What I'm Loving Wednesday!

I'm loving...

That I was able to attend Dallas Fan Days last weekend. I wasn't going to go until they added Bruce Boxleitner to the guest list. When I was six, I would watch Scarecrow and Mrs. King with my sister Mary, so I HAD to meet him. He was so nice. I even got a hug. And yes, I even bought Scarecrow and Mrs. King off of Amazon Prime instant streaming so I could reminisce. :) I also met Ruth Connell from the show Supernatural. Her character Rowena is so horrible but she's really super sweet in person. She's also very soft spoken (her character is very loud). 

Ran into my friend Matt while I was there!

Mandy and I met at my first Comic Con back in 2014- we were so excited that we got to see each other again!

I'm loving...

That I don't have to have shoulder surgery (at least the orthopedic doctor doesn't believe I will have to have it). Last month I started having a pain in my shoulder and when it didn't go away after a few days, my primary doctor recommended that I see an orthopedic surgeon. Two office visits and one $500 MRI later, it was discovered that I have subacromial bursitis. I got two cortisone shots in my shoulder and have been doing at-home physical therapy to see if that fixes the issue. So far the pain has gotten better, so I'm hoping it's a good sign. I have one ugly looking bruise from the shots though (see photo below. If bruises gross you out, keep scrolling). 

Before my MRI. I couldn't wear any clothing with metal on it, so I wore this

This is 10 days after receiving my shots. I assume this is normal?

I'm loving...

That some friends and I got to go to the Lone Survivor Foundation celebrity softball game a few weeks ago. It was a lot of fun and we got to meet several celebrities, including former NFL player Jermichael Finley, former MLB pitcher Roger Clemens, and country super star Toby Keith. Matthew McConaughey was also there, but he didn't come over to take photos or sign autographs (so we tooks pics from afar).

Fun times with friends!

More celebrities who have had the honor of meeting me

I'm loving...

That some of my siblings and I were able to work on our folks house a few weekends ago. Their house is over 100 years old and was in need of some work, including painting the front door and window panes. Guess which youngest, tall sibling got to stand on the ramp railings and paint the window panes? And this is all WITH a shoulder injury. You can't say that I'm not a trooper. Lol.

My sister Martha added this decal to their front door windows, which makes it look so much better!

Window before

Windows after

I'm loving...

That I got to see my BFF Brandy last Saturday. We sadly don't see each other too often (despite living only an hour apart). We spent the morning and early afternoon in downtown historic Grapevine. We just walked around and shopped, it was fun to just hang out together.

I'm loving...

That my church's Trunk or Treat is this Sunday evening. I was nominated again by my class to work on the decorations for our trunk. I chose a Dr. Seuss theme and have been busy the last two weeks trying to finish it all up. Here are some of my craft creations.

I'm loving...

That I got my James Avery Whataburger charm a few weeks ago. It was only available for a limited time and I think I ordered it within the first hour. Lol. 

I'm loving...

That I'm finally trying to cook more at home. Part of my 40 by 40 challenge is to learn one new recipe a month. I guess as long as I learn 12 new recipes by May, that will work. I've decided to catch up on the past months, so I've learned two so far this month (so we will count that as June and July). It's my challenge- I make the rules. :)

Teriyaki stir fry

 I didn't get an after photo of my food, so I took a photo of the seasonings (I took a before photo but I decided y'all probably didn't want to see raw chicken). I tried a new baked chicken recipe. It called for a garlic seasoning but I decided to try four different seasonings out instead: Lawry's Seasoned Salt, lemon and pepper (I forgot to take a photo of the lemon), Sesame ginger teriyaki sauce (THIS STUFF IS AMAZING), and Roasted Peach Whiskey sauce. I didn't like this one as much, I don't think I liked the roasted peach flavor, but it was still okay.

I'm loving...

That I was able to attend the State Fair of Texas before it closed last weekend. I went last Thursday and had a blast meeting up with friends. And I caused WWIII on social media by putting ketchup on my corny dog. Lol. Haters gonna hate.

What are YOU loving today??

XOXO!!

Mobile Monday!

I realize I haven't posted in a while, so I thought I would catch y'all up on what I've been up to!

A few weeks ago I went home for my mom's 80th birthday party. She had so much fun. All six of her kids were able to be there and a good amount of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren were there too. Her best friend (a woman I've always called Aunt Beth) surprised her by showing up for the party, none of us knew she would be there. I hadn't seen her in years. A fun time was had by all!

The birthday girl!

We had a table with items representing some of my mom's favorite things

An arrangement of photos of my mom over the years

We love our Blue Bell

My Aunt Beth!

My nieces and nephews who were able to attend the party (I have 16 total). Somehow my nephew Danny escaped the mandatory photo with Aunt Rachel- he was there too. Lol

I have five great-nephews and three great-nieces. Three of them were able to attend the party. Oh, and we found out my niece Stephanie is pregnant, so I will have another great-niece or great-nephew to add to the bunch. Yes, my family is huge. 

The same weekend as my mom's birthday party, I rushed back to Dallas for the last day of the Fan Expo (formerly Dallas Comic Con). I wasn't originally going to go, but I decided to go at least one day. I'm so glad I did! I had a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet both Mark Hamill and Tim Curry. I also got to meet one of my teenage crushes, Sean Patrick Flanery. He played the young Indiana Jones in a short-lived TV series and TV movies. If you bought an autograph, he took a selfie with you. He actually took my phone and took a few selfies of us together. He called me darling twice. I will confess that I swooned. Lol.

He's 51 and still makes my heart swoon, I'm not gonna lie. 

For those who never saw The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, here is a glimpse of the greatness that you missed.

Yes, I had a moment when he followed me on Twitter

I had a Star Wars nerd moment when I met Luke Skywalker himself- Mark Hamill. He laughed at my shirt

This was the line we had to wait in so we could even meet Mark Hamill- it was crazy, but worth it

I was a little tempted to buy the life-size cut-out of Jensen Ackles, but I refrained. Mainly because I was out of cash and they didn't take credit cards. Lol

I love Back to the Future so I was super excited to meet Tom Wilson (Biff)

I got a hug from King Ezekiel himself (The Walking Dead), Khary Payton. This guy was probably the nicest person I met all day (well, besides Sean Patrick Flanery). I didn't tell him, but I've never seen The Walking Dead. It's not my thing. But, my friend wanted a picture with him and I agreed to split the cost and be in it too. He kept getting pulled away for professional pictures but he always came back to his booth and promised everyone he would meet them. One of the convention workers said the day before they were trying to get him to cut off his line so he could leave and he said he was going to stay until every person had a chance to meet him. He spent a lot of time with each fan, so it wasn't like a quick picture and you were gone. You can tell he really appreciates his fans. He gained a new one that day.

Tim Curry. What an icon. I love his movies. He had a stroke in 2012 and doesn't talk a whole lot, but he still wants to make an effort to give back to the fans. As we were walking away I told him thank you and he said "you are welcome". 

April 3 was Opening Day for my Texas Rangers. Well, technically it was Opening Night since the game started at 6pm, but we started tailgating at one, so it was a day long event. Despite the outcome of the game, I still had fun with my friends at the Ballpark. I'll take a bad day at the Ballpark over being at work any day. Lol.

Tailgating fun

Before the game some friends and I got to meet country singer Neal McCoy. He was one of my favorite country singers when I was in high school and college. He's a huge Rangers fan and is at a lot of games. I finally ran into him for a picture!

A view from my seats this year (I got a 20 game pack again)

I met up with my friend Corina (she wasn't able to make the tailgate). It's a must for us to take a picture together any time we see each other! :)

My friend Bob got last minute tickets and stopped by our section to say hi

Don't worry, I will have plenty more Rangers pictures throughout the season, you have been warned! :)

Oh, I have more book reviews coming soon- I know, I know. I'm way behind again!

XOXO!

What I'm Loving and Blog Challenge Day 28

Blog Challenge Day 28: A song that reminds you of a certain event.

I've been listening to this song a lot lately, I really like it. Jana Kramer was on One Tree Hill (I hated her character, but I really like her singing voice.) And I'm sure she's a lovely person, I don't want to judge her by the character she played. Anyways, this song doesn't necessarily apply to me right now, but it has in the recent past. And I have a few friends that it applies to right now, so this is for them (they know who they are). We've all been there with exes. And it sucks. But we get through it. :)

I'm loving...

The text conversations I have with my friends. They make me laugh (even when they are talking smack about my Rangers- YOU  KNOW WHO YOU ARE- yeah, I'm looking at you. This war isn't over yet!) ;)

I'm loving...

That Luke Bryan is coming to Dallas! He must have heard me complaining that his tour wasn't stopping in Dallas this year. I know tickets are going to be limited since he's playing at the House of Blues, but I'm so going to try and get one. I will stay out late on a work night to spend an evening with Luke Bryan. **sigh**

I'm loving..

That Siri has a sense of humor. LOL!

I'm loving...

That I'm going to my folks tomorrow after work- hello four day weekend!!

Hope everyone has a great day!!

XOXO!

R.I.P. George Jones

I grew up on country music (yes, old school country music, not "today's" country). I was very sad to hear about the passing of George Jones today. I remember istening to his music when I was younger. I wanted to dedicate my post to him today. R.I.P. Possum.

 

George Jones' guest appearance on one of my favorite songs when I was younger. I would sing this song into a hairbrush, while dancing around my room.

XOXO!

Tuesday Tunes

I haven't done a Tuesday Tunes in a while so I thought I would use this post to remember country artist Mindy McCready who died on Sunday. I loved her music when I was in high school and college. Rest in peace Mindy.

February Photo Challenge:

Day 19: Food

This is what I had for lunch today (leftovers from dinner last night). Yummy food!

 XOXO!

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

I'm loving... 

That my Rangers mini season ticket packet came in the mail last week!

It's the 40th Anniversary of the Rangers being in Texas!

My Opening Day ticket! 9 days my friends, 9 more days! :)

I'm loving...

This tweet from my friend Aimee. I love that chick, she cracks me up!

I think #racheliscool should start trending on Twitter. Make it happen people! :)

I'm loving...

The latest video from my friend James David Carter of him singing "Let Me Down Easy". I LOVE this song. This might be my favorite video from him. :)

I'm loving...

That I got to see my best friend Mandy a few weeks ago (I've known her since I was 10). Her daughter turned one so I drove down to Austin for the party. The last time I saw her was when Miss E was born!

Me, Mandy and Miss E!

I'm loving...
These baskets I found at Dollar Tree. I know, I know, they are Easter baskets, but I'll find SOMETHING else for them! :)

Too cute not to buy...I mean, they were ONLY a DOLLAR!

I'm loving...

That my friend Laura picked up this copy of National Geographic for me last night at Barnes and Noble. My dad has been fascinated with the Titanic his whole life (he likes to say he was interested in the Titanic before it was cool to be interested in it!) :) This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Titanic sinking. I wanted to get this issue for both myself and my dad!

I can't wait to read this! :)

I'm loving...

The chicken Caesar salad I had for lunch from Corner Bakery. Remember last week I mentioned that I loved Caesar salads? I think Corner Bakery is definitely in the top five of "best Caesar salad".

The bread at Corner Bakery is also very delicious! :)

Have a great day friends!
XOXO!