Day 478: Roses

Rachel, Day by Day

Color Challenge: Green Day 2

This might end up being a cheesy post, but my fiance is amazing!! We celebrated Valentine’s Day on Saturday and he was kind enough to send me roses today, too! Here they are! This counts for green week since there are a lot of green leaves on the roses. They are beautiful and I wasn’t expecting this at all! I really do feel lucky, not only today, but every day. I smiled a lot today. Thank you, Scott!!

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! I know a lot of people hate this holiday, but it’s been a good day. At least for me. I received flowers from my wonderful fiance, and I got to eat a lot of chocolate goodies this afternoon. And, tonight, I will be watching Cougartown and New Girl with friends while drinking wine and eating more chocolate! Yay! I don’t think Valentine’s Day always needs to be about a significant other. You can always do something (like eat chocolate and drink wine) with family or friends and have a great day. So, go do that! Now!

Have a good night!

Day 417: Lombard Street and Pretty View

Rachel, Day by Day

Hello, everyone! I’m finally updating about San Francisco! I’ll try to make my writing a bit brief since I can probably go on and on about the trip. Here are some photos from day 1. The first one is of crooked Lombard Street. Isn’t that crazy? I can’t imagine driving down that road! The flowers make it look really pretty, though. Scott and I walked up the steps next to the road and I took many more pictures. Wow, this city is steep! Anyway, I took the second photo at the top of crooked Lombard Street. Isn’t that an amazing view? This city is so beautiful!!

Well, I didn’t mention this before, but Scott and I went to San Francisco last week on vacation! Day 1 was already really eventful! It started out with Scott losing his plane ticket at the airport. Don’t worry, he found it by the cashier at a sub sandwich place. The flight was smooth sailing the entire way, which was awesome. We spent some time in Chinatown and went to a really good Chinese restaurant. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! We also went to City Lights Bookstore. It was an older and awesome place; I bought a San Francisco related book.

We also went to the Fortune Cookie Factory, the Cable Car Museum, Yerba Buena Gardens (it was beautiful!), Jimmy Stewart’s apartment in the movie Vertigo, and crooked Lombard Street. The evening was filled with a free wine reception at our hotel and amazing rainbow trout at Hyde Street Seafood Restaurant.

What an eventful first day!

Day 401: My Birthday Cake

Rachel, Day by Day

Mmmm, this was delicious! My family got this cake for me for my birthday. It’s really pretty, too; I like the flowers. Too bad they are gone now since we ate it! I celebrated with my family (mom, brother, and grandpa) and Scott this past Sunday. We went to a late lunch at Rock Bottom Brewery. I really like the beer there and I ate a chicken avocado sandwich. We ordered calamari and ballpark pretzels for appetizers. Yum! The pretzels come with this really good cheese sauce that’s just a bit spicy. I’m getting hungry just thinking about them! We then went back to my mom’s house for cake and got to hang out a bit. It was the perfect end to the perfect weekend. What else could I ask for? I got to spend the entire weekend with friends and family. I’m smiling right now just thinking about how fun it all was. Thanks for a great weekend, everyone!

I’m exhausted right now! I went to a cardio class today and I played tennis. I think I’ve worked out enough for the rest of the week.

I’m watching Pawn Stars right now. I go back and forth with this show. I get annoyed at the fact that people sell their things a lot lower than they are worth, but I guess that’s what you have to do when you own a pawn shop. I don’t think I could ever get in this business. I’m a cheapo, so I’d trying buying most things for $1. My store would go bankrupt in a week.

Well, I think it’s time for dinner. Have a good night, everyone!

Thing that made me happy today: Seeing the professional pictures from Melissa and Larry’s wedding

Day 390: Yellow Flowers

Rachel, Day by Day

Hello! If you’ve been keeping up with my blog, you’ll know that I love taking pictures of flowers. These pretty yellow ones are near work, so I see them every day and have wanted to take a photo. I finally took a picture of them this morning. Yay! Aren’t they pretty? There’s something about the colors yellow and green together; I love it. What kind of flowers are these? Does anyone know? I honestly don’t know much about flowers, but I can tell you they are pretty. I have yet to find a flower where I thought, “Eww, that’s the ugliest flower I’ve ever seen!” Good times. Yay flowers.

I made some cookies yesterday and they were delicious! Click here for the recipe. They are actually low carb cookies, but they still tasted amazing. Scott and I ate the rest of them, so sorry I can’t share any with you. The secret is that there are actually no almonds in the cookies, but there’s almond extract. Ha, I got you! Mmmm, but the cookies reminded me of those almond cookies at Chinese restaurants. Scott says they are better than the ones at Chinese restaurants. They are really easy to make, so I can make them again for you if you’d like. Just let me know. Yes, you. You reading this.

I’m really really really really really tired of hearing about Arnold Schwarzenegger and his personal problems. Why can’t we just leave him, his wife (soon to be ex), and his family alone? I see headlines to articles about him, but I don’t read them. I just roll my eyes. We need something better to talk about in the news. Oh, speaking of something better in the news, I just saw a yahoo article about how Hugh Hefner and Crystal Harris aren’t getting married anymore. He’s 85 and she’s 25. There are so many negative things I could say about this, but I’ll make this a shorter post.

I’ve been playing more tennis lately and it’s been great! I’ll never get tired of this sport, and it’s one of the few ways I get some exercise. I feel like I’m improving a bit, too. Let’s keep playing, tennis friends! Anyone else want to play, too? Let me know!

I had a guitar lesson today and it was awesome. I’m learning two news songs: Jar of Hearts by Christina Perri and Paparazzi by Lady Gaga. I love these songs! I definitely play them slower than normal, but you can tell what songs they are! I’ll play them for you if you want. Maybe I’ll have a little concert at my apartment. I’ll make it fancy with some wine and cheese. Maybe some caviar and brie, too. We’ll see. Anyway, my point was that I’m having a lot of fun with my guitar lessons.

Thing that made me happy today: Too many things to list. 🙂

Day 388: Pretty Flower

Rachel, Day by Day

Hello! Isn’t this a pretty flower? I’m not sure what kind it is, but I love the shape and the color. Well… guess what? It’s not a real flower. Ha! I tricked you. Well, maybe I didn’t. Look near the stem of the flower… what do you see? Here’s some background information for you on this photo. Scott and I went to My Thai for dinner yesterday, and I ate really good stir fry with basil, chicken, garlic, and veggies. Mmmm. I kind of want to go back and try their sushi since it looked good. Anyway, when he received the check to sign, the waitress brought this flower, too. I thought, “Wow, that’s nice! We get a flower as a thank you for coming here!” I was wrong. If you take a look near the stem, you’ll see that it’s a pen! That’s right, folks. How many of you knew that when first looking at it? Anyway, I want this pen! It would be fun to use this every day at work. I’ll have to look into this.

I am having an ant problem at my apartment. I’ve never had to deal with ants before, especially by myself! So, I’m a bit stressed. I’m not a fan of any kind of bug, especially when there’s a big family involved. Not cool.

Scott and I saw The Hangover: Party II recently. I must say, I really didn’t like it. I think I laughed three times during the whole movie. It was basically the same plot as the first movie, except in Bangkok. The jokes weren’t even funny, just disturbing. I’m a little disappointed since I love the first movie. The probably shouldn’t have copied the same plot or idea as the first movie. Oh well; not every movie can be amazing.

I think I’ll sleep in and try to relax this weekend. It’s been a tiring week. I’m ready for a great weekend!

Thing that made me happy today: Helpful and friendly people at Home Depot

Day 377: Happy Mother’s Day!

Rachel, Day by Day

Happy Mother’s Day, everyone! I’ve had a good weekend. I spent a lot of time with my mom, brother, and grandpa this weekend, which is always great. I helped out with yard work on Saturday, and we went to a nice restaurant called Hackney’s. They have really good burgers and a french fried onion appetizer that is more like an onion loaf. Yum! We then hung out at my grandpa’s house and played some Phase 10. Good times! For the photos, the first one is of some flowers in my mom’s front yard. I thought they were very pretty flowers, so I had to take a picture. This second one is of Phase 10. I like how the Wild card blurs in the background, like the other flowers in the first photo. I especially love taking photos in the spring and summer when everything is more beautiful!

It’s been one crazy week in our country with all of the rumors going around about Bin Laden, and with all the people who don’t believe we actually killed him. I’m glad the government didn’t release any photos of his body; I don’t think I’d be able to handle looking at them. I did accidentally see photos of the other bodies, and I felt sick after looking at them. Why can’t people just trust the government, even just a little bit? Why would they lie to us about killing Bin Laden, landing on the moon, or Al-Qaeda destroying the twin towers? Conspiracy theories are starting to annoy me right now. People need to spend their time doing something else if they spend lots of time trying to prove the government is lying. I mean, yes, I do believe they don’t tell us everything, but I don’t really know if I want to know everything anyway. Ok, that was my rant for the day.

I’m going out to lunch with my mom, brother, and grandpa for Mother’s Day. It’ll be nice! I think she liked her presents from Ray and I, too. Ray got her a Sudoku book, some wine, and a nice wine stopper with a monogram B on it. I got her some earrings and a Blackhawks picture frame with the picture of her and Patrick Sharp in it. I also gave her some photos where I photoshopped Bradley Cooper in the photos with her. I think she should frame those and put them somewhere!

Well, have a good day!

Day 371: Flowers

Rachel, Day by Day

Yay for spring flowers! And these are pink flowers, which make them even better! Yep, I can be girlie sometimes. I really like taking close up photos of flowers, and this is great because the sun is shining in certain spots, too. It’s nice to see the green leaves coming back on the trees, too. Some trees are blooming slower than others, but they’ll catch up. I’m staring out my window right now and I see three trees with many little leaves on them. This is one of the greatest parts of spring: when it first arrives.

I have a feeling these next few weeks (or possibly months) are going to be very busy, so I think I’ll have a lazy night tonight. I love being busy with fun things, but it’s nice to relax once in a while. I’ll take advantage of it tonight.

What’s your idea of the perfect Friday night? Well, if I’m exhausted, staying in and having a movie night sounds good. But, if I’m lively and awake, going out to a restaurant and/or bar sounds great to me. Friday nights are great; you don’t have to go to bed early and go to work in the morning!

Thing that made me happy today: Walking around the courtyard at work on my break this afternoon. It was sunny and in the 60’s. Perfect weather. I smiled a lot.

Day 365: Bunnylicious

Rachel, Day by Day

Well folks, I did it. As I write this, I’m smiling and feeling very proud of myself. I accomplished my goal of taking a photo and writing about it every day for a whole year. It feels like yesterday when I talked about starting this photo blog. I started this with a picture of a bunny and I wanted to end it with a bunny, too. Sadly, I think the weather is too cold for the bunnies right now; I haven’t seen any outside today. I thought this photo was a good alternative. Plus, it says Bunnylicious, which basically sums up my life. This decoration is at Target and it’s definitely very festive. A good ending for my photo blog. I like all the flowers and the chocolate bunnies almost kissing. It made me smile. I guess I’ve been smiling a lot today. That’s a good thing.

I really do feel like my photos have improved over these past 365 days. Some were definitely boring, but I feel like I’m able to look at something and figure out how to make it a good photo, with angles and the settings on my camera. I’m not really sure if my writing has improved, but it’s been great being able to write every day. I tend to be sarcastic and try to joke around in my writing. I hope some of you have laughed or smiled once in a while reading this. I’ve learned that it’s hard to come up with something interesting every day. You can definitely tell I like scenic and bunny photos the best.

So, let’s look back at some of the awesome photos. The one that had the most comments was Day 12: Snorts? with Pam Quinlan. She had billboards all around town, and no one knew who she was. Apparently when people googled her, my blog came up. She even commented on my blog! Good times. My two favorite bunny photos were Day 20: So Close! and Day 262: Petunia. I really miss Petunia and wish I could keep her! I hope her owners are nice to her. Day 41: Pretty Flower and Day 106: Branch were my favorite photos of nature. The branch one looks really professional and that was just taken from my office! I was able to get a photo of a celebrity this past year, which is awesome. Well, I don’t know anyone who’s really obsessed with this actor, but it’s still pretty cool. John Stamos sang with the Beach Boys and I went to the concert (click here). As for my all time favorite photos, I have seven for you. Here they are:

**Day 177: Lights. This was taken at a restaurant called Crane Alley and we sat in the actual alley. These lights look great in this photo!
**Day 225: The Union. This photo was taken on campus at night and I love how it turned out. It makes the quad look so beautiful.
**Day 274: The Bean. Scott and I were in Chicago and I took a photo of our reflection off of the bean. That was a really fun day!
**Day 321: Sunrise. This was one of the best sunrises I’ve ever seen, so I definitely had to pull over and take a photo!
**Day 342: Lindy. I love this photo of my favorite stuffed animal. I like how everything in the background is blurred so you focus on Lindy.
**Day 351: Daffodils. I love these flowers and the color yellow came out great in this photo.
**Day 364: Good Morning, Tree. Lastly, I think this photo is very artsy with the dark branches and light background. It turned out great!

Well, those are my favorites. Now, tell me, what was your favorite? If you are reading this right now, please write a comment! Tell me what you thought of this photo blog and if you can think of your favorite photo. I’d really appreciate it! Also, I should let you know that I plan on continuing this photo blog, but not every single day. When I see a great photo opportunity, I’ll take a photo and share it with you. I’ll still count the days to see how many days I can get to before I get tired of this!

Thank you, my wonderful readers!!! I’ve had a great year with you!!!!

Day 362: Scenic Photos

Rachel, Day by Day

Ahhh, three more days after today!! It’s a weird feeling. Here are some pretty, scenic photos for you. I love the sky in the morning as I’m driving to work. I go to work at the perfect time for a sunrise photo. Isn’t the sky in the first photo gorgeous? I love how the orange, blue, and slight pink blend together like that. And this second photo is a sign of spring! I don’t know what these tiny red flowers are, but they are the first things to bloom on the trees. It’s exciting to see some color again after winter. I love this red/maroon color, too. It’s beautiful! I hope these red flowers get bigger, too. Yay spring!

I had a dream a few nights ago that I’m still thinking about today. My dad and his mom came back to life, but my family and I knew beforehand that they were coming back. I was 2 or 3 when my grandma died, so I don’t remember her. I remember being nervous and wondering if she’d like me. We had everyone in my family gathered in a hall, and my dad and grandma walked in after a while. We all applauded for them. My grandma came up to me and gave me a really big hug. I remember talking to her about something, but I don’t remember the exact conversation. I was just happy that she liked me. I wonder if this dream means anything.

On that note, have a nice Monday night. I plan to relax.

Day 357: Spring!

Rachel, Day by Day

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s been spring for 2 days! It’s very exciting. I took this photo in the courtyard at work.  I leaned down to almost ground level to take the photo; I thought it was a cool angle. This photo makes me want to run through these flowers and sing happy songs. But, I didn’t do that at the time. Maybe another day. It was nice walking around in the sunny weather. These little flowers and leaves remind me of spring, so they made me happy. Are these flowers anyway? And what kind are they then? Sorry, I don’t know much about flowers. I just know that they are pretty.

Modern Family was cute tonight! DO NOT READ ON IF YOU HAVEN’T WATCHED THE EPISODE YET! I liked the relationship between the neighbor and Luke; it was cute! And I liked how Jay hung out with Mitchell and his gay friends; that was awesome. I laughed a lot when Jay was about to go shopping with Nathan Lane at the end of the show. Good times! I think Michell, Cam, and Gloria make me laugh the most. You should watch this show if you haven’t started yet!