Charlie Bob

This is not the shortest story, and I share some personal information (which Chuck supported my sharing), but it's got a really good ending if you have the time to read. :)

As many of you know, our journey to have a baby has been anything but easy. We experienced 3 horrible losses in the span of a year and a half that were all related to the babies having chromosomal issues. We were tested for what feels like a thousand different things to find what could be causing our losses, met with specialists in Cincinnati to talk about our options (which included either a) keep trying naturally or the extreme opposite option b) do IVF with pre-genetic screening), and have just been on an overall terrible rollercoaster of the some of the highest highs and lowest lows you can face in life. After our 3rd loss, we were undecided about whether or not we would try again and risk another loss, or do an almost sure (but insanely expensive) thing and do IVF. Around that time, we decided to start house hunting. We had been talking about it for over a year, but it finally felt like the right time. And we needed a change.

Enter: Melody. (Last name not being shared for privacy purposes.) Melody was our realtor who was recommended to us by a loan officer whose number Chuck found randomly on Zillow. The loan officer told Chuck this woman specialized in finding East End homes (which is primarily where we were looking) and that she'd be great for us. Soon after, we met Melody and she was great. She is an older woman, very experienced, very honest and straight forward and VERY Christian. We got close with Melody fast and we shared our pregnancy struggles with her as we had just experienced our 3rd loss right before we bought the house. She asked our permission to share our struggles with her Bible study and some of her other friends so they could all be praying for us and of course we said we didn't mind.

It didn't take us too long to find a house, and when we did it was a partially unfinished new build that still needed some finishing touches. For everything the house still needed, landscaping, blinds, mirrors, whatever, Melody would tell us "oh I have a guy for that. I'll give you his number." Melody seemingly had a guy for everything.

Enter: Charlie Bob. (I'd like to note here that I am not leaving off his last name to protect his privacy or identity. I actually don't know his last name and now I'm thinking he may not have one, like Madonna.) Charlie Bob was Melody's "blinds guy." While we were under contract, Melody would constantly tell us, "Go to Lowe's. Ask for Charlie Bob. Tell him you're a friend of Melody's. He will take care of you." Whenever we talked she would ask me at the end of our conversation, "have you called Charlie Bob yet?" Finally, one Saturday, Chuck and I went to Lowe's and looked for Charlie Bob. We found an employee and asked about him and his response was "Ummmm, Charlie Bob hasn't worked in here in FOREVER...." I texted Melody. She responded "Oh! Ok well here is his cell number. Just call him. He'll take care of you." She always added that part at the end.

I finally called Charlie Bob and set up a time for him to come measure our windows and tell us what kind of blinds he recommended we buy. On the day he came to the house, Chuck wasn't home yet so I met with him alone and walked him from room to room making a plan. Charlie Bob was an elderly man in very worn overalls with the sweetest, realest, country accent. He told me his life story about growing up in Western Kentucky and how he knew Melody as a teenager and how he and his wife raised their kids in a small home in Indiana and moved several years ago to St. Matthews to be closer to their kids and grandkids. We talked as we went from room to room and he wrote down measurements, starting with our first spare bedroom that we use currently as an office.

When we got to the 2nd spare bedroom, he asked me "Now what should I label this room?" I casually said "well, you can just call it the 2nd bedroom I guess. We're hoping we will have a baby someday and this will be the nursery." As soon as I said it, Charlie Bob stopped in his tracks as he was lifting his measuring tape to the window, turned around and looked me square in the face, deep into my SOUL, and said "Oh. You WILL. I'm writing Baby's Room." Then he turned around and continued measuring. And he did write Baby BR. (See pic below for evidence.)

In that moment I had major chills. He said "oh you WILL" SO confidently and so sure, almost like he knew something I didn't. Obviously our friends and family and doctors had all said this to us at some point, but something about the way this stranger said it to me felt different. I thought about it for the rest of the day, and told Chuck about it pretty much the minute he got home. He agreed it was kind of eerie and wasn't sure why he would have said that so confidently, or even at all.

Charlie Bob came back a few weeks later and installed our blinds during a work day, so my mother-in-law met him at the house for us and hung out while he put all the blinds up. He texted me the next day to see if we liked his work and after that interaction, we never saw him or talked to him again.

Ok. Ready for the part that makes the story? I found out I was pregnant a week later.

Now, I'm not claiming an immaculate conception or anything because we obviously know how we got pregnant. But for two years we tried to have a healthy baby and couldn't, and then suddenly Charlie Bob shows up at our house and BAM. Without doing anything different than what we've been doing, we are blessed with a chromosomally, as far as we know from tests we've done so far, healthy baby.

So that is the story of the magical Charlie Bob. Chuck and I are convinced that Charlie Bob is our Clarence (from It's a Wonderful Life.) We're convinced if we tried calling him again, his number would be disconnected. We're convinced that Melody has a direct line to God, that she asked him to send us help, and He did. He sent us our guardian angel, who apparently is an older man named Charlie Bob who wears overalls and does a seriously great job hanging blinds.

Resolutions

Every year I try to come up with a new year's resolution. Most years I fail to come up with anything. Years when I do think of one, I usually fail at keeping it. Sure, "watch less TV" sounds like a great idea on January 1st when you're motivated to be a better version of yourself in the new year. But then you get home from work on January 2nd and start to make dinner and you're too tired to read and mentally exhausted from the workday so end up vegging out on Friends reruns and have no regrets because Friends is the all-time best show ever.

Here's the thing, I LOVE watching TV. Chuck and I love finding a new show to binge watch and discuss and talk about with friends. (Just started Narcos and we are already obsessed.) It's just something we enjoy doing together and always have. So why would I make a resolution to stop doing something I love? I feel like a lot of people do that. And the point of new year's resolutions isn't to make yourself miserable. It's to make yourself better and enjoy your life more!

So what if we quit making resolutions with "less" or "stop" in them and instead made resolutions with "more" and "start" in them? The less and stop resolutions seem harder and you're almost setting yourself up to fail from the start.

How about....

Take more pictures. Call more people on the phone when you drive. Go to more concerts. See more movies. Start a book club. Start a wine club. Start writing a book. Go on more spontaneous weekend adventures. Play more games. Watch MORE TV. Eat more vegetables. Try a new food. Read more books. These all seem easy!

So I've given this a lot of thought, and I am feeling pretty confident about my ability to actually keep my 2017 new year's resolution which is to.......

Eat MORE donuts.

What's your new year's resolution?

My Five Fall Must-Haves

I love Fall. Who doesn't? I've seen all these online lists and magazine articles lately like "Fall Must-Haves for 2016!" and "Fall Fashion Trends!" I laugh when I read these articles because my own personal Fall fashion trends and must-haves are a little different. So I've decided to create my own Fall Must-Haves list for fun. You're welcome.

#1 - The Grey Sweatshirt

 By far the most exciting part of Fall for me is the day I get to pull the ole grey sweatshirt back out of the closet. When I was 13 I bought a grey sweatshirt from Walmart for $5 in the boys section. I wore that grey sweatshirt every Fall and Winter until I was 26, when I finally upgraded to a new grey zip up hoodie from Nike.

Nothing to wear and leaving in 2 minutes? Throw on the grey sweatshirt! Wanna lay on the couch and be lazy? Throw on the grey sweatshirt! Cold? Throw on the grey sweatshirt! It's perfect for every situation.

#2 - Pumpkin Pancake and Waffle Mix

Ok- I'm not all into the Pumpkin Spiced Latte and pumpkin beer and pumpkin EVERYTHING, but I AM into the Trader Joe's Pumpkin Pancake and Waffle Mix. Mix this stuff up for pancakes (my personal preference) and throw some chocolate chips in.... HEAVENLY.

#3 - Gilmore Girls

Gilmore Girls is one of my all-time favorite TV shows. A lot of the show's episodes were filmed in Fall (it's set in Connecticut) so it just feels right to curl up on the couch and watch episode after episode of it once it's actual Fall. Right now is also the perfect time to watch it as the 4 new episodes come out on Netflix on Thanksgiving weekend!

#4 - Starbucks Salted Caramel Mocha

When Starbucks releases their Pumpkin Spiced Latte, most people go nuts. I am not one of those people. I personally think it's kinda nasty. What I DO go nuts over though, is the Salted Caramel Mocha, usually released at the same time as the PSL. Chocolate, caramel, and salt all in one delicious warm cup. Yes, please. This year they have the Salted Caramel Mocha Frappucino. It was just OK, so I'd stick with the hot version if you're going to try it.

#5 - Capri Blue Volcano Candle

Forget the pumpkin spiced or apple or cinnamon candles. It's all about the Capri Blue Volcano Candle. This is the best candle to ever exist, it smells up your whole house, and it is the perfect background smell for watching football, watching Gilmore Girls, laying on the couch in your grey sweatshirt, or any other Fall activity. When I searched Google for this picture, I found the candle for sale on Amazon and found a review of this candle that is too funny not to share:

"I remember where I was when the smell hit me for the first time: a mere 18-year-old who was lost in the world without a friend, without a purpose, and without a girlfriend. In a world full of uncertainty that one smell became truth to me, and that truth was: this is no ordinary candle.
That candle was Capri Blue’s Volcano, which is one of the greatest creations ever--comparable to mankind, penicillin, and the iPhone.
Since the discovery of smell as a scent, Capri Blue has been mastering the art of good smells that captivate and enslave your nostrils without apology.
Since my first purchase of the candle, my life has started to improve significantly: I have made friends, my grades have improved, my dad finally told me that he is proud of me, and my restraining order from Stacy has been lifted."

 So those are my top 5 Fall Must-Haves. What are yours?

Current Obsessions

Here are some things I'm currently obsessed with that I'd like to share with you so you can be obsessed too.

Lin-Manuel Miranda's twitter. 
Lin-Manuel Miranda, better known as the genius behind Hamilton and many other things he did that you had no idea he was involved with (like writing music for the new Star Wars and writing all the music for the next big Disney movie) has a twitter and it is pure gold. He makes references to Harry Potter and Friends regularly (two of my all time favorite things), tweets inspirational messages in the morning and at night, posts hilarious GIFs, and tweets about his current work, his adorable family and of course Hamilton. It's by far my favorite twitter account and he is slowly working his way to the top of the list of my favorite people who I don't actually know in real life.

Ed Sheeran on Amazon Prime Music while hanging around the house.
I have listened to Ed Sheeran for awhile now off and on, but recently discovered that his music is perfect for "house background music." You know, music you want on in the background that you don't necessarily want to listen to every song but you just need background noise while you read, clean, cook, or eat? His music is perfect for this.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
New Harry Potter story written as a play. Do I even need to explain why I'm obsessed with this right now? Didn't think so.




Summer Olympics
I. LOVE. THE. OLYMPICS. I have no idea why I love them so much, but I do. Especially the summer Olympics. I could honestly watch every sport all day every day for the entire duration of the games but unfortunately I have a job and a life and can't do that. I especially love gymnastics, swimming and track & field. Oh and diving. And the weird synchronized swimming. OH and beach volleyball. Opening Ceremonies are tonight, FYI!

Flavored Water
Chuck and I gave up drinking soda almost 5 years ago. While I don't miss it, I do miss a little carbonation every now and then. Several months ago my mom introduced me to the Sparkling Ice flavored waters and now I have an obsession with trying every brand of sparkling flavored water to find the best. I tried the La Croix in several flavors and don't care for them. Last week I bought San Pellegrino Orange flavor and didn't realize that's actually juice and not sparkling water and has 29 grams of sugar. (Why was it in the sparkling water aisle?!) So I'm sticking with the Sparkling Ice Cherry Limeade from this point forward. Until someone releases an article about why THOSE are bad for you too and then it's back to plain old tap water again.

Laser Tag. 
Our company had our annual summer staff party earlier this week at Main Event off Blankenbaker. We had 4 hours of unlimited bowling, laser tag, and 2 hours of unlimited arcade games. Chuck was in Heaven. We played only one game of laser tag at the end of the night, and then I was mad at myself for not playing more laser tag earlier in the night. Laser tag is one of those things that is equally fun as an adult as it was as kids. Who wants to go play laser tag ASAP?

Actual picture of me and Chuck playing laser tag together

And lastly,

Summer
I am not typically a summer person. I love fall the most (who doesn't?) because of all the fall things people love- the weather, football games, chili, pumpkin butter, holidays, etc.  But this year I've been all about summer. The pool, the lake, watermelon, flip flops, restaurant patios, margaritas, etc. I just can't get enough! I went to Kroger this week and saw they already have Jack-O-Lanterns out front for sale and I cringed. I'm not ready for summer to be over! Stop rushing things, Kroger!



That's all for now. Everyone have a lovely weekend!

TMI

Pretty often in life, a perfect stranger tells me too much information. Sometimes I bring it upon myself by asking, what I think is, a simple question. But sometimes people just blurt things out and I find myself running late to work because the UPS lady wouldn't stop telling me her family history. I'm not sure why people feel comfortable telling me the things they do sometimes, but I think it's an inherited trait. My mom has strangers bypass 100 people to come up to her and ask for directions. HER mom, my grandma, used to spend forever at the grocery because she would talk to people in every aisle, and just when you thought it was over, she'd spend another 15 minutes chatting away the cashier.

Just for fun, here are some things people have shared with me in recent years.

Starting with the UPS lady who I mentioned a couple posts ago- I recently went to UPS to ship a birthday gift to one of our nieces in Virginia Beach. When the lady working saw where I was shipping it, she told me she used to live in Virginia Beach. I then made the mistake of asking what brought her to Louisville and she filled me in on her husband's job in the Navy, how old her kids are and what they do for a living, what she loved about Virginia Beach, and every city they lived in before and after Virginia Beach, and finally their ultimate decision to move to Louisville after he retired from the Navy because they wanted to live in the South but be close to her mom in Cleveland because she's old and not in great health but not TOO close because she and her mom have a complicated relationship. Luckily I left before she went into detail about the source of their complicated relationship or I would have been even LATER to work than I already was.

One time I saw a lady cutting cheese and ham for free samples at Kroger and she was bawling her eyes out. Everyone was ignoring her, so when I walked by I stopped and asked "Are you ok?" She then proceeded to tell me what a jerk her boss was, how mean he was to her, and how she hated her job. I mostly just stood there listening and nodding until she finally stopped crying, thanked me for listening, and gave me some cheese and ham on a cracker.

One time a doctor I went to and had never met before, told me all about how her boyfriend wouldn't bite the bullet and ask her to marry him and how she couldn't understand what his hesitation was considering they lived together and owned a dog. I also know a lot of personal information about my dental hygienist and dermatologist.

This story I was reminded of by the recent passing of Muhammad Ali. I was working downtown before we moved to Boston, and I was walking to lunch one day when a guy stopped me and my friend and asked if he could tell us a story. He said he was here for a work trip and had just been at the Muhammad Ali Center by himself wasting a few hours. He said the video at the beginning of the museum ended, the door opened, and Ali himself was wheeled into the room. So he got to meet Ali and have his picture taken with him and he was FREAKING OUT about how cool it was and just had to stop someone and tell them about it. (He showed us the picture too.)

I get asked for directions all of the time, even when I'm a tourist in another city. I've also been asked for restaurant suggestions, my opinions on hummus in the grocery store, and don't even get me started on dressing room conversations at clothing stores.  There are so many more stories and a lot I'm sure I've forgotten. Some I wish I could forget, like the person who told me about her family member's vasectomy. And even though I joke with my friends and family about how annoying it is to constantly be stopped by people or spend way longer in a place than I intended because of these instances, I really don't mind being the random listener or recommendation giver or direction giver. Maybe people think I have a friendly face or I look like I know where I'm going. Maybe when that lady saw me choose my hummus without hesitation she knew she could trust me. Or maybe I just look like a sucker.

Don't Call it a Comeback

I miss blogging. I realized this one day recently when I randomly got the urge to blog. I didn't even have an idea of what I wanted to write about, but I just wanted to write something. So here I am. I loved blogging when we were living in Boston and Seattle. It was something fun to do and a fun way to keep everyone at home updated on our adventures in other cities. Now that we're back in Louisville, I see most of my friends and family who read the blog regularly, so I haven't felt the need to keep posting pictures and updates on our life. I also got the feeling no one would really care to read that this weekend, Chuck and I alternated between binge watching Boy Meets World and New Girl episodes. But look at that- here I am telling you anyway!

I have no idea how often I'll write or what I'll even write about. But to kick things off again, here are some things I may blog about moving forward.

- The time Kroger moved everything around and I almost had a panic attack.

- Cute photos of our nieces and our friends' babies.

- Stories from our Denver trip with the fam including my middle child outburst in the backseat of the minivan, the creepy spice cabinet at our Air B&B, and how my mom took a replica skull through airport security.

- My quest to become BFFs with the ladies of Hi-Five Doughnuts.

- Thoughts on the Windows Surface I got through work and how I will escape to Mexico with mine if they ever try to take it away from me.

- My self-imposed Panera ban and thoughts on hypochondria and how those two things are related.

- An occasional sappy post about how awesome Chuck is because he's really cool and deserves at LEAST a good blog post every now and then.

- The mystery surrounding people's constant need to tell me private details about their life when I ask a simple question, or sometimes when I don't ask at all like the UPS lady that told me she moved to Louisville from Virginia Beach because her mother lives in Cleveland so she wanted to be closer but not TOO close, because well, ya know she and her mom have never gotten along that great but now that she's older she really felt she needed to be closer just in case....YA KNOW????

- Musings on TV shows, recipes, and daily life occurrences.

- Whatever else life decides to throw at me and Chuck which judging by the last 2 years, could be anything all the way from AMAZING BEST THING EVER to "You thought you had the worst day of your life already but surprise, it's actually today!" (Hopefully more of the former than the latter.)

Let's do this!

(Here's a pic of Chuck and his youngest niece at Derby, because I know the cute niece and baby pics are the only reason anyone will look at this blog from this point forward.)

Reverse Bucket List

***I wrote this post on May 1 and intended to post it sometime towards the end of our time in Boston, but obviously never got around to it. So here it is now, just for fun. 
_____________

I just invented the term Reverse Bucket List.

Moving to Boston for MIT was an amazing decision and experience for us for several reasons. Yes the two degrees Chuck will have soon are awesome. Yes the people we've met are wonderful. But on par with those two things I'd say are the experiences we've had just by living in two different parts of the country. Chuck and I were both born and raised in Kentucky and while we had both traveled some before we moved to Boston, the amount of traveling we've done in the past two years is more than we've done in our entire lives. I tried to count the number of plane rides we've taken and can't because it's so many. I've tried to come up with a list of all the cities we visited and can't, because it's too many to remember. So what I did come up with was a list of basically "things we probably never would have done in our lifetime but did because of where we lived." It's almost like a Bucket List, except written AFTER the fact. Hence: the Reverse Bucket List.

So here's the list: Things We Probably/Maybe Never Would Have Done But Did.

- Skipped rocks on Lake Champlain
- Ate lobster rolls in Maine
- Practiced dunking at the Basketball Hall of Fame
- Fed horses at a farm in New Hampshire
- Drove the Sea to Sky Highway from Vancouver to Whistler, Canada
- Went to a beer festival in Portland, Oregon
- Listened to live music in the park underneath the Space Needle
- Took jumping pictures in the middle of the Badlands in South Dakota
- Cheered the Red Sox on at Fenway Park in the same season they won the World Series
- Saw the Battle of Little Big Horn site, Mt. Rushmore, and the Crazy Horse monument all in the same day.
- Hiked on Mt. Rainier
- Took our car on a ferry to the San Juan Islands
- Rode bikes around Stanley Park in Vancouver... twice.
- Visited NYC twice in the same month.
- Went white water rafting on a river in Washington State. (Chuck, not me. No thanks.)
- Had Easter Brunch on a boat on Lake Washington
- Toured the Vanderbilt family summer "cottages" in Newport, RI.

Letters to Boston

As the reality of leaving Boston creeps closer and closer, I've reflected on some things/people/places I like and dislike in Boston and written some short letters to them. Enjoy.

Dear Pepper Sky,
I am so sad that it took us until January 2013 to discover you. I regret those 7 months we were in Boston and failed to recognize your greatness. Your Pad Thai is one of the best things I've ever eaten and I'm afraid I will never find another like it. Whether it's in the restaurant or take-out, it's always perfection. I will hold every future Pad Thai to your standards.
With Love,
Your number one fan and customer

Dear Boston Pedestrian Crosswalks,
I love the power you have over cars, buses, bikes, and taxis. You are the most powerful crosswalks I have ever witnessed in my life. I love the power I feel when I walk across a large, main road during rush hour. Because you are there, I have the power to stop buses full of people and it feels amazing. It's the closest I will ever get to having a superpower. I wish crosswalks in other cities would take note.
Love,
An Adoring Fan


Dear Upstairs Neighbor,
You are the loudest walker I've ever heard. You wake up earlier than us and go to bed later than us. And you stomp the whole time. You also move furniture a lot, vacuum suspiciously frequently, and run some kind of machine that also makes noise. What are you doing up there? We're not sure if you are a Dexter, a Walter White, or maybe just a hairdresser or work-out enthusiast. But whatever you are, it's loud. I want to leave you a note asking you to be quiet but I'm not a grouchy 79 year old woman so I won't. Also, Chuckie won't let me.
Not with love,
Your annoyed neighbor


Dear T,
I love you and hate you so much. I love that I can easily travel around the city without sitting in traffic. I hate that people invade my personal space when it's overcrowded in the mornings. I love that Chuck and I never have to decide who will be DD because we can just take the T home. I hate that you are sometimes ridiculously delayed which makes me late to work. Once we're gone, I will simultaneously miss you and be happy to be rid of you forever.
Sincerely,
Sometimes happy/sometimes grumpy T rider


Dear Hi-Fi Pizza,
The only reason I am slightly ok with visiting you is because I found out Matt Damon and Ben Affleck used to get their late night pizza there when they lived in Cambridge back in the day. I think you are kinda gross but Chuckie loves you. You've brought him so much joy. When he's ready for the 4th meal at 2 in the morning, you've provided it. You may have the greasiest pizza I've ever seen but I guess that's all there is to eat at 2 am.  One thing I know for sure is your to-go bags (aka the pizza on a paper plate shoved into a brown paper lunch sack) are second to none.
Fondly,
Rachel on behalf of Chuck


Dear Really Old Yellow Lab in our Apartment building,
You are so old and so cute and you make my day every time I see you in our hallways. I didn't know dogs were allowed in our building and I see a lot of your hair collecting on the stairs, but it doesn't bother me because you are adorable. I wish you lived with me.
Love,
Dog Whisperer


Dear Snow,
NOBODY LIKES YOU.
Sincerely,
Rachel and 98% of all people ever

T-Minus 4 months

Chuck graduates from LGO 4 months from today.

That means we have exactly 4 months to do as many things still on my Boston/Northeast Bucket List as we can. While I'm pretty satisfied with everything we've managed to see and do so far, there is still more to do. That's the beauty of Boston and the Northeast! There's so much to see and do here, I'm pretty sure you would have to live here your whole life to do it all!

Here's my short list. (Like I said, we've done a lot already...)

- Tour Sam Adams Brewery
- Have drinks at the Top of the Hub
- Spend a day exploring the Museum of Science (because I've heard it's the best one)
- Take a day/weekend trip to the Newport Mansions in Rhode Island
- Spot Matt Damon and/or Ben Affleck casually strolling down the sidewalk (What? It could happen.)
- Eat more Mike's Pastry

Winter:1 Chuck&Rachel: 0

You guys. It's cold. Lately Chuck and I haven't felt like doing much of anything that involves going outside, even for just a minute. With the exception of work, we haven't left our apartment much because frankly it's just too much work to get that bundled up all the time and also, staying under a blanket on the couch just seems like a better idea than going out there.  Winter is defeating us.

When we HAVE ventured out into the cold and snow, here's what we've been up to.

A couple weekends ago, my friend Kate invited me to the U.S. Figure Skating Championships which were held in Boston at TD Garden. She received tickets from her family as a Christmas present and I was lucky her husband was out of town and she asked me to go to a couple of the sessions! We spent the entire day there and saw all of the Pair's finals and the Women's Finals. It was especially exciting this year because the winners go to the Olympics in a couple of weeks! It was also fun because Kate knows basically everything about figure skating so not only did I get to enjoy the skating, but I got to learn too.

Here are a few of the skaters you'll see competing in the Olympics in February.

Meryl Davis and Charlie White

Gracie Gold

Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir

This past weekend, we drove to Connecticut with our friends Clayton and Christen to watch Louisville play UConn in basketball.  It was a big game because it was College Gameday, so we were the game of the day. The arena is small, so tickets on stubhub were WAY expensive, but luckily we were able to score some cheap tickets from the UofL ticket office a few days before the game!

Before the game, we found one of the only restaurants in Storrs, Connecticut, and it happened to be Chuck's Margarita Grill. I think the restaurant was made for us! We spent a few hours there, eating appetizers, our meals, and of course, enjoying margaritas.  The game was pretty intense because I would guess the stadium was 75% college students. In the middle of the game, their coach got thrown out and things got really heated, but luckily no one bothered us. Louisville came out with a victory which made the trip a lot more fun than if they had lost like they did last time we drove to Connecticut to see them play.

Other than those two events, we've pretty much been hiding in our apartment, watching football, watching movies, cooking food, and... yeah that's about it.

We also saw this gigantic teddy bear at the grocery store.

We lead an exciting life.

Party Animals

While we were home for the holidays, we partied quite a bit! 

Hagan Family Christmas Party
My extended family has decided that Christmas is not enough of a theme for our annual Saturday before Christmas party together. So a few years ago they started adding a theme on top of Christmas. So far we've had Mexican Christmas, Chinese Christmas, and this year, Cowboy/Country Christmas. We all dress the part, bring food and games/things to do that relate to the theme. My sisters and I use the party as an excuse to wear appropriately themed mustaches. Three years of themed parties, three sets of mustaches.

We made sure Lucy was dressed in the theme too, even though she wasn't invited to the party.

Fake guns on the table, gentlemen.

We ate chili and other country food, took pictures of ourselves looking like tough cowboys, did a "piece of junk" gift exchange where everyone brought a piece of junk from home and traded it in a game of "Dirty Santa," (we each donated the $10 we usually spend on gifts for this exchange to Kosair instead), and played games, including the "make reindeer antlers out of panty hose and balloons" team game, which our team came in last but was decided had the best antlers. Well, we decided we had the best antlers. I don't know about everyone else.

We added an extra balloon after the fact to make them actually stand up instead of laying straight across like a giant caterpillar....

I love my crazy family! We can't wait to find out what the theme is for next year.

Christmas Eve Eve
Every year since my senior year of high school, I get together with my girlfriends Emily and Elizabeth on December 23 for what we've dubbed our Christmas Eve Eve celebration.  We eat a lot of food, decorate Christmas cookies, and exchange gifts. It's always a good time and fun to spend a few hours feeling like we're still kids. :)

Tacky Christmas Sweater Party
Our friends Justin and Jenny have started a tradition of hosting a Tacky Sweater party right before Christmas. The party is always full of people who now live out of town but come home for the holidays to see their families. It's so much fun to see our old friends who we haven't seen all year and catch up with them, play games, and this year, sing karaoke. Oh man did we sing some karaoke. Elizabeth and I gave an emotional, heart-wrenching performance of Wrecking Ball. It changed people's lives. Or maybe made them all hate us. We aren't sure. But it was pretty memorable to say the least.

Wine and Cheese Pajama Christmas Party
Our Gamenight friends decided this year to have the Christmas Party separate from the New Year's party since we were doing the Murder Mystery thing for New Year's this year. Since the two parties were only 2 days apart, we thought we should do something different and classy, hence the wine and cheese. Then someone suggested a pajama party, so then it turned into a Wine and Cheese pajama party. (Our friends are ridiculous, as you may remember from previous stories about them.) We ate a lot, drank some wine, and exchanged gifts "Secret Santa" style.

Chuckie and Shane both came in superhero onesies. Unplanned. Perfect.

Obviously Grayson participated in the pajama theme because he's a dedicated Gamenight member.

New Year's Murder Mystery Party
I just decided this party will get it's very own post. There are just way too many pictures and things to tell about. Here's one picture to hold you over. Stay tuned.

UofL Sports Day
This year, the UK vs UofL basketball game fell on the same day as the UofL football bowl game. So obviously this deserved a party. With my parents, sisters and Chuckie's dad, we headed down the street to our friends Andy and Clay's house (who were out of town, btw, and were ok with us going over there anyway!) and watched both games on their gigantic projector screen.  Oh and of course there was a lot of gameday food. Did you have any doubt?

We lost the basketball game to UK (womp womp) but won our bowl game against Miami. So it was a good day overall. 

And that concludes the recap of parties! Murder Mystery New Year's Eve post coming soon.

Nieces Say the Darndest Things

Remember that show "Kids Say the Darndest Things"? I loved that show! Chuckie and I have 5 nieces and they would all be stars on that show if it came back to TV.

Technically they are all his nieces, but I claim them as mine too because 1) we're married and that's how it works and 2) he and I have been dating since before any of them were ever born. None of them know Chuckie without Rachel, and I like it that way.

The girls range in age from 2 to 10. They are all sweet and beautiful little girls, and they're ALLLLLLL kinds of funny. It's so fun to see the world through their eyes and hear their thoughts on things that we, as adults, probably never even think twice about. It's kind of like being in those AT&T commercials 24/7.

While we were all in Virginia, the girls had some pretty funny things to say.  Here's some of the conversations from the weekend, and a lot of pictures of the girls because if I'm being honest, about 75% of the pictures I took last weekend were of them.

While in the car on the way home from Busch Gardens....Sloane (2nd grade): When are you done with school?
Chuck: In June I'll be done with school FOREVER.
Sloane. Ugh. Lucky.....

While watching the Lady Gaga and the Muppets special on Thanksgiving.....(Which may have been the highlight of the weekend. Seriously. So funny.)

Ava: Lady Gaga forgot her shirt!
Sloane: And her nose is running! (Mistook her nose ring for snot.)
Caroline: If there's a Lady Gaga, is there also a Manny Gaga?

Next song, Elton John joins Lady Gaga onstage.
Sloane: Who's that guy? Is that Manny Gaga?
Ava: He's not very good........ (talking about Elton John)
Sloane: Now she's not wearing pants! I can almost see her butt!
Caroline: Look she has a tattoo!

Next song....
Ava: Her face is skinny and weird.
Sloane: And her hair is bigger than her body!
Caroline: Oh! She's not wearing pants again.

I told Ava I own the exact same onesie. I think she thought I was joking. Sadly, I was not.

While playing piano....Amelia (age 2): This is my piano.
Me: Oh did you bring it with you?
Amelia: Yeah. In the car. It's mine.

Also while playing piano.....
Amelia: Sloane is my Ariel.

While eating chips and salsa......Caroline (5th grade): Chips and salsa are my third favorite food. My first favorite is a chocolate volcano explosion from that one rainforest restaurant. My second favorite is cheeseburgers. And then chips and salsa.

While coloring at the table.....Audrey (age 4): Do you kiss Chuckie? That's gross. You can only kiss if you're married. Then you just have to deal with it.

While doing Thanksgiving crafts....Audrey: I'm drawing a snowman. Because I'm thankful for a snowman.

While sitting on the couch....Amelia: My Chuckie is my little friend.

While me, Chuck and Caroline are in the car on the way to the grocery on Thanksgiving Day to get a couple last minute items...Caroline: When we go in the grocery, I'll show you how I get TWO cookies from the bakery by telling them I need an extra one for my little brother. (I like her style.) 

They crack me up. And I know I'm slightly biased... But you can't tell me these aren't the 5 most adorable little girls you've ever seen.