Adele

I like to make it a point of sharing genius when I am lucky enough to stumble across it. I don't have a youtube account so you're just going to have to click on this link to hear a new favorite song of mine. Adele is a recent musical discovery I've made. It makes my soul happy to hear that there are still extremely talented musicians out there. Listen to her.

P.S. (This represents my (Rachel) musical taste. I don't actually know if Rory likes this song or not. )

P.S.S. (Adele and I sound identical when we sing. Ok, that's a lie...)

Where are you, Christmas?

Typically, the holiday season truly is "the most wonderful time of the year" for me. I love the lights, the gift giving/receiving, the stories, that "gingerbread feeling," the focus on Christ, etc etc. Not to mention, Rory and I fell in love during Christmas time.

This year, however, my enthusiasm for the holiday season has been sub-par. I'm not quite a Grinch or an Ebenezer, I don't think... more like Cindy Lou Who from the 2000 version of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, who asked, "Where are you, Christmas? Why can't I find you?" Unlike Cindy, I have a pretty clear idea as to why there is very little "jingle all the way" for me.

Work has been INSANE. We've been booked out for photo sessions for over a month and will continue to be booked out clear up until the last week of December. I catch myself saying all the time, "I can't wait until Christmas is over!" Bah-humbug, indeed! Last week, my attitude started to bother me.

Luckily, I have a wonderful husband who recognized my "Bah-humbug" attitude, and suggested that we get a Christmas tree. Decorating our first Christmas tree together as a married couple did wonders for my spirits. Yesterday, we decided to participate in our ward's "Angel Tree" and give a gift to a child in need. I also watched the First Presidency Christmas Devotional last night. I'm happy to report that my holiday spirit barometer is creeping towards full!

What brings the Christmas spirit into your life?

We Went to San Diego...

and I wanted to cry the day we came back. (Be advised: the following contains images of a highly enjoyable vacation. If you do not wish to see others warm and happy, do not continue reading.)

A really bad picture of the really darling beach house Rory's parents rented for Thanksgiving.

The McHardy family. I think my favorite thing about this picture is that Rory looks like he's wearing a headdress. And for that reason, I shall never be able to take this picture seriously.

I like this picture- motion blur and all.

These are Rory's legs- not mine. Just wanted to get that out there. Also, this was only Rory's second trip to the beach in his entire life. ENTIRE LIFE, people!!!

One (of the many) highlights for me was when Rory and I took the beach cruisers out. I want one. Though somehow I don't think riding along the icy potholes of Orem will have the same therapeutic effect as riding along the beach...

Action shot!

This is Carson. Carson is two and I love him.

Carson (pointing to a treat): "I want one."

Paul: "You'll have to ask your mom."

Carson (persistently): "Please, can I have one?"

Paul: "Sorry, bud- you have to ask your mom."

Carson: "... I want to ask Rachel."

So nice to get out and play!

6o degrees in NOVEMBER!!!

And that is why I wanted to cry the day we came back.

25 Reasons Why I Love Rory

In no particular order:

25. He listens to my stories and always acts interested... even when my stories bore myself.

24. When he plays the piano and I play the flute, I don't shake in front of an audience.

23. This one time, he gave me a really pretty ring.

22. He's smart.

21. He's athletic.

20. Have you seen his smile??? It makes me melt every time.

19. Sometimes he makes me laugh until my stomach hurts.

18. Sometimes I make him laugh until his stomach hurts.

17. He doesn't ever complain if my tears soak his shirt.

16. I hate to sound vain, but he is so good lookin'!

15. He's insightful.

14. He has done every single favor I've EVER asked him to do.

13. He plays with my hair.

12. He's musical- the guitar, piano, vocals, and bass - makes the rest of us look like talentless fools!

11. He gives me compliments like he's getting paid to give them. (But he's not... just wanted to clarify that.)

10. He is my best friend.

9. He knows what he wants in life and doesn't just sit around waiting for shooting stars.

8. I don't have enough fingers and toes to count all the little things he does for me on a daily basis.

7. He notices and appreciates the little things I do for him.

6. He eats- a lot. I'm not sure why it is that I like that about him, but I do.

5. He enjoys being around my side of the family.

4. Because of him, I have fabulous in-laws.

3. I love just being around him.

2. I'm a better person because of him.

1. He wants to be with me FORRRREEEEVVVERRRRR!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, *HUBSAND!!! I love you.

*Yes, I meant to type hubsand as opposed to husband.

Myoclonus

Have you ever heard of myoclonus? It is a neurological condition characterized by rapid contraction and relaxation of muscle. It's much more common than you probably think. Hiccups? They're myoclonic spasms of the diaphragm. How about that night when you were just about to fall asleep, and you suddenly jerked awake, simultaneously elbowing your spouse or the wall? That's also a form of myoclonus called "hypnic jerks."

A couple years ago, I (Rory) noticed that my eyelid would shift over the top of my eyeball when I would get tired or stressed. It's happened periodically since then, but about 2 weeks ago it started up, and has been happening almost constantly since then. So, I decided to figure out exactly what it was. My particular condition is called Blepharospasm. It can be caused by a lot of things, including corneal irritation, stress, lack of sleep or eye strain.

Bad news? It gets worse if you think about it frequently (I can't help it... it's my freaking eyelid!) It has been connected to Alzheimer's (but I'm only 24!!), and it may also be a symptom of lesions of the cortex, subcortex, or spinal cord.

Good news? I'm pretty sure it's from a combination of sun exposure to my eyes, wearing my disposable contacts for twice as long as I'm supposed to, and stress from life. I'm going to bed now.

A Marshmallow Day

Today was my day off- my day to do what I want, when I want. Last night I planned out my entire day. I was going to let myself sleep in (but not too late). Then I was going on a birthday presents hunt for a certain someone whose birthday is this Sunday (cough, Rory, cough cough). Next, I'd go to the gym and do a REAL workout- none of this girly, pansy stuff I've been doing as of late. I was going to do a heartpumping, sweat pouring, leg shaking work out. Then I was going to sit down and write my tear jerking, testimony building, life changing talk that I am to give on Sunday. That was to be followed by miscellaneous errands including but not limited to: dropping off a letter at the post office, buying a couple ingredients for dinner, and seeing if I could find some purple nailpolish (the pink I have been wearing is SO last season... it's officially fall). Yes, I was going to have one very productive day off.

At 3:00 pm, as I sat on our bed eating Marshmallow Matey's by the handful, I took inventory of my day. Sleep in a little- check. Birthday presents- check. Workout- ummm... haven't quite gotten around to it. Then again, I did all that walking around at the mall... Write my talk- oh, I'm just waiting for the inspiration... or something. Miscellaneous errands- well, none of those things HAVE to be done today. I sighed, knowing that what should have been a "go-get-em" day, had turned in to a marshmallow day.

The funny things is I could easily have gotten all those things done if it was a regular work day. There's just something about having a bunch of semi-pertinent things to do and a whole day to do it that just welcomes procrastination for me. I guess in that regard, it's a good thing that I'm back to work tomorrow. And an even better thing that we got the extra large bag of Marshmallow Matey's... I'll be looking forward to my next marshmallow day.

Hired and fired within 10 minutes!

Driving home from my clinical assignment with the BYU Rugby team this afternoon, I noticed I had a voicemail. The message was from the receptionist at the company I interviewed with yesterday for a part time job at a call center. I've been trying to find a job before the couch cushions completely mold to my body. The nice lady informed me that I had been hired, and asked me a few questions, and we reviewed my availability. The call ended, and I promptly texted Rachel to inform her that I had gotten the job!

Rewind to Monday, the day of the interview... While signing some paperwork before the interview, a man came out of his office, and said to the receptionist something to the effect of, "I hate it when people arrange interviews, and then don't show up to do them!" At first I thought he was talking about potential employees, but it turns out he was talking about the man that I was supposed to interview with. So, I went back with the replacement interviewer. The interview went well - the only rough spot was the schedule. As we talked, I noticed that the interviewer notated that I wanted the 4-8 shift, but seemed to gloss over the fact that I needed a different shift for Tues/Thursday, which we had discussed at length.

Fast forward back to this afternoon... 10 minutes after texting Rachel about the job, I get another phone call from the same number. "Hi, this is Troy from _______. I wanted to ask you a couple questions about your availability for work." This was the guy that was supposed to interview me. Turns out that the replacement interviewer had failed to notate that I needed a different shift for Tuesday and Thursday, and the company only wanted to hire individuals that could work one shift Monday through Friday, and that the job offer was being rescinded. No apology, and very curt.

I was kind of shocked. I pointed out that we had discussed that issue in the interview, and that it must not have been recorded. He didn't seem to care. Part of me wanted to say, "If you had been there to interview me like you had agreed, we wouldn't have this ridiculous problem!"

So, today I got hired... and fired.

McHardy... Picture Perfect!!!

It's slightly depressing to look at honeymoon pictures of ourselves all tan and happy now that school is back in session and work is full-time (and then some). So we decided it was high time to post something new. Plus, we want to show off some of our "artistic flair"...





A few weeks ago, I (Rachel) had the idea to take pictures of things that spelled out our last name (McHardy). Hence, the seemingly random pictures. The pictures now sit on the wall in our living room in brown frames purchased from Bed, Bath, & Beyond (courtesy of a wedding gift card or two... or three...)


We are quite proud of this accomplishment, as it only took a few hours one evening to complete; and besides, we needed SOMETHING to spice up our apartment, and painting the walls didn't seem reasonable considering our impending move to (__insert Rory's grad school here__).


Enjoy!!!

Belated Honeymooning!

Just thought I'd stick in a few of our favorite pictures from the wedding and honeymoon.

The highlight of our honeymoon was NOT the fact that Rory had never before witnessed the ocean in person. :) But that was pretty cool too! This picture captures his first experience at the beloved Pacific Ocean in Mazatlan, Mexico!






One of the best parts of the whole cruise were the elegant dinner nights. The food was AWESOME!!!









Rory picked up this idea from the great Elder Bruce Williams while he was on his mission. Gotta love jump pictures!








While we waited for our Canopy Adventure in Puerto Vallarta, we were able to sneak a peek at the dolphin training exhibit.





We also spent about a week in Las Vegas, but our camera battery died and we forgot the charger, so we ended up taking pictures with a little disposable piece of junk camera. It was quite worthless, and the pictures turned out terribly. But it was so hot that we could only drag ourselves away from the AC and the pool once or twice to visit the strip, so you aren't missing much. All in all, it was the greatest 2 weeks of our lives!

All Aboard (Day one of our honeymoon)

Despite having forgotten my passport (not one of my finer moments), we were able to board our lovely, lovely Mexican Riviera cruise on Sunday, May 23rd. Rory had never seen the ocean before (gasp!) so it was kind of a big moment. After getting oriented with the ship and attending what arguably could have been the most uninformative safety meeting ever, we quickly adjusted to "relaxation mode." As the Cars once said, "Let the good times roll!"