Amazing Rachel

There are so many reasons why I love Rachel. I thought I’d write a few of them here:

She is Fun to Hang Out With
While we were living in Provo she would usually drop me off in the morning at my job. One morning, however, she just drove right by the place where I worked and kept on going out to the freeway. I was confused and a little bit irritated at first, but then she surprised me by saying that she had worked things out with my boss (and hers) for us to go on an extended rock climbing vacation! She had already booked hotel rooms in Las Vegas and packed everything that we needed. The next few days were spent climbing, hiking, swimming at the pool in the hotel, and yes, even a little gambling (I won two dollars). On the way home we stopped at Zion National Park for even more fun.

She is Determined to the point of being Stubborn
On our second date I took her rock climbing. I was encouraging her to try a boulder problem (unroped) but she was a bit hesitant. “Trust me,” I said, “I’ll spot you.” She did trust me after some coaxing, but she shouldn’t have since a few minutes later I was driving her to the hospital with a broken ankle. That did not deter her, however, from rock climbing or from dating me (thankfully). After getting married we went climbing about 4 times/week and she was able to confidently jump on climbs as hard as 5.10 (and un-confidently on 5.11).

She is Smart
When she was in high school she was “diagnosed” with two learning disorders, OCD and ADD, and put on medication to “help her cope.” After taking the medication for a while she decided that she did not like the side effects, and that she could figure things out on her own. A few years later she graduated summa cum laude (4.0) with two collage degrees- one in ASL Interpretation and one in Elementary Education. After graduation she has continued her education via online courses and CE conferences. In one month she is taking a test that was once described to me as “the holy grail of interpreters…it takes Jedi Knight skills to pass.” Well, it looks like I am married to my very own Jedi Knight, because from all indications she is going to do great!

She is Caring, Compassionate and Selfless
She received a call one day from Salem Elementary School asking her to become a spur-of-the-moment 4th grade teacher. A tragic accident had killed one of the teachers and most of her family. It was a devastating blow to the small community of Salem, and especially to her fourth grade class. Rachel had worked in the classroom during her student-teaching and was called in to help. Despite having to put other plans on hold, including a major step in her interpreting career, she accepted the responsibility of the 4th grade class for the rest of the year. She received positive feedback from nearly every parent of the students in that class, thanking her not only for the way she helped the kids to cope with the loss of their teacher and friends, but also for being a fantastic teacher who was able to make a fun, interactive classroom. She had such an impact on the students that some of them still write letters to her 2 years later.

She is Amazing
If it isn’t obvious by now, Rachel is a person who could have chosen to do anything she wanted with her life. Seeing this makes me stand back in awe when I see that she has chosen to make her family the number one priority. Every day I come home from school and the house is clean, Evelyn is well taken care of, and she often has some sort of family activity planned. Evelyn and I are both extremely lucky to have Rachel in our lives. Thanks Mango, for everything you do. You are truly amazing.