns into an evil smirk and they slap your x-ray up on the illuminator and practically threaten to yank four teeth and de-wisdomize you right then and there. followed by a beastly cackle. and i figured i must have dodged that bullet! so that's on my to-do list this summer. fart.
- today i missed my first ever ice cream sundae wednesdae standing lunch date in a whole entire year and three months of central market lunches with my ice cream gobbling partner in crime. i'm bumming. i'm eating ice cream today in your honor, lunch date. lots of it.
- i am saddened to tell you that we are discovering that as my parents' yearages continue to increase, their once-keen five senses are beginning to dull. my father and i shared a popcorn in which he pre-salted last night at {yet another} basketball game and woo whee it was like munching on a salt lick. after a few casual side comments on my part {the first few ignored by him because he can't hear either} he politely disagreed and said he hadn't noticed, all the while fantasizing about a salt shaker appearing in the stands so he could sprinkle on more, i'm sure. and apparently my mom is losing her sense of smell? but whenever she uses this as an excuse it's to her advantage. like she can't smell the surrounding stinks of dirty bathroom, old people, dog, etc? must be rough.
but orchids to them for getting the chance to experience old{er?} age. f'realz.
- we watched pitch perfect! and... i was a little disappointed? *pauses for gasps and "what!?! you lunatic!"s from the audience* i found it funny, don't get me wrong, but it didn't really meet the expectations i had set based on the reviews from all you crazed fans. sigh, three stars.

orchids: 
- i have officially gotten my family hooked on both gossip girl and pretty little liars. it could not have been a more successful winter break.
- this past weekend was the most perfect.
- i discovered that i will have wi-fi not only in the casa de central where my classes are held, but also in the home i will be staying in! {and the starbucks across the street from the central house... ehem}. i originally thought i would only have it in the classroom. it's the little things! {and you lucked out! hello non-stop blogging}.
- there is a 107.4 % chance that at this time next week i will have a sunburn. and it's expected to be 81 degrees when i arrive on sunday. okay, i'm done.

i'll meet you back here next wednesday for our first ever onions and orchids - mexico style!
things are about to get interesting.

onions & orchids ... thursday

i had the greatest intentions of doing onions and orchids wednesday on wednesday, i swear i did. but it just didn't happen. except i started on wednesday, so that counts for something, right??

ONIONS: 

- the ABC channel 9 vs. dish network cat fight has continued and we STILL don't get channel 9. it's intense. and sean's season of the bachelor started monday. and i missed it. things are about to get ugly.
- flu-ness. it's lingering. and my only food options are jello and broth: my arch food nemeses.
-----
- bruiser watched six hours worth of pretty little liars today. he's hooked. {fine, i was there too... and was controlling the remote... it's whatever}. and i'm not quite sure if this is slightly pathetic or an impressive accomplishment? so we'll just leave it floating here in the middle-like. it can be presented a lovely arrangement of onions and orchids, how 'bout them road apples? as michelle once said.

schmORCHIDS board: 

- jen did her thang and rocked junior high honor band tryouts! she is such a dedicated little percussionist and makes me so proud. that girl beats to her own drum. ;) buh-dum-chhh!
- concession stand nachos. boom.
- it is like christmas never ended for my lucky mailbox, because packages are flowing in by the dozens! {well i've received two so far.. and am expecting a couple more.. so practically?} and they're less of presents, more of things i ordered online. like shoes! {and textbooks, but honestly, ew}.
- i had the most perfectly delicious white chocolate mocha last week, and while sipping it, came across the most perfectly sweet sign. it was a moment.

what are the special little moments of last week that you'd like to celebrate? happy thursday!

Onions & Orchids Wednesday

i felt it necessary to bring back my weekly tradition of onions and orchids. it's a fun way to reflect on the silly, awkward, awesome, and memorable little things that occur each week.

and now! i present to you!

onions for: 

• my mom and sisters went back to school today. bruiser and i are bored and lonely. so bored, so lonely. already. sigh. however we are getting our money's worth out of our netflix free month trial. ;)
• i'm in the process of buying textbooks for next semester. shall we just leave it at that? okay no i must pause for some quick real talk: what's your take on "ebooks"? would it be worth it cost-wise to purchase a tablet and renting the book on there [and weight-wise - those 15 minute walks to class in 100 degree heat are gonna be a kicker]? i just have this thing about being able to physically hold the book and flip through the pages. it's half the fun of book reading. and that old book smell! kindles just aren't old book scented. 
• i was hanging out with my mom at work before christmas break. she and i were walking a student back to their classroom. said student and i are buddies, so we were holding hands and skipping very cute-like. a friend of the student ran up to us and yelled, "HEY STUDENT, IS THAT YOUR MOM??!" i smiled sweetly while thinking the friend was referring to my mom and then looked at her, only to realize she was gesturing to me. SHE WAS ASKING STUDENT IF I WAS HER MOTHER. gasp. shudder. end scene.
• mother and i went to red blobster to splurge on our favorite usual: chef's signature lobster and shrimp pasta. it'd been taken off the menu. of course.
• please read bullet two en la seccion de orchids. soak it in. now: i bawled cried in les mis. 8 times. a.k.a. never stopped shedding tears. and i am not a crier. my family can't get over it. the crying i mean. it was unusual. i guess i was feeling a little emotionally unstable?

orchids to: 

• netflix. netflix netflix netflix. and the beauty of its free trial and plethora of tv episodes [note: the movies are lamies].
• les miserables. it was absolutely, beautifully outstanding. it moved me.
• i am a new owner of an espresso machine! our house has practically been transformed into a starbucks! it smells fabulous. and i am forever hyper! a win-win!!
• my best friend applied for her passport today so she can come visit me in mexico over spring break. [!!!] she is the wonderfullest. march 10, i can't wait to see you.

i hope you stayed warm on this chilly wednesday! the weekend is a measly 48 hours away! yes!

to see my first onions & orchids [which contains a bonus explanation of the whole deal] click here