Lately

Today felt like a heat wave! It has been so cold these past few days that the heat in my apartment hasn't been able to keep up! Today it broke twenty degrees! I almost felt like I didn't need a coat. That's when you know you're from Minnesota!

- I've been doing lots of reading and organizing! Organizing mostly photos!:) It's going to be a while before I post about Europe though because I want to finish my photo book first.

- I finally bought myself a planner! I need to stay on top of things a little better! I don't like winging it anymore, and I can't keep it all in my head anymore! I found a really cute one at target! Obviously it had to be cute or I wouldn't like using it:) 

- Trying to stay warm! Drinking lots of hot tea under wool blankets in the evening, and hot cappuccinos in the morning! Warm wool sweaters and hot baths!

- I have been doing pretty darn well with not hitting the snooze button so much this week! I love it. It makes my mornings so much nicer and less rushed if I get up earlier. I like to take my time in the morning, or have time for a workout before heading into work! I feel so much more awake and ready for the day! 

- Confession....I still haven't taken down my Christmas tree. 

- Getting really excited for the Olympics!  < 7 days!

Ciao,

Rachel

White lines | and a goal

White out that's all I could see was white! Looking for lines to guide me praying I make it home safely! Hoping the snow plow behind me doesn't smother me, and the car in front of me doesn't brake! I don't want to have to drive in those conditions again! Thanks to my Guardian Angel and St. Christopher I finally made it home!

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You guys I have so many awesome pictures from Europe! I can't get through them fast enough. My handicap is the fact that I am trying to learn Lightroom at the same time...half frustrating and half so fun looking at the pictures!

Venice!

My goal for this week is to stop hitting snooze! Seriously what is nine or eighteen more minutes of sleep going to do? 

Happy Monday and here's to a great week:) 

Ciao

Rachel

Sunday currently {23}

I am loving this beautiful snowy winter weekend! I hope this day goes by slowly! I was even crazy enough to go out for a walk yesterday! I am not sure what I was thinking it was freezing and so windy! The hot cider was extra yummy when I came in! 

Reading: Still Pride and Prejudice. I am not the fastest reader. It's mostly because I can only sit for so long before I have to get up and move around and do something else! My coworkers tell me I have ADHD! haha

Listening: The fireplace crackle!

Thinking: This blizzard is pretty mild.... HA! It's snowing out though:):) I love real winters with lots of snow! 

Smelling: Chilli. My Mom made chilli on this cold weekend! It was SO good! 

Wishing: Someone would pick out and set up a TV for me. I have no idea what I am doing in that department and I really want a TV for the Olympics!!!! 

Hoping: That I make it back home safe and sound today! I am so sick of the drive every stinking weekend. It's getting SO old!!!! Another three weekends in a row of it ugh! 

Wearing: Leggings a Brat Trot t and a long warm wool sweater!

Loving: Hot apple cider! I am really loving it this winter! The flavor of all the spices are addicting to me lately! And Downton Abbey!!!:)

Wanting: To move. Or have the hospital that I work at transported to the citites. That would be perfect! I have always wanted to live in Minneapolis or St. Paul and I am feeling like it is time to do something about it. Mankato is such a boring town unless you like to go out to bars! That is not my thing!

Needing: To change my attitude. I am always doing that though. I am sick of surrendering to something I don't like or being in a place I don't want to be!

Feeling: Frustrated, but resolved to change it!

Linked up withLauren!

Have a Blessed Sunday!

~ Rachel

Photo Friday

Happy Friday! I know I'm pumped its Friday!!:) Even though I have nothing exciting planned for the weekend but cross country skiing hopefully reading lots, picking though more Europe pictures and playing piano for Mass on Sunday! 

It's photo Friday I almost forgot! Beka at sunshine to the square inch is hosting a photo link up every Friday and this Friday the topic is music! I couldn't miss this one obviously! I love music! So here you go peeps my music photos!

 I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

< 14 days to the Olympics!! Are you as excited as I am?

~ Rachel

Winter weekend

Even though this winter has been really cold, I love the fact that we have snow! I hope it keeps coming:) I love sunny winter days! They are gorgeous and this past weekend was just that! I luckily had lots of time to be outside and enjoy it with my niece and nephew! They are so cute and so much fun! We traipsed through the woods or forest as they like to call it, and we had many giggles along the way! Those kids crack me up! We were tracking bunnies! Too cute!

~ Rachel

The Christmas Story

My poor dog!

When discussing who was going to play what part in the play one of my nephews insisted he be a sheep! He didn't want to be a shepherd or a king..."i want to be a sheep!" So his sister came up with the idea that we should dress the dog up as a sheep for him to lead drag around as a shepherd! He finally agreed to be a shepherd! She's brilliant and only five!

 It's a tradition in our family since I can remember to read the Christmas story every Christmas. Now it is done as a play that my Mom does with her grandchildren! It's the highlight of the day! They are all so darn cute to watch!!!

Rachel

Christmas 2013

Having fun with my wrapping paper that I brought back from Italy!

I ended the night in front of the Christmas tree after averyone was in bed and started my new book! Pride and Prejudice.

I know I am late on Christmas but. Here it is anyways in pictures! Christmas has changed so much over the past five years or so. With nieces and nephews and my siblings having another family to spend Christmas with, our traditions have been tweaked a little bit. I have to say I love Christmas with all of the nieces and naphews! They're joy and excitement make Christmas that much more special! 

Rachel

Photo Friday

Happy Friday!

I am linking up with Beca @ Sunshine to the Square Inch for Photography Friday! The photo topic for this week and last are something that you are thankful for and a food photo. I chose these two pictures from my trip to Europe. I am so so so grateful for the time I was able to spend in Rome and Ireland! They are memories and adventures I treasure. So here are two sneak peak photos from my trip! I am working on picking the best ones and editing some of them! It's a slow process, I've never done editing before! But some pictures need it because the sun was so high and bright at times that the pictures are washed out! I was happy for a sunny trip though:)

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Ciao,

Rachel

two thoughts

Wishing I were doing this right now!

thought 1
It's national skating month! So obviously it's the second best month of the year! Last week the national figure skating championships were on!! So many hours in front of the TV for this non-TV watcher! It was so much fun though! check this performance out by Jason Brown he lit up the arena! This sport is so so hard and he makes it look effortless! Incredible! Oh and his choreographer Rohene Ward is from Minnesota and I've skated with him! HA I'm so cool......not! He did tell me I was a really good skater though....:)   

thought 2

Another snow day...? What's up Minnesota? It's not that bad out and there isn't even that much snow! Oh well I kinda like it, it means I get to stay home after work and get caught up on this little space, and get started on editing my pictures from Europe! A normal evening of mine usually consists of Tae Kwon Do or coaching figure skating. I love them both but it's nice to have an evening off every once in a while:) I am getting excited to get going on my pictures. The thought has overwhelmed me up until now because I have so many to go through! There were just so many beautiful sites around every corner I couldn't help myself!

Rachel

birthday list

I have never been more grateful to have a garage! it is frigid here in MN! everything is canceled  except work:( and I am under my wool blanket listening to Christmas music again:) I am not sure how it got to be eight o'clock so quick though, I didn't even have to go anywhere after work! I needed groceries my fridge is pretty empty but I wasn't about to carry groceries in this cold! So I will live on cheese (that I ate the last of for supper) and oatmeal until it warms up outside! 

I am extremely late on my birthday list again this year. But a wonderful trip sort of took over my life after my birthday and then it was Christmas!

{27}

1. Go on a mission trip

2. Do a color or mud run

3. Start taking classes to complete my bachelors degree

4. Go water skiing

5. Leave the country again

6. Get out of this town

7. Find a place to volunteer my time

8. Get a pro to give this space a makeover 

9. Get my second degree black belt

10. Be able to do a hydroplane on the ice

11. Take more risks

12. Read Divine Intimacy every day

XO

Rachel        

Sunday Currently {26}

Reading: Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. This book and story has a special place in my heart because there is a wonderful memory behind it. The book was a Christmas gift from my Mom in memory of our trip to the theatre together this past summer. I gave her play tickets to Pride and Prejudice for her and I to go to dinner and the play! It was such a fun evening together and a wonderful memory I will cherish forever!

Writing: Some thank you notes and this long post. 

Listening: It's the last day of Christmas so I am listening to Christmas music of course and the howling wind! I don't think I could ever get sick of Christmas music especially The Nutcracker:)

Thinking: What a wonderful world it would be if my friends didn't live so far away! And family for that matter! I am getting sick of traveling over an hour all of the time. I know it could be worse, much worse but I want them to all be closer!

Smelling: The Holiday Forest candle that I have burning! I love the smell of a Christmas tree, since I can't have a real Christmas tree I substituted the candle:)

Wishing: That I had a boyfriend so people would stop trying to set me up! That way I could have the easy answer of "oh sorry I have a boyfriend.." HAHA

Hoping: For a blizzard this winter. I want piles of snow! I want to be snowed in!

Wearing: The sweater that my sister hand knit for me, and leggings. She is an amazing knitter! It looks store bought she is so good! But it's WAY better than store bought because she made it for me, and it can't be bought! I LOVE it!

Loving: This relaxing Sunday afternoon under my wool blanket from Ireland! Figure skating is on in a little bit too:) It's national figure skating month and it's the week of US Nationals! I am so excited to watch this weekend to see who will be going to the Olympics!

Wanting: Like I said lots of SNOW!

Needing: To be more like Pope Frances! And put this list of new years resolutions into action! He is such a beautiful example of what it means to live out our Faith and to how to serve one another!

Rejoicing: In the beautiful wedding I attended yesterday! Such a beautiful couple, I am so happy for them!

Feeling: Blessed to have gotten to see Maggie yesterday even if it was only a few hours!  

Clicking: US Figure Skating and Ice Network to keep up on all the ice skating!

Linked up with Lauren!

XO
Have a blessed Sunday!
Rachel

happy new year (2013 in review)

Another year has gone by. How they fly by in a blink of an eye. A part of me is glad to be saying good bye to 2013, it was a tough year and at the same time a really fun year. It had many highs and many lows that I will never forget. I learnt so much about life this year. How precious a gift it is and how important it is to live every day to the fullest. Every mondane moment to the fullest, you never know what breath will be your last. Value what is important in life don't sweat the small stuff and keep it simple. 

I'm starting with December though... because well it's my blog and I can:)

December (2012)

December was it's usual anticipation and preparation for Christmas that I love. With the decorations baking and all. Even though I chose not to write about this last year. I am not sure why, because at the time it sucked and I didn't think you needed to know. We ended up spending our Christmas in the Hospital. My sister broke her leg a couple of days before Christmas. We tried to make the best of it, no it wasn't what we had planned but it was what we were faced with that Christmas. Most of all I hated seeing my sister suffer, wasn't her life already hard enough? She is the toughest girl I know! My other sister and I brought Christmas Eve to the hospital. We had our soups and the kids opened a couple of gifts in the family room. My sister enjoyed the extra company and her niece and nephew a lot! My niece wrapped up one of my sisters toys from home so she could have a present to open, and to hopefully cheer her up! And it definitely did!  

We did have our family Christmas the following weekend. It was ok....everyone was tired and a little Christmased out.

January

Had a wonderful new years bash that is a tradition that is being broken this year. Sad face. I had a couple of firsts in January, Downhill skiing, online dating (That was a mistake, I didn't post on that either but I should) And another first that I can't share on here that better sure as heck be the LAST!

February

Was an emotional roller coaster ride. I got a new niece, Victoria Marie! One of my cousins died in a car accident. I still remember the phone call and the disbelief. Two cousins in six months of each other. She was only 16. And a sassy little spitfire that was just starting to come into her own. It is still so hard to think that I will never see either one of them on this earth again. I miss them both and pray for them and their families daily. Hoping they can find the good in their lives, cherish the life they have, and the lives of the ones they love. And that they may draw on their Faith in God, He is the only one who can carry them through.

March

I don't really remember March. I think I was sad most of March and not liking my life at the time. TRUTH - life isn't always fabulous. I did a lot of praying and reflecting on my life. I learnt in the past six months just how precious life is and I don't want mine to slip by without living it to the fullest!

So, I went cross country skiing. Really Rachel that's living life to the fullest? HAHA Yes it is because it is something that I have always wanted to do! And I can't wait to go again this year! And I bought myself a piano:)

April

This post on patience! I should read it every day! It's the story of my life! I spent lots of time with family nieces and nephews building forts, and welcomed another niece into the family! Probably one of the funnest things of the month was that Maggie got engaged and this surprise on her engagement day was so so much fun to pull off! 

May

The glimpses of spring were teasing but we kept getting snow! It made winter feel like an eternity! Another highlight of the year was taking my sister to Raffi! It was a dream come true for us to take her to see him live! She loves him! Whenever we can't console her he can, his videos have gotten us through many a long nights after surgery's! She absolutely loved it and I cried I was so happy for her! 

June

The weather finally turned nice and I spent as much time outside as possible! I passed my deputy black belt test in TKD. Had a family wedding, it was so nice to get together with family for an occasion other than a funeral! I took a leap and bought my plane ticket to Ireland and Rome! 

July

I got one of my dream jobs this month, I became a figure skating coach again! I am loving being back into it! It was also vacation time! Alleluia because work had been insanely busy and I was so tired! An awesome Independence day bash!  Distance And a relaxing week spent with my best friend! It was refreshing and much needed! Celebrated lots of family birthdays and ran around Stacyville IA as a Bratwurst got my cousin and I's hair braided together! It was all together a really fun month!

August

Was another really fun month! What month in summer isn't though? I took my Mom to the Guthrie to see Pride and Prejudice! Went to beautiful Duluth with my sister and her family! Had a little more vacationing at a Lake House in WI! Another tradition that I love, and we had tons of laughs that I will never forget!

September

Brought more wonderful memories of wedding preparation and a girly shower for Maggie and Charlie's big day! And finally taking my sister to my favorite winery!

October

I got a new camera! I am loving having a decent camera for once, the iphone wasn't cutting it anymore. And most importantly October is when my best friend married the love of her life! It was a spectacular day and a wedding out of a fairytale! I was honored to be apart of their day!

 November

The greatest month of the year! My birthday, I got my first degree black belt in TKD, thanksgiving and this year I went to Rome and Ireland! I still can't believe that happened! It was incredible!

December

As always was filled with Christmas preparation and Christmas this year was much better than last! We were actually at home! 2013 went out like a dud for me as I think was appropriate haha! I am sick and went to bed at 9! 

Looking back at 2013 has made me realize how truly blessed I am! Through all that has happened this year one thing sticks out to me, in all things God is in control and He has the master plan. Stop planning and start living! It was the year of Faith that is for sure! How full this past year was, maybe that's why I'm sick and exhausted?!

Happy New Year!

Rachel  

~2014~