Early Years and Family Members
My full
maiden name is Rachel Lynn Hellewell. I was born on July 21, 1984, at Samaritan
Hospital in Moses Lake, Washington. My parents are Randy Lee Hellewell and
JoAnn Carol Kemper. My grandparents are Heber and Genevieve Hellewell and
Theodore and Vera Kemper, all of whom are now deceased. I have four siblings.
My oldest sister, Marsha Leann Fink, was born May 7, 1973, to my mother and her
first husband, Dennis Leon Fink. My second sister, Shannon JoAnn Hellewell, is
the first child my parents had together and she was born on July 20, 1979. My
brother, Thomas Heber Hellewell, was born on January 20, 1982. My little
sister, Angelica Maria Hellewell, was adopted by my father when she was seven
years old. She was born on August 21, 1998.
Houses, Homes, and
Happenings
At the
time I was born, my parents were living on a dairy farm north of Moses Lake.
All I remember about that place is how huge it seemed to my young eyes. The cow
corrals looked like a huge maze, my dad looked like a giant, the horse seemed
to be 10 feet tall, the saddle appeared to be six feet long, and the room where
I slept was enormous. I also have a vague recollection of my brother peeking
around a curtain to watch me get dressed. I don’t know if it was a dream or a
memory, but I know I was very young. I’ve also been told stories of my brother
losing a boot in a manure pile. Apparently he was trying to find our dad and
got stuck.
In August
of 1988, just a few weeks after my fourth birthday, we moved to another farm
West of Moses Lake. My dad has been there ever since. At first, we lived in a
single-wide manufactured home with three bedrooms and one and a half bathrooms.
My parents had the master bedroom on the south end of the house, my two older
sisters and I had the bedroom on the north end of the house, and my brother had
the smallest room, which was right next to the bedroom my sisters and I shared.
When I was
8 years old, my parents got a divorce. My brother and I lived with our dad, and
my sister Shannon lived with mom. Marsha was 19 at the time, and she stayed
with dad to help him with Thomas and me. We were still in the single-wide, so
Marsha and I ended up in the master bedroom, my brother ended up in the north end
bedroom, and the smallest bedroom became my dad’s office. Dad started sleeping
on the reclining chair in the living-room because it was most comfortable for
his back. He’s been on a chair or couch in the living-room ever since.
Years
later, when I was in junior high or high school, my dad bought a double-wide
manufactured home that had four bedrooms and two full bathrooms. He spent
several years getting it fixed up and ready to live in. My brother moved in
after he graduated from high school in 2000. I followed in 2002 after my own
graduation. I remember the thrill of finally having my own room. I had shared
with at least one of my older sisters ever since I was born. It was something I
had always envied about my brother being the only boy: he never had to share a
room. Having my own room was a luxury, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
Favorite Pastimes
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| Rachel on Tornado |
One of my favorite activities while growing up was horse-back riding. My dad once told me I started riding while I was still in diapers. I believe it. I was just three years old in the picture shown above. After we moved when I was four, my older siblings and I would often ride our pony, Dot. I remember riding while my dad was feeding cows and he would tease me with the pitch fork. I would scamper off on Dot when he would chase us, and when he stopped I would come back for more.
Another
favorite pastime was sitting on the back of one of the cows. We called her 688
because that’s the number she had on her ear tag. Dad would feed her some grain
after milking her, and we would climb on her back. She would take off around
the corral and we would fall off into the muck. We promptly got up and did it
all over again. My dad even tried to teach me how to milk the cows once, but it
didn’t go well. My little hands just weren’t up to the task.
I also
remember my dad taking care of calves. He would create a small straw pen for
each of them, and we would help bottle feed them. Sometimes we would even let
them suck on our fingers. Dad has been a farmer for longer than I’ve been
alive. My brother and I would go in the tractor with him when he went to cut or
bale hay. We would jump in the back of the truck when he went to move
wheel-lines. We would ride on the combine or in the cab of the harrow-bed with
him. Some of my favorite memories as a child include going with my dad as he
worked.
During the
summer, my siblings and I could often be found swimming. For several years we
had a large dirt pond on our property that we would swim in. There was also a
canal directly across the road from our house and we loved to splash around in
it. We would play games, let ourselves float downstream a little, and even
tease the dog. We had some relatives that lived just down the road from us and
they had a large pond in the middle of the hay field. We would often ride the
horses, bike, or even walk to that pond so we could go swimming.
I
particularly enjoyed reading and drawing anything with horses. In grade school
I would often go to the library and check out one horse book or another. My
mother bought me part of a book series about horses. When I was in junior high
I was introduced to another series about race horses. I spent many hours
reading those books. To this day whenever I pick up good book I get so caught
up in it that I lose track of all else. I’ve spent many a night staying up way
too late to finish just one more chapter.
Education
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| June 2002, Rachel's High School Graduation |
I started school the fall just after I turned five years old. All of my public schooling happened in Moses Lake. Kindergarten was at Midway, first through sixth grade was at Peninsula Elementary, seventh grade was at Frontier Middle, eighth grade was at Chief Moses, and ninth through twelfth was at Moses Lake High School. I graduated from high school in June 2002. After high school I took a year off to work and then I attended the local community college. In December of 2005 I finished my two year degree, an Associate’s in Arts and Science. In the fall of 2012 the Pathway Program through BYU-Idaho came to Moses Lake, and I jumped at the chance to go back to school. I’m now a regular online student through BYU-Idaho, and I love it.
My
earliest school memory is from kindergarten. It was Halloween, and I was
supposed to put on my witch costume at school, but I never did. When my mother
picked me up after school she asked me if I put my costume on and I lied to her
by telling her that I did. Even at only five years old I still felt bad for
lying. Grade school wasn’t really that interesting. All I really remember were
the struggles to fit in, especially after my parents got divorced. I also
remember not always doing my homework, especially math.
When I
started middle school, everything suddenly changed. In my math class I was one
of the top four students, and that was a change. Usually I was with the regular
students while the smarter kids did their own thing off to the side. This time,
though, I was one of the smarter kids. Maybe I was a little more mature, or
maybe I just finally got it. Either
way, math had suddenly become very easy. My brother and I used to call our dad
a walking calculator, because asking him for the answer was faster than using
the calculator. When I hit middle school, it started looking like I had
inherited that same talent. I remember eighth grade in particular because I
started learning algebra. It wasn’t easy by any means, but it wasn’t
complicated either.
My
favorite classes in high school, besides seminary each year, were my
horticulture class, my animal science class, and my cooking class. In
horticulture we got to take care of various plants, in animal science we
learned about different animals, including watching a colt being trained, and
in my cooking class we got to cook several different items. I remember making a
turkey curry salad that was delicious and a chocolate cake that I could hardly
resist eating on the bus ride home. My math classes weren’t so bad either. I
remember one year I got an 88% on four tests in a row, without studying. I
often wonder how well I could have done if I had taken the time to study more.
When I
decided to go to college at Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake, I took my oldest sisters
advice and went for the two year transfer degree. This gave me the option to go
for a Bachelor’s degree if I ever wanted. I was also unsure of what career I
was interested in so choosing a degree in general studies allowed me to cover
all the basic courses required for any degree while leaving me open for other
options later on.
The
classes I enjoyed the most during those two years were my clay class and my
speech class, and not just because they were easy. In my clay class we had
several projects we had to make. My favorites of those were the cup, plate, and
bowl set and the tea pot. I made the tea pot look like a slice of apple pie and
gave it to my dad because he loves apple pie. My favorite part of speech class
was the day we got to do a debate of sorts. Students would put forth
suggestions, and the class would debate the pros and cons of each suggestion.
My favorite suggestion, one of my own in fact, was to include a dance class in
the physical education department. It would be a class that talked about the
history and facts about dancing throughout the world and in various cultures,
and it would also teach students many of those various dances. Not only would
it give students the opportunity to learn more about dancing, but it would
allow them to learn how to dance. Dancing is a great form of exercise, and it
has the added benefit of being very fun.
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| June 2006, BBCC, Rachel's College Graduation |
Religion and Testimony
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| Rachel at Summer 2000 Girl's Camp |
I’m a
member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I’ve been attending
church since I was a child. My favorite part of church as a youth was the
opportunity to associate with other girls my own age. I enjoyed the Wednesday
evening activities and the monthly dances.
I loved going to girl’s camp every summer and ice skating each winter.
Mostly, I loved being a part of something important.
Recently,
I’ve been able to enjoy working with the children at church and help them learn
and understand correct principles. I love how simply they see things and how
clear everything is to them. It’s easy to make things more complicated as an
adult, but seeing the world from the eyes of a child is refreshing and
humbling. It’s a great reminder that everything doesn’t have to be complicated.
Doing what is right isn’t complicated, even if it’s hard at times.
I love not
having to question who I am, why I’m here, or where I’m going; instead I can
spend my time focusing on doing what I need to do and becoming who I know I can
become. I love the spiritual rejuvenation I get each week as I listen to
teachings of Christ. Someday I hope to be blessed with children of my own to
raise, and I will have a responsibility to raise and teach them to walk in
righteous ways. I know that as I pray with faith, listen with the Spirit, and
act with courage I will be guided in the way I should go. I know my Heavenly
Father loved each of His children, and I know I can return to live with Him
someday if I will but keep His commandments and endure faithfully to the end
(see D&C 14:7).
Work Experience and a
New Friend
The summer
after I graduated high school I spend some time just relaxing, and then in
September 2002 I got my first job at McDonalds. While there I met a sweet lady
named Karen, and we became instant friends. We met over a box knife. I was
trying to open a box of something, and I asked her if she had a knife I could
use. She told me she always carried a box knife at work because it always comes
in handy. Karen and I have been great friends ever since. She’s become like
family. I worked at McDonalds for about a year and a half until I was let go in
2004. In February of 2005 I got my second job at Taco Time in Moses Lake. In
November of that same year I was laid off. Two months later, in January 2006, I
got a job as a Sub-Para-educator with the local school district. Two weeks
later I stopped going for personal reasons.
A few months after that, in May 2006, I was hired back at Taco Time. I stayed
there until a few months before my wedding in 2013.
Dating and Relationships
My first
real boyfriend was a guy I dated for a very short time. It was a few months
after I graduated from high school. His name is Jared; I first met him at
Institute on a Tuesday evening. He had been looking for a date for the
following night, and a mutual friend suggested I might be willing, but previous
plans prevented me from accepting. The following Saturday we met again at a
Single’s dance. We danced for the entire evening and before I went home he
asked me out. We dated off and on for a few weeks, but eventually called it
off. I was only 18 and I wasn’t ready for a serious relationship. He eventually
moved away, got married, and then moved back to Moses Lake. I am glad to say
that he and his wife are good friends of mine.
Another
guy I dated was named Ryan. He was about three months older than me. I met him
in December of 2003 when he was baptized. We started dating in January of 2004
and were together for most of the next two years. It was an experience I’ll
never forget. Ryan wasn’t a bad guy, but he was very controlling, and after a
while he was easily angered. Being in a relationship with a controlling, angry
person wasn’t a fun experience, but I learned a lot from it. I learned that I’m
stronger than I think. I learned that as a daughter of God I deserve better.
And I learned that my family will always be there for me. I broke up with him a
few months after he left for his mission in 2006.
Around the
same time I broke up with Ryan I was becoming friends with another guy named
David. David was very kind and very sweet. We ended up dating for several
years. I held out hopes that we would eventually marry, but it never happened.
As sweet and kind as David was, it wasn’t a healthy relationship. I tried to
deny it, but eventually I admitted to myself that I wasn’t meant to be with him
forever and we wouldn’t be happy together. I broke up with him in July 2011
fully intent on staying single for a while. I had had enough of dating and I
wanted to get my life back on track and focus on doing the things I needed to
do.
That’s
when I met Stewart Rasmussen. It hadn’t even been two months after I broke up
with David. A good friend of mine had invited me to attend some of the Single’s activities with her so she didn’t have to go alone. I eventually caved.
The second one I attended was a boating/BBQ/Potluck activity
at the Bishop’s home on a Monday. My friend couldn’t be there due to illness,
but I still went. I brought brownies to share and enjoyed socializing with a
few people I knew. At one point during the meal, I ended up having a discussion
about favorite desserts with someone from another table. A little while later
this same guy was walking past my table headed for the desserts. Something made
me say to him, “You should try one of my brownies.” He initially grabbed the
wrong brownie, but later went back and tried one of mine. He loved it.
After
dinner I was sitting off to the side watching everyone when he came over to me
and officially introduced himself. We spent the next two or three hours just
talking. I think we must have covered every topic you can cover at a first
meeting. When it was time to leave we exchanged phone numbers. Four days later, on Friday, we had our first
date. It was just dinner and a movie, but it was fun. We saw The Rise of the
Planet of the Apes. After the movie we stood in the parking lot by my car until
three in the morning just talking. It was cold but it was fun. That whole
weekend I didn’t get more than a few hours of sleep each night. The bonus to
that, though, is I got to spend some time with my dad talking about dating. My
dad was able to give me some very helpful advice. He suggested some important
questions to ask Stewart, and offered me some counsel from the Prophets.
By the
Saturday night after we met Stewart and I were officially dating. Sunday
morning he met my father. A few days later I knew he was the one I would spend
eternity with. A couple of weeks after that he said “I love you,” and I met his
parents. We spent the next year just dating and meeting each other’s families. One
of my fondest memories of our early relationship is the day my mother and one
of my sisters met him. I was with my mom and my sister Shannon at Wal-Mart
doing some shopping. Stewart and I were texting back and forth, and I
discovered that he was also at Wal-Mart with the missionaries. I took off like
a bullet to find him and my mother and sister followed. He was surprised but
pleased to see me. My mom and sister were glad to meet him and glad to see me
happy.
Another
fond memory of our dating experience happened on a Sunday evening. We went to a
devotional, and afterwards we ate some dessert with the rest of the young
adults in attendance. That’s when we ran into Bishop Stones, who taught me
seminary in high school and institute in college. He looked at us, looked at
our joined hands, and grinned. He told us how exciting it was that we were
dating, and I got the impression that he wished he would have thought of it
himself. Then he turned to Stewart and said, “Now, she’s my favorite student,
so you be good to her.” Then he turned to me and said, “Now, he’s my favorite
student, so you be good to him.” He was very glad to see “his favorite
students” dating each other.
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| Stewart and Rachel, October 2012 |
Engagement and
Marriage
Stewart
and I knew we wanted to get married eventually. We didn’t want to wait too long
but we also didn’t want to jump in without spending some time dating first. We
both had had enough dating experience to know that a good marriage needs a
solid foundation. He also wanted to get a job in his career so he would be able
to support his family. By dating for a year before committing to marriage we
were able to become really good friends and create that solid foundation on
which to build the rest of our relationship.
In
September of 2012 he finally got a job in his career as an Electrician, and in
October he asked me to marry him. I remember Stewart and his friend Avery going
to Spokane two Saturdays in a row. They said it was to look for car parts for
Avery’s car. They never got anything for Avery’s car, but they did get a new
passenger side mirror for Stewart’s car since the old one was broken. What I
didn’t know was those two trips to Spokane for car parts was mostly a cover so Stewart could order and then pick
up an engagement ring.
He popped
the question on October 7, 2012. It was General Conference weekend. That
morning Stewart and Avery came out to my house to watch the morning session of
conference with us. That afternoon we went in to Avery’s house to play some
games. While there, Avery’s parents were taking pictures of two of their
daughters for a school dance. At one point they asked for my help because the
mom was practicing her photography, and they wanted three girls in the picture,
not just two.
After
taking some fun pictures, the other two girls were asked to step aside, and
Stewart was instructed to join me. I was excited about this because I didn’t
have any pictures of the two of us. So Fred, Avery’s dad, was instructing
Stewart where to stand. First he was told to stand beside me, and then get in
front of me, and then he was told to kneel. This whole time I was just thinking
they were being creative with pictures. Well, then Stewart reaches into his
pocket and pulls out a box and I go from amused to shocked. He told me he loves
me, acknowledged that I put up with his crap all of the time while keeping him
in line and I let him be himself, and recognized that I had been waiting and
that he had been working at it. Then he said, “Will you marry me?” I didn’t
even let anyone pause to breathe before I said, “Yes!” I was so excited and
thrilled and happy. The best part is that Fred got the whole thing on video.
We spend
the next six and a half months planning our wedding and arranging for a place
to live. Then, on April 19, 2013, in the Seattle, Washington Temple, we were
sealed together as husband and wife for time and all eternity. It’s a day I’ll
never forget. I’ll never forget the peace I felt staring at him as the ceremony
was performed. I’ll never forget the happiness I felt to at last be married to
this wonderful, crazy, amazing man. I’ll never forget the excitement I felt for
finally starting my new life with him. And I’ll never forget that no matter
what happens, we can and will be happy together for eternity as long as we’re
willing to work for it.
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| Rachel and Stewart on their Wedding Day, April 19, 2013 |
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