What I'm Loving Wednesday!

I'm loving...

My wonderful friends who were able to join me for my birthday dinner last Friday night. Since it was a holiday weekend, there were some who had already made plans to be out of town but I'm thankful for those who were able to make it! I loved being able to see everyone! 

I'm loving...

Steak dinners. (Oh, AND the friends who take me out for them). :) My bestie Chance was unable to make my dinner on Friday night, so he took me out on my actual birthday, last Saturday night. And he even took a picture with me! ;) It was a great way to end my birthday.

You are so beautiful...to meeeee....

I'm loving...

When I can go and get pampered. I got my hair cut on Friday before my birthday dinner and the lady who cuts my hair offered to style it for my party (for free). I will NEVER get my hair to look like this on my own, but it was fun looking all stylish for a while. :)

I'm loving...

All the birthday messages I received (via social media or text). I was floored by all of them. My friends and family sure know how to make a girl feel special. :)

From my sister, the math teacher. Lol. ;)

I'm loving...

That I finally got to see the movie Where Hope Grows. It was a really good movie, I highly recommend it!

I'm loving...
My friend's dog Dobby. You can see how many pictures I have to take before one actually comes out. Lol. He is a ball of energy. He finally calmed down when he fell asleep in my lap. He makes me want to get a dog, then I remember I live in an apartment and I don't want a dog until I have a house. And God only knows when I'll be ready for a house. Lol. Until then I will just go to my friends' houses when I need a dog fix. :)

I'm loving...

The FaceTime app. I love being able to talk to (and actually see) my BFF and her kiddos (they live in Austin). They tried calling me on my birthday but I was able to answer, so they called back on Sunday. Ignore my silly face, I was trying to get A to smile (success!!) :)

I'm loving...

That I got to see some of my nieces and nephews this past weekend. When you have 20 nieces and nephews (no, I'm not exaggerating), any time you can spend with them is special. My nephew Peter is going to do mission work this summer so I went to his commissioning service on Sunday at Dallas Baptist University. It was one of the few times in the past 3 weeks that it wasn't raining in Dallas. We actually saw the sun for a few hours!

Some of Aunt Rachel's favorite kiddos!

What are YOU loving today?

XOXO!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Happy Wednesday my friends!! Thanks for checking out another edition of What I'm Loving Wednesday! :)

I'm loving...

That I am off work all next week. A friend of mine will be in town so I took the week off work to spend time with him. 

I'm loving...

That I was able to embrace my inner 11-year-old self at the New Kids on the Block concert last week. It was a lot of fun. My friends and I had a blast! I scored tickets to be able to sit in my company's suite at the AAC, so we had a great view! And free food and drinks. :) 

The first opening act was Nelly. I'm not really a fan of his (nothing against him personally, I'm just not a big fan of that kind of music), I only knew about two songs. 

The next act was TLC- and that took me back to high school and college. I was a fan of theirs back then. They did a really good job. 

Of course, the highlight of the night was NKOTB. Oh yes, there was dancing on stage (and in the suite). They still have the moves. Okay, maybe the moves aren't as vigorous as they were 27 years ago, but they were still out there having fun and put on a good show. It made me and my friends think we were 11 and 12 years old again. :)

I'm loving...

That my library lets me renew my books online. I know, most libraries let you do that, but I still love it. Lol.

I'm loving...
That I actually got another book review published on my blog yesterday (in case you missed it, check it out here). Maybe I will eventually get caught up with them!

I'm loving...
That even when I'm in my lowest moment, a friend will say something to remind me that it's all going to be okay. They might not even realize what they said helped me out. It's just a reminder that you never know whose life you will make a difference in each day.

What are you loving today?
XOXO!

Book Review 2015: The Art of Fielding

**All reviews published on Randomness With Rachel are done on a five-star rating system. The reviews are solely my opinion and no one else's. Randomness With Rachel does not receive any incentives or compensations for reviews.**

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach

I read this book a few months ago (I know, I'm terrible with writing book reviews). I discovered this book by accident. I was actually looking at another book in the library and when I pulled it from the shelf, this book was next to it. The title caught my eye, so I decided to read the jacket summary. It's not a book I would normally read, but hey- it involved baseball, so of course I had to check it out and read it.

I don't know what "genre" to place this book under. If you click here you can get a summary of the book. I think if you love baseball, you will probably enjoy this book a little bit more than someone who is not a fan. There is a lot about the life of a baseball player in here (and some "baseball talk" that a non-fan might not understand). I'll be honest. If it wasn't for the baseball angle, I probably wouldn't have liked this book that much as I did.

When I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down. The author did a great job of "reeling in" the reader into the life of Henry Skrimshander and the four other main characters. Towards the end (maybe the last third of the book or so), I felt myself not as "into it" as I was at the beginning. It wasn't that it was that bad, it just seemed that parts of the story were lagging and missing...something. I honestly think the author made the book a little bit too long, he probably could have cut about 100 pages out of the book to make it flow better (the book was over 500 pages).

I discovered after I finished the book that this was the author's first novel. For a first novel, I think he did an okay job. I would be interested in reading another work of fiction by him. I can tell that he is a good writer, and he has the ability to be a good story-teller. 

XOXO!

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

I'm loving...

That I got to spend Mother's Day weekend at my folks house. The Lions Club where my folks live (my mom is a member with them) was having a bake sale on Saturday at their local grocery store, so I was there helping them out. They were raising money to donate to the high school seniors and their college scholarships. It was actually a lot of fun (despite the slight sunburn I got). On Sunday my mom was able to have her three daughters with her for a Mother's Day lunch.

I'm loving...

That Thursday night I will see these guys in concert. Oh yes, 12-year-old Rachel is very excited. Don't rain on my parade. Lol. :) This will be my third time to see them in concert (sadly I didn't see them when I was younger, so I'm making up for it as an adult). I saw them in 2011 (see recap here) and in 2013 in Boston (see recap here). The best part about this concert is that I was hooked up with some free tickets. I have connections in high places. :) I'm sure I'll post pictures next week. 

I'm loving...

That I got this show on DVD last week. It aired about 10 years ago. It was only on three seasons, but I really liked it. It was based on a true story about a deaf woman who worked for the F.B.I.

I know this isn't a lot of things to love this week, but it's one of those days where I just can't seem to get motivated to blog (I'm thankful I found 3 things to love). :) Thank you to everyone who links up with us, we really appreciate it!! :)
XOXO!

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

I'm loving...

That I'm almost caught up on all my shows (I'm still behind on Revenge, I haven't been as into it this season. Just as well, seeing that this is the final season). I'm NOT loving that I was sick in bed for two days and it gave me time to catch up on them. Oh well. Sometimes your body has a mean way of telling you to get some rest.

I'm loving...

That I got to have a roommate reunion last weekend with my friend Mel. We were roommates in college and for a few years after we graduated. We went shopping, ate a lot of junk food, had movie marathons, and went to see the musical Newsies. It was a fun time! We plan to have another one sometime! 

I'm loving...

That I got to see my friend and soul sista Katherine last weekend. She and her sister were in town to see Newsies as well. It's a long story (you can read about it here) but basically Christian Bale and the movie Newsies is the main reason Kat and I are friends, so our course, we HAD to see the musical together. The musical was very good, a little different than the movie (and lacking Christian Bale), but it was still a great show! We had a lot of fun (and yes, we sang along).

I'm loving...

When my friends try and cheer me up after I have a bad day. Last Wednesday was a horrible day so a friend of mine had me over for dinner. It was nice to see him, but I was mainly there to see his adorable dog Dobby (I'm kidding, kind of). ;) Dobby doesn't like sitting still, so most pictures of him are kind of blurry. Lol. 

I'm loving...

That I got to see my sweet friend Felicia on Sunday. We average seeing each other at least once a year at a Rangers game. It's always a fun time hanging out with her!

Felicia, me, and Monica. Eric was not paying attention to us taking a picture. :)

I'm loving...

That I got to see my favorite radio personalities Ben and Skin last week. They were hosting an NFL draft party, so I made an appearance. They have a sports show on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. I've been listening to them for many years. It's always a good time hanging out with them. I love that they always make sure someone walks me back to my car when I attend an event alone. They take care of me! :)

Being photobombed by Awesome Al. Lol

Be sure to tell your friends about this link up. We would love to gain more blogs each week. Sorry I've been slow in replying to your comments. I usually run about a week behind. :)

XOXO!

Book Review 2015: What Alice Forgot

I'm so behind on my book reviews. I'm going to try and maybe post a few a week until I'm caught up.

**All reviews published on Randomness With Rachel are done on a five-star rating system. The reviews are solely my opinion and no one else's. Randomness With Rachel does not receive any incentives or compensations for reviews.**

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

This was the second book I read for my book club. When I started reading it, I had a feeling I would give it maybe a 2-star rating. It seemed to drag on and I couldn't get into it. I would say about a third of the way through, the story picked up and I ended up enjoying it (hence the overall rating of 3.5 stars).

The description of the book seemed very promising. A woman wakes up on the gym floor, thinking that she's 29 years old, happily married, and pregnant with her first child. Turns out she's 39, divorced, and the mother of three children. She somehow lost ten years of her life. Once she realizes what has happened, she's determined to repair her marriage, and the friendship with her sister (they are barely speaking now). Like I said, it started out kind of slow so if you read it, stick with it, it will improve.

The writing was done in third person, but it goes back and forth between letters from the sister and diary entries from Alice's adopted grandmother. It might sound confusing, but the style worked and flowed nicely. 

While reading this book, I put myself in Alice's shoes (because I'm a nerd and try and relate to characters in the books that I read). :) What would it be like to lose the last ten years of my life? I tried to think back to the person I was ten years ago. I'll confess, there are things going on in my life now that 19-year-old* Rachel would not expect. She would be shocked at some things, and probably disappointed in other things. I'm not completely the same person I was back then (granted, my life changes were NOTHING like Alice's). By the way, not being the same person I was ten years ago isn't ALL bad.

SPOILER ALERT: If you haven't read the book, and plan on reading it, don't look at the spoiler below (I hope I did the code right so it doesn't automatically show up). If you have read it, or don't plan on reading it, feel free to click the "show" button below to see spoilers on how I felt about the ending. 

While reading the book, I was convinced that I did not want her to get back with her husband. I was happy that she had moved on to a new guy. Also, that kind of ending seemed too "predictable". Towards the end of the book, it looked like they were not going to reconcile, and she was going to end up with the new guy she had been dating. I realized then that I DID want her back with her husband, and I was disappointed. Then in the epilogue she was back with her husband and her family was happy. :)

Overall, I think it's a good read and I plan on checking out other books by the author (this was the first book of hers that I have read).

*Okay, fine. I wasn't 19 ten years ago, I was 26-years-old. Are you happy now? Lol.

XOXO!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

One of these weeks I'm going to have a post for every day, and not just Wednesday. Thanks again for stopping by for another week of What I'm Loving Wednesday. We are so thankful for all of you who link up every week (or almost every week). Please continue to link up, it totally makes our day! :)

I'm loving...

This awesome bracelet that my wonderful friend (and WILW co-host) Jodi got me as an early birthday present (for those who are curious- it's May 23). I'm sure you all know what a big Audrey Hepburn fan I am, so this is perfect for me!! I love it!

I'm loving...

That I spent the weekend cleaning my apartment (a few hours on Friday and roughly about 10 hours on Saturday). I even organized my hall closets (so if a tornado hits, I now have a "safe place" to hide out in). I didn't get a lot of "before" pictures (it would have been too embarrassing). I did get a before picture of the chair by my laundry room. I have the habit of taking clothes out of the dryer and placing them on the chair. I usually hang them up within a couple of days. I possible went one week two weeks three weeks, okay four weeks without hanging up clothes. Yeah, I know. I'm so lazy.

I also got a new shower head for my bathtub (the old one had practically no pressure). Thanks to my friend B for braving the storms and making the drive over on Friday night to install it. I also got a shower caddy to organize my bathtub. It's amazing how the little things in life make me happy. Lol.

I also bought some new decorations for my apartment. I love these quotes.

I'm loving...

This picture of my great-nephew J. I haven't seen him in so long. I keep telling my niece to show him my picture so he won't forget me! :)

I'm loving...

Baseball season. Yes, I know, the Rangers aren't having the best year (to put it crassly, we suck). It's okay though, I still love baseball. And no, I don't know how I feel about the whole Josh Hamilton coming back to the Rangers. People keep asking me about that. This is the best way I can explain it: I feel like an ex-boyfriend has come back to me after dumping me for my worst enemy (AKA the Angels). I remember the good times, but I also remember when he left and he was a jerk. We shall see how this pans out. Maybe I'll get my feelings sorted out here soon. Lol. The season can't get any worse for the Rangers (can it?) I've also been to a couple of Frisco RoughRider games (the Rangers AA team).

I went last week to a RoughRider game with my buddy Will. It was a fun time! We hadn't seen each other in almost a year, so it was good catching up!

Last night I went to the Ballpark to see my Rangers. I wish I could say that the outcome of the game was a win, but sadly, I cannot. I did end up with a somewhat scary looking Derek Holland garden gnome. I've added it to the collection in my sports room. It was unusually cool for late April in Texas, and I was glad I was smart and brought my Rangers blanket with me! Shout out to my friend Harry for texting me in the second inning and letting me know there were empty seats by him. My friends and I got an upgrade!

I'm loving...

That I have such awesome friends who make me laugh (and vice versa). One of my friends and I were texting the other day and he made the comment that he was sure there were a lot of guys who wanted to ask me out. I sent him this text. 

He did ask what I would have done if someone had been standing at my door. I told him I would have screamed and slammed the door. I was still in my PJs. Lol.

I'm loving...

That I have no shame in admitting that I bought these books solely for me. We had a book fair at work last week and I had to grab these (yes, we have a book fair at work, twice a year). The Berenstain Bears were my favorite books when I was a kid. Okay, I still love them even today! :)

What are you loving this week?

XOXO!

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

Grab the button on the sidebar and link up for What I'm Loving Wednesday!! :)

I'm loving...

That I got to have dinner with my sweet Twitter friends Rachel and Kelsey last week. Well, we've met in person now, so we are no longer just Twitter friends. I'm so glad they were in town visiting! :) It was a lot of fun hanging out with them!

I'm loving...

The Girls Weekend I had with my nieces Alice and Stephanie last weekend (Stephanie's husband Kevin was an honorary invitee to some of the weekend events). We had a lot of fun (despite the fact the weather did NOT want to cooperate for some of it). 

So the picture in the bottom right corner is one I took as we were being driven home from dinner on Friday (thank you Uber for your wonderful service). It was raining so hard that the streets were flooding. Yeah, the water was almost at the same level as the car window. SO thankful we didn't get stuck. Or washed away.

My nieces and I went to Galveston for some girl time on Saturday. We ate at this wonderful place called the Mosquito Cafe. If you go to Galveston, you must stop there. The picture at the bottom right shows where the water level was after Hurricane Ike flooded Galveston in 2008. I'm about 5'8 and that line was a good six to seven inches higher than me. 

I'm loving...

That I got to see my nieces compete in the Run Like A Diva 5K in Galveston on Sunday. I'm so proud of them! Maybe next time I'll run with them. Maybe. I'm not a runner. Lol.

I'm loving...

That even though we only got to put our feet in the water, we still had a nice time at the Galveston beach on Sunday. And I'm loving that the sun was actually out. When we were there on Saturday it was cloudy and rainy most of the time. There is something so peaceful about the ocean. If I lived closer, I would go there to "de-stress" after a rough week.

I met a cute Corgi who was experiencing her first beach trip. She was a little nervous about the water and the waves.

I'm loving...

That I get to update my 101 in 1001 list! (2. Visit 7 places in Texas that I have never been to before). On our way back from Galveston, we made a quick side trip to the San Jacinto Monument and Memorial in La Porte. This is the location where Texas won its independence from Mexico. You can read more about it in my post here. We were only there for a little bit so I definitely want to go back when I can spend more time exploring the battle ground. We only visited the monument and museum portion (thank you Kevin for riding the elevator to the top of the monument with me). 

You can't tell, but in the picture on the top left, I'm standing in front of the monument. Lol. I'm the dot in front of the steps. :) 

I'm loving...

This picture I took at the beach. We walked for a while in our bare feet and the picture made me think of this poem. It was just a little reminder to me that even though I'm struggling with different issues right now, God is walking beside me.

I'm loving...

That I get to have dinner with three different friends this week (on three different nights). I love being able to get some one-on-one time with friends to just catch up on life. 

What are YOU loving today??

XOXO!!