The Rachel Things

Stella Maude

Well, so much for my goal to blog monthly. This counts though, right? It’s still February. But speaking of goals, I did actually meet one–and a pretty big one at that.

I adopted a dog!

I found Stella at the OC Humane Society earlier this month. She was super sweet and I knew she was mine. I couldn’t take her that day because I didn’t have my rental agreement that stated that I could have a pet, and they’ll only hold animals for you for an hour. Fortunately, because I was there close to closing time, the rule was they would hold her for me up to an hour after opening the next day. I was able to get my rental agreement that night, and left work for a few hours to go get her the next day. My sister had been visiting, and had planned on leaving that same day, but extended her stay by a day so that she could hang with Stella while I went back to work.

Her name is Stella because I wanted a name that was nature- or space-related, and Stella means “star” in Latin. Plus, it’s the name of both beer and wine that I enjoy, so there’s that too.

Her middle name is Maude (pronounced “mod”) for a few reasons. I loved watching Anne of Green Gables growing up, and the author of the books was named Lucy Maud Montgomery. In the series, Anne is insistent that her name be spelled with an E–“Anne with an E.” So, inspired by Lucy Maud and Anne, I gave Stella the middle name Maude. Maud is also a common name in The Netherlands, and we all know how obsessed I am with the Dutch.

Processed with VSCO with e2 preset Processed with VSCO with s2 preset

She’s really great, but it hasn’t all been a magical time. Stella suffers from separation anxiety when left alone, which then gives me separation anxiety. I hate having to leave her during the day. She’s made some improvements these past few weeks, though, so my hope is that eventually she’ll get used to it and be OK with being alone. She also gets super excited when she sees other dogs (or any animal, really) while out on our walks, so I’m trying to teach her impulse control so that she doesn’t bark, lunge, or cry when she sees a creature she’d like to befriend, but that progress has been a little slower.

Being a dog-mom is hard. Haha, what a funny sentence. Good thing I don’t have human children. But it’s great, too. If you want to follow Stella on her adventures, you can follow her Instagram account (yes, I made my dog an Instagram) @stellamaudedog.

2017 and beyond…

Hello there. Time has been passing so quickly lately, and many things have happened. Well, not that many things, really–mainly, I got a job and moved to Orange County three months ago. And now I can go to Disneyland everyday because #annualpassholder.

My main goals for this past year were to hold a lamb, get a job, and eat more tacos. And I’m proud to share that I have met all three.

Now that I’m all moved into my apartment (shout out to Matt and Lily for letting me crash on their couch for three months!), it’s time to make space. Which is why that’s my word for 30. I’m going to be thirty years old in a little less than two weeks, and in keeping with tradition, my “theme word” for this upcoming year is Space.

I literally now have my own space, which is partly inspiration for this year’s word, but I also want to be intentional about creating space for the things I want to do. So here are this year’s goals:

Read ten books this year.
Become a certified foster care sitter.
Stick to a budget.
Go to sleep earlier at night.
Run more.
Blog monthly.
Master the C chord on guitar.
Expand my Dutch vocabulary.
Adopt a dog.
Take more pictures of people (myself included).

Happy New Year!

Currently

Hello there! I can’t believe it’s already September and fall is almost upon us. I’m ready for my favorite season, though it will be weird and sad not experiencing it in Boston, where the best fall is to be had. Here’s what I’ve been up to lately.

Reading: The Secret Life of Lobsters. When Summer and I visited Boston together back in 2013, I bought this book at the Barnes & Noble in Kendall Square and never got around to reading it. Now that I’m feeling nostalgic for New England (and let’s be real, lobster rolls!), I decided to pick this up. Hoping to finish it before summer officially ends.

Watching: Once Upon A Time. I stopped watching it years ago because I got kind of bored of it and my wifi speed was not conducive to Netflix binges, but I started watching it again and I’m quite entertained. Plus it’s basically all about Snow White, so what’s not to love?

Purging: all the books and clothes and miscellaneous things. In preparation for my cross-country move (more on that later), I went through a lot of things and sold or got rid of them. Now that I’m in settling in California, I’ve discovered that there are even more things that I don’t need or want cluttering up my life.

Listening to: Kelly Clarkson’s Love So Soft. I know that everyone has been freaking out about Taylor Swift’s new song/video, and I’m no exception, but as a long-time Kelly fan, I’m excitedly anticipating her new album.

Looking forward to: starting a new job soon. Last year, I decided to leave my job in order to pursue other career and life things. And it has all been very fun and exciting, and I’m ready re-enter the workforce, refreshed, renewed, and inspired. Accepting job offers now.

Fresh Leap

tacos racheleatstacos When I was turning 23, I made a list of 23 Things to do while I’m 23. I was not very good at making goals, because I only wanted to make goals if I thought I could meet them. I wanted to grow in that area though, and become OK with not always meeting my goals. I kept the habit up for 24, 25, and 26, and for 27, I made a list of ten goals (because I couldn’t come up with 27, haha).

Then, for 28, I tried something new. Inspired by my friend Rachael, who picks a “theme word” on her birthday each year, I decided that my word for 28 would be “leap.” And leap, I did. I continued to code, I quit my job, I dated someone, I travelled, I got broken up with, I travelled some more, I cooked, I ate at restaurants alone, I worked for True Vine, I babysat, I went on a road trip with my sister, I learned more about plants. It was a great year. And 2016 also happened to be a leap year, so that worked out nicely. My only two goals for the year were to get a job and hold a lamb, neither of which I did. How’s that for growing? lamb This year’s word is “fresh.” Fresh start, fresh place, fresh air. And lot’s of tacos. I carried over my “get a job” and “hold a lamb” goals from last year, and added “eat more tacos.” #racheleatstacos

So there we have it. We’re almost halfway through the year, and I finally held a lamb. I’ve eaten oh so many tacos. Now, I suppose it’s time to find a job, haha.

Hump Day Happies

Happy Hump Day! Here are some things that have been making me happy lately.

1. Green smoothies. I’ve gotten back into the habit of drinking a green smoothie everyday and it’s been great. I got a little off-track during my road trip, when my powdered-greens solution back-fired on me, but thankfully I’m back in the presence of fresh greens and a blender.

2. Hummels. Amy’s mom has a bunch of these and apparently they’re a thing. This one is my favorite because duh, deer, and because look how cute it is! I almost got into a bidding war on e-bay over one, but I restrained myself.

pamplemousse_drops_ta-copy 3. Grapefruit La Croix. I’m not, however, restraining myself from these. I don’t really enjoy grapefruit or grapefruit-flavored things, but this has been my favorite La Croix flavor lately.

4. Rifle Paper Keds. When I found out these were back on sale after being out of stock for a very long time, I couldn’t resist. What a great collaboration.

5. Moana. Moana is on Netflix now, so I got to re-watch it the other night. I definitely found a greater appreciation for it the second time around.

6. Talenti’s Double Dark Chocolate. I’ve been trying to cut back on sweets, but this is my go-to when I’m craving a real treat-yourself treat.

7. Lily’s apartment + patio. I have yet to visit her place in person, but I love seeing pictures of my cousin’s place. When I need to feel inspired, I pop on over to her Instagram account (@lilyland).

8. Ted Talk Gorilla. The internet is great.

9. The SF Giants. One of the nice things about being back on the west coast is being able to catch Giants games. Oh how I’ve missed them.

10. Boba. Another nice thing about being back in the Bay Area means access to the best boba, and plenty of friends who can enjoy it with me.