We should all be more like cousin Eddie... our hearts should be bigger than our brains.

"Hey! If any of you are looking for any last-minute gift ideas for me, I have one. I'd like Frank Shirley, my boss, right here tonight. I want him brought from his happy holiday slumber over there on Melody Lane with all the other rich people and I want him brought right here, with a big ribbon on his head. And I want to look him straight in the eye and I want to tell him what a cheap, lying, no-good, rotten, four-flushing, low-life, snake-licking, dirt-eating, inbred, overstuffed, ignorant, blood-sucking, dog-kissing, brainless, dickless, hopeless, heartless, fat-ass, bug-eyed, stiff-legged, spotty-lipped, worm-headed sack of monkey shit he is! Hallelujah! Holy shit! Where's the Tylenol?”, exclaims Clark W. Griswold from the classic Christmas movie (I’ve repetitively mentioned in my last couple blogs) National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. I feel this is how many people are feeling the last couple days, right after Christmas. Where everyone’s money is spent on gifts and boxing day deals… many people may be blaming their work place and bosses for the fact they are god dam broke now. In reality, we spend WAY too much on the holiday season. Also many of you are probably feeling the need for Tylenol like Clark; with the drinking, the abundance of loud family members, screaming cousins, and the crazy amount of (rude ass, inpatient) people on the streets with shopping… I know I need a bottle… now!

I truly wish all of you had an amazing Christmas and continue to have great holidays into the new year! However, I know many people are struggling over money and are stressed (stress eating as well!) around this time of year. The fact that Christmas (and all other holidays) has become so commercialized and surrounded around monetary gifts drives me insane! I do admit, growing up, I was an only child, therefore the spoiled kid around the holidays and I wanted all the best toys and gadgets. Now, as I have grown, I realize money for sure does not grow on trees and I really don't want any gifts. To show appreciation to family and friends over the holidays, I do believe gifts should be given, though ones that are thoughtful and directed to how you feel about those ones. My wonderful fiancé got my a snow globe, I AM IN LOVE WITH SNOW GLOBES! He knew this obviously, and got a romantic and Christmas joy filled one with a nice and sweetly written card. That is all this girl needs! I am one to want to give a lot to those who deserve it and are in need, but my bank account is not on the same page as me. So giving gifts that “keep on giving” is a happy medium for both my heart and my wallet. Such as written notes, picture albums or charity work.

The holidays is about being with family and loved ones. I know I sound like a broken record over these last couple blogs but that truly is what this time of year is about. I agree, throughout the year, shit gets busy and I don't find myself seeing family and friends as much as I want. With the time off people get around Christmas and New Years, it should be taken advantage of. Like every Christmas movie made, at the end, they always show that loved ones triumph all monetary objects and gifts. The Grinch, I’ll be home for Christmas, Santa Clause, all Hallmark Christmas movies, and more… they all have that same moral or message about the holidays.   

I am sorry for the short blog this week, I have been spending a lot of time out and about (planning my wedding as well YUUUSS!). I wish you all a continuous happy holiday and a Happy New Year! Start your new year off right and be with people you love! Make accurate new years resolutions (hear ALL about that in next weeks blog), learn more, see more, read more, and most importantly… be more who you really are! See you all in 2018!

Love;

Rachel

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How I feel walking around during Boxing day...

God bless us everyone... & let us eat good food & a lot of it! AMEN.

“Where do you think you're going? Nobody's leaving. Nobody's walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas. No, no. We're all in this together. This is a full-blown, four-alarm holiday emergency here. We're gonna press on, and we're gonna have the hap, hap, happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny fucking Kaye. And when Santa squeezes his fat white ass down that chimney tonight, he's gonna find the jolliest bunch of assholes this side of the nuthouse.” Exclaims Clark Griswold (the classic Chevy Chase) in the Christmas movie everyone loves, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. With Christmas around the corner I thought I would do a little “fun” blog (all my blogs are fun come on). All my favourite quotes and links to my favourite scenes from classic Christmas movie through out the years. 

Ladies and (possible) gentlemen reading this, I welcome you to:

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

Eddie: You surprised to see us, Clark?

Clark: Oh, Eddie... If I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn't be more surprised than I am now.

Best of Clark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzTA36-aw3I 

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

The Grinch: The nerve of those Whos. Inviting me down there - on such short notice! Even if I wanted to go my schedule wouldn't allow it. 4:00, wallow in self pity; 4:30, stare into the abyss; 5:00, solve world hunger, tell no one; 5:30, jazzercize; 6:30, dinner with me - I can't cancel that again; 7:00, wrestle with my self-loathing... I'm booked. Of course, if I bump the loathing to 9, I could still be done in time to lay in bed, stare at the ceiling and slip slowly into madness. But what would I wear?

Best of the Grinch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tl5u3bK0mQE 

Scrooged 

Frank Cross: It’s Christmas Eve! It's... it's the one night of the year when we all act a little nicer, we... we... we smile a little easier, we... w-w-we... we... we cheer a little more. For a couple of hours out of the whole year, we are the people that we always hoped we would be!

The Muppets Christmas Carol 

Kermit the Frog: It’s all right, children. Life is made up of meetings and partings. That is the way of it. I am sure that we shall never forget Tiny Tim, or this first parting that there was among us.

My favourite singing Christmas scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlRpGj7LWS4 

Overall, Christmas is a time to be with family, friends, loved ones and all who are a part of your life and make the holidays even brighter! Cherish these times, take pictures, talk a lot, laugh loudly, eat loads of good food, and be MERRY! These are the moments that make life and this world so beautiful! Enjoy the small things!

Merry Christmas you hooligans!

Love;

Rachel

Want more cheery and merry posts? Follow my Instagram true20something, or search the hashtag #true20something. MUAH 

How I feel that Christmas is less than a week away...

I wish it was still cool to wear embroidered and drawn on jeans… Oh 2005.

“Ya know, I don't know, Tibby, maybe the truth is there's a little bit of loser in all of us, ya know? Being happy isn't having everything in your life be perfect. Maybe it's about stringing together all the little things like wearing these pants or getting to a new level of Dragon's Lair - making those count for more than the bad stuff. Maybe we just get through it... and that's all we can ask for.” Bailey states (the young Jenna Boyd) in front of Tibby’s (Amber Tamblyn) video camera, in the girly teen classic, Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants. I cannot lie, I watched this movie (and the sequel) hundreds of times, it is the inner girly-girl in me who likes the drama, the love, and most importantly, the friendship. I agree that family is such an important part of life, blood will always be blood, but friendships (even ones made with family members) is so special and true, you share a certain bond that no-one else understands but your weird, crazy friend group. Bailey couldn't of said it any better, that all the little things put together is what makes life so great, like every one of our loved ones, having all of them makes our world turn easier and smiles brighter. 

These last couple of years I have been reconnecting with my high school best friend group, and honestly… it is like nothing has changed! Yeah we’ve grown a little, been through more of life’s steps, and seen more, but our friendships together has not changed. We can still be goofy as hell, talk about life for hours on end, act and laugh like children, it was a great feeling being with all of them again. I recently got engaged (I know look at me! More in-depth blog about that later on) and I never realized how important friendship is then I now see around this time; with their support, the planning process, just everything makes it feel so much better with their presence and advice. 

Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants shows so much about true friendship. The sharing of the “magical” pants is whatever, but the support they give each other through their problems they each face is so liberating! Bridget’s (the HOT Blake Lively) mother passed away at the beginning of the film, through out the movie(s) she goes through problems a lot of teen girls go through (first crushes, finding herself, etc.) and she hurts that she cant share these things with her mom, so her friends are instantly there giving her everything they can give. Having that support and company in your life is a gift, a gift sometimes we all take advantage of. We all may fight and have disagreements but in the end your friends for a reason, you love each other for who they are. 

Keep your friends close and always remind them how grateful you are for they are. 

Love;

Rachel

Want to hear more real life shit and funny gifs? Follow my Instagram page true20something or search the hashtag #true20something. MUAH

What every girl needs <3

After watching Snowden… I really need to learn how to do a Rubik’s Cube.

“And ultimately, the truth sinks in that no matter what justification you're selling yourself, this is not about terrorism. Terrorism is the excuse. This is about economic and social control. And the only thing you're really protecting is the supremacy of your government.” Edward Snowden states (played by the cute Joseph Gordon-Levitt) in the recent movie, Snowden. A great and thrilling film based on a true story about a NSA employee, Edward Snowden, and how he exposed a REAL “big brother theory” going on behind the scenes at NSA, to the world. If you don't know what the theory is, it is based on an older classic novel written by George Orwell called Nineteen Eighty-Four. The book was pushed on me during my English class at University, I ended up loving the novel (I don't recommend the movie) and instantly got me thinking about our world around us. Though a fictional book and based in the Oceania, the theory of there being a higher power, a “big brother”, watching everything we do, what we watch, what we say… it scares the shit out of me on how real it may be. 

There is SO many movies about how social media and the Internet has changed the world. Take Nerve for example. A film that came out last year with Dave Franco and Emma Roberts (how could you not want to see it right!). It is about a game called “nerve”, a real life dare game where you play as a player or a watcher. You try to gain followers by doing these crazy ass, and some times life defying dares to then obtain money. When shit gets out of control with Emma’s character, Vee, in the film and she wants to get out of the game, she secretly tries to run away, but whoever is running the game (cough cough another big brother…) watches her then threatens to take her money, kill her and her loved ones… like WTF! Obviously fictional story, but COME ON, with advancements in technology in these modern days, anyone can find you with the right security level and could harm you, or just know all about you. Scary… I know. 

Have you ever noticed that recently when you go online shopping, or searching something on Google, those articles that you read, those websites that you see, that dress you were looking at, shows up on other social media formats? I was looking on Dynamites clothing store online for a gift for my mom for Christmas, after exiting out of the browser, I went on my phone on Instagram, a sponsored ad on my news feed came up and it was Dynamite, which is whatever because I like a lot of clothes hashtag related things… BUT the pictures displayed on this sponsored ad… WAS THE GOD FORSAKEN SHIRT I WAS LOOKING AT ON THEIR WEBSITE! I understand that these companies spend a lot of money to advertise to their target market and have to do so through technology, which maybe means tracking. However, still frightens me to know that everything I do online is being tracked and followed. 

Back to the movie Snowden, they reference that all cameras on technology (phones, computers, webcams, etc.) are always active and can always be recorded from the outside. That is why Edward covers that shit up with tape, smart man. Some of you may not believe it, but I have second-hand seen the truth. One night, my friend was contacted by the police, they told her that they have confiscated a criminals computer and when searching through the mans saved images, there were screen shots of a recording that is coming from a camera in what looks like to be her room… it was her laptop that she always leaves open, may be turned off but she did not shut it. They tracked the recording to her house. The police can do it, random tech savoy individuals can do it… you are technically available to the world. It has been claimed through many sources (Snowden for example) that the government does this to keep control on terrorist attacks and to make sure they can catch an attack before it happens with scanning through emails, Google searches, phone calls, and more. Truly… that is a load of bull. In the movie they make a reference (whether an accurate fact they used or not), that NSA was searching double the amount of emails of people in the US than from Russia, where they thought an attack may come from. They are doing this for continued control over the population, freedom rights don't mean shit. After Snowden came out to the world on what was going on, a public apology from Barack Obama was done, he states he had no idea that this was going on under his nose. I love Barack, therefore I wont make a fuss on whether I believe he was oblivious or not, but nonetheless, now more restrictions and laws have been put in place to secure the personal safety of the people. 

All I am trying to say is that the “big brother theory” is real and can be more enforced due to our technology that we now have. So just watch yourselves… you never know who may be reading you group chats with your friends or who is seeing your nudes you're sending your crush (we have all done it, its okay). 

Love;

Rachel

Want more real life shit? Follow my Instagram page true20something, or search the hashtag #true20something. MUAH

it takes a trust fall with personal security and the government...