Day 811: 2019 Year in Review

Rachel, Day by Day

Downtown Chicago on a beautiful day.

Well, 2019 is almost over. There were many ups and downs, but I thought I’d focus on the good. Overall we had a lot of fun times! Here are some of my highlights from this year.

 

Highlights of 2019

New Years Day party with friends

Sledding (first time for my son)

Many fun outings with my moms group

Visit for Barb’s birthday

Son made it in online magazine for fun kid’s event

Fun activities and outings with friends and our kids

Went to nice restaurant for Valentine’s Day

Stayed at Lake Lawn Lodge for a weekend with my family

Lake Lawn Lodge with Uncle John.

St. Patrick’s Day parade and party with friends

Son’s birthday at the children’s museum and party with friends and family

A fun birthday for this kiddo.

Editing conference in Rhode Island

Family vacation in Philadelphia to visit Chris and Renee

Philadelphia with friends.

Holidays with family (Easter, Mother’s Day, etc.)

Son’s Little Kickers soccer class

My work annual conference in Nashville

Found out I’m pregnant with a girl!

Children’s Museum with family

Gilmore Girls Trivia with my mom

Fourth of July party with friends

Architecture tour in downtown Chicago

Architecture Tour in Chicago

Swam with family over the summer

Swimming!

Basement flooded since our ejector pump stopped working

Trip to Grand Rapids, Mich., just the three of us

A nice family vacation.

Hillside concerts

Family visited and went to Maggiano’s Little Italy

Galena trip with college friends

Fun with friends!

Arlington Racetrack with friends

Son started preschool

First day of school.

Wisconsin Dells trip with family

Wisconsin trip with family.

Rader’s Farm visit with family

Son’s T-ball class

Sonny Acres visit

Scott’s Grandpa’s 90th birthday

Our basement is now finished

Went to Lake Geneva with my Mom and son

Thanksgiving with Scott’s family

Thanksgiving with family.

Polar Express with Scott and son

Meeting Santa on the Polar Express.

Early Christmas with family

Son’s Christmas Program

Christmas at home

New Years Eve countdown kid’s event at a local restaurant

I don’t really have any resolutions at the moment, just try to be a good mom as our baby girl joins us soon. There is one thing I’m proud of in 2019, though. I became more brave and outgoing. I finally feel like I wasn’t so shy and spoke my mind numerous times throughout the year when I didn’t think I would. I hope I can keep this up and continue it for years to come.

I might take a little break early in 2020 since we are having a baby girl soon, but Happy New Year!!

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Day 800: 2018 Year in Review

Rachel, Day by Day

My little family.

Well, folks. It’s been a while since I’ve written in this thing! I have a new goal for 2019: Write in my blog once a month. So here is the January post for you… my year in review of 2018.

2018 ended up being an incredible year for me. There are always ups and downs, but when I look back overall, it’s been unreal. I got to watch Baby N grow, spend lots of time with family and friends, go on an amazing trip to Cuba with family and friends and see where my father grew up, and go on amazing trip to Gulf Shores with family. I have a great job, awesome friends I hope to see more often next year, a loving family, a wonderful husband, and a kind and adorable kid. I’m so thankful for everything that has happened this year, and I’m blessed to have wonderful people in my life. Here are the highlights for you:

• New Year’s Party with friends
• Melissa’s baby shower
• Many visits to Normal for birthdays, celebrations, etc.
• Super Bowl Party at our house
• Scott’s grandparent’s 70th anniversary
• Meeting Baby Aidan
• Playing at the library with Baby N
• Visits with John, Ray, and Mom
• Elmhurst St. Patrick’s Day Parade and party with friends
• Celebrating Baby N’s second birthday with many parties!
• Easter egg hunts and brunch
• Visit to Dupage Children’s Museum
• Scott meeting Natalie Morales
• Mickey visited for the weekend

Mickey visiting.

• Cubs game in April, they won!

Me and Baby N running around before the Cubs game.

• Cinco de Mayo Party at our house with Mom, Ray, and John
• Visit to Normal for Ashley’s graduation
• I received my Poynter ACES Certificate in Editing
• Went to Minneapolis for our Annual Meeting
• Went to Cosley Zoo with Scott’s family
• My amazing trip to Cuba for 12 days and we found my dad’s childhood home

Our group in Cuba.

In front of my dad’s house.

• Pinstripes for Scott’s birthday
• James’ birthday party
• Had a BBQ at Renee’s house
• Family picnic over the summer
• Fourth of July Party with friends
• Gulf Shores, Alabama, with Scott’s family

The group in Gulf Shores.

• Hung out at Christina’s house for a BBQ with friends
• Outdoor concerts in Hillside
• Arlington Race Track with friends
• My college friends and their kids visited us

Friends!

• Cubs/Cardinals Legends Game
• Elmhurst Kite Fest
• Saw Vertigo at Ravinia
• Oak Park Beer Fest
• Wisconsin Dells trip with family

Out to dinner at Wisconsin Dells.

• Dave and Buster’s with Scott’s family
• Gilmore Girls trivia with my mom
• York High School Celebration
• Bar Crawl with friends
• Sonny Acres visit
• SIU vs. ISU football game and tailgate
• Wyatt’s first birthday party
• Brittany’s housewarming party
• Boo at the Zoo
• Halloween (Baby N was a firefighter)
• Thanksgiving with my family
• We took Baby N to the ER and he ended up with croup 😦
• Christkindlemarket with Scott’s family

Christkindlemarket with family.

• Breakfast with Santa
• Spa day with my college friends
• Had a cousin gathering at Main Event
• The holidays with family
• New Years Eve party at our house and John’s birthday

It’s amazing to see all you can do in 365 days. Here’s to a great 2019!

Day 799: Year in Review

Rachel, Day by Day

I went on the biggest ship in the world this year!

Overall, for 2017, I’m not fond of what’s going on in our country, but I personally thought it was a good year! I had many fun times with family and friends, so I thought I’d do a little year in review. I’ll make it a list with a few photos so you don’t get too bored.

New Year’s Day Party with friends
Baby N learning to crawl and walk
Phantom of the Opera downtown with Scott
Many wonderful visits to Normal
Saw the Chicago Cubs World Series trophy

Me, Baby N, and the Chicago Cubs World Series trophy!

Our Super Bowl Party
St. Patrick’s Day Party with friends
Baby N turning one

My baby boy turned one.

Visited the Ball Factory with Nicole
Brookfield Zoo with my mom and Scott
Early Easter in Normal

Baby N and his cousins celebrating Easter.

Cubs game with Ray
Easter in Champaign with family
Having dinner with Brittany downtown
A train bar crawl with friends
Concert in Lilacia Park
Miller Park Zoo in Normal
Mother’s Day in Normal, early Mother’s Day with my mom

My family.

Conference in Atlanta
Uncle Paul visiting for a week
Swim lessons with Baby N

My wonderful co-worker’s retirement party
Father’s Day in Normal
Met Baby James
Picnic with my dad’s family
Kendyl’s birthday at the bowling alley
July 4 Party with friends
Softball games with Ray’s league
Hung out with Melissa in Naperville
Paul McCartney concert

Paul McCartney concert!

Cuban restaurant with family
Arlington Race Track with friends
J-Bone visited
Concerts in Hillside
Caden’s birthday party in the backyard
James’ baptism
Oak Park Beer Fest
Wisconsin Dells with family

Playing at the water park.

Elmhurst Food Fest with my mom and friends
Get-togethers with college girls

College friends!

Alzheimer’s Walk in Normal
Cubs game, Wrigley Field Tour with HBK, Scott, and Ray

Wrigley Field!

Maggie’s baby shower
Uncle John moving to the area
Sonny Acres
Wyatt being born
Boo at the Zoo
Halloween festivities in Normal
Taking Baby N trick-or-treating for the first time

Cousins celebrating Halloween.

Trick or treat!

A wonderful and amazing cruise with family

Having fun on the cruise.

First time on the beach.

Bought a Honda CRV
Thanksgiving with Scott’s family
Visit to Springfield/Peoria with Scott’s family
A great holiday season with lots of family and friend time

Christmas Eve.

Christmas Day.

Spa day with college girls
Wonderful times with family and friends

Those are the many highlights for you! Hope 2017 was good to you and 2018 is even better.

Day 796: Turning 30

Rachel, Day by Day

Me throughout the years.

All this time I thought I was going to dread turning 30, but I’m not worried about it at the moment. I mean, so many things happened in my 20s and I thought it would be difficult to close that chapter in my life… graduated college, first real job, first legal alcoholic drink, first car, first apartment on my own, first real relationship, first time I fell in love (or thought it was at the time), first time I actually fell in love, first house, first smartphone, first (and only) marriage, first kid, and so on. A lot can happen in 10 years.

Me throughout the years.

It’s really strange looking back. There are certain parts of my 20s I won’t miss. The bad dates and relationships in my early 20s, a horrible relationship that hurt me badly and I thought had scarred me for life, losing loved ones, being apart from my husband for a little while, struggling through every-day stresses and drama of being a young adult, and so on. The first week living on my own, I was almost robbed in the middle of the night and now I’m kind of afraid to leave windows open. I went through my 20s without my dad and somehow made it through. I lost a lot of close family members in this decade (Grandma, Uncle Pat, Aunt Carol, Grandpa) and I miss them every day.

Me throughout the years.

While there were some bad times, I’m getting somewhat sentimental remembering the good times. I was able to live with some amazing friends during college and I’m glad I live closer to them today! It’s crazy thinking how we used to stay out until 3 a.m. many nights; I don’t think I could do that now! We had some awesome and silly times together. I met some great friends at my first real job, and sadly we are all scattered in different places now. I stayed in touch with some high school friends, which has been great. I went on a lot of awesome trips with my mom, Ray, and other family members, and had many fun nights with them in general. I met the love of my life during college and later married him. I got some great in-laws out of this, too! Our child recently came into this world and it’s been wonderful getting to know him and having him in my life. I went on some great trips with friends and family, including Mexico, Michigan, Las Vegas, a road trip to California, Cedar Point, a cruise, San Antonio, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Paris, Miami Beach, Punta Cana, Ireland, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and so on! I swam with dolphins, met the Stanley Cup, found a Corner Bakery not on a corner, went to numerous Cubs games, met Jonathan Toews numerous times, saw friends and family members get married, went parasailing, climbed up the steps of Notre Dame Cathedral, saw the Grand Canyon, got engaged, got married, had a child, and much more.

Me throughout the years.

Even with the bad times, I know I’ll be able to look back on my 20s and smile. They are definitely a time for learning and growing. I don’t regret the bad relationships and I don’t feel stupid about them anymore. In fact, I came out of them a stronger and more confident person (I could still work on the confidence part just a little bit). I used to be so naïve in my early 20s, and feel like I’m out of that phase now. But, I’m still the silly, weird, caring, worrisome, funny, loving, sensitive girl from birth. Just a little bit older. So this decade made me part of who I am today.

What do I look forward to in my 30s? Definitely watching my son grow and taking him to new places. Spending time with family and friends. Spending time with my wonderful and amazing husband. Going to Cuba (which would be absolutely amazing). And watching the Cubs win the World Series. The Blackhawks could win another Stanley Cup, too.

Day 795: New Baby

Rachel, Day by Day

Our baby boy. 🙂

Guess what… I had a baby! Scott and I have a beautiful baby boy born on March 13, 2016, at 3:55 p.m. I don’t want to give you his name since the Internet can be weird sometimes, so we’ll just call him Baby N. If you really want to know his name, leave a comment and ask me! And I’ll break up my thoughts with photos for you so you don’t get completely bored. WARNING: If you don’t care to read about the birth, don’t read this! It’s not very graphic, though.

The morning he was born, I started having contractions around 7:30 a.m. I didn’t believe they were real ones at first since they didn’t hurt that much, but the more time went on, the more they hurt and got closer. I waited it out at home until around 11 a.m. I started getting impatient around 10 or 10:30, and I think I told Scott to be quiet a few times. Sorry about that, Scott! By the time I got to the hospital, I was in a lot of pain. It was hard checking in and filling out paperwork in that amount of pain. I wanted to yell at everyone, but I kept quiet! I found out I was already at 6 cm (if you don’t know, you start pushing at 10 cm). My doctor was surprised at how fast I progressed! So, I was taken to a birthing room and I worked through some more painful contractions. My mom, brother, and Scott’s family all waited patiently!

Hanging out with Baby N in the hospital.

I ended up getting an epidural, and I barely made it in time for one. I didn’t get a full dose, but it worked for a little while. My doctor mentioned later how I probably didn’t need an epidural at all… I’m still not sure if I agree with that. It got painful near the end there. By the time the doctor was done setting up the epidural, I was 9.75 cm along. Again, the nurse and doctor were surprised! For some reason the epidural machine would randomly make a noise that sounded like a cat. I thought I was losing my mind and that there was a cat somewhere in the room, but the nurse explained that to me later. Strange.

He knows how to pose already!

I’ll be honest… I had no clue what to expect with the contractions and actual pushing. I thought you could push whenever you wanted, but I guess you need to wait for a contraction. Sometimes I didn’t have one for minutes, so we had to wait. I was getting slightly annoyed and wanted to keep pushing to get it overwith! That’s not how it works, though.

Right before pushing, Baby N decided to move into an abnormal position. It gave me contractions in my back, which hurt! Somehow he moved back to the correct position, and I still don’t know how that happened. I had an exercise ball between my legs to help, but I don’t think it did anything.

Our first family photo.

Pushing was a bit harder than I thought it would be. For a little while it seemed like I wasn’t making any progress. I kept asking the nurse if I was doing it right. I guess I assumed you’d push a few times and the baby would come out, but it takes a little longer than that! My mom and Scott supported me through that and were extremely helpful. They counted for me and kept telling me I was doing a good job. Once Baby N was ready to join us, things got hectic in the room! The doctor and nurses were setting things up and moving around, and that’s when I knew things were happening. Baby N soon joined us after that!

So, how do I describe the moment I saw him? Unbelievable. Amazing. Breathtaking. Exciting. Scary. I cried a lot and all of a sudden fell in love. It’s crazy thinking about how quickly I fell in love with this little guy once he was in my arms and on my chest. It’s a feeling I will never forget.

Baby N at home!

I’ve sucked at updating my blog and tomorrow he will already be two months old! I’ll have to write more about him as I have time. There’s lots I can say about Baby N, and they are all amazing things. Stay tuned and I’ll try to update sooner!

Day 794: My Grandpa

Rachel, Day by Day

Grandma, Grandpa, and me after I was baptized in 1986.

After 88 years of living an amazing life, my grandpa passed away this past Saturday. I was able to visit him a lot in the hospital and be there as he left this world. I’m still in shock since he seemed fine just a few weeks ago. This is going to be tough for a while, and I’m going to miss my regular Thursday night visits with him. We’ve been having them for over a year now, ever since I moved back to the area. After my first ever Thursday visit, he called me just to make sure I got home OK. That was sweet.

My family and I on vacation. I was tiny! From left to right: Me, Grandpa, Uncle Pat, Grandma, and Ray.

I’ve never met a man so kind and caring toward others. He always put his family and friends before himself. He took care of my grandma and would help out our family whenever we needed anything. During my last conversation with him, he even looked at me and said, “Hi, baby. I worry about you.” As he was lying there being sick, he worried about me. Only an amazing man like him would do that.

Ray, Gramps, and me.

My grandpa was one of the many contributors that helped make my childhood so wonderful. He’d take Ray and I out on the bike and we’d get TCBY yogurt all the time. I remember sitting behind him on his bike when I couldn’t ride my own yet. His pants would start falling down, so I’d pull them up for him. And then I’d shout to him, “Hey Gramps, I just wanted to let you know I pulled up your pants for you.” He’d shout back, “OK!” He probably thought I was extremely silly.

Ray and I helping Grandpa clean up the Prairie Path.

My family and I went on numerous vacations with him, to Wisconsin, North Carolina, Nebraska, Michigan, and so on. I’m so thankful to have many photos and memories with him. He’d go to all of my sporting events, band concerts, and so on as I grew up and he would cheer me on. He was always there at graduations and birthday parties, too. We’d have family game nights with him, my grandma, and others; those were always my favorite nights.

Me, Gramps, and Grandma.

When I was being confirmed in the Catholic Church, some family members wrote letters to me. Gramps wrote me a sweet letter about how he was proud of the woman I had become. I’ll never forget the last line because it made me cry at the time. He wrote, “My littlest angel has grown up.” It still touches my heart.

A family photo! My mom and dad are standing in the back. From left to right in the front: Me, Gramps, Ray, and Grandma.

Gramps loved to go on the Internet and Facebook. He especially loved looking for new recipes. Years ago, he sent me this email that makes me smile: “I went on Google and typed in rabbits, and one of the answers was pages and pages of little bunny rabbits. Are you aware of this? Love, Grandpa.” He knew me so well.

Me, my cousin Emily, Gramps, and Ray at an Illini football game.

During my last conversation with him, I was able to tell him our baby’s full name. I did so while holding his hand and forehead, and as tears ran down my face, but I was able to get it out. I asked him if he liked it and he nodded his head. He then said, “Wow, that’s a beautiful name.” I then told him I loved him over and over again. As I was leaving for the night, he told me he loved me and said, “Thanks for the great honor.” So, as of now, Scott, Gramps, and I are the only three people that know the baby’s name. And it’s tearing my heart apart, in both a good and bad way.

Me, Gramps, and Scott on vacation in Michigan.

It’s going to be extremely difficult going on in life without him. But I know I’ll feel him around occasionally and he’ll be watching over all of us. I know he’s happy to be with his wife and son. Gramps, you were one of the greatest men I’ve ever known, and I will miss you and love you always.

A group family photo at our wedding.

Gramps and me dancing at our wedding.

 

Day 792: November Through January Update

Rachel, Day by Day

I saw a Steve Martin and Martin Short show!

Hello, everyone! Yes, I know I suck lately at updating my blog. Things have been EXTREMELY busy lately, though. You’ll understand after my update! There hasn’t been much free time, but I’m finally getting to things today. Here’s another bulleted list update of November through January for you, with some photos of course.

November

• My family and I saw Steve Martin and Martin Short perform in a comedy show. It was awesome (see above photo)!
• Spent Thanksgiving with Scott’s family.

Thanksgiving with cousins.

December

• We closed on a new house December 18. Moving things took a while, but it’s finally done.
• I got together with many awesome friends over the holidays. I also spent Christmas Eve with my family and Christmas Day with Scott’s family. We tried that Pie Face game on Christmas Day… it was crazy!
• Went to my Uncle Paul’s house for a get together. It’s fun doing that every year!
• We moved a lot of things over to the new house in December and January. I get tired thinking about it!
• I spent New Years Eve with my family and celebrated Uncle John’s birthday.

My baby bumps over time.

Our new home.

Many of my family members on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Day with Scott’s family!

My mom and me on New Years Eve!

January

• Had a late Christmas with my mom’s side of the family. It was good seeing everyone!
• We got to see friends in Champaign! That was also great.
• Had a late Christmas with Scott’s family. It was also a celebration since Granny is out of the hospital! I’m extremely glad she’s healthy again.

Feeding my cousin Duncan Keith. I’m practicing!

Scott and Champaign friends!

Late Christmas with Scott’s family.

There’s an update for you! Basically we’ve seen a lot of friends and family, moved lots of things, and unpacked our house over the last few months. And now it’s time to start preparing for our kiddo! I’m getting excited to meet him.

Happy Saturday!

Day 791: June Through October Update

Rachel, Day by Day

I went to Wisconsin Dells with my family in September!

I realize I haven’t updated in a long time, so I thought I’d just give you the highlights over the past many months! Here you go.

June

• I got to hang out with Andrea and Kim.
• Steve visited us to watch a Blackhawks game.
• Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup and I watched with family!
• I went to the Blackhawks parade with Hannah and Sydney.
• We spent Scott’s 30th birthday in Normal. We ate crepes and went to Pub II with family!
• We celebrated Scott’s birthday by going to a Cubs vs. Cardinals game in St. Louis.

Cubs vs. Cardinals game for Scott’s birthday!

 July

• I hung out with Brendan, Anne, Kate, and Graham in Lisle.
• We got to hang out with the Koehlers in the Chicago suburbs!
• I got to hang out with Mel, Christina, and Brittany more often and see Grace! And…
• SCOTT AND I FOUND OUT WE ARE HAVING A BABY!!

Our baby announcement!

August

• We had our first baby ultrasound.
• Met my new cousin Duncan Keith. Got to see Champaign friends the same day, too!
• I went to a Cubs vs. Sox game at The Cell. Cubs won!

Our first ultrasound photo.

September

• Got to take my photo with the Stanley Cup!! Then later that night, I went to the Cubs game with Scott, my mom, and Ray!
• I went to Wisconsin Dells with family over Labor Day weekend.
• My friend Stephanie got married on September 12.
• Went to the Cubs game with Steve!
• Went to a Cuban restaurant in honor of my dad’s birthday. Scott accepted a new job offer, too!
• Went to the Apple n’ Pork Fest and saw Kendyl play soccer!
• Uncle John visited a few times!

Me and the Stanley Cup! We are BFFs!

Cubs game with Steve!!

October

• Cubs made it far in the playoffs. I’m proud of them!!
• FOUND OUT ON OCTOBER 31 WE ARE HAVING A BOY!!
• Buying a new house soon and we close soon.

There you go! And I’ll really try to update more often. Goodnight!

Day 778: Christina’s Party

Rachel, Day by Day

Prom poses! From left to right: Brittany, Christina, me, and Melissa.

Why, hello there! I’m a bit behind, but a few weeks ago, I went to my friend Christina’s birthday party! She had people over at her house for some drinks, snacks, games, and fun. I had a GREAT time! A bunch of us played a board game called Encore and it was a blast. Essentially you get a random word on a card, and you have to think of songs with that word in it. It’s difficult at times, but fun! And it doesn’t help that I’m bad with lyrics occasionally. It was great chatting with everyone that I haven’t seen in a while. And I’m glad I got to catch up with these wonderful ladies in the photo above. I hope I get to see them more often!

It feels like spring is just around the corner… I love this time of year! The days slowly get longer and the snow starts to melt. The days get warmer, too. What could get any better than that??

Enjoy your Monday night.

Day 777: Reflection

Rachel, Day by Day

February 2015 Photo a Day: Day 28

When will my reflection show who I am inside? (In case you didn’t know, this line is in the song Reflections from Mulan.)

Well folks, here is a reflection for you. I went shopping and had lunch with my mom, so I took this photo through the side mirror while she was driving. It’s a cool shot since you can see the house in the back while looking through the mirror. Too bad there wasn’t something more interesting behind us, but that’s OK. I didn’t really want to take a photo of myself in a mirror or anything, so this is what you get for today! Enjoy.

I’m going to my friend Christina’s birthday party tonight!! I’m excited to see her and everyone. Woo!

Well, sadly today is my last day of the February photo challenge. Overall, it wasn’t really challenging, but that’s OK. I had fun coming up with ideas even though some might have been boring. Maybe I need to find more difficult challenges! I hope you all enjoyed reading my February posts and looking at the photos. I might do another one of these challenges in April, but don’t worry… I’ll definitely be posting in March! Lots of things to look forward to.

Have a lovely Saturday!