Just staying one day ahead of yesterday

For myself personally, the meeting of one's boyfriends parents can be a slightly terrifying experience.  For the most part I would categorize myself as a fairly normal person, but for that brief moment in time you start to realize all of your quirks and short comings.  You try and tell yourself to refrain from making slightly inappropriate comments, or drinking your wine too fast at the dinner table and that even though you are extemely nervous the worst possible thing you can do in that moment is excuse yourself to the bathroom to throw up (Matt...please do not share with your family how many times nerves has made me barf!) But let me tell you, the one thing I did not expect to experience while spending a lovely weekend in Golden, BC with two very sweet, loving parents was the reckless abandonment for bear chasing! Before visiting the beautiful town of Golden, B.C., I was not informed of the very important fact that certain wildlife like to roam the backyards of the home

I'd be lying if I didn't say I have had my heart broken a time or two. And for those of you so fortunate around me to get to witness these events, first off I must apologize and second I must thank you for still loving me after all is said and done. But through it all thank you for standing by me as I learned this is how I, Rachel Lootens, deal with a broken heart: I usually start out by crying, a lot, and then cry some more ~ I cry in bed ~ I cry in the shower ~ I cry in my car ~ I cry at the grocery store...~ some may even say I act a little pathetic ~ I skip out on showers ~ for days on end ~ sometimes too many days on end~ I lay in bed for days ~ no one has ever accused me of laying bed for too many days though, as I feel as this one is socially acceptable ~ I get irritable ~ I pretend that I am better, putting the biggest smile on my face ~ only to have a relapse the moment I walk through the door at my house and my roommate asks if I'm OK? ~ I master the eyebrow raise

In a moment of self reflection the other day, I realized that while 25 was still quite a young age and I have plenty more years ahead of me to fill up with life's lessons, I was surprised at how easily 4 pages of scribble were produced when thought about some of the things I have learned in the first quarter of my life and even happier that for each lesson a wonderful memory went along with it. Be where you are; otherwise you miss your life....so I've learned that: You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk It pays to believe in miracles and tell the truth When you wave at people in the country they always stop what they are doing and wave back You can tell a lot about a man by the way he hands 3 things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangles Christmas tree lights You can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life It's a lot easier to react then to think I can't visit a bookstore without buying something When the light turns green,

I have come to the conclusion that there are 2 types of people in the world: those who like dress up parties, and those who don't. I can't begin to explain the rush that I get when the invite to a real killer dress up party comes my way. I like to think that I can be pretty fun and along with this I like to think I can plan a pretty good costume. So I say don't knock it till you try it. For me I couldn't be happier with all the good things that have come out of my years of silly dress up parties...life isn't the way its suppose to be...it's the way it is, the way we take life on makes all the difference. I've come to believe that life is too short to blend in, don't settle for average. You're only young once, and you may as well have a good time while your at it. I plan on being able to look back on my life and say that I didn't miss out on anything. Memories. You get to talk about "that guy" at the party for many stories to come...and

At some point in this lifetime I do imagine myself becoming a mother, and in a different way then I have mothered my beautiful 4-legged, furry dog Scarlett. I imagine the next go around they will include 2 legs, less fur and be able to actually talk back to me when I speak to them. Who knows when this day will come, and to be honest, this is the least of my worries right now, but in pondering all of the silly things I have done in my life, I started to think about all the things I should begin diarize in hopes that the offspring I will be responsible for raising will hopefully avoid. While I like to think that I have done a lot of really great things, had a life filled of fun and adventure, I have also done a lot of stupid things, that perhaps my children will do differently.... So, Dear Children: No matter how badly someone convinces you, sticking your tongue to a metal pole in the dead of winter will result in a painful dismount when you rip layers off. Now as stupid as it is to do t

With Thanksgiving coming and going this year I was blessed with the opportunity to sit in a room of 20+ people and share and listen to all the things in which the people whom I care the most about are thankful for in their lives. While this list can be entertaining with 9 wonderful nieces and nephews who spout off answers like "chocolate cake", "Auntie Rachel", "Dad" and "Lego", it is also filled with heartfelt answers of family, health, love and appreciation and of course with 4 girls in one family a few tears. I spent this week thinking about the simple things in life I was thankful for.... A brother who who always takes the time to listen Big sisters being patient with little sisters Cab drivers who know when to talk and when to be quiet PVR - so I never have to worry about missing all those girly shows Good friends who always make the bad days seem not so hard and the good days feel like heaven A mom who worries about you night and day but wo