Friends Make a Town a Home

Establishing roots in a new place inevitably takes longer than you even think possible.

And unfortunately for me, vulnerability is a look I don't wear well. I always find some reason to hold back, close up, and ultimately sell myself short. I am constantly telling myself that I'll open up more, next time.

I had wonderful friends in DC, which made moving all the harder. Their friendship is the only thing I miss about that city. Even with my shyness, hesitancy to let go, and brand new bout of social awkwardness I've made some fabulous friends. And you know what, they love me for me.

That is one thing I've learned since leaving college - true friends (the ones that will laugh with you, celebrate with you, cry with you, and most importantly tell you truth) are hard to come by. I'm planning to hold onto these two for a long time. We were joking last night as I downed my third (whole wheat) peanut butter cookie that they weren't going to judge me "because they are my thighs I can treat them anyway I want" and I think that is the center of true friendship. I've learned to let go and let be.

Open up your heart and calendar to true friendship, and make your town your home.

An Apple a Day...

...keeps the doctor away, or so the saying goes. But what does a bushel of apples do? Apparently keeps you baking for days!

Josh planned a date to go apple picking at a local orchard, Half Crown. Having eyes bigger than our bellies, we naturally selected the largest bag for apple picking. This one glutenous decision lead to hours in the kitchen!

The first thing I wanted to bake, was obviously an apple pie...correction, make that "apple pies". After 3 apple pies, then came 3 loaves of apple bread, then the apple muffins, applesauce, and finally apple stuffed pork.

I'll give you a few tips: extra thinly sliced apples for the pie; nutmeg in the applesauce; and goat cheese applesauce in the pork.

Cleaning Around Yourself

Since each and everyone of us are "Everyday Super Women" we have to find ways to get about 50 things done a day, and that's a low estimate! Whether that means working, making dinner, planning birthday parties, or cleaning the bathrooms - they are all important, and weigh equally as heavy on our minds. So - how do we go about life? How do we get absolutely everything done without going crazy or making our husbands crazy?

Ultimately, every "Everyday Super Woman" is going to have a different tactic that works for her - mine - check lists. I LOVE the satisfaction of checking something off my to-do list. (At times I'm guilty of adding something to my list I'm already working on just so I can check it off!). Besides the productivity-high I get from finishing everything on my list, I truly that after finding my organizational chi, I get more done, I redeem my hours better.

The one lesson I've learned this year about running around attemping to clean up everything before it even needs it or trying to fix problems before they even arise, is to settle. Now I know your mom told you never to settle - and you shouldn't, on certain things. However, how clean your bathrooms are, how frequently you vacuum your living room, and shopping for Christmas in October are definitely all things you should welcome second best at. Take the time that you would spend polishing your toilet and enjoy a glass a wine or catch up with an old friend.

Redeem your hours better today.

Hi, I'm Rachel and I'm an addict.

I have an addiction.

There it is - I said it out loud. I have an addiction.

Therefore, I'm am addict.

Wow - they're right - admitting you have a problem is the first step to a better life.

Oh yeah, I'm addicted to snacks and sweets - exhibit A is our "snack platter" for our game of Settlers of Catan tonight.

There really is no such thing as a free lunch

I have loved living closer to my nephews and getting to enjoy the little adventures of life with them - and we had one such adventure on Friday.

We turned in all of our pride (ok, just some of it) to earn ourselves a "free" lunch at Chick-Fil-A.

There were surprising less people dressing up than I would have expected and James and Micheal weren't nearly as traumatized by the GIANT cows inside the restaurant as I thought they would be (and walking on 2 hind legs none the less!)

I love the little joys that these 2 munchkins bring me, and yes, I know - my cow ears look more like bunny ears....

Lovin' America

We had a wonderful 4th of July weekend full of of family and relaxing! (What more could you want from a weekend?)

I got out of work early on Friday so I went over to the pool with my 2 adorable nephews - they are simply so cute. It is so fun to see their different personalities come through - James doesn't like the other kids and wants to be carried to the fountain in the middle while Michael wants to charge into the water, even when it is way above his head.

On Sunday we have Josh's family over for lunch - our first test run with having lots of people over to our new place - a test run for my birthday party - if you will. It was fun - but stressful - with that many people in the kitchen. We had a lot of fun and way too much food - which we are still are eating... As a special treat I made patriotic cupcakes for dessert. The kicker...I used the recipe for Georgetown Cupcakes' buttercream frosting...and it was to DIE FOR!

On Monday we went to the parade in "Zeli" and saw about 50 fire trucks...which is concerning if there was an actual fire anywhere within a 15 mile radius. However, I learned last week that taking children to a 4th of July parade makes them 2% more likely to vote Republican...haha. We then came home to take a nap and then went on to fireworks with the boys. They actually did surprisingly well with the crowds and noises!

But the best thing we did this weekend was take the time to read the Declaration of Independence. I hope you took some time to do this - as it is so important to take time to remember our freedoms that we enjoy as Americans. If we forget what we have, it will slip away.

A Southern Bell

Josh and I went to Nashville for our anniversary last weekend - and it was amazing! We've been on trips together and we always have fun together - but this was the best trip we have ever been on! For some reason it just felt fun - we planned a few things but mostly just flew by the seat of our pants. We jumped off the highway and visited sites.

We spent 1 night at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel - it was ginormous! I loved walking through the gardens (all 3 of them) and looking at the beautiful flowers. The lights at night added a special touch, oh yeah - the raspberry gelatto helped too! :) It was my first every gelatto and I'm glad I made the jump!

We went to downtown Nashville for the evening, and I'll be honest - it was less glamorous than I expected. It was basically a 4 block strip with mostly bars with live Country Music, which I only went in to use the restroom. Totally awesome though, I got to meet Elvis!

On Tuesday we went to the Grand Ole Opry - it was so cool! I honestly don't listen to much Country Music, so I wasn't quite in tears like some of the other tourists, but it was pretty cool none the less. I loved just walking around and seeing history.

On Wednesday we stopped by the Woodford Reserve - 1 of Kentucky's Bourbon Distillery. Although the smell of the brewing building made me want to vomit, and I absolutely hated the taste of the free bourbon at the end - It was really fun! (And Josh loved it - so it was worth it!)