A (Surprise!) Weekend at Home!

Last weekend, for the first time ever, I went home during the fall semester! 

It all started this summer when the conversation began about what we should do to celebrate my mom's 50th birthday. We all knew she wanted a surprise party (who doesn't want one??) but we weren't sure how to pull it off or how I could be there. Looking back now, over a week since both those things happened, I'm not sure any of us could tell you. I'm going to attempt to explain it all now, though, for the sake of documentation for us and also to share with those who couldn't be there. AKA, this is a long post. 

First of all, props to my dad and little sister for being able to keep it a secret while living with her! Rumor has it that sometime before that weekend my mom asked my little sister (Brianna) if we were planning anything. Brianna's response? "I don't know. It's not like they would tell me." Hilarious! She definitely knew, but it was an accurate youngest sibling remark nonetheless. The second big thanks goes to my older sister, Jenna, who did most (basically all?!) of the planning for the party, quite a feat! As for me, I just prayed about how I would be able to get there, which ended up being provided by someone whom I love and loves me. Such a gift, to both my mom and I, that we will never forget! 

We all went back and forth on when this would happen before settling on the actual weekend of my mom's birthday. While it would have been fun to surprise her a month beforehand, it was wonderful to be able to spend time with her on the actual day of! As I headed to the airport that Friday afternoon, just a few blocks over from my safe seat on the train was the celebration parade for the Cubs World Series win! In order to throw my mom off, I had a friend of mine, who was standing along the parade route, send me a few pictures of her view. I then sent those to my whole family telling them that I decided to cut class to attend the parade. I quickly texted everyone but my mom that I was a liar who was on her way to the airport. I won't lie, I thought it was a pretty genius way to throw her off. In addition to that, I had made up an event that I told her was happening the next day and even made tentative plans to call and talk with her at some point on her birthday. I also turned off my location on my phone so that she would not be able to see where I was. We used this trick several times throughout the weekend. 

Upon landing, Jenna picked me up from the airport and we headed to the football game! While we regret not planning it out better to where we could have gotten a video of my mom seeing me walk up the bleachers, I won't ever forget the yelling of our names from her, which was a rare sign of excitement (lack of enthusiasm and expressiveness being a quality I got from her). Y'all, she was so pleased. One can never doubt how much a mother loves to see her children after a long time apart. It was so surreal for me to be back in my old high school stadium. I hadn't attended a game since my senior year! (Fun fact: I lettered in football because I was on the varsity team..as a filmer ;)) I finally got to see Brianna in her band uniform. They didn't actually march their show, but you gotta take what you can get!

The next day, which was my mom's actual birthday, was when the real fun began! Long story short, we had a girl's day! We went to a junk show, had lunch, did a little shopping, and finally wine tasting. The day was so beautiful that I can't help but share pictures I took throughout it!:

All of us after the first and most important stop: Starbucks!

Brianna, the official goof. Scarves at Charming Charlies, because who knew a single image could bring me such peace and give me so much inspiration? And bread, the only thing I consumed at the wine tasting! #Moodyproblems #nodrinkinguntilaftergraduation

A mother and all her daughters! What a valuable picture!

Now is a funny part. While at lunch, my dad called my mom and told her that, while at work that afternoon, he was on the bus and went up behind another coworker and jokingly hit the back of their knee, causing them to fall off the bus and get a concussion. It was so hard not to laugh at this because I knew it was a lie covering up my dad's involvement in opening up Wendy's house for the surprise party. She took it in stride, however, and we continued our day, planning on waiting back at the house once we were done to wait on our dad before going out to dinner at one of her favorite places. Once we left the wine tasting, however, Wendy told my mom that we first needed to stop at her house so that she could get my mom's present. 

How cute was her response to a room full of people from all over her life?? This picture makes me want to cry. I viewed the goal of the weekend as to make my mom feel loved and I think this picture shows that this goal was accomplished! The night contained a photobooth with hilarious results, (too briefly!) catching up with both people we have known for years and for shorter periods of time, and finally with sitting around the patio and just chatting after most everyone had left. The only flaw in the party was that we showed up about half an hour after we had planned for, so thank you to everyone who stuck around during that time!!

I swear this girl ended up in half the photobooth pictures!! (;

The next day, Sunday, was spent with family and the dogs. One of my aunts and cousin came up for the party so we went out to lunch and showed them around our area and the many things that are being built. After they left we just hung around the house. We played Mexican Train that night, which is just "our thing". Ah, family. 

            

Compiling pictures for this post brought on one of those moments where I thought to myself, "Wow! How did I take so many pictures of these dogs in such a short amount of time?!" My family got these dogs on the day I left to come back to school this semester, before my flight had even landed! This was my first time to meet them and, while they are quite energetic, a contrast to Mr. Bojangles, I loved them!

Then, bright and early (except not bright..because the night before was "fall back"), Monday morning I hoped on a plane back to Chicago! I got to the airport at 5:15, got through the insane security line by 5:45, and was boarded (with my breakfast compilation from Whataburger, Chick-fil-A, and Starbucks!) by 6:15. I got back to campus and immediately showered and unpacked, energetic to tackle my Monday! The fact that all that energy left and I felt physically weak (mainly just hungry!) by my 11am class reminded me that I am human. 

It was an amazing weekend. We could not have asked for a better one. Once again, thank you to everyone who was involved, from the small ones to the big ones! Mom and dad, I will see you again, and for a longer amount of time (!!) in just a few more weeks! 

- rl

March Reminiscing

I'm on my third day back home for the summer and I still cannot believe that fact. I also can't believe I only blogged once this past school year. It was a crazy one, but I didn't realize I let this slip by so often. Sophomore year was so good and challenging. While I wish I had documented it better here, I can't change it now. #regret

These are pictures Ally, my roommate, and I took back in March. One Sunday afternoon we decided to ditch homework and take a walk to Lincoln Park, walking back on a route that went through a beautiful neighborhood with some interesting features. We're not positive what the eggs were hanging from the trees for, but they were so beautiful to see.

Right now I am munching on banana chips, baking banana bread, and trying to get my room organized before I start work next week. While I love keeping things to look back on for sentimental reasons, the minimalist I want to be dies at the thought of keeping ALL my journals from middle and high school. Stay tuned to find out who wins the battle...

- rl

The Joy in Fiber

This afternoon I made progress on a box of papers I brought home from my first semester. I was able to dwindle it down to notes and only a few sentimental pieces of paper. During this, I also went through a lot of papers from classes. One of those sets of papers was my portfolio from College Writing that we turned in at the end of class then reviewed with our professor a week later. At my review, our professor, the source of many laughs during the semester, scared me into thinking that my revision of my narrative essay was no good. However, it was the opposite: she loved it so much that she wouldn't let me keep the copy that was printed in the portfolio and I got an A- in the class for the semester! I've been meaning to share this essay for six months now, and now seems as good a time as any.

This is the picture that helped me in writing this essay. It was my ninth self portrait in the challenge of 2014, and you can find the original blog post here.

"Sunday afternoon, dinner is cooking and I’m snuggled up by the fire. It feels too good to be true that I’m able to spend the day knitting and relaxing. Knitting is the one thing that instantly calms me when I pick up the needles and slip the yarn through my fingers. Fiber and family, what more could a girl ask for?

It’s early March, still just cold enough for to wear a sweater here in north Texas. My fingers, familiar with the throwing and pulling through of the yarn, are chilly despite the fire beside me and the handmade quilt I’ve enveloped myself up in. This quilt, made of prints with desserts and food and quilted with little ants, has been my companion for the last six months. It was a gift from a woman who is a grandmother to my sisters and I, who are without a biological grandmother. I’ve learned the trick of becoming a burrito with it: standing on top of the chair I’m in and then wrapping it around me, sitting on top of most of it. The heat from the fire doesn’t quite heat my toes, so this blanket is just the right thing. The fire my father started when we got back from church is still going strong, the flames steadily licking the insides of the fireplace. I glance over at the burnt brick which surrounds the fire. All that now-black brick is significant of the 14 years my father has burned fires in there to keep us warm. He can’t see it from his seat on the couch a few feet from me, so he asks me for updates on how it’s doing, and whether or not he needs to come over to stoke it, bringing it back to life. I tell him that it’s doing just fine, especially in keeping me warm. The warmth radiating from the fire continues to warm my arms which aren’t able to stay inside my little cocoon, because my navy blue sweater doesn’t seem to be doing its job of keeping my arms warm. Mom is walking back into the living room from the kitchen, joining us all in watching TV. I can smell the dough from tonight’s bread all the way from the other side of the living room. My mouth waters just thinking about the warm bread lathered in butter which we’ll be eating soon.

I’m working on a hat for my little sister’s best friend, Emily, who is a young teenager that has more wisdom than most adults. I had agreed to make this for her a month ago, and bought the yarn soon after that. Other projects had occupied my time, but now it was her turn. This pattern has been on my needles a couple times previously, so this time I feel confident enough, with my previous experience, to make a few changes. Earlier in the day I had taken out all the work I had done - only an inch, thankfully - and tried again with a smaller needle so the fabric would be a little thicker, and therefore a lot warmer for her. Emily is definitely one who deserves a nice, handknit hat. In the five years my sister and her have been friends, Emily has been a great encouragement to both my sister and I. Even when she has a sleepover with my sister, her and I end up talking for at least half an hour. She’s an old soul who will appreciate the amount of time being spent to make this hat. As the oldest of five, I have plenty of faith she is more than responsible enough to keep track of the hat. When I knit something, I find it important to know the recipient will value the time and money put into it. I look around at my family members, and think of what I can possibly knit them for Christmas. It may be nine months away, but these things take time. I cringe at the thought of knitting something for my loved ones that won’t be a practical item in their everyday lives. I try not to worry about it now, however, because this moment, when we’re all just relaxing together, is an invaluable gift. I’ve been by this fire all day, entertained with House Hunters, a NASCAR race, and a few (knitting) podcasts, so the progress on the hat is stunning. Maybe I can finish it by the time I go to work tomorrow?

I complete another knit stitch, then move the stitches further back on the needle to prevent them from falling off. I feel the half-completed hat fall gently on my blanket-covered lap as I reach down to the ground, into my knitting bag at my side, and pull out the measuring tape again. Four inches is a lot to have completed in a matter of hours. I toss the pink measuring tape back into the bag, then admire the fabric that has come into being in a matter of hours. This pattern was the first I made two short months ago after I first got my knitting needles on Christmas day. In that short amount of time, I have made several items, my pride inflating a little more each time I bind off, marking the completion of another knit project. I take a deep breath, inhaling the familiar smell of burning wood. I didn’t enjoy math while in high school, but now I can appreciate the mechanics of it in this hobby of mine. It requires a lot more math than I first thought it would, yet that fuzzy feeling in my heart gets stronger with each passing moment. It turns out that calculating the number of stitches I need to start with is a kind of math that doesn’t bother me; not when it has such a great reward, anyway. Maybe I’m more of a numbers person than I ever thought before.

Every time I find even a few moments to knit a few stitches, I can physically feel myself relax. The simple, yet repetitive action is just the right thing to work on while watching my favorite show, waiting to clock on at work, or while enjoying some family time. I feel as though my heart will burst from the simple joy of just being with my family while also making good progress on this hat. My heart relaxes as I pick up my project again, continuing on according to the pattern."

- rl

I Want to Remember: In the Morning

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I decided last night that I would have to take my picture in the morning today. While I could easily take a picture after I got off work (I closed tonight), I knew it would just be another random thing in my room. So when I was finished getting dressed this morning, I sat down at the coffee table with my water and bagel bites to watch a few minutes of the TODAY Show. After quickly eating these, my mom took me to work, where I opened, worked until 3p, sat in the food court with older sister while she worked on the setup sheets for work, then went back into the office before eating and going on to my second shift of the day: 5:30 to close. These days I have the most consistent schedule of anyone, except for when I get a text from someone with the chicken I put next to their name in my phone, and gladly accept a few more hours.

Not so sure that paragraph made sense, but this is a I Want to Remember post, and it's just how I would describe it to Future Rachel, which is kind of the point, no?

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

I Want to Remember: Putin Dobby

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This picture was taken just minutes before tonight's Harry Potter watching with big sister + a couple coworkers who are brother and sister, as well as HP fans. We're kinda making it a weekly thing now to get together at one of our houses and watch a movie. Tonight was Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, which is the longest of all the movies. Also, a little fun fact I found while searching through IMDB's trivia on this movie: google "putin dobby". It's kinda hilarious.

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

I Want to Remember: Chigago

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As I mentioned yesterday, today marks one year since I received my acceptance letter to Moody. Yesterday is when I got the letter in the mail that I was accepted - again! miraculously - for this fall. So, I thought, what better picture for today than of an item I got last year on this day?

You see, last year I posted about my acceptance early enough in the afternoon, so when Kristal, one of my friends from yearbook, checked her phone after getting off work at Papa John's, she told her coworkers, our friends, about my acceptance, and then not long after that she called me and told me to go outside. Her and two of our other friends brought me a pizza! The picture above is what they wrote on the inside top of the box, and when I finished the pizza I cut that off and have had it displayed in my room all year. I definitely plan on taking it with me to Chicago. You gotta love that Caroline put Chigago instead of Chicago, then made a tumblr reference.

Aw, now I'm missing yearbook + our lunch table.

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

I Want to Remember: Sunday Scenes

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& an experiment in manual focus.

- rl

(p.s. this is part of my 14 goals for 2014. You can view all my goals here.)

I Want to Remember: Dinner and Cookies

Just a few pictures from the time my mom and I spent in the kitchen on Sunday preparing dinner and cookies.

- rl

I Want to Remember: Nightly Routine

This is my nightly routine. It's always evolving. Here's how:

Picture 1: I'm always doing a different craft. Sometime it's looming. Sometimes it's knitting. Right now, it's either reed making or weaving. When I took these pictures the other night, I was still watching Supernatural, but, since then, have caught up and am moving on to getting caught up on a few other shows I'm halfway through.

Picture 2: I've had the snack - banana, rice chex, and milk - every night for a year now. It's the best. Seriously. THE best before bed snack! In April, I started watching an episode of The Office (U.S.) every night. I'm just starting season seven.

Picture 3: Journaling. I go through ups and downs with this one. I journaled consistently for a few years, but have been off and on for the last 18 months or so. I just recently decided to stick with this simpler style of journaling: memorabilia (which can include clock in/out receipts, the notecard I used to keep track of my to-do list, etc.) + a run down of the day.

Picture 4: My boy. Sleeping, as usual.

I decided to blog about this because this is something I want to remember. I mean, that's why I blog in the first place: to put pictures I take and words to go with them together.

- rl

(p.s. Ignore the picture quality. Once the sun goes down, I turn on two strings of Christmas lights I have hanging in my room, so it makes for some fuzzy pictures. I don't mind, so I hope you don't.)

I Want to Remember

Photo taken 08/07.

I want to remember this moment. 

In the moments before this picture, I wondered which exit my dad would take to leave the church after picking me up from youth. Whether we would head home or stop somewhere first. He turned right onto Paige. Down the road he went, me sitting shot gun, wondering the whole way where we were going. Turn on South Colony. Pull into convenience store. No sno cone. 

"You want to get a sno cone?"

Um. Yes.

Turn back onto South Colony. Pull into the parking lot of Larry's (oldest restaurant in town), and Metro Relief (former church offices, current place of ministry). 

Park. Pull out wallet. Ask if I wanted to get them. Possible hesitancy from me. As I climbed out, so did he. We walked up to the little hut, the one I remember from my childhood (not that I'm old now). Waited. Ordered. Chatted with the woman inside. The one we've formed a sort of friendship with. Paid. Sat down at the closest table. Sticky as always.

Enjoyed the moment of just the two of us. On those sticky benches. In that little strip of land. In this little city we call home.

- rl