To All My Girlfriends

I found this funny, and wanted to share the joy! :)

(I did not write the below info - a man did)

The Man Rules

At last a guy has taken the time to write this all down

Finally, the guys' side of the story. We always hear "the rules" from the female side.

Now here are the rules from the male side.

These are our rules!

Please note... these are all numbered "1"

ON PURPOSE!

1. Men are NOT mind readers.

1. Learn to work the toilet seat. 

You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down.

We need it up, you need it down.

You don't hear us complaining about you leaving it down.

1. Sunday sports It's like the full moon 

or the changing of the tides.

Let it be.

1. Crying is blackmail.

1. Ask for what you want.

Let us be clear on this one:

Subtle hints do not work!

Strong hints do not work!

Obvious hints do not work!

Just say it!

1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.

1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do. 

Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.

1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument.

In fact, all comments become Null and void after 7 Days.

1. If you think you're fat, you probably are.

Don't ask us

1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one

1. You can either ask us to do something

Or tell us how you want it done.

Not both.

If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

1. Whenever possible, Please say whatever you have to say during commercials...

1. Christopher Columbus did NOT need directions and neither do we.

1. All men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings.

Peach, for example, is a fruit, not A color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.

1. If it itches, it will be scratched.

We do that.

1. If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing," We will act like nothing's wrong.

We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.

1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, Expect an answer you don't want to hear.

1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine... Really.

1. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as hunting or football.

1. You have enough clothes.

1. You have too many shoes.

1. I am in shape. Round IS a shape!

1. Thank you for reading this.

Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight;

But did you know men really don't mind that? It's like camping.

Pass this along to as many men as you can - to give them a laugh.

Pass this along to as many women as you can - to give them a bigger laugh.

My Men (Dad and Brothers):

This is meant in all respect. You are wonderful men and take great care of us.

My Girls:
Don't over think it - just enjoy it! :)

Enjoying Life,

~Rachel

"A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones." 

~Proverbs 17:22

Bare Necessities

What are the bare necessities? :)

What do I truly need?

I started thinking: 

Bible, 

family, 

friends,

sunshine, 

water, 

exercise,

body, 

food, 

house, 

clothes.... 

We could do without the Bible 

We could live without family (I love my family more than life)

Friendships are a priceless gift - but not a need

Sunshine is a gift :)

Water is a blessing - but, we don't need it to have ALL we need.

Exercise - is a wonderful thing, but not a need

To live in a body is a gift

Food - is only a gift

House, is just an earthly possession

Clothes, are not a need.

God is ALL we need. :)

God has blessed me with much more than I'll ever need.

I am so thankful for having all I need... and all the extra stuff too! :)

All earthly possessions are a gift from God - He has given for us to be blessed by and bless others with. :)

Loving Life,

~Rachel

"Whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things."

~Philippians 3:19

"There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another." 

~I Corinthians 15:40

(Side Thought: Heavenly bodies will be a sight to see!) ;)

Fear Freedom!

Recently, God has been teaching me many things - but the thing that tops the list is: to fear not. :)

How many times does God say to fear NOT in the Bible?

"God says "do not fear" or, "fear not" 365 times in the Bible. He must be serious!... There are 365 days in a year, so He has one for everyday."

That's pretty cool! :)

What do you fear?

Failure?

Perfection?

Relationship?

Rejection?

Family?

Reputation?

OR maybe you are right where you want to be - 

you have SUCCESS, 

you have FAMILY,

you have not experienced REJECTION or you refuse to admit it,

 you have a good REPUTATION,

& you love being PERFECT.

YOU HAVE THE PERFECT LIFE. 

If you fit the above criteria - I can only say two words to you: 

I'M SORRY! 

WARNING!

Only continue - if you are not perfect!...

No human is perfect.

We need Someone that is - Someone that loves perfectly.

Only one Guy offers that kind of love, 

only one Guy can fulfill that desire,

One Guy that is so far away and yet so close by....

HE IS IN...

 the sunrise,

a smile,

 snow,

His beauty is breathtaking! :)

He offers His love - freely (wrap your mind around it)

Perfect love is FREE :)

WOW!! :)

God loves us - even though we are NOT perfect. 

We can never be perfect - on this earth.

But we can be wrapped in the arms and surrounded by the love of the only perfect ONE.

Imagine that: a perfect Guy, that gives His perfect love - FREELY! :) You can't earn that love. You can't work hard enough for that love. 

Perfect love is a GIFT. (no strings attached)

Everyone wants, needs - love.  

The people most willing to receive this kind of love are the BEST of people.

People withOUT...

Success

Family

Hope

Reputation

God loves the people He created!! :)  

His love is perfected in the LEAST perfect. 

To become perfect I must loose: family, reputation, hope, success, relationships, life.... to become like Christ you have to loose EVERYTHING.

Only one person has done that....

this wonderful person loves to be perfected in the imperfect. :)

He loves to love the imperfect.

He loves to give to those who can not give back.

HE IS LOVE

HE IS LIFE...

Jesus came and humbled Himself to the lowest place on this earth and gave His life - so that you could experience His love.

WOW - that is power!!

Perfect, wonderful... power. :)

Praise God for trials that bring us to His feet, praise God that I am not perfect, praise God He loves me the same and there is nothing I can do to deserve or earn THIS LOVE.

PERFECT LOVE!! :)

Praise God that HE loves me in my imperfection! :)

I LOVE YOU, JESUS!!...

and I love that I can't fall to far from your LOVE.

Loving Jesus' Love,

~Rachel

"To all perfection I see a limit, but Your commands are boundless" ~Psalms 119:96

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love cast out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love." ~I John 4:18

My Little World

Dear blog readers,

One of the many things that God has been teaching me lately is that His plans are greater than mine.

Here is a little bit of the life God has blessed me with! :)

My dear brother I miss! :) Love you, bro!! (hopefully will see you and Beth soon!)

Last week, Friday and Saturday I had the privilege of going snowboarding at Keystone.

 Friday was cloudy, snowy, and a great time snowboarding with my brother Daniel and some great friends! :)  Daniel continues to improve on his many terrain park skills! You meet many interesting people on ski lifts. ;)

Saturday, was a fun day too - little more sunny, but very adventurous and a great time with our dear friends, the Ogg family. Pictured below is my friend Beeka and I. :) With Beeka's encouragement we hiked some in the back country and snowboarded through the snow covered trees - gorgeous!... even though I got stuck in waist high snow - it was an adventure worth taking! ;) (Thanks to Beeka for the pic!)

Sunday I had the blessing of being at a dear friends', 16th birthday party!... and visiting with her later in the week! :)
Love you, Caley! (unfortunately no pic - will have to fix that next time I see this dear friend)

Even though this pic is blurry - my boyfriend still makes it look good with his cute smile! :) Spending time with my boyfriend is always a highlight of my week, sorry people he is taken! :) (comically unplanned we were matching this day - orange shirt and jeans!) Love you, Evan!

Making a mountain of chocolate chip cookies!... at my dear friends the Stoll's home. :) (pictured below is my friend Rachel, taste testing the cookies) Thank you Rebecca and Savannah for being wonderful lil' chefs!... many thanks for flourering my eyebrows, Savannah - I was in need of a make over. ;)

Yesterday, I got to spend another day in God's mountains and try skiing again for the first time in 7 years! (Thank you Beeka for swapping board/skiis - love you, friend!) Wow, was I amazed at Beeka's snowboarding skills!... she seems to have it mastered - even though she is still a self claimed skier.  Another thing I learned was how much I love skiing, but once I was back on my board - I knew it was where I belonged. (pictured below is us on the ski lift watching the storm come in)


Today our family had the blessing of being at home, because the beautiful snow canceling our out of the home activities... my younger sibling are still improving in their Crossfit skills and putting up with my coaching. :) Good job, Johnny, Tiffany, and Courtney for making new PRs!!... seeing how long they could hold onto the pull up bar.
Courtney's mad skills: 6 sec
Tiffany's impressive hold: 12 sec
Johnny's mastered grip: 26.5 sec

Great job Celeste, Tiffany, and neighbor friend Rowan!!... I love your igloo! :) I'm considering moving to the front yard in your cozy new snow home.


This week I received many of God's blessings and each day I am amazed at how great God is!!

~Being a nanny and receiving love from the beautiful children God created.
~Cuddling with my sista and watching Nest film
~Godly friends that draw me closer to Jesus
 ~SNOW: gorgeous blessing from heaven
~Sprinter not working and getting to spend time with my family at home
~Courtney's sweet ways - as she dances to music
~Sibling attacks, and testing to see how many children I can hold while standing
~Grandma, one of my best friends - needing measurements of Courtney's arm
~Video of Stoll girls!... made my day Monday - Thank you, Elisabeth! :-)

Thank you Lord for a wonderful life! =)

Never Growing Up,
~Rachel

"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassion never fails. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."
~Lamentations 3:22-23

Snowboarding

Many Thanks to Beeka, for sharing these pictures!! :) All photo credit goes to her! =)

Codi and Jonathan getting wagon rides from my younger bros ;)

T-shirt snowboarding weather! :)

Floating in air!... is the bomb :)

Snow angel! :)

Great friend! :)

Loving life with friends! =)

Laughter!... refreshing fun! :)

Where Beeka and I hiked and skied/snowboarded down - good adrenaline rush! :)

Looking back at what we went down! :)

Amazing view!!... PRAISE GOD! :)

Colorado sunset!!! :)

Photo-bomb :P

Great day in God's mountains! :)

Thank you, Lord for friends that make life fuller, faith that keeps hope alive, and joy in the moment! :)

Every life impacts thousands of people - don't take life for granite! =)

Seeking Him,

~Rachel

"... for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you."

~Matthew 17:20