I've got a little catching up to do

Oh man has it been a long time!!!  Sorry for the delay but life has been incredibly busy for the last few months.  Between Andrew and myself, we've attended four weddings, three wedding showers, one baby shower and a bachelorette party.  It's been more than a little crazy around here.  

Here is a little peek at what we've been up to!

First stop was in Atlanta for the beautiful wedding of Levi and Meg.  The  rehearsal dinner was on the top floor of a building downtown and it was gorgeous.

This is us at the actual wedding.  Sorry for the terrible picture.  Somehow I only got one picture all night and this is how it turned out.

At the end of June, Andrew and I officially moved in together!  I didn't take any pictures because they would have consisted of me holding a box and then Andrew holding a box.  I probably should have taken a picture of Andrew's face that day that we got to the storage unit and I had forgotten the key.  It was priceless.   I will never forget the key again.  All jokes aside, I feel so blessed to be able to take that next step with him.  I love coming home to him everyday.  

Our friends Kyle and Sara Keene got married but unfortunately, I was unable to attend.  They had the wedding in the Dominican Republic and from what I've heard, it was a ton of fun.  Andrew went.  He could tell you.  They also had a reception in Nashville but I was out of town at a baby shower...

My beautiful cousin Emily is pregnant!!!!  We held a baby shower in Asheville and it was really great to finally see her.  It was practically killing me that she had been pregnant for so long and I hadn't seen her belly.  I also got to feel the little Avocado kick and move around a little bit.  What an absolute blessing.  It was so exciting!  Hurry up and get here little Avocado, I can't wait to meet you.  Wait...I take that back.  Stay in there a little longer.  You aren't ready yet.  Please make your arrival on September 15th.  Thanks, Auntie Rachel

While I was in Asheville, another baby made his first appearance.  Meet sweet little Knox!  

I don't really want to discuss how upset I am that Andrew went to visit him without me.  Seriously, I need to meet this little fella. And soon!!!!  How cute is he???  The baby.  I'm talking about the baby.  Andrew is pretty cute too though.  :)

While I was in Asheville, I got to spend some much needed time with my wonderful friend, Meredith.  We went paddleboarding at Lake Lure and spent a couple of hours out on the lake chatting and catching up on everything.  I really cherish every moment I spend with her.  That lady is good for my soul.

Every time we get together I get this feeling like all is well in my life.  We grabbed a pizza for dinner and saw a late night movie.  Dates with best friends are important.

Then, it was time for the 4th of July.

Happy Independence Day!  I know I'm a little late but better late than never.  This is a view of the downtown Nashville fireworks from our balcony.  They were awesome!  Andrew and I celebrated in a very low key way.  It was perfect though.

Ellie experienced a lot of milestones in the month of July!  She lost her first tooth.  And her second.  And her third.  You really don't need to see a picture of each one.  I could show you though.  Yes, I took pictures of each one.  

She also got her first haircut.

I think she likes it!

On July 14th, Andrew's sister got married.  It was an incredible experience.  I want to do a whole separate post on her wedding because I have tons of pictures and I want to share the love and joy we all experienced on that day.  I will give you a little sneak peek at one of my favorite photos.

All the bridesmaids wore vintage lace dresses (mine's in the middle).  You may recognize this photo from somewhere. ;)  It was truly a blessing of a day and I can't wait to share it with you.

In late July, Andrew's friends Jess and Laura got married.  It was a very fun time.  I knew a few other people there and we all had a blast.

The venue was very pretty and Andrew and I made a point to get a decent picture this time.  

They served Krystal burgers at the end of the evening.  You may be thinking... "They did what?  At a wedding?"  What you don't understand is that Jess loves Krystal burgers so much that they inducted him into the Krystal customer hall of fame and put his face on the Krystal burger boxes.  You think I'm lying.  Folks, you can't make up things like this. 

I've also attended a bachelorette party since then and something else really exciting has happened but I will save those for another day.  This post has gotten way to long and I'm not allowed to tell my fantastic news just yet.  Stay tuned!

Much Love,

Rachel Elizabeth

Productive Weekend

Happy Monday!!

I don't know about you but I had a very productive weekend.  Andrew and I have been booked pretty much every weekend this summer and we finally had one to sit back and relax.  But we didn't.  Because we've been so busy, we've had no time to run errands.  We made up for that this weekend.  All day Saturday we were out and about in Nashville taking care of things we've neglected over the past couple of months.  It was exhausting but I feel a lot better knowing that we crossed a lot of things off our to do list.

Sunday seemed equally busy but most of the stuff we did was around the house.  Here are some pictures from our productive weekend.

I cut up this huge watermelon.  I'm pretty sure that half of our fridge is stocked with tupperware full of watermelon.  Anyone want some...anyone?

We went for a run on Sunday.  I haven't run in months so even though that time is not great, I'm just glad we did it.

While we ran, Ellie napped on her beanbag.  Oh the life of a dog.

We spent some time poolside.

And lastly, I made cheesy stuffed shells with homemade tomato sauce.  This rocked!!  I will admit that I am not the best cook.  I have my moments though and this moment is happening again.  Soon.  Like for lunch today.  MMMMM...

Here's a look at my homemade tomato sauce.  It was the best part and I got the recipe from pinterest.  I get most of my recipes from pinterest.  You can find this one here.  It is super easy and I froze a ton for later recipes.

Here's a close up of the sauce.  The best thing about this recipe is that you can put whatever you want in it.  It is totally customizable.

Then all I did was pour it over these babies and bam! dinner was ready.  I got the stuffed shells recipe from one of my favorite blogs, Eat, Live, Run.  She mentions that this recipe makes a ton and she was right.  I had this whole dish, a second, smaller dish and I still threw out some shells and filling because I knew Andrew and I couldn't eat it all.

The whole endeavor of making my own tomato sauce and these stuffed shells was a little overwhelming.  If you decide to make these, I suggest making the sauce ahead of time and just thawing some to cover these shells.

Well, that about sums up my weekend.  What did you do?

Taking a stand...against sitting disease

I’m sure many of you have heard there is a growing awareness of something called “sitting disease”. Sitting disease is a relatively new concept but research shows that sitting for prolonged periods of time each day can increase your risk for things such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity.  Their solution?  Standing.  It seems a little obvious, if you ask me.  My mom suggested I try standing up at my desk, while I work.  Honestly, when I first spoke with her about it, I was skeptical and a little embarrassed to try it.  She told me that she had been doing it for quite a while and really enjoyed it, not to mention, she was gaining muscle in her legs.  She warned me though that it wasn’t easy.  I had to try it because I was convinced if she could do it, so could I.  The first few weeks were really difficult.  My legs, back and feet ached.  I was EXHAUSTED!!!  By the time I got home from work each day, I was ready to hit the sack.  Eventually though, it got easier and easier.  Now, I cannot imagine sitting down all day.  I sit down to eat my lunch and by the time I’m done, I’m ready to stand up again. 

You’re probably wondering how to convert a sitting desk to a standing desk with little or no cost to you or your company… insert cardboard boxes, file boxes or even just some really big books.  All you have to do is be creative!!

(Sorry for the slightly blurry nature of this picture.)

 My first adventure with creating a standing desk included a paper box under my monitor and a toner cartridge box under my keyboard.  Fancy huh?  I had lots of people tell me that I should have wrapped my boxes in different kinds of paper in order to make them more visually appealing.  Honestly, that is a fantastic idea and I’m seriously thinking about doing it.  How cheap and easy is that!  Just steal some leftover paper boxes and use some wrapping paper you already own to create a new, healthy alternative to a sitting desk.

(I spy with my little eye...a small orange notebook.  Said notebook was introduced here.)

Well, as you can see in the above picture, someone I work with took my standing desk to the next level and made me a workspace out of plexiglass and aluminum beams.  I love it and best of all, it is one of a kind and made specifically for someone my height. Seriously though, cardboard boxes work really well.  You can see I still have one box to the left of my computer.  I have it there as a raised surface upon which to write. The best thing is that if I ever change jobs or move to a new office, I can take my desk with me and my old desk will still accommodate someone who prefers to sit.  It’s a win/win situation, if you ask me.

The decision to stand up at work was one of the best decisions I’ve made in a long time.  I urge you to think about trying it.  In fact, I more than urge you, I challenge you.

Happy standing!

Rachel Elizabeth

P.S. After taking all these pictures, I’ve noticed that my office is really boring.   Project office makeover has commenced!

Making a list, checking it twice

I’m the type of person who makes lists, lots of lists.  I make lists to remind myself to make more lists.  It’s a problem really.  I make lists for work, the grocery store, books I want to read, menus for each week, workout exercises, clothes I want to buy, etc.  I have even started making a list of the things I want to register for when I get married.  No, I’m not engaged.  Stop judging me, I can feel you judging me.  I don’t want to forget anything!  

I pride myself on being very organized and the only way for me to keep everything in order is with a list.  In fact, that feeling that comes from crossing something off a list, is priceless.  In order to keep all my lists together and within arm’s reach, I write everything in my trusty notebook.  I bought a black Moleskin in college and we were attached at the hip.  I took it to class with me so that if something came to mind, while I was listening to some boring lecture, I could write it down immediately and not risk forgetting it.  I took it to the library and my friends and I would write notes back and forth to one another while we studied.  It was a lifesaver and I think because of that black Moleskin, I will always have a little notebook to keep everything in order.  Well, I finally ran out of room in it and I had to buy a new one the other day.  I found a chic little orange notebook at TJ Maxx and it reminded me so much of my Moleskin.  I’ve stepped it up a notch though and added divider tabs to this one… I’m always trying to think of new ways to make my lists more accessible.  

I must admit that sometimes I get so obsessed with the things that have to get done that I forget to be spontaneous and enjoy the moment.  I almost stifle my creativity by making a list of things I need to achieve, leaving no room for the unknown.  Truth be told, life cannot be planned and no matter how many lists I make, I never gain control over my life.  I’m pretty sure that’s the point though.  We need to relinquish control to God and leave the lists in His hands.  I’m working on this.  It’s easier said than done.  But hey, admitting it is the first step.

For now, I’ll leave you with a few of my lists…

New Beginnings!

Why hello there!!!  I’m Rachel Elizabeth and I have a passion for documenting the many blessings that come with every new day. I feel like all too often I get lost in the shuffle of my “busy” life and I forget to stop and say thank you for all the wonderful people and opportunities I’ve been given.  My goals with this blog are many but most importantly I just want to take note of the little things and of the ways in which God has blessed me and continues to do so.

First off, it’s probably smart to introduce myself.  I was born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina.  I studied history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and I have a passion for the World War II era.  After college, I moved to Nashville with a dear friend and I’ve been here for two years this month.  I live in downtown with my boyfriend and our two wonderful little pups.  I love dressing up, being outdoors, reading lots of books and spending time with the people I love.  I have an amazing family and a mom who reminds me daily to be humble and grateful.  I am not perfect and I don’t have all the answers.  In fact, I think beauty sometimes lies in the questions.  There’s really no way to define a person completely but that is a little sneak peek of who I am and from where I come.  Hopefully you’ll learn more about me along this blog journey and vice-versa as well.

I want to start off by saying thank you for being here and supporting me.  I hope to share my life with you and pray you’ll do the same.  That’s what it’s all about, right?

Much love,
Rachel Elizabeth