Home sweet home!

I unfortunately am back. And starting to get back into reality. What an incredible trip! I can't wait to share the highlights with you all!

I came home to snow!!!! Just as I hoped! I love it! It snowed all day yesterday! It's beautiful! Now it just has to stay and we need more!

It's a great Monday so far! I have the day off, thankfully! Started it off with figure skating:) And sitting in a cozy coffee house catching up on my trip journal! I got really behind! I was just too tired most nights that we got back to the hostel! It's actually really fun to re-live the moments through writing about it! 

I am still getting over the jet lag! I found out I don't adjust to such big time changes very well! My body definitely likes to stay in a rhythm! My first full day back home I wanted to go to bed at four in the afternoon! It was ten at night to my body! Ugh it's hard to stay up until 8 now! 

It is good to be home though. I spent the weekend at home and put up decorations with my mom! It was really fun to get right into Christmas preparation! 

XO 

Chiao!

Rachel

Grateful Friday

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I'M GOING TO ROME AND IRELAND!!!!!!!!!! that's what's going through my head over and over and over!!! I better start believing it's going to happen because before I know it I'm going to be on a plane! I am not quite sure how I plan on focusing at work today....? It's not going to be easy!

Growing up whenever I saw a plane in the sky I would start day dreaming. I wondered where they were going, was it somewhere fun? out of the country? some crazy adventure? a business trip? How awesome it would be to be in that plane, going somewhere, anywhere, going on an adventure! I can't believe that I finally get to make that happen! AMAZING!

~ For long slow mornings when I can sip my coffee and read before I have to head into work. If only they came more often!

~ For my strong Faith in God that I know He will bring me through anything. Knowing that He has the master plan, becuase I seriously sometimes don't understand it! It's a good thing somebody does!

~ For my sisters:) I love them to pieces and couldn't live my life without them! It's so nice to have sisters because well I love my brothers but sometimes it's nice not to be teased all of the time!

~ For my brothers, and their teasing! haha I would be a woose without them')

  ~ My parents who gave me life and a good strong foundation to grow from!

~ My many gifts and talents that God has given me. I pray that I use them to do only good in this world, and that I USE them and never take them for granted.

~ For figure skating. That'a all I LOVE it! 

Ciao XO 

Rachel

Birthday List (26)

It sounds like there should be a blizzard going on outside it is SO windy and cold! I am not sure if I am ready for that though. I am thinking it would be ok to come home from Europe to piles of snow on the ground though:) I honestly have to keep reminding myself that I am leaving the country! I have never done that before! Seriously! Holy CRAP! IT IS HAPPENING! I am so thankful for the opportunity!

This past weekend I celebrated my 27th birthday! It was a great birthday spent with family! Wine lots of wine and delicious homemade food from my Mom! SO GOOD! She is such an amazing cook! I wanted to post pictures, but I forgot my camera at my parents!

Here are a few from my phone.

I LOVE her smile!

They are all so darn cute!

A sweet birthday package that I just got in the mail today from Maggie! 

We have an owl thing, and these glasses are so cute! I love them! She also gave me bath salts from Lolia in the scent Close! I'm taking that scent of lotion to Europe with me! Love Lolia!

Remember my birthday list from last year? It's a bucket list of the things I want to accomplish in the next year! Here is my last years list and how I did!

1) Go downhill skiing

2) Go cross country skiing.

3) Take a trip out of the country I am counting this one!!!

4) Go on a mission trip

5) Get back into coaching figure skating (hence the revision of my resume!)

6) Go to Girl and The Goat when I am in Chicago over new years.

7) Take my niece and nephew ice skating

8) Grow my blog and get 50 GFC followers! So I don't have 50 followers via GFC but between bloglovin and GFC I do! :)

9) Do a color or mud run!
10) Start taking classes to complete my bachelor's degree.
11) Go water skiing
12) Read all the books on my to read list (This list will never end so I am changing it to...

Get my first degree black belt

I think I did pretty darn good! I had some big things on that list! I love goal setting! I can't wait to make my new list for the year!

~ Rachel 

Sunday currently vol {25}

Currently sitting in the comfiest chair at my parents sipping tea! Trust me though people this will only last ten minutes  tops! All the little crazies are here for the weekend to celebrate my birthday! Yep it didn't even last ten minutes! I just had a sweet little girl charge me with three cowboys chasing her! 

Birthday flowers from one of my Goddaughters

                    

Reading: Nothing. I don't have time lately. 

Writing: This blog post and lists and schedules! I need a planner, I can't keep it all in my head anymore!

Thinking: About all the last minute things I need to do before my trip! 

Smelling: Not much I have yet another cold!!! I can hardly go a week without getting another cold! It's driving me crazy!

Listening: To football, unwillingly though. My brother is here. I couldn't care less about football! Figure skating is on in an hour though! :):)

Anticipating: A very productive and fun day off tomorrow! To include figure skating, last minute trip planning, cleaning,and coaching!:)

Hoping: My cold goes away quickly and stays away!!!! I want to be healthy and feel good on my trip!

Wearing: A big cozy sweatshirt, my red jeans and ugg slippers! Comfy and cozy on a cold rainy November day!

Thankful: For the fun day with family on my birthday yesterday! I am so blessed!

Loving: That my Mom and I are already decorating their house for Christmas!!!:)

Wishing: I could take a trip to Europe.... Oh wait....I am!;)

Feeling: Sick and tired of being sick and tired! Ugh it's getting old!!!

Have a blessed Sunday!

Rachel

Grateful Friday

The little things.

The gorgeous sunrises we've been having!

Every morning I wake up and get the chance to live another day and to strive to live it better than the last!

For all the lives I touch every day through my work.

That I'm going to Rome in eight days! I am so excited I can't sleep! It's unreal to me. I know I say this on every post....getting sick of it? I'm not:)

Today I am grateful that I have a job, and a good one at that. I was supposed to have the day off but someone got sick and I have to go in. That's ok though because it was either I or my other coworker go in. I'm glad it's me so she can have the day off!

For my last day of being 26! 

Rachel

Chocolate and Littles

I love relaxing weekends! They seem so few and far between lately though! I guess I'm just making life happen! Right? That's a good thing!

I spent the weekend in the cities, getting a few things for my trip and spending the rest if it with my sister and her three cuties! Her husband was away on a business trip!

After church on Sunday we stopped at a local bakery! 

Could they be any cuter in their Sunday best? 

He LOVES chocolate and asked me the take a picture of him with it haha! 

Our afternoon snack after watching figure skating! Well I watched and everyone else napped!

Cuddled up after going out to play in the freezing cold! 

I didn't want to give her up and drive home!

I love being an Aunt!

~ Rachel

Grateful Friday

From what I think was one of my last runs outside. I was so grateful to get out of work early and enjoy one of the last nice days!

Happy Friday! I am looking forward to this weekend of not having anything stressful planned!:) It's nice! Black belt testing is done, judging show tryouts is done, TKD turnament is done! I just have to get ready for my trip to EUROPE!! I have a couple of last minute things to get before I go, so a trip to the cities is in order. Bummer.......NOT! It is seriously a dream come true to be going to Europe! And I can't believe it's going to happen! I have moments in the day when I freek out a little bit! I'm so excited! I am truly grateful for this opportunity that is before me! I just hope the time in Italy goes by extremely slow. You know how when you're holding a plank for a minute or two and it seems like eternity? I want every minute to last that long when I'm in Europe=) Haha

Have a great weekend everyone!
~ Rachel

happy thoughts

I can hardly believe that there is snow on the ground today! How did that happen so fast? I want more fall! Oh well this is how I have always remembered my birthday month, cold mixed with rain and snow! It reminds me of when I was little and SO excited for the snow! It's a great excuse to finally get those Hunter boots I've been wanting though! hehe I'm so bad, but they are so cute!  

Outside my window this morning.

Aside from the snow I am loving that we gained an hour! I don't feel nearly as rushed in my day. It's so much easier to get up in the morning! That makes me happy:) 

I actually had time one morning to read Verily and sip my pumpkin spiced latte! It's all about the little things! I read an article about a photography company called fotolanthropy who photographs and films people who have overcome adversity in there lives. They do this as a charity. There are some pretty inspiring stories on the website! Check it out. I don't know about you but I enjoy hearing inspiring true stories about ordinary people. 

The thing that most attracted me to reading this article were these super cute fotostrap's that were displayed all over the spread! They are so cute, and a portion of the proceeds goes to fotolanthropy. I might have to get one eventually!!=)

~ Rachel

Sunday Currently vol {24}

Reading: Verily magazine! I can't wait to get to the Christmas section of it! I am already so excited for Christmas this year! I think it's because we didn't really get much of a Christmas last year! 

Writing: This post is basically it. Even though I have plenty of notes I need to be writing up from my work conference.

Listening: To nothing. It's early still and only my brother in law and I are up so far! It's really quiet,and I love it! 

Thinking: That yesterday's black belt test into first degree black belt was really fun and went really well!

Smelling: My warm Chai Tea! It's yummy:)

Anticipating: A fun day with family! We're splitting wood today for my parents sweet fireplace! 

Hoping: This day goes by slowly before Monday comes! And that I enjoy every moment!

Wearing: My pj's still!:) I love love love slow mornings! They just don't happen enough!

Loving: This slow morning, and sipping my chai sitting with my sister who is all smiles! And this extra hour!! 

Wanting: Hunter boots for my trip to Rome! I need to go shopping ASAP!

Grateful: That my test went well yesterday! 

Feeling: Calm and excited! 

Clicking: On my skating app! Re-memorizing what's on the basic skills badges! I just got my first two students! 

Linked up with Lauren and the sunday currently!

Have a Blessed Sunday!

~ Rachel

Grateful Friday

Happy All Saint's Day!

"Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire." 

~ St. Catherine of Siena.

One of my favorite quotes from my patron Saint.

It's that time of year again, I can hardly believe it! The month I do a grateful post every Friday for the month of Thanksgiving and my birthday!  I seriously don't want to be another year older already. I DON'T! I am going to be one of those people who cries when they turn 30! I am, I just know it! It's pathetic.

Ok so since I'm being a whiner about getting older. I am grateful for the amazing 26 years I have been blessed with! I have been blessed with so much more than I deserve!

What are you grateful for?

~ Rachel

   

My Kitchen | Pumpkin Spiced Latte

I am not sure why but this week feels like it is creeping along. I'm not going to complain about it though because most of the time the days fly by way too fast! I feel like I need all of the time I can get for the last minute planning of my trip to Europe anyway! I have no idea what I'm doing! That's part of the adventure though, right? It's a good thing the person I'm going with has been there:)  I am getting so EXCITED! It's sinking in more and more that I am actually going! I have wanted to go for so long I can hardly believe it's going to happen!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I don't know about you, but I love pumpkin spice lattes, but I'm kinda picky about them too. I really don't like it when they are too sweet and syrupy tasting. So I created my own recipe from looking up other recipes! Mine uses honey instead of sugar. I love honey in my lattes anyway so I figured why not just use it in my psl's too! 

Smothered with love

I LOVE THIS MOMENT!

My niece reading my sister a story about her (my sister's) favorite man, Raffi! She was telling the story of the time my sister got to see him live in concert! It was so sweet and made me so happy to see such love!   

Oh I love the squeeze of those little arms, and being smothered by three of my nieces and nephews! Those kids a dynamite, and even more so when all the cousins are together! Oh boy watch. out.

It was so nice to go home this past weekend and be with family! I feel like it's been forever, October was so busy! There is no one like family and nowhere like home! No matter what happens in life, family is always there, I love that!

~ Rachel 

Lately in pictures

Happy Friday! I am so glad it's the weekend! I am so excited to go home and be with family this weekend! It feels like it's been forever since I've been home for a weekend! I miss my sister SO much!

This is basically a catch up post from the last month! So many fun things happened! 

I got a new camera!!!:) I love it! It's hard to take pictures with my phone anymore because they look so bad in comparison!

I actually had my camera delivered to Maggie's house so I could have it for the wedding weekend! (None of these pics are from my camera) The then bride to be  and I and family getting last minute details ready for the big day!!!!

We were matching sisters! The day we got manicures pedicures and our eyebrowns threaded! It was so much fun! Her Grandma was with us for all of this and can I just say that I want to be a Grandma just like her some day! I have adopted her as my Grandma! She is a sweetheart!

A couple of the amazing bridesmaides I was blessed to spend so much time with!

Maggie is MARRIED!!!

The BEAUTIFUL couple! I can hardly believe that the wedding has come and gone already!

A day off of work that I spent up in Minneapolis at a park! The fall colors were so pretty! I took lots of pictures!

Thanks to Heather for the coffee recomendation! Spyhouse coffee was amazing and so so cute inside! 

A weekend spent by the fire and playing hide n seek in the dark with nieces and nephews! So fun!

When at home for my work conference my Mom and I took an evening and went to Sherlock Holmes at the theatre! Amazing as they always are!

A Saturday spent watching lots of Figure Skating! The one time of year when I can't wait to sit down in front of the TV/laptop!!!!:)

My Beautiful Mom and I!

I hope you all have an amazing weekend! I know I can't wait for the clock to strike FIVE!

XO

~ Rachel

A Picture Post

A day at a park with my new camera! Messing around with settings and fun filters! 

My Kitchen | Hearty Fall Stew

The perfect fall dinner in my mind is something warm and hearty! I had been craving this stew since September when I first felt the weather change! I was finally able to make it last week and thought I had to share it because it's so darn good! I found the recipe on Pinterest but I tweeked it, like I do most recipes. I also have a much easier way of cooking the squash than the original recipe! I think so anyway. Unless someone knows how to peel and dice an un-cooked squash easily...Here is my version!

Hearty Fall Stew
Ingrediants:
1 1/2 lb. Acorn squash, seeded & cut into 1/8th 
4 cups chicken broth
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs 
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 Red pepper chopped
1 Zucchini chopped and/or summer squash chopped
1/2 tsp kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 pinch of nutmeg
1 pinch of ground cloves
1 can (14 oz) fire roasted diced tomatoes
1/3 cup uncooked quinoa 
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Cut the squash in half remove the seeds and cut each half into quaters. Bring the chicken broth to a simmer and add the cut squash, cover letting it cook until tender but still firm. Remove four of the pieces of squash and cook the remaining squash until they are well done. Once the squash is done cooking and cooled scoop it out of the skin and dice the firm squash into cubes, and smash the well done squash into a puree.

2. Add your chicken to the chicken broth  cover and let cook through, about 15min. Remove the chicken and sest aside to cool. After they have cooled shred them with a fork or your fingers.

3. While the chicken is cooking. In a saute pan saute your onion, peppers, and other veggies if you desire in olive oil. Add salt to the saute pan. After they have cooked through add your garlic, oregano, nutmeg, cloves, until fragrent, add tomatoes and pureed squash to the pan.

4. When the chicken is done add the quinoa to the chicken broth. Bring to a boil and let cook for about 5 to 10 min. Add the sauted veggies, let the quinoa finish cooking it will be tranlucet. Add diced squash, and chicken to the pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste. I let it cook for a while with all of the ingrediants together, so the flavors come together.

This stew with some homemade french bread (that I posted a couple weeks ago) is soooo good on a cool fall day!

Enjoy!

~ Rachel