200 MAAN posts



Today marks my 200th blog post since I began writing Much Ado About Nothing (aka MAAN) in 2009 :) It's been four years of living, loving, reflecting, ranting, sharing, and hopefully bringing some smiles to some of your faces along the way. For me, my blog has been a way to share all of the above as well as to create a space to keep my memories alive. I like to think that I will remember the good times and the bad in my life, but I realize that having another place to can keep special memories could be beneficial in the long run. Let's face it, my memory is not even presently stellar :) Being able to read and look back at the vivid pictures I have painted over the last four years is awesome. Some of the weeks, months and years I blogged all the time, while others, my blog sat collecting dust because I was too busy to make the time. I'm a bit sad to think about the memories I made all of this last year that never found their way paper, but I feel happy that I found this new desire and motivation to start writing more frequently.

The change of pace that my writing has taken over the last few months seems crazy in comparison to what it started out as. It honestly feels wonderful to be writing each day, whether it is memorable or not. Adopting a mindset that I need to write each day has been great and not at all what I thought my blog would become when I first started writing in 2009. That being said, I'm enjoying this place that I have arrived at. It is not always an easy task to write daily...such is life. Writing has been and continues to be a fantastic, often therapeutic way to share and save a little piece of myself. Speaking of things I never thought I would do...sharing my blog on an open avenue such as Facebook. I always thought of blogging as more for myself, and at times my family and closest friends. However, literally opening my mind up and making myself vulnerable to those I'm friends with on Facebook has been oddly nice :) It makes me smile to know that something I have written could make someone else smile. It has also opened the door to making new connections with those around me.

So on today, October 29, 2013, my 200th day of posting, I'll admit...I'm proud of myself for my writing dedication, a bit nostalgic looking back, and hopeful for what may come in the next 200 posts :) Thanks for reading, commenting and sharing in the last four years of Rachael :)



Y-o-u'r-e means you are, y-o-u-r means your!

I can't think of a more perfect day than Monday to talk about what peeves me. Everyone has them, those little things that shouldn't bug you as much as they do, but they.just.do. Whether they are BIG peeves or little peeves, learning to live with and work around the pet peeves' of those that you share space with can be challenging to say the least. Most of the time it can be as easy as sucking it up and ignoring it, but on those rare days when the werewolf is out, every, little thing gets under your skin. As long as this isn't every day, you're good :)

For those that know me and have lived with me, parents excluded, (Katie, Jessie, Kendall, Leah, Mary, Jessie, Alicia, and Mo) *WOW I have lived with a lot of ladies! I can easily be annoyed by what may seem to some as silly little things, but when you are sharing a living space with others they become HUGE things to me.

Let me preface this by saying that, despite what others may tell you, I am not a super, neat-freak or a bad roommate to have :) I simply prefer shared spaces to be kept tidy and decently clean seeing as multiple people are using them during any given day. Who wants to be crowded by other people's personal stuff and things? Not me. Ironically, one of my biggest pet peeves is in the kitchen. Are you laughing too? :) Rachael hardly ever cooks! How can she have a pet peeve that is associated with the kitchen? I find it annoying when I go in to cook or make food and there is already remnants of someone else's food on the counter, stove, or in the sink. I loath having to clean BEFORE I can cook or cooking around someone else's mess. For that matter, I also don't enjoy cleaning up around someone else's dirty dishes. Sure, sometimes I will help out and clean all the dishes left in the sink in addition to my own, but mostly I don't want to do this. It's just a common courtesy thing. If you don't like to clean right after you cook, cook last so your dishes aren't in the way. How hard is that really? My mom and dad were big on cleaning up the kitchen every night after dinner (I imagine that this was because with five kids, any left over mess makes the living areas feel even smaller!). Now, as an adult I also like to clean up each evening and start the new day NOT having to clean up two meals. This extends into most aspects of my life, work and home included. Clutter and left over messes or work that carries on to the next day only adds unwanted/unnecessary stress. Does this seem crazy to people who could care less if things are put away before bed? Heck yes it does, as I've been told many, many times, but this is who I am...you get the crazy with the awesome :)

Don't think of this post as a rant, just a way for you to better understand where I am coming from with my "crazy." Am I messy sometimes? Yes. Do I sometimes leave my clean clothes folded in a laundry basket for a day or two or my shoes in shared spaces? Yep, it doesn't happen often, but it happens. Am I occasionally lazy and don't clean up right after I'm done? Occasionally... I never said I was perfect! For the most part, I bite my tongue when it comes to my pet peeves, as they are just that...my pet peeves and I don't expect people to change on account of me. However, when living with others the consideration of feelings and quirks is important and will make the experience better for all involved :)

 

Fall, football, friends, fun

Yesterday was another awesome day of college football! The Beavs played Stanford...late. The game was at 7:30 p.m., so naturally we were down there tailgating by 3:00 p.m. Adam and I rode down with Chris and Carmen, which was a treat for Adam since he usually ends up driving. We even played car games to make the two hour drive go by faster :) When we arrived at our tailgate spot we met up the rest of our fun group, Kasey, Scotty, Missy, Joe, Sean L, Tyree, Sean P, Carly, Sheena, Jeff, Gretchen and Greg already in fine tailgating form! There was a great spread of delicious foods including homemade chili that Adam and I contributed, yummy ham and cheese warm sammies made by Carmen as well as lots of other goodies! Can't forget the beer :) Adam played endless cornhole of course. It was quite a lovely fall day as well! We needed our jackets for the game, but mostly it was perfect fall weather. It was so nice to see some faces that I haven't seen in a while! Sheena and Jeff live up near Seattle now and we haven't seen Sheena since last December before their little girl was born. Needless to say it was great to see them both :) The game didn't turn out exactly how we all wanted, but it was a fun one all the same. Another game next Friday! GO BEAVS!!!

Spending time with a few of my favorite ladies all day was such fun!

 

 

It was fun sharing the backseat with this handsome fella ♥

 

 

You're fb dead to me.

Ok, we're going to get real here for a hot second. I want to know why it is such a freakin' big deal to delete someone on stupid book face. I will be the first to admit that I've deleted people over the past seven years that I've been actively using fb. I used to feel like I had to say yes to everyone that friended me, (everyone that I knew anyways) but now, I will not accept a friend request unless we are actually friends in the present day and time. Do I want to Facebook stalk people that I used to know from high school, but don't talk to on either fb or in real life? No, I don't. I have no interest in doing that. Here's how it works for me, if I don't see you or hang out with you (ever) in the real world and we don't communicate on fb, I'm talking no liking each other's posts or commenting etcetera, etcetera, then you are probably going to get deleted because here's an eye opener... that's not a friendship. I'm not, nor have I ever been one of those people that wants a billion friends on Facebook. I actually want to have some interaction with the people I call friends in my life.

 

So I'm sorry (not really) if it makes me a beeotch or if people don't understand where I'm coming from on this, but that's the way I feel. In order to be friends, there needs to be conscious effort put in on both sides. If I make the effort to be in your life and you don't do the same, that is just not going to work for me. At this point in my life, I want to spend my time interacting with people and friends that I really care for and who really care for me. Seems silly right? Nope, not really. For those of you in my life both in person and on Facebook who take the time to be a friend to me, thank you and I appreciate you. For the rest of you who are just on my friends list because we went to school once, a long time ago or used to make time for one another, but no longer do, (I'm talking about those of you who ignore my attempts to connect with you and then judge me for deleting you) stop throwing a fit and messaging me wondering why we aren't friends on fb anymore.

 

Now something silly to look at and make you :) after my rant

 

 

 

Ukeleles rule

I don't have too many words to share tonight. Instead, I will share the best version of the "stalker" song that I have every heard :) I hope it makes your heart smile the way it made mine. It also makes me oddly want to travel to a tropical island for awhile ♥

Shoulda, woulda, coulda

In my almost 31 years of life, (a little over a week until my birthday month commences! :) I have done my very best to not have regrets. I have taken chances on both others and myself, crossed many things off of my ever growing bucket list and arrived somewhat to where I always thought I wanted to be. Sure my path has changed courses as I navigated through uncharted waters whether that be in relationships, school, or jobs, but I am honestly certain that I am exactly where I am supposed to be right before I turn 31.

Question of the day to be answered: What is your biggest regret? Would you go back in time to change your actions and outcome if you could?

I'm not exactly certain that I could call my biggest regret an actual regret since the opportunity to do this was never actually presented and turned down by me. That being said, my biggest regret is not applying to study abroad in either high school or as an undergrad. As a young adult, I don't think that I ever realized just how awesomely amazing the opportunity to study and live in another county is. I was a bit on the shy side as a young adult, still figuring out the individual that I wanted to be as well as how loud:) I was not as extroverted as I am today. I know...shocker right! The thought of leaving everything that was comfortable; my family, my friends, pets and the life that I had built centered around the things that I loved was frightening. Having a serious boyfriend only added to complications and reasons for staying in both high school and college in the states. Unfortunately, I didn't realize until much later in life that some chances are worth taking at the risk of losing someone. If I could go back now, I would have opted to spend a semester in a foreign country no matter what my romantic situation was and just hoped for the best recognizing that all I would gain from the experience would be worth it in the long run. BIG words now, but back then...I would have never thought like this! Again, so funny how we change:)

I grew up in a family of five children. That's a whole lot of hungry mouths to feed! Both my parents worked hard every day to provide for all of us. I don't remember wanting for much, but we never just threw money away. The importance of working hard and saving money was something that was instilled early. I'm grateful for this. As a result, however, I honestly never figured that being able to study abroad would be an option for me financially. It's an expensive option when free public school is offered. I realize now that had I been serious at the time about studying abroad that there would have been ways for me to earn and save the money through fundraising and such, thus easing the monetary burden on my parents, but sadly, I was never really serious about it...out loud anyways. The thought of studying abroad and using the Spanish language that I was acquiring in school was intriguing, but I never took the next step.

After opening myself up to both traveling and living abroad after I turned a quarter of a century old, I now have a hint of what I might have missed out on. Would my timid personality possibly have altered my enthusiasm for traveling the unknown had I opted to study abroad in either high school or during undergrad?? I like to think not, but it is difficult to say whether I would have been strong enough to take such a big leap on my own and be stronger for it. It may have broken me instead, turning me into less of the extrovert that I have become on the path that I chose. In the end, am I sorry that I didn't study abroad in my young adult life? Yes, but only because I now long for new travel and cultural experiences. I simply jump at the chance to explore new places when ever I am able! Am I happy with the life that I have lead thus far and the person that I have become? MOST definitely! They say that every experience both positive and negative shapes you in some way to be the person that you are supposed to be. I completely agree and am grateful for the opportunities I have been offered as well as those I have seized along the way :) I look forward to continuing to grow and learn as the years roll by and hope to never have to pass on the chance to follow my travel dreams :)

Las pequenas cosas

"Enjoy the little things in life, one day you will look back and realize they were the big things." Robert Brault  

The above quote relates perfectly to my blog post topic for today. Write about the little things that make you happy :) Most of the things that make me truly happy are little things lol. Hmm... I fear that this list could get pretty long so I will try to limit it to a top 15...
*Spoiler Alert: Twinkies do not make the list :)

1. When Adam opens my car door for me :) Every time! This gesture is so wonderfully old fashioned and sweet! One of my favorite little things for sure :)

2. Cuddling and napping with Falcon. She isn't the sweetest to me all the time, but every once in awhile, she is a snuggler :)

3. A perfect cup of coffee or chai tea. I make my own coffee to go most days, but occasionally I like to splurge and buy coffee at *insert any number of coffee shops I frequent, here. I can honestly say that the first sip of my drink choice of the day means a great deal more than it probably should, but hey, it's all about those little things!

4. When family and friends actually take the time to call me on my birthday. Call me old fashioned, but it makes me feel more loved to actually hear a voice wishing me a happy birthday more than reading it. I'm grateful for texts and fb messages/posts, but a call or actually seeing you on my birthday means oh so much more :)

5. After months of waiting and pre-ordering...FINALLY getting that next book in a series that I am invested in so that I can dive back into a fantastic world! I absolutely LOVE opening a new book! I take my book, find a secluded spot, get comfy and start a new adventure :)

6. When my nieces and nephew are actually excited to see me :) Now that we all live far away from one another, the time that I do get to spend with these four amazing kiddos is more precious to me. It makes my heart smile to get letters from them saying how much they miss me and can't wait to see me as well as getting a jump-in-your-arms hug when I do get to see them in person:)

7. When the people closest to me do something to make me do this :) This can range from Adam surprising me with breakfast before I have to leave for work (this happened today! He is just the best :), to my roomies doing chores around the house before I can make time for them, to a friend sending me a message just to say hi.

8. Dropping by my parent's house just to say hi and catch up :) It means so much to have this time.

9. The moment when you can look to the horizon and see the beach from the car window! I'm pretty sure I gasp every.single.time.

10. A perfectly warm and tasty deep fried oreo. Nuff said.

11. When Adam and I are lying on opposite ends of the couch and we rub one another's feet without even asking :) It's become an awesome second nature, which we both benefit from.

12. Playing with my favorite dogs:) Literally one activity that can always bring a smile to my face. Dogs are amazing creatures and make super friends!

13. Watching a baseball game on a sunny day! Everything about the game of baseball is artistic, methodical and wonderful. The pitching, watching plays being made, swings of the bats, the sounds, the smells, cheering, singing, beer drinking and hot dogs. I love this game.

14. Holding hands ♥ Adam wasn't always a hand holder. When we first started dating, he preferred to walk with his arm around my shoulder and mine around his waist. I believe that I have shown him the awesomeness that is hand holding :) Plus, walking while holding hands is much easier to coordinate that arm around shoulder/waist!

15. Waking up to sweet "I love you, miss you, have a great day messages" on the wipe board when Adam was working 6 a.m. - 3 p.m. :) I wake up before him now, but I can still remember all his words :)