Keeping Up with the Couts

Caleb's Birthday

2011-11-09T13:54:00.003-05:00

This post has been a long time coming, and I wanted to write down everything somewhere before I forgot about it! So here goes....

My original due date was August 5th, but at the end of May, I started feeling lots of Braxton-Hicks contractions, but they were irregular. I thought it was no big deal, and it really wasn't. However, that is also the time when my blood pressure began to rise a little bit at a time. We were out to lunch one Sunday afternoon and I just felt "puffy." I had an inkling that maybe my BP was high. I stopped in a CVS store and took my pressure and sure enough, it was. Usually my BP runs about 110/70ish and on this day, it was 138/89 and 139/85. Yikes! I called the doctor and he said that as long as I didn't have vision problems or right upper quadrant pain, I was fine.

On the morning of July 12th, I woke up having non-painful contractions every 8 minutes, on the dot. This lasted for 8 hours, all night long.... so being the first-time-mom that I am, I waited until Mike woke up and told him about it. He suggested that I call the doctor, so I did. The doctor told me that I could either come into the hospital and be put on a monitor and he would see me when he got a chance... or I could wait until 9am and go into the office and wait for a few hours. We opted for the hospital.

We spent the morning there and found that I was having regular BH contractions, but that wasn't the issue. It turns out that my BP was well above the 130s/90s, and they would test me for pre-eclampsia. Long story short, I was put on bed rest and would probably be induced a week early. Bed rest was not so bad because I got to quit working (yay!) and my pregnancy would be reduced by about a week (yay!). I worked a million crossword puzzles, slept, and watched TV. It was glorious, a break that I really really needed with all the stress that had been in my life.

During my time on bed rest, I was required to come into the dr's office twice a week for a non-stress test, just to make sure my pressure isn't skyrocketing and the baby is healthy. This includes sitting in a lounge chair with monitors strapped to my belly, watching TV. Again, glorious. And the nurses in the office are absolutely wonderful, so it was nice to get to see them several times a week.

We went in on Tuesday night, July 26th to be induced. I ate one last big meal at TX Roadhouse and went to the hospital, thinking we might have a baby in our arms in about 24 hours. This was not to be. That night they gave me an Ambien (for what would be my last good night's sleep) and started Cervidil, a small vaginal insert that would soften my cervix and possibly put me into labor. The next morning (Wednesday), I had not progressed AT ALL. I was not in any pain, so I just sat tight and waited. After another dose of Cervidil, I had only made about 2-3 cm progress, and still no strong contractions. I was having them regularly, but they didn't hurt. This was nice, but I wanted them to hurt because pain = progress. Next the doctor gave me several doses of Cytotec, a pill inserted vaginally, and that didn't work either. The little dude was just not ready! They continued to give me Cytotec all day, but nothing happened. Overnight, they began the Pitocin, which I thought would kick things into high gear, but alas, it did NOT. The contractions were becoming a little more uncomfortable, but I wasn't in a lot of pain, just getting impatient. Normally to get labor going, one would take walks... but because of my BP being so high, I was only allowed a few walks a day and only 1-2 laps around the unit.

Finally on Thursday, they inserted a "balloon," that would stretch my cervix open and OH MAN did it ever. After several hours, I was up to 5-6 cm. Yay! IT was at this point that the anesthesiologist told me that he would not be able to give me an epidural, which I had prepared myself for. (I couldn't get the epidural because I have rods in my back from scoliosis surgery 10 years ago) I was in such pain that I requested some short-term relief in Nubane. This was an IV drug that was administered that knocked me out completely for about 4 hours. I decided to do this because I knew that I had a long day/night ahead of me and would need all my strength. The Nubane was amazing, but when I woke up, I was in full-on, hard labor. And before I knew it, I was at 8cm and then at 10cm! Time to push!

I pushed for 2 hours, and he was just not gonna make it out. Because of the rods in my back and their placement, I was not able to "bear down" and push like I needed to. Then Dr. R suggested a c-section. I really didn't want this, but I knew it would be best for the baby and me. I was completely spent. Dr. R told me that I was a trooper, pretty much endured every obstetrical intervention there is, to no avail. SO as I was in incredible pain and exhausted from pushing, they wheeled me into the OR for a c-section. The anesthesiologist tried to get a spinal block in, but was unable, so they knocked me out.

Caleb Michael was born via c-section (and me under general anesthesia) on Friday, July 29th at 12:19am. He weighed 7# 14 oz and was 21 3/4 inches long. Mike wasn't allowed in the OR so he sat with his parents and my Dad in the hospital room when they brought Caleb in to see him.

We had the most fabulous nurses the whole time we were there, I really couldn't complain. One, in particular, came back from the OR to the hospital room and grabbed Mike's camera since he wasn't permitted in there. She took great pictures, even got a shot of Caleb leaving my womb. Amazing! And a little gross.

Baby Caleb has been such a blessing. He started sleeping thru the night pretty consistently at about 8 weeks, except for a few times when he woke up around 4am. Now, at 3.5 mos old, he sleeps 8 hours! Not too shabby, huh? My MIL was there for me that first week home with the baby, and took such good care of me when Mike had to go back to work.

We were so blessed by our wonderful friends and family here in Indy and TX. We love you all! Again, I have no idea if anyone actually reads this, so if you have read this post all the way through, CONGRATS.

More to come later....
Rachel <><

Breaking the Silence

2011-11-08T21:30:00.002-05:00

So this evening I got on my blog, wondering when the last post was... it was on June 20th!! AND it also showed that I am currently 53 weeks pregnant. OUCH! My goodness, it has sure been a while since I updated. Well, I'm back... for now.

A lot has changed since the last blog post. I would like to take some time and update it, but I won't make any promises. So in the meantime, here are some updates:

-We had a fabulous Babymoon in Louisville, KY where we shopped, ate out, and just enjoyed eachother.
-I lost my mom to ovarian cancer on July 3rd. I have been wanting to blog about this for a while, it's just hard to find the right words.
-On July 12th, I was put on modified bed rest due to high blood pressure.
-I had a baby, precious Caleb Michael Couts was born on Friday, July 29th at 12:19am. I hope to type out his birth story before I forget it completely!
-On September 26th, I went back to work part-time and it's working out great!

I hope to speak to all of these points soon. Stay tuned for more updates!

Much love to whoever reads this.... :)

Lately

2011-06-20T09:11:00.004-04:00

June has proven to be the quickest and busiest month we've had in a long time! We have something almost every night, in addition to the regular busy-ness! Unfortunately, my body has decided that it's time for me to slow down, but more on that later.

1. The first week of June Mike started planting a flower bed in our front yard. I took some pictures a couple hours ago, but have decided not to post them because almost all the pots (plants that have not yet been planted) are laying on their sides due to the crazy storm we had last night/this morning. Mike has been busy planting some calla lilies and oriental lilies in the flower bed after he pulled up the ugly bushes that came with the house. Once he pulled them up, we realized that we had a massive amount of ground to cover. Neither one of us is proficient in garden design, so this is very much a trial and error thing. I'll post pictures when it is finished!

2. Earlier this month we worked super-hard to get the baby's room ready... mostly because we had maternity pictures coming up! It's a good thing we got a head-start on that (before the shower) because we found out that they are discontinuing our whole bedding theme and everything was on clearance! I would be really annoyed if we had waited, and everything was discontinued, and we weren't able to continue the adorable Noah's Ark theme! (And NO, his name will not be Noah) Here are some pictures!

3. Maternity Pictures! On June 8th, we had maternity pictures taken by Nate Crouch Photography, (http://www.natecrouch.com/) and we had a blast! We've been friends with Nate and his wife, Sarah for years. It was such a fun shoot, and it was especially fun because it was with our good friends. We have not bought the package yet, so if you want to see the pictures, you'll have to head over to my facebook page.

4. I am down to doctors appointments every 2 weeks now, and this will continue until week 35 or 36, when I'll start going every week. It's getting tiring and killing my sick time... but then again, it's kind of fun because it's getting closer all the time!!

5. My energy has taken a significant nose dive. It's like I'm back to the first trimester energy level. I can bring a basket of laundry down the stairs, put it in the washer, take a load out of the dryer and fold it and... I'm DONE. SO tired. Plus, last week I was sick with another round of coughing, head congestion, no voice, etc. We had family over for Father's Day celebration a week early, and getting ready for company and cleaning up afterwards completely took it out of me, even though my fabulous MIL came over and helped. She's an angel, by the way. :) Mike is having to help me out a little more, but honestly I don't think he understands how much more he'll have to help me once baby comes. He's in for a rude awakening.

6. We went to our first baby class on Saturday, Newborn Express. This class included instruction on how to care for your baby in the first month (touched on breastfeeding, car seat installation, bathing, soothing, feeding, swaddling, etc) and also Infant CPR. We met some really nice couples, and even a couple who had their baby 5 weeks early, so their baby was actually at the class! It was definitely an eye-opening experience for Mike, who realized that he didn't know as much as he thought about caring for a newborn. He was a bit overwhelmed, but so glad to have the information.

7. We start our 5-week Lamaze class this week. It's becoming more real now! I'm really excited to watch Mike go through these classes.

8. Blood pressure scare:: Yesterday at church I was feeling extra-puffy, and I had a hunch that my blood pressure was too high.... well I was right. After we saw The Green Lantern yesterday, we stopped at CVS and I had my pressure tested twice, at 138/87 and 135/88.... scared me to death! In church I felt like my knees were puffy, and I could hardly hold a pen b/c my fingers felt so big. I called the doctor and because of the lack of other symptoms, he said that I didn't have anything to worry about... whew! We're not ready for a baby at 33 weeks!! My BP is usually in the 100s/70s, so this was a pretty big leap. But I go for my regular 2-week appt on Wednesday so we'll see what it is on that day.

This is me at 33 weeks 3 days... livin' LARGE!

That's all that has happened up to this point. Plenty of crazy times to come! But I say, bring it on!! Only 6.5 weeks till baby!!! Woo hoo!

Pregnancy Must-Haves

2011-06-01T15:51:00.008-04:00

I have been wanting to make a post like this recently and now I'm finally getting around to it! Here are some of the top products that have made my pregnancy easier and more comfortable so far.

1. The Snoogle Pillow: This has kept me comfortable when sleeping in bed, especially since you're supposed to sleep on your left side, and I almost always roll over on my back... this keeps me supported around my neck, back, between my knees, and even under my belly! I would recommend this to any of my pregnant friends, or really anyone who desires total comfort when sleeping! When I first started using it, I had one of those "where have you been all my life?" moments. The only problem is that it takes up a lot of space on the bed, leaving precious little space for my sweetie.

2. Boppy Pregnancy Wedge: Yes, another pillow. I like to use this when sleeping on the couch (or just laying down anywhere) because it goes right under the belly. Mike kept telling me that I needed it, but I told him it wasn't necessary because I would often just bunch up a blanket and put it under my belly. But he went out one night and bought it, and it's been wonderful. I'm kind of a princess when it comes to my pillows, this is why I love it so much.

3. Good water bottle: I drink more water than a fish, so having a good, sturdy water bottle has been important. I have a Rubbermaid water bottle that I refill constantly. This sounds like a small thing, but always having that water has kept me energized on a number of occasions!

4. Mesh lumbar support: This has been a back-saver for me in the past few weeks as I'm getting more and more uncomfortable in my work chair. I spend what seems like 4,986,235 hours in it each week, so comfort is a must. I bought it at Fry's Electronics for $6.99 and it has more than paid for itself! It could also be one of the reasons for the disappearance of my sciatica... hmmm... It's mesh, too, so it keeps me cool in this super-hot home office.

5. Motherhood Maternity stores: OMG. They have the best clothes! The prices are reasonable, the staff is helpful, and the clothes are comfortable and very cute. Most of what you see me wearing in pictures came from Motherhood. Their prices are reasonable enough that I can buy new clothes when I have outgrown some of my maternity clothes. I didn't know you could outgrow them though!

6. Preggie Pops: These little babies were wonderful when I was in my first trimester, especially weeks 6-10, as I would feel a little green if I went too long without something in my tummy. They are kind of sour, but not too much, and are a good distraction when not feeling so hot.

Well that's all I can think of for now. I'm sure that after the little dude comes, I'll post again, with my "Mommy Must-haves." That will be a fun post!

Growing Bigger and BIGGER!

2011-06-01T12:17:00.003-04:00

That's pretty much all that's going on with me these days! Today I am 30 weeks and 5 days pregnant and I can't believe that we get to meet our son in hopefully about 9 weeks! I also can't believe that I'm actually going to get bigger, and this baby only weighs about half of what he should weigh at birth! Crazy! I really can't complain too much because so many women have very difficult pregnancies that include a lot of sickness and bed rest... but sometimes it feels good to have a good, old-fashioned whine! But I won't do that here. :)

One very good thing is that my sciatica has all but disappeared in the 3rd trimester! This is a huge praise because it was almost debilitating most days starting in the 2nd trimester. Now I'm struggling with getting comfortable just about anywhere. A few weeks ago I dealt with the worst allergies ever, and spent a few nights sleeping in the reclining sofa because it was easier to not be flat on my back or on my side at night. Then I tried to lay down one night in bed and got no sleep.... so I started sleeping in my LaZBoy recliner in the upstairs game room. Slept like a baby! Then I got lonely and so Mike moved it into our bedroom so I can at least be in the same room with him. This has made a huge difference... until this week. Nothing is working! I'm tempted to try sleeping in the bed tonight just to see how it works.

Ever since I found out I was pregnant, I've been sleeping differently, but it has been helped tremendously by this little baby--- the SNOOGLE pillow. I freaking love it!! I would recommend it to all of my pregnant friends, as it supports you in all the right places! The only problem is that it puts up a wall between Mike and me at night... but sometimes if I wake up before him, I see him snuggling right up to it! So cute! Soon I'll put up a post about pregnancy must-haves! It will definitely be on the list.

Also getting thru work is getting harder because I'm running out of breath if I don't sit up perfectly straight. Not sure how I'm gonna make it the next 9 weeks!

But probably the most fun has been the increased activity in my belly. It's so neat to feel that little one moving around so vigorously, almost all day long, and fun for Mike to feel it. He gets a kick out of looking at my deformed stomach sometimes, and how it changes shape. Truly a miracle!

Well, June is upon us now, which means we are starting the busiest 2 months ever. This month I start going to the doctor more often, we have child birth classes, baby classes, maternity pictures, in addition to our normal summer busy activities. Hopefully I can keep up with the blogging. Haha, right!!

I'm gonna be a CD Mama!

2011-04-27T11:11:00.005-04:00

And no, I don't mean compact disc... I'm talking about cloth diapers! Not long after we found out we were having a baby, we started looking at the finances, and I took it upon myself to find ways to save money so that we're not spending a small fortune on this baby, especially in certain areas. Having a baby is expensive, sure... but it's all about the small ways that we can save a few bucks here and there... cloth diapers, making our own baby food, buying at consignment sales and resale shops... the list goes on. One of the biggest ways we plan on saving money is by using cloth diapers!

Here are some reasons why we are choosing to go this route:

- Cost... most of the studies I read found that using cloth will save us approximately $2000-$2500 from birth to potty training. This is the biggest reason we chose to go this route. This also includes the extra cost that it will take to wash the diapers, which is usually estimated at around $15 per month. Still, a huge savings. And who knows, since we recently got a new w/d that is super energy-efficient. With my stash, I plan on washing every 3 days or so, but we'll see.

- Trash factor... I hate trash. So. Much. I also hate throwing away our money, which is what we do when we throw out diapers. Also, the bacteria from poo doesn't break down in landfills... EWW. And if you read carefully, most disposable diaper packages will tell you (in fine print) to dump out solid waste (in the toilet) before you throw away the diaper... which is what we'll do with cloth.

- Potty training studies... I read most places that cloth diapered babies potty train 6 months earlier because they notice the feeling of wetness easier, as the chemicals don't immediately suck away the moisture.

- Baby safety and comfort... babies in CD typically have fewer rashes. There are chemicals in disposables that can cause rashes. Also babies typically have fewer blowouts because these diapers are more customizable to baby's body shape. And how many times do we hear ads about sposies that claim, "feels like cloth"? Why not just use cloth?

- Fashion... OK let's be honest. The diapers they make these days are so stinkin' cute. They're hard to resist. :)

- Ease of washing... these are really not that hard to clean, and after a while, the laundry doesn't seem as crazy, depending on the size of your stash and how often you plan on washing them. One thing I love is that breastfed poo is water soluble, so those diapers don't even need to be rinsed before they go into the washer.... just throw the whole thing in there. Score.

Some things I want to make clear though:

- We are not those people who say that they will never allow a disposable to go near their baby's bottom, heaven forbid!! NO, we realize that sometimes we will have to use them for various reasons like multi-day car travel or going places that don't have washers and dryers. But we will go cloth 90% of the time. We are not opposed to having babysitters or family members use sposies if that makes them more comfortable, even though our diapers that we chose are very user-friendly.

- I don't consider myself a "green freak" or "tree hugger," just trying to be more responsible with money and not creating more trash on this planet.

So here's what we have so far! What you see below cost just below $400 total, and we plan on using these from birth to potty. Some people find that sposies are better for the first few weeks when baby is extra-skinny, so we'll have to play that by ear. Little Dude is already measuring a bit big, so who knows!

Our stash:

What you see in the above picture: (from L-R, top row then bottom row)
First row:
-Thirsties Duo Wrap cover, size 1 (6-18#), $12.25
-Econobum covers (set of 3), one-size (6-35#), $9.95 each or you can get the day pack with 3 covers and 12 prefolds (what I did) for $48.95
-bumGenius pocket diapers (set of 12-- well, 11, as 1 came in pink by mistake), one-size (6-35#), and each diaper came with a newborn insert and a one-size insert which will be good for doubling overnight if we have a heavy wetter. ~$120 for all of them, but I got them on sale. They usually retail for about $17.95 each, being the most expensive. However, they are the most "daddy-friendly," and Mike is actually perfectly fine using these. But we'll see, LOL!
Second row:
-Econobum prefold diapers (set of 12), one-size (came with the day pack, mentioned above)
-Snappi (set of 2) $2.99 each, this takes the place of diaper pins for the prefolds, if needed.
-Flip diaper inserts (set of 3), one-size, $6.95
-One-size inserts for pocket diapers such as bumGenius (set of 12)
-Kawaii pocket diaper, one-size (6-35#), $7.95 (the cheapest pocket diaper I've seen and the cutest, with the little soccer balls on it!)
-Not pictured are 2 Flip Diaper covers and 6 inserts that should arrive here in the next few weeks, as they were on back order. This day pack cost $48.95.
-Also not pictured would be the detergent that I got, Rockin' Green detergent that is ~$15 for 90 loads in our HE washer and dryer.

What's that, you say? Well this is the bumGenius Diaper Sprayer (~$45.00)! This will come in more handy when baby is pooping solids and not exclusively breastfed. This attaches to the toilet, and you just dump the poo in there, and use the sprayer instead of the old-fashioned "dunk" method. Which, personally, sounds absolutely disgusting. We also bought a diaper pail, liners, etc which cost some also, but not much.

So for less than $400, we have bought hopefully all the diapers that we'll need for this baby, not including the sposie every now and then. This gives us 34 diaper changes, so at the beginning I'll wash about every 2-3 days, and then further down the road about every 4-5 days. Nice.

Now for some lingo:

Prefold diapers are the old-fashioned kind of cloth diaper, but they are the most economical. They can either be tucked into diaper covers or fastened using a Snappi and then covered with one of the reusable diaper covers.

Pocket diapers are just like disposables, only you wash them. Before use, you have to stuff it with an insert, but that's it. This is usually the most expensive route, but most convenient.

Diaper covers are just used to cover a prefold or insert. They can be reused several times until they stink or get poo or pee on them.

I know everything I wrote about may be confusing, so welcome to the world of researching cloth diapers! This is just what I decided was best for us, considering price and convenience. Below are some websites I used to make my decisions, so I'm passing them on to you.

http://www.cottonbabies.com (this is where I bought most of our diapers and supplies)

http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/

http://www.diaperpin.com/home.asp

http://diaperpages.com/index.php

and of course you can find info and helpful tips on http://www.youtube.com

There are many more out there! I look forward to posting more about this once the baby comes and we are actually using them, so stay tuned! It is ridiculous how excited I am about this, but I am! Maybe part of the nesting instinct? I dunno.

But please let me know if you have any questions!

Recent happenings

2011-04-27T10:19:00.004-04:00

My goodness, I can't believe I haven't blogged since Valentine's Day! I'm so terrible at this! Lots of things have been going on with us, we've barely stopped to savor these last few months as just Mike and me... hopefully we'll be able to slow down a bit in the summer as my energy slows down as well.

One of the biggest things that has rocked our world recently is my mom's diagnosis of ovarian cancer back in December. I'm finally at the place where I can talk about it more now... she is feeling really good for the most part, but has her down days of course. It's hard being so far away, but at the same time, it makes me rely more on God than EVER. Seriously. They have such a wonderful church family and such great friends who have come to help with everything from meals to driving Mom to chemo, to shopping trips, lunch out, and even just coming over to hang out with her at the house. I am beyond thankful.

As for us, Mike is doing well, finally finished his project at work, which had him working many weekends and late nights. It wasn't fun for either one of us, but the OT pay was nice, and it made the time we had together that much sweeter. He has just amazed me recently with his dedication to learning about becoming a new dad, and his interest in the baby. You never know with guys. :)

I'm progressing well with my pregnancy, today I am 25 weeks 5 days pregnant and feeling great for the most part. In case I didn't mention it before, we are having a BOY!! My sit-down-all-freaking-day job has been murder on my back and has caused sciatica in both legs, so that has limited my after-work activity significantly. As it warms up I am able to walk more, but just not as far. I'm getting HUGE, and as of about 2 weeks ago gained a total of 21# since my first checkup at 9 weeks. Holy smokes. The dr said that I would probably gain at least 40# total, mostly because of the fact that I started so small.

Baby is kicking and punching and dancing almost non-stop in my belly. It is so fun, I swear I could sit and just watch my belly move all day. My hunger is insane right now, but the more distracted I am, the less it bothers me. I don't eat a whole lot more at one sitting, just more often. I'm carrying him so LOW that sometimes it's hard to just get up off the couch. Ha! No heartburn or lack of sleep or anything YET, but then again I'm still in 2nd trimester. The only reason for lack of sleep is my appetite... I'll wake up out of a dead sleep at 4am and NEED food. Crazy.

Last weekend we traveled to Houston to be with my family and celebrate Easter, and it was just absolutely refreshing. We didn't realize until the end of the week how bad we both needed to just get out of town. We slept and relaxed a lot, and I got to spend some good quality time with both of my sisters and my parents. This only happens about once a year, so it was extra special. We are planning on driving out there again Labor Day weekend so that the family can see our new little guy. Yes, we will be driving 1000 miles with a 3-4 week-old, and we know that it may take 2-3 days.... but we're probably going to do it anyway.

The baby's room is taking shape as Mike has completely assembled the crib, changing table, dresser, and glider. He painted the room blue and I can't wait to get more things to put it in there.... it seems more real now, as if my growing middle wasn't doing anything for me. We have registered at Buy Buy Baby and Babies R Us... BBB is an amazing store that has everything you would ever need for a baby. Incredible. It is owned by Bed Bath & Beyond so they have great coupons and deals. Check it out!

I have lots of things to write about, but there just isn't time. That's about it for us! Until next time!

~Rachel

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-16T16:15:00.003-05:00

Beware: most of my posts in the next 6 months will be baby-related. It's a fact.

In other news, today (Wed 2/16), Mike is on his 10th straight day of working, often at least 10-12 hours. Bless his heart. But thankfully he was able to get off early enough to swing by the house and pick me up for our Valentine's Day dinner on Monday! We went to Rick's Cafe & Boatyard for Valentine's Day and it was just perfect. I wanted to just sit there and enjoy the atmosphere, as this is our last V-Day before baby. Rick's has great food and a great view when it's not so dark outside. I definitely want to go back for lunch in the summer. They had it dimly-lit and even had a live jazz pianist and singer to make the atmosphere even more romantic. It wasn't quiet by any means, but I loved it. After dinner Mike and I went home and changed into our PJs to watch Charlie Brown's Valentine's Day. We were both so tired that we passed out on the couch in about 20 minutes! Aren't we exciting?

I think Spring showed up today. We have a high of 60ish, and it's sunny! Almost ALL the snow is gone, and I've never been so happy to see the yellow-ish brown dead grass. :) I think I may go for a walk before dinner if Mike is gonna be late again.

Pregnancy Stuff:

Below is a picture of me at 15weeks 3days. The picture was taken after I ingested a ridiculous amount of food like crab cakes, bread, and steak fries at dinner.

I have so much more energy now. I'm convinced that I got pregnant at the perfect time. When it was cold and icky outside, I had no desire to get up and do anything. And now that it's starting to get pretty outside, I finally have energy to play outside and get things done! The hardest thing right now is my constant, ever-present hunger. It started around week 10 or 11, and has gotten worse and worse! It seems like I could eat a full meal anytime, anywhere... and just about anything. My favorite foods have been peanut butter toast (or PB on anything for that matter), Eggo waffles, apples, Chick Fil A, and Subway sandwiches (toasted). I even wake up in the middle of the night at least 2-3 times and NEED FOOD. I keep a box of Kix cereal by the bed and sometimes fall asleep with it in my hands! Ha! This is definitely weird. I don't eat a lot at once, but a little bit VERY often. I shouldn't complain.

We have pretty much decided to go the cloth diaper route for this baby, so I'm excited to see how it will turn out. Expect a post about that some time soon!

Well that's all. Until next time!

"Baby It's Cold Outside" is an understatement

2011-02-09T17:03:00.003-05:00

BRRRRR! It is FREEZING out there!

I, for one, have had it with winter. And I'm pretty sure everyone north of the Mason-Dixon line would agree with me. We've already had twice the snow we usually do up to this point, so here's hoping for an early Spring!

Last week was just crazy, as Mike was sick and I had a serious case of cabin fever!

Monday 1/31: beautiful day, but Mike came home from work puking and slept for 18 hours straight. (He's been sick off and on since before Christmas)

Tuesday & Wednesday 2/1&2: Terrible ice storm that coated our yard and driveway in 4 inches of solid packed ice. The city pretty much shut down. Since I work from home, I had to work while everyone else got a snow day. Not fair! But then again I guess it's not fair when I stay in my warm house all day and my co-workers have to drive out in that snowy/icy madness. Mike stayed home.

Thursday 2/3: I cancelled my appointment at the dr's office (to hear the baby's heart beat) which was sad... I worked and Mike stayed home.

Friday 2/4: Yay! Mike went back to work! And he's feeling a lot better. I ventured out for the first time in over a week to go grocery shopping, and my sweet hubby drove me there and helped me to not slip on the ice in the parking lot.

Saturday 2/5: Woke up to another 5 inches of snow. Are you kidding me? We stayed inside all day and laid around, and I did 1 load of laundry. It was a great day. The snow fell pretty much all day long.

Sunday 2/6: Woke up to more snow and decided that it was not safe to go anywhere until at least we could get out of the driveway. Spent at least 2 hours outside shoveling and I'm still sore! I shoveled and Mike broke up the ice. He definitely had the harder job. :) We went out to lunch to celebrate some birthdays with family, and then back home to bake before we went to a Superbowl party.

I heard that we may have temps in the 40s this weekend, which makes me SOOOO happy. Our street and driveway is still mostly a skating rink, as the highs have been in the teens and lows around zero.

Come on, Spring!!!

Pregnancy news:

Nothing new, except that I'm getting fatter all the time! The cold weather has caused some cabin fever for me, which isn't made any better with hormones. :) I finally have more energy, which is nice, and so maybe I'll actually make a dent in the laundry pile that hasn't seen much progress since Christmas. Oh well. TOMORROW we go to the dr to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time. I am SO excited!!! Here's my Week 15 belly shot:

Our weekend

2011-01-31T15:25:00.003-05:00

My goodness, that was short. Weekends are always short, when the week seems to drag on forever. What's with that?

These weekends will not be around too much longer before baby comes! I'm trying to keep up with my normal schedule of housework, if you can call it a schedule. I am still not caught up on laundry from our trip to TX for Christmas b/c my energy has been so low.

Saturday, my pregnancy hormones caused me to have a meltdown that resulted in uncontrollable sobbing, just from being so tired. Like even after I talked things over with Mike, I just couldn't stop crying. At all. I have been a little upset with Mike for not taking a lot of the load from me recently, but it's hard to blame him b/c he's been sick too. He coughs SO much that I can't sleep, and since my gag reflex is so sensitive, I have to plug my ears so I don't hear him. This and exhaustion culminated in this meltdown.

Mike talked me off the ledge and took me out on a date to the dollar theater where we saw "Unstoppable" with Denzel Washington and Chris Pine. It was a really fun movie that was non-stop action, had us on the edge of our seats the whole time. Fun! And of course I always have and always will love Denzel. After that, some energy came out of nowhere and we spent about 2 hours at Babies R Us looking at the big stuff like cribs, strollers, car seats, etc. We probably won't register for at least another month, so we were just looking and educating ourselves. Mike is funny... he doesn't know what half the baby gadgets are for, so it was fun helping him to understand things. I have a feeling that fatherhood is going to be very very fun to watch.

After Babies R Us, Mike took me to Denny's for dinner and I was completely, utterly exhausted. I was walking slowly, just wanted to be carried. I ordered a belgian waffle because in case I fell asleep while eating, at least my head would rest on something soft. :)

Yesterday was a nice, restful day. After Mike satisifed my Subway sandwich craving, we came home and Mike slept most of the day while I got up and did laundry with my newfound energy. Finally! 2nd tri is here!!! Do a cheer!

Now it's Monday afternoon and Mike came home early. He went to the dr today after throwing up 12 times today. He came home with antibiotics and some meds and is hoping to sleep it off. This sickness started with a cough, then throwing up, then a cough and now both. Here's to hoping that baby and I don't get it!!!

January is almost over!

2011-01-25T09:09:00.005-05:00

Where has this month gone? Where has the year gone? In the past month we have gone to a wedding, greeted a new baby, had food poisoning, seen a picture of our little baby, watched all our favorite football teams lose, had a million inches of snow, announced the impending arrival of our baby, and done laundry a total of 6 times. Yikes.

First we saw the first ultrasound video/picture of our new baby. That was crazy. To see it squirming around in there, little heart just beating away... it took our breath away, that's for sure. I already posted a picture of our little one. Isn't he/she so cute??? It's still weird b/c I don't feel anything kicking or anything, to understand that there's a little person growing inside of me.

Then we attended the wedding of Scott Penix & Heather Swauger. We have known both of them for several years, and they are truly meant to be. :) About a year ago, I told Mike that we needed to find a nice girl for Scott... but the Lord found one for him! It was such a nice ceremony and really fun reception. I was exhausted pretty much the whole time, but that's OK!

It feels as if it's been snowing non-stop for the whole month.... usually we don't have this much snow by the end of January! I think we've already doubled the average amount of snow so far. I have been extremely thankful for my job (annoying though it may be) that allows me to work from home so that I don't have to bundle up and risk my life just to go to work. I hate Indiana, by the way. We warmed up to freezing yesterday, which was nice. It's funny because there is a discernable difference between 15 degrees and 25 degrees, even though both are far below freezing. Weird. I have to say that the snow is so beautiful if you're inside!

Well, it's been a rough month for our football teams. Colts lost to the Jets in the playoffs, and my Aggies lost to LSU in the Cotton Bowl. Sad month. We'll get 'em next year!

My dear friend Ingrid had a new baby last Friday, the 21st. On Saturday Heather and I went up to visit them in the hospital. Welcome to the world, baby Sasha!

I will spare you pictures of Mike's food poisoning. It's just not pretty. Needless to say, we will be avoiding the Plainfield Chili's for a while....

And due to the incredible lack of laundry, Mike and I are dangerously low on clothes. Fatigue is still getting me down big time! I'm still having a lot of the first trimester blues, except I don't have any throwing-up-type-nausea. I'm just ready for the 2nd trimester where hopefully my energy will be coming back. I'm hungry ALL the time, and so far I have craved apples and Eggo waffles. Could be worse, right?

One thing that has been so fun about this pregnancy so far is sharing it with so many friends. There are 4 girls in our Sunday school class (including myself, but hey- what do you expect from the "Young Marrieds class"?) and 3 of us are due within about 6 weeks of each other. And SO many friends from FB are expecting too. Yep, I drank the water! (which is about all I drink anyway, so...)

That's about it. I'm looking forward to a fun February full of (hopefully) more energy! We also get to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time on Feb 2, and I'm going on a fun little weekend trip to Louisville with Pampered Chef girls. AND believe it or not, I'm looking forward to this growing belly!

me at 13 weeks

Baby's first picture

2011-01-17T08:54:00.002-05:00

Hi, Sweet Baby!

"Trying" no more!

2011-01-13T14:26:00.002-05:00

Well, it's official! After "trying" to get pregnant for 6 months, the Lord has decided to bless us with our first child! We are so excited, and a little bit surprised that it happened so fast after I got off of birth control. We hope to welcome our baby into the world somewhere around August 5th, 2011!

Here's the story:
The week we moved into our new house in June was the same week that my birth control ran out, and at first, I thought that I would get pregnant immediately. Yeah, not so much. I read books, got on message boards, tried to learn everything I could so that we could finally get pregnant. After about 2 months I started using ovulation tests (they look like pregnancy tests) that show you when you're ovulating to predict the best day to get pregnant.

After these didn't seem to help for a few months, I checked out a book at the library called "Taking Charge of Your Fertility." I didn't like the title at first because I'd rather let Jesus take charge of my fertility... but I learned SO much about my body and how everything works, how God designed it to work in order for us to reproduce. Now mind you, I'm really nerdy when it comes to just about anything health-related, which is another reason why I enjoyed it so immensely. :) I started taking my temperature every morning and charting it, in addition to using ovulation tests to determine the best day to get pregnant... and after 1 month of charting... BOOM! It worked!

How I found out:
I got my first positive pregnancy test the day before Thanksgiving when my parents were actually in town visiting. Let me just tell you-- I'm so glad that I had a LOT of baking to do that day to keep my mind off of things! I was planning to take a preg test the day after Thanksgiving, but for some reason I couldn't wait. I peed on the stick, then set it on the counter and took my shower. Imagine my surprise when I got out, looked at the test and there was a teeeeny tiny faint line! OMG! Can it be????

How I told Mike:
I was worn out from baking all day and of course trying to hide all my internet searches from everyone else (googling pregnancy test, faint line, etc) that I decided to go to bed early. Mike keeps the expensive pregnancy tests locked up in his closet because I was wasting them earlier in the process. I asked him to lock them up because they are so expensive and I was addicted to testing. He was downstairs watching a movie with my dad. I whispered in his ear, asked him to go upstairs and get me a pregnancy test out of the closet. He handed me a whole box of tests and said, "Pee straight!" as I walked off to the bathroom.

Sure enough, it was also positive. I about hit the ceiling. I wrapped up the test in a card that I bought when we first started trying that had a little bear on the outside blowing a trumpet, that said, "Hooray!" Open up the card and it said, "You did it!" When Mike finally came to bed about 2 hours later (as I tried so hard to stay awake!), I gave him the card and he was pretty shocked. I pee on sticks all the time, how could he know that this was the one?

How we told our family:
We waited until Christmas to tell our families. This. Was. So. Stinking. Hard!!!! We told my mom and dad the day after we arrived in Houston (12/19) because I couldn't imagine being in TX almost a week without being able to talk to my Mom about all this. We gave them little frames that said "I love my Grandma/Grandpa" and a card in the middle that said "Coming Soon in August 2011!" They were so surprised, especially my dad. For the rest of the week, he teased me, every time I said something, he would respond, "That's perfectly normal in pregnancy." Silly goose.

We told my sisters and Jake on Christmas morning. Jake & Melissa were totally on to me, and Holly cried. We gave them mugs that said "Aunt" on them. They were ecstatic. We told my Aunt Pat and Mimi that afternoon... I was paranoid about my Aunt Pat because she's an OB nurse so there's no fooling her! We told my Mom's side of the family the day after Christmas, which was a huge shock to everyone.

We told my in-laws when we got back to Indiana the next week. Ryan & Laurel & Kaylee were staying with us, and until we broke the news, I was dying to talk to Laurel about pregnancy and being a mom!! They were all so excited and shocked when we told them. We also gave them grandma/grandpa frames and we gave Kaylee a onesie that said, "I'm going to be a big cousin!"

Other people we told:
Well I let the news loose on facebook last week. Before we told family I confided in 2 friends who are currently pregnant because I really needed some support and advice. I have the best friends!

How I'm feeling:
For the most part, really good. I can hardly complain. The first symptom I had was insane hunger, but absolutely nothing looked good. Food aversions have come and gone, and gotten better over time. I have been nauseous off and on but (Thank you Lord) I haven't thrown up at all, even though I've come close many times. Probably the most difficult one has been the extreme fatige. Wow. Like let me lay down and go to bed at 2pm every day. The funniest symptom has been the voracious appetite. I eat and eat and eat, and before I'm finished eating I'm already thinking about what to eat next. This is totally unlike me, and is really making my Mike laugh a lot. I start week 12 tomorrow and look forward to the journey!

Rachel <><

Thankful

2010-11-27T08:49:00.002-05:00

Oh, how I LOVE Thanksgiving! This year was my first time hosting, and it went just beautifully! My parents are here right now, they drove here from Houston and arrived on Monday night right after work. Yay! This was their first trip here since we got our new house and it's so much fun to have overnight company. I did my first turkey and several other sides, but that's not what I wanted to blog about... some other day I'll relay the events of Thanksgiving day.

I wanted to express how thankful I am for so many blessings in my life. God has truly blessed me with so many wonderful things and people, it's hard to write it all down! But I'll try:

-a sweet husband who I had to travel 1000 miles from home to meet

-amazing in-laws who treat me like their own, especially since my own family is so far away

-this incredible house

-my job (even though this is one of the most difficult and frustrating parts of my life)

-my family spread all over the country in Texas, Georgia, Colorado, and Indiana

-my health

-2 paid-off vehicles

-The Pampered Chef (the best job in the world that lets me forget about all my normal-job woes)

-God, for saving me and never giving up on me even when I whine like a child

-sewing machine

-Curel hand lotion for saving my hands in this dry Indiana winter.

Oh I could go on for days, God has been so faithful!

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Give GOD the Glory!!!!

Trying

2010-11-17T16:12:00.003-05:00

About 5 months ago, Mike and I started "trying" to get pregnant. Ever since then, babies are everywhere, and I mean everywhere. Every single day I get on facebook and find out that someone else is expecting! It's on TV all the time. Last night I was volunteering at Riley and watching the TV in the patient's room. King of Queens was on, and the couple had decided to start "trying." Then How I Met your Mother came on (really really funny episode), and one of the couples on there decided that they would start "trying." I'm like, "Stop! Enough already! We're 'trying'!" Everywhere we go, there are pregnant ladies (are they MOCKING me??) and so many of my friends are pregnant. I'm truly, genuinely happy for them, as I hope friends would be happy for me if the situation was reversed but....

...honestly I've struggled a lot with jealousy. Mike and I are in seemingly the most perfect time in our lives to start a family. We are debt-free. We have great jobs. We have a house. We are not getting any younger... sounds perfect ,right? This is something that I've desired since I was a little girl. Ah, how little I understand about the will of God. I know that God has this all in His hands and it will happen in His perfect time. I just keep having to tell myself that, month after month of disappointment. On the upside, this has taught me a lot about how my body works, which is so amazing! God thought of everything! I guess it just boils down to being content where I am? Yes, I think so.

Our pastor spoke a few weeks about how we often think we deserve something b/c of our accomplishments.... not always true in God's eyes.

So hopefully soon I will be able to announce a new blessing in our lives right here on this blog! Until then I'll keep praying and "trying."

Happy Halloween from Popeye and Olive Oyl!

2010-10-29T16:13:00.003-04:00

What's up with us

2010-10-29T15:12:00.004-04:00

Um, excuse me? Where did the summer go? That's right, we're in full FALL mode right now! This house has been so much fun to decorate, even if I'm going for the minimalist-we-just-bought-a-house-so-here's-a-cute-pumpkin-for-decoration-deal-with-it kind of style.

Mike has been working a lot of overtime at work which is nice for our wallets, but I really do miss him not being here immediately after I get off work. Then again he could be working a lot later, so I count my blessings with that.

I have been busy with Pampered Chef, and had a great month in September. I do about 3-4 shows each month which is perfect for my busy life... about $300-$500 extra a month is nice to have! Work has been absolutely crazy for me, pretty much the worst it's ever been. Pretty much when I can't think it can get any worse, oh it does. Makes me so thankful that I have my PC business to give me something positive to think about.

I've also been sewing a lot more recently... here are some of my recent creations:

I sit down to write a blog post and nothing comes to mind though... we have been so busy with a lot of nothing... I clean a lot and like to sew, and Mike likes to watch TV. TV!! That's it!! We have some shows that we enjoy together like NCIS (that's not new but we both like it) and our Thursday night shows The Office and Outsourced, and of course Project Runway (Mike watches it with me sometimes!) On Monday nights we like The Event and Chase. I like Chase the most b/c it takes place in my hometown of Houston, TX.

Gosh we're boring.

OH! We have been going to a "Young Married Couples" class at our church (finally after 3 years of marriage we have a class like this!) and we have made so many wonderful new friends there. It's great! We have new friends to go out with and learn about, and it's so refreshing to have other friends in our same stage of life... especially now that Ryan & Laurel are gone.

And of course we're still loving our small group. We meet about every other Friday night and pray for each other and sometimes discuss the previous week's sermon. There are about 11 children between all the couples, and we have a blast. The kids really enjoy playing with "Mr. Couts" and he enjoys throwing them up in the air and hanging them upside down.

OK so that's all that's going on now.

Why do I have a blog again? :)

Arizona or BUST!

2010-09-13T11:19:00.009-04:00

So last Sunday, September 5th, we said goodbye to my sister-in-law and brother-in-law and niece (Mike's brother Ryan, his wife Laurel and their 7 week-old baby Kaylee) as they drove off to begin their new life in Tuba City, Arizona.Laurel just finished her pediatric residency here in Indy. In med school she got a government grant that requires her to work in an "under-served" population to "pay back" the government after completing residency. She'll be working in a clinic on a Navajo reservation. It's pretty remote... the closest Wal-Mart is over an hour away! But she called the other day and said that they have a Sonic Drive-In! Ha!

Anyway, they left last Sunday, and the Sunday before that we hosted a going away party for them. It was the first party we've hosted in the new house and it was a success. We packed probably close to 40 people in our house! Wow! It was so much fun, and Mike's mom did an amazing job planning it and getting all the food together. Here are a few pictures from that day:

Look at all that food!

good friends, good fun

Laurel, Kaylee, and Aunt Dean (Mike's dad's aunt)

Kaylee and Aunt Rachel

And my favorite picture of the day: Mike holding Kaylee in church. He carried her from the parking lot and sat down in church, and she laid on his chest for almost the whole service! She loves her Uncle Mike!

So they packed up their Honda Civic and took a few days to drive out to AZ, stopping every 3 hours to feed the baby. Whew! We will truly miss Ryan & Laurel, for so many years they've been our go-to couple. If we were going somewhere and wanted to invite people, they were usually the first ones we would call. They are such precious people, and I'm jealous of the people in Tuba City! Even though we'll miss them terribly, we are so excited for this journey they've begun and look forward to visiting them!

The Emerson Sisters do INDY!

2010-09-07T16:21:00.004-04:00

The 2nd week in August my sisters came to town! Holly came from Corpus on a jet plane and Melissa was kind enough to bring her sweet Jake, as they drove all the way from Savannah, GA! It was our first opportunity to host overnight guests in the new house and it worked out beautifully!

Friday we went to get groceries and cooked up a delicious meal for the men... while they cooked steaks on the grill. :) We ate dinner and had a great time taking pictures and swapping stories... I think we went out for a walk that night too... it all sort of runs together now!

Saturday we slept in (ahhhh...) and spent the afternoon at the Indianapolis Zoo. We felt like kids again as we saw the dolphin show, looked at the fish and other animals, and actually pet the little sharks in the pool! We even paid a dollar to feed a giraffe a slice of sweet potato.

After the zoo we went over to Riley Hospital, and I showed Holly (the Child Life Specialist) around. That night all of us went to the tennis courts and laughed a LOT as we just lobbed the ball over the net. Boys against girls wasn't as advantageous to us as we thought it would be.... after the tennis we came back to the house and opened up birthday presents for Melissa and Holly!

Sunday we went to church and then the Indians game. We happened to go on Souvenir Sunday and all walked away with our very own red Indians cereal bowls! Score! We had nice seats in the shade, which made it even more fun. AND Holly caught a soft baseball that gave her a FREE $5 footlong at a Subway restaurant all the way in Corpus! After the game we went to Ryan & Laurel's to see them and of course sweet baby Kaylee.

All in all, it was an amazing weekend. We had so much fun cooking together and just hanging out and talking. We hadn't seen Jake & Melissa since their wedding last September, and Holly since Christmas! And we had never even spent much time with Jake b/c the first time I met him was the weekend of their wedding when everyone was going in different directions. We all got along so well, and I was especially pleased to see Mike and Jake fitting in so well with us. It bodes well if he plans on spending Christmas with the Emersons too....

I love my sisters very much and hope this can be some sort of annual thing! We'd love to travel to Savannah or even meet up in Charleston, or Corpus on the beach!

Sorry there are no pictures on my computer to upload! However, if you want to look at ones that I took, you can visit my facebook page at www.facebook.com/rachelcouts and check them out!

Falling behind again....

2010-09-07T16:21:00.001-04:00

I am finally catching up! Look out!

Rachel's Fab 4 (2010 edition)

2010-07-23T15:00:00.006-04:00

I made a list like this last year and thought it was time to make a new one! These are 4 things that have given me joy or less stress, or just made me laugh in the past couple of months.

1. Pandora.com

Oh, Pandora, what would I do without you? After years of doing my job every single day, longing for some stress relief, I finally discovered Pandora about a year ago. If you're not familiar with it, it's like online radio... but you decide what type of music you want to hear. For example, one of my stations is the Steve Tyrell station. On this station I hear Steve Tyrell (obviously) plus a lot of Sinatra, Dean Martin, Michael Buble, Mel Torme, Tony Bennett, etc. I also have stations that play music from GLEE (actual Glee music along with lots of 80s classics), Wicked (more modern Broadway), Thoroughly Modern Millie (old Broadway), Selah (praise & worship) and of course I have a Christmas music station.

Listening to this music puts me in a better mood so that I can go about my day. Thank you, Pandora!!

2. E-mealz.com

I love to eat. I love to cook. I'm a Pampered Chef consultant, for crying out loud! But I still struggle with grocery shopping and not over-spending due to poor planning. This is where e-mealz.com comes in. You pay $15 for 3 mos worth of recipes, grocery shopping lists, and meals plans and it is WONDERFUL. I get online every Thursday to print out the meals for next week and make my grocery list. I usually cook at the most, 4 meals/week b/c I'm often times gone in the evenings for meetings or volunteering. Not all of the recipes are tasty, but for the most part they're good. I have to substitute a lot of times b/c the meals call for dried noodles in a bag (for exampe) which I will never make. I still make a ton of PC recipes and try to mix them in with the e-mealz recipes as well.

I have chosen the option to have "Low-Fat Wal-Mart meals for 2" as my weekly meal plan so I'm not throwing away lots of food. You can choose almost any store in your area, and any type of food like low-fat, low-sodium, vegetarian, etc. I love it! AND if you enter the coupon code "Dave" (Dave Ramsey) then you can get your 3 month subscription for just $12! Thanks, Kim, for recommending it to me!

3. LA Gear Walk & Tone shoes

Remember LA Gear? Remember HOW COOL it was to have a pair of LA Gear shoes and not the Target knock-off? I do. 4th grade, baby. Well for a while I've been wanting some of those toning shoes, with the balance-ball-inspired technology. I found some! Here's the irony... they are LA Gear and they hail from the shelves of Meijer... now LA Gear is the cheap knock-off! Either way, they are great. When I wear them, my legs get tired quicker so I know they're working. I wear them when I do ordinary tasks like housework or shopping. They work, y'all! My shoes look just like these:

4. Brother Label-Maker

Oh how I love thee! Mike bought this for me the week before we moved and I was PUMPED. Then it got packed away in a box and I actually forgot we had it! Since I found it, I have become a labeling maniac! I started with the binders on my bookshelf, and made it to my closet...oooo the possibilities! Can you tell I'm excited? I labeled all of my sewing stuff and my PC things. Plus, since it's almost back-to-school time, folders and binders and those plastic totes with lids are all on sale! Organizing makes me so happy in this house! Finally, everything has a place!

What is part of YOUR Fab 4?

The newest little Couts

2010-07-20T15:12:00.005-04:00

Nooooo, not us...

This is our very first niece, born July 15, 2010 at 3:21am. We are so happy to have her in the family, our sweet little Kaylee Marie! Congratulations, Ryan & Laurel!

Dear Small Group,

2010-07-19T16:46:00.004-04:00

I LOVE YOU! Thanks for having all these fun babies! Never a dull moment, right?

Pictured: Feiocks, Sanders, Bartels, Shaughnessys, Couts.

Not pictured (we missed you!!): Downeys, Henneys (except you were there via Skype!), Larisons, Heldmans

Recently

2010-07-19T15:56:00.003-04:00

YES! We have finally closed on our house (a month ago this week, but whatever) and have been busy making it a home over the past month. We have learned a lot about ourselves and about our marriage in this time (LOL) because of all the home-improvement things we've done (OK just painting and a little decorating) but it is becoming more and more like home all the time.

Every time I walk in the door, I am overwhelmed by how faithful God has been to us, and how WORTH IT it was to stay in that apartment for 3 years.

Moving day was an adventure and we decided that we will NEVER move again. Famous last words, right? Here's a little synopsis of our moving day....
1. We started at Mike's parents' house to load boxes that we had been keeping there for a few months, and put them into the 26-foot Penske truck. We took them to our new house and unloaded them into the garage.
2. The next step was to go to the apartment and load the truck with all our boxes and furniture. When I arrived at the apartment, I noticed that the Penske truck wasn't there, and I just figured it was because Mike had to drive really slow in it. As it turns out, on his way to the apartment, he got it stuck under a 100+year-old railroad bridge. SO that left me to supervise the whole move from then on.
3. GOD IS SO GRACIOUS, let's not forget that! He sent so many people to come help us move, many of whom we didn't even expect. They brought their flatbed trailers, enclosed trailers, pickup trucks, etc and (are you ready for it?) it turns out that we never actually needed the 26-foot truck. With everyone's help, we emptied the entire apartment (minus a few odds and ends) with just those trailers and trucks and LOTS of muscle. Thanks to all who helped out:
Jay
Rick
Tom
Ryan & Laurel
Anne Marie & Jeff
John
Stephen
Mom & Dad
Josh & Patrick
Mike R
Bruce
Ken & Theresa
Rob
The Other Mike R

I'm probably forgetting someone... but there were so many people to help us!

Since we moved in, we have done the following:
-painted the great room Cottonseed (very light yellow)
-painted the kitchen Cracked Wheat (little darker, with a brownish tone)
-painted the hallway, dining room, and living room Informal Ivory (just a tad darker than stark white)
-painted Mike's office Smurf Blue (OK it isn't the name of the color, but that's what I think when I see it)
-painted my office a color I can't remember... but it's almost the same as the great room, a very light yellow.
-painted the guest room Liberty Gray (which looks more like a darker periwinkle)

The whole painting thing was the biggest challenge for us, but we learned a lot along the way. Since purchasing the house and moving in, we have made the typicall 5,774 trips to Lowe's and Home Depot. Oh and BB&B. Yeah, my favorite.

Well, that's pretty much all we've been up to recently. Thanks for reading all the way to the end. I actually don't have pictures of the rooms, but that would be nice for you to see them, huh? You can visit my facebook page at www.facebook.com/rachelcouts for more pictures.

Just give us the keys, already!

2010-06-18T13:45:00.007-04:00

So Mike and I are just 4 measley days away from owning our first home! We are beyond excited. Wednesday we had the new home orientation where our builder took us thru the house and taught us how everything works, from all the breaker boxes to the water hoses. It was exciting. It was also the last time we had to critique any part of the house like niks in the drywall, paint drips, etc. Mike has an incredible eye for detail.

Here's our schedule, and it's a crazy one!!!

Friday 6/18 work, pack some more

Saturday, 6/19 work, bridal shower, cooking show (unrelated to moving, so I guess that Mike will shoulder all the work tomorrow!)

Sunday 6/20 PACK PACK PACK

Monday 6/21 work, final packing

Tuesday 6/22 CLOSE ON HOUSE! After closing, we'll go over to the house and tape off everything to start painting

Wednesday 6/23-Friday 6/25 PAINT, PAINT, PAINT!! We are painting all but 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms of this giant house. We will be thankful to have Mike's mom with a brush in her hand.

Friday 6/25 All appliances will be delivered and we're crossing our fingers for the couch and loveseat on that day too... this day will feel like Christmas to me

Saturday 6/26 MOVING DAY!

We are pretty busy, obviously, and I'm looking forward to every bit of it. Mostly because I only have 3.5 hours of work today, 3 hours of work tomorrow, and 8 hours on Monday until we close. Yippy! And I"m taking the rest of next week off. That will feel GREAT.
Here are some more recent pictures. They are of us in the kitchen of our home, and also Mike wanted a picture with Brian, our builder. He did a great job.
Enjoy!

Such wonderful blessings

2010-05-26T13:59:00.003-04:00

As I've said before, this has been a year of waiting. Well, a life of waiting, but you get the idea. We are continuing to see progress on our house, pretty much all that's left to do right now is put in the carpet, get the water running (which will be good b/c it seems like every time we go over to look at the house, I have to pee), and do the landscaping.

We close on the house on 6/22, and move in on 6/26. It seems like in the past year or two, the beginning to most sentences is "when we get a house, _______" (fill in the blank). I have been waiting...

waiting to have an organized and more spacious place to live

waiting to have a more fulfilling job

waiting to start a family that I've wanted since I was a little girl

waiting to actually run a clean and efficient home

...you get the picture.

In the past 2 years, especially, I have struggled with an incredible amount of discontent. Now sometimes I'm so perfectly happy and content, and then one thing will send me back into the pit. I've gone thru times when I wouldn't allow myself to read other peoples' blogs because I was jealous of them and what they were doing. It would actually cause my heart to sin. Who knew?

But last June, Mike and I joined a small group through our church, College Park Church. When Mike went to England last year, it hit me that we spend so much time working and sleeping and working that we don't really have a lot of friends who we meet with regularly to share the ups and downs of life. We have friends, but we usually only see them every few weeks, and only take a few minutes to talk and ask how the other is doing.

We have been SO blessed by our small group. We love them so much and always look forward to our meetings. The group consists of 9 couples (18 adults) and 18 children (including 4 Henney babies and 1 Sanders baby who live overseas) so it's a wild and fun bunch. We get together about every other Sunday and talk about the morning's sermon and we also have an opportunity to pray for each other. This is so sweet.

Almost all of the women in our group are stay-at-home moms, and to be honest, I find myself extremely jealous of them at times. They probably think I'm crazy, but being in their state of life, being a wife and a mom, taking care of the home... that's my dream. And they're living it right in front of me. Although, I have discovered that these women have so much knowledge and experience in what I hope to experience myself in the near future, and I look to them as incredible resources and kindred spirits. I know that when the day comes and we start a family, if I have concerns about something, I know that I'll be able to call them and be encouraged. I find myself in conversations at the table about potty-training and breastfeeding, etc and I used to tune it out... but now I listen. There is no baby on the way right now, just to be clear, but it's something that I hope will eventually change. I'm just so blessed to have these women in my life, and know that I'm not the only one who struggles with certain things. Thanks so much for your transparency, ladies!!

AND it's also a nice time to hold and play with precious little ones, and of course see Mike engage with them as well. THAT is downright comical at times.

As I'm sure many of you understand, it's hard to see the blessings in the midst of discontent. Hard to see the big picture... hard to see the forest for the trees, if you will. There are times that I feel (as silly as this sounds) that God has forgotten about me... I pray for a good day at work, and I'm met with more challenges than ever. I find myself in a pile of tears at the end of the day from being exhausted and burned out. The exact opposite of what I prayed for... it is discouraging. But I'm working on looking at the big picture and thank God for the little things in life

like holding off the rain until I get home with my truck full of groceries...

like holding my sweet babies at Riley...

like a fun, swingin' song on my Pandora station...

like giving me a great verse right when I need it...

like having a precious friend write something sweet on my facebook wall...

I'll never understand God and WHY he does things, but I think the idea is that we're not supposed to understand it all. Like Pastor Mark says, "Don't think about the WHY, but the WHO."

Thank you God for such wonderful blessings!

What's going on with us?

2010-05-06T10:59:00.002-04:00

Waiting! That's all we seem to do these days! 2010 has been the most boring year ever so far, but in comparison to 2009, I'm totally OK with that! It has allowed Mike and I to spend more time together before the house is completely finished and our weekends are gone.

I'm not one of those bloggers who daily showers her readers with cute anecdotes of what her kids said or pictures of kids or pets or anything.... that's because we are SO busy with a lot of nothing! Pretty much all we do is eat, sleep, and work. Oh and I try to clean. :) We rarely go anywhere or do anything anymore because we're still saving up money for our house.... but these days of boredom will soon be over! Sewing has been my recent "anti-work" and is one of my favorite things to do. Maybe I'll post pictures of some of my products... they can be my "babies."

We close on our house on June 22, and after that it will be full steam ahead! Since this is a brand-new house, we have to get everything to fill it up, and there will be a lot of work in that. I'm excited! Finally a place to call our own! I can finally put everything in it's place! Our apartment has been overtaken by STUFF, so much I can hardly stand it anymore. In our new house I will have my own office, and Mike will have his own office, which will be a nice change. We'll have a yard, so Mike will have to shoulder a little more work around here, which will be nice. The past year or two I've been counting the days, rather than making the days count, which I know isn't a good thing. I'm working on it.

AND on top of getting the house in June, I have a packed Pampered Chef show schedule (praise the Lord)!

AND we will be welcoming our first niece or nephew into the world the first week of July! Ryan & Laurel will have their first child and we are so excited to meet him or her!

AND I have Pampered Chef conference the 2nd week of July in Chicago

AND we're having weekend visitors (Melissa, Jake, Holly) in September and Bethany in October

AND we're hosting Thanksgiving this year, and hopefully my parents will come to see us!

We have a LOT to look forward to, which is nice after all the boredom we've been having!

Since we've been spending more time at home, it has allowed me to pursue things and give more time to things I've wanted to for a long time... my Pampered chef business has been so great this year so far and I'm absolutely loving it.

I am also becoming quite the seamstress, as sewing has become my favorite new thing. I still love to cook more than anything else, but it's more expensive and the things I make aren't always used. I've loved making gifts for all my millions of friends having babies and my new thing is making purses. SO much fun. I love finding blogs online with tutorials, and I can't wait to make curtains and drapes for the new house.

I'm also becoming better at saving money on groceries. I've been a pretty devoted coupon-clipper since we got married, but I've been more serious about it lately, and it's paying off big time. I love www.couponmom.com and even got her book. I joined www.e-mealz.com for the meal planning tips... I always prided myself in being a good meal planner, but this has helped even more. The meals on e-mealz are only OK, and I tweak them a little bit but still save $$. Try these sites!

Mike has spent most of his spare time on the house... going over there every day and taking pictures and talking to the neighbors and workers. He has caught a few mistakes that they've made and mentioned it to the supervisor so our house is gonna be the best! It's cool... our neighbors are so nice, and we are really blessed to live near such helpful and kind people.

OK that's all I got now. I would upload another house picture, but not much on the outside has changed! Later!

Rachel <><

Our house, as of 4/5/10

2010-04-13T15:43:00.001-04:00

YIPPY SKIPPY!

Finally

2010-02-18T12:28:00.005-05:00

After more than 2 years of living in our apartment, saving as much money as possible (close to my salary), and driving me pretty much out of my ever-loving mind, I am proud to say that we have BOUGHT A HOUSE!!

What? What just happened?

That's right!! We have been saving so much pretty much since we got married so that we could have a home that we really wanted, and wanted to stay in for a long time. Neither one of us were interested in the small "starter home," so we decided to save and go BIG. We have sacrificed date nights, vacations, shopping (seriously- I haven't been shopping in over a year) and many other fun things for a 20% down payment on a house and it looks like it's finally becoming a reality.

Our plan was to save until February, then get a mortgage, realtor, and start looking for a house. Back in August I was out shopping at Metropolis (outdoor mall in Plainfield) and saw this cute little community and decided to pop in. It's a Centex community, building custom homes at a price. A BIG price, mind you. I went in, talked to the salesman, and brought Mike back the next day. The guy spent several hours with us, walking through the various options, what they would cost, etc.... and the total came to WAY more than we expected to pay. We left a little deflated, and tossed the idea of building a house out the window....

... until the first week of January. Mike felt that the Lord was leading him to reopen the discussion about building a house. He looked online and found that because Pulte Homes acquired Centex, then the base price of the homes had dropped $20K! Wow! It's within our reach now! So in a matter of about 8 days we picked out the options again, found the lot, looked at an existing home, and signed the contract! Whew!

The home we will be building is a Sizemore model. You can check it out on the Centex site... we are going to be in The Settlement subdivision in Avon/Plainfield. I say "Avon/Plainfield" because we will have a Plainfield address, but we will be in Avon schools and pay Avon taxes. Silly postmaster. The neighborhood is really quiet, and it's far enough away from all the city lights so that we can see the stars on a clear night. Yay!

So Lord willing, at the end of June, we will be moving out of our apartment into our very own house! I will try to post pictures here and on facebook of the building process, as this will be very exciting for us. I am extremely pumped about this.... we have so much stuffed packed to the walls in this apartment. Partially due to my packrat husband, and also due to the fact that we just don't have enough room for everything. Just to give you an idea, we'll be able to fit pretty much our entire apartment in the basement of our new house. OMG. I have surrendered to the fact that our apartment will never truly be clean until we move out, because there just isn't room to get around. It's bad, people.

AND when we got married, we didn't get anything new (big stuff like furniture, bed, etc) so we'll finally be able to have some nice things!

Below are some pictures of our lot and a home that is similar to what ours will look like. Ours will have the garage on the other side of the house, and be a different color siding, brick and shutters. Enjoy!!

our muddy lot...

A Decade in Review

2009-12-31T13:18:00.002-05:00

After I finished my last post, I thought about all that's happened not just this past year,but this past decade! All the news websites are doing this type of thing, and it's amazing to do that on a more personal basis..... so here goes:

1999: Graduated high school, started full-time at Tomball College, struggled with headaches and other health issues, tried to figure out what it would take to transfer to Texas A&M, started working at the FLC (Family Life Center) at church working the early morning shift.

2000: Continued my studies at Tomball College, also continued to struggle with health issues and finally had my back surgery, which caused me to take a semester off of school. I started working with Dot Hill as her assistant in Premier Designs, Inc and absolutely loved it. I was in the choir at church and loved being the dancing snowman in the Christmas production.

2001: Got accepted to Texas A&M! That summer I was an intern at Champion Forest and really enjoyed learning more about what it really means to run a youth ministry. I started school and 2 weeks later 9/11 hit and all our lives were changed. I loved my first year at A&M, but found my share of struggles due to lack of a car and cell phone. But boy was I in shape from riding that bike everywhere!

2002: In the Spring I made the Dean's List and that summer I got my certification as an Emergency Medical Technician. I spent some time in the back of ambulances, in firehouses, and many hours (it seemed) in the ER, practicing my skills and observing many amazing things. In the fall I got a job at the on-campus Rec Center as a medic, which is the best job I've ever had.

2003: Continued studying at A&M, but finally had a car! Actually I had the big blue minivan, which was fun taking all my friends all over town in style. In December I received my Aggie Ring, which was an encouragement to me to keep going!

2004: The Spring semester was my last on-campus, and it was a doozy! In the summer I did my internship at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston in the Volunteer Services office. I was in charge of managing all the Junior Volunteers for the summer. It was kind of fun at times, but let's just say I got reeeeeallllly good at fixing paper jams in xerox machines. In August I graduated with my BS in Community Health and a month later started working at The Health Musuem in Houston as a Science Educator. I taught field trip science classes and dissected all sorts of animal organs for an audience. No, actually, that was the best job I've ever had.

2005: Worked at the Health Museum until May, then moved to Indianapolis for a new job at Summex Health Management, now WebM*. And I am still there. Oh and in December I met the man of my dreams.

2006: I dated Mike. That pretty much covers it.

2007: Mike and I were engaged in February and married on July 14th. I have never learned so much about myself in such a short period of time!

2008: I started my Pampered Chef business and celebrated my first anniversary with Mike in the same week! I also switched from Supervisor to Health Coach in my job (which was a step down) but it was totally worth it.

2009: See above post.

Wow, so much! So to sum it up: In 10 years I had a major life-changing surgery, went to college, went to another college, graduated, got my first real job and got my first real boyfriend and husband (all in one!).

A Year in Review

2009-12-31T09:18:00.002-05:00

2009 was without question the worst year of my life and I am glad to see it go! There. Got that out of the way!

However, I am glad to say that I came closer to any 2 New Years Resolutions than ever!

1. Reading the Bible. This time last year I resolved to read through the entire Bible in 1 year following a plan from the Discipleship Journal. Due to the looooongness of the Old Testament, I am only about 1.5 months behind! I got up every weekday morning, took a shower, read the Bible, and then ate breakfast. This was made possible by me beginning to work at home in January. I found that sitting on the bathroom floor (with the shower running--- don't judge--- it's my favorite sound in the world) with my Bible was my favorite part of the day. Thank you, Lord!

2. Flossing. Every year I vow to floss my teeth every day, and each year I get better. This year was probably the best for flossing, and it showed at my latest dentist appointment! Score!

This year was full of lots of ups and downs. Pros and cons. Happiness and tears. You get the idea.

The Bad:
** Mike was in England on business for 5 months, when it was originally supposed to last 2 months.
** My PC sales went down the toilet (early in the year) because I didn't care about anything and had to work hard just to get up every day from January through May.
** Work was so stressful that sometimes I just break down in tears because I'm so exhausted, tired of dealing with it!!
** I struggled with more discontent and had more stress than any other time in my life! (see previous bullet point)

The Good:
** I got to travel out of the country (England) for the first time to see Mike. Now I finally have a stamp on my passport!
** My sister Melissa got engaged and married, and we were able to travel to Savannah, GA for the wedding and then a vacation. It was such a special week!
** I learned how very much I love my husband.
** After a rough Spring, my PC sales bounced back up and I met many of my goals!
** In January I started working from home which is a huge blessing, considering how awful winters can be! Life is a lot better when you don't have to get up at the crack of dawn to scrape off your car and hope you don't die on your way to work.
** (more recently) Mike and I got to visit Texas for Christmas and I got to see more old friends than any trip in the past!
** I learned how to sew
** I learned how to live as a single-but-married girl for 5 months, which was the hardest thing I've had to do. Looking back on it, I still can't believe we made it! I have a whole new respect for you military wives out there!

So... on to 2010! I am so excited and am really looking forward to all that will be in store for us in the upcoming year. I've been thinking about it all week, trying to come up with resolutions, and honestly I don't have any, except just to keep up what I've been doing... flossing, reading the Bible, exercising, etc.

Do any of my readers have resolutions?

PS: This year, one of my resolutions is NOT to blog more. I always fail at that one!! LOL

Grandma's recipe is always the best

2009-11-20T13:45:00.002-05:00

Today I emailed my mom, asking her to find my Mimi's recipe for Sweet potatoes... you know the kind you have on Thanksgiving with the nuts and sugar and marshmallows? As a kid (OK and today...), that was always the dish that I most looked forward to. And since I moved away from home, I don't think I've had it! So this year, I decided that I would make it for the Couts Thanksgiving!

It made me think.... where did Mimi get the recipe? Where did any of our grandmothers get their recipes? Were they all chefs and made them up? Maybe yes, maybe no.

When I have kids and grandkids, they're going to say, "Oh, Mom's recipe (or Grandma's recipe) for (fill in the blank) was the best!"

Little did they know that most of the recipes I use are from some cooking website or a friend.... who probably got it from their grandmother or some cooking website.

So the nagging question.... Which came first: the recipe or the grandma?

It makes me think of "The One with Phoebe's Cookies":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gW__D7NY1Yo&NR=1

Ideas

2009-10-15T14:29:00.002-04:00

OK. So even though I barely have enough time in my day to remember my name.... I have decided to start a recipe/food blog! Someday I would love to be a good enough cook to make up my own recipes from scratch, but I'm not there yet... so this will be a blog for me to review recipes that are acceptable in the Couts Kitchen.

So now I have to come up with a title for it. Any ideas? I was thinking about something like "Couts Kitchen Approved" or something about food or recipes or something along those lines.

Suggestions are welcome! If you suggest a title and I choose it, I will actually send you a Season's Best Recipe Collection cookbook from The Pampered Chef!

Let's hear 'em.

Correction

2009-10-14T14:52:00.003-04:00

In my last post, I mentioned that being a wife is a medium-fun job. As I read it, I thought, "Oh no!" Being a wife is the most fun, but what I meant was that the work it takes is more medium-fun. Just wanted to clear that up!

By the way, I've been thinking about making a cooking blog... basically trying out recipes and giving my reviews. Any thoughts?

Does anybody read this? :)

Balance

2009-10-12T11:48:00.003-04:00

I've been struggling a lot recently with this. Balancing a job that is high-stress, low-fun and another job I love that is low-stress, high-fun (Pampered Chef) and my most important job of being a wife, which is high-stress, medium-fun, but by far the most worthwhile and rewarding job. I just have a hard time finding the correct balance.

I spend 8-10 hrs/day on the main job, cook dinner (my outlet), then spend about 45 min-1 hr/night (that I don't have a show) on PC, try to get on the treadmill for 30 minutes, and then spend the rest of the night cleaning. It's amazing the mess that 2 exhausted adults can make in such a short period of time.

I'm completely worn out. After a full day of work, Mike gets to come home, eat dinner, and chill the rest of the night. I don't know the meaning of chill. And when I sit down or lay down for more than a few minutes, I have this feeling of guilt, and the dirty toilet or tub or the fact that the dishwasher is full of clean dishes just won't leave me alone and I eventually get up and take care of it. I like to have it taken care of, it's just that I never get to relax. And we don't have kids yet! Isn't this supposed to be the time that I'm supposed to remember as relaxing? I can only imagine how tough it's going to be if I have to work when we have kids!

Sometimes I feel like I'm still new to this whole "wife" thing, and life is full of adjustments. Another part of the problem is that we are busting out of this apartment and there is just not enough room for all of our stuff, which stresses me out more than anything. I'm having to come to terms with the fact that this apartment will never ever ever ever be really clean until we move... which is hard if your main job is to "keep home." I love Mike so much and want to be the wife he always wanted.

A good step I made is to try to complete a little bit every night instead of waiting until the weekend to have a cleaning fest. That helps out tremendously. And I've also let go of the fact that when Mike helps, he's not going to do it exactly like I do and it's OK. I'd rather have his help!

Can anyone relate? Any ideas? Words of advice? I'd appreciate it so much! Oh, and thanks for listening!

A random thought that came to me last night....

2009-10-12T11:40:00.002-04:00

"You know, maybe if I got a cold or the flu, then I would actually get to rest for a few days."

Am I crazy or what? Can you believe I actually thought that? I'm afraid that since I'm so busy and stressed, that it will kill my immune system and this may happen....

let's hope not.

Too Busy to post....

2009-10-07T23:20:00.002-04:00

No really. I've been too busy to post!

We have had the craziest past few weeks... crazy, but very good! From September 24-29 Mike and I went to Savannah, GA to attend my sister Melissa's wedding and we stayed a few extra days for vacation. What a GREAT time we had! I have neither the time nor the energy to upload a bunch of pictures, so you will have to go to my Facebook page where I uploaded a few hundred! Since we've been back, we have both been insanely busy with work and squeezing out the last bit of outdoor fun before the cold weather and snow takes over!

Here's just a preview though.... while we were in Georgia, we did the following fun things:

-got to hang out with my family whom I see once a year, twice if I'm lucky

-watched my sister get married

-got to visit her new house with her new husband

-put our feet in the Atlantic ocean at Tybee Beach

-ate enough fresh caught seafood to sprout gills

-walked around historic Savannah, hand in hand

-took a trolley tour around town

-visited Fort Pulaski, a civil war fort that is still in great condition

-climbed 178 steps to the top of Tybee Lighthouse

-ate at The Lady & Sons, Paula Deen's restaurant

-took a million pictures

-met all of Melissa's Savannah friends

Now don't you want to go check out pictures???

Have a great day, all.

Read this book

2009-10-07T23:16:00.002-04:00

This is the best "diet book" that I have ever read, and take this from someone who has heard of everything. God bless Bethenny for putting into words everything I try to express to my participants over the phone each day! Her methods aren't revolutionary, they are just common sense, but in this day and age of instant gratification, they may seem revolutionary. And look for her next book, coming out in December!

8 years ago

2009-09-11T09:58:00.002-04:00

This is the time of year when everyone remembers how our country was attacked and thousands of civilians lost their lives. People have been including it in their facebook statuses, and some are poking fun at those who do. This week is when Discovery Channel, NatGeo, A&E, etc does all their 9/11 specials, about various topics like engineering, architecture, personal stories from survivors, and even conspiracy theories. For many of us, it is still very fresh, and no matter who you are, you were in some way affected by it.

That morning started like any other for me, as pretty much everyone, I guess. It was my first year at A&M (junior year). I got up, ate breakfast, and watched the morning news with Liz (one of my housemates) for a few minutes. I remember her saying that not much must be going on b/c the biggest news of the day was that Bethel Johnson, an A&M football player was out with an injury. I pedaled to my first class, HLTH 331 with Dr. Wylie in the insanely cold GRW 267 classroom. After class we went outside to thaw for a while before Dr. Dorman's HLTH 210 class immediately following. Someone rode past us on their bike, telling us what had happened, that the World Trade Center had collapsed. We chalked it up to a rumor or a story blown out of proportion, and headed back to class.

When we got back to class, Dr. Dorman came in and announced, "Due to the cold temperature in this classroom and the recent turn of events in our country, class is cancelled today." Wow. He never cancels class.

My friend Alicia and I went across the street to the Koldus building to where her mom worked in the Office of Student Activities. The Director of Student Activities was actually stuck in Newark, trying to get back to CS. We sat in that office, glued to the TV for several hours. After a while I went home, biking alone on the A&M campus... nobody was outside. It was so weird. At home, the TV was on, and because we spent all that time in front of the TV, the housemates got a little stir crazy and we re-arranged the living room. Ma was not happy about that.

Like I said before, we have all been affected in some way by it... politics, safety, air-travel (what a pain!!!), war, lost loved ones... but something my Dad said that day stuck with me: "You know, God was not surprised by this." Wow! He has our lives in His hands and cares about the big things and the small things. This is something that we may know, but often times forget.

Don't we serve a great God?

Hittin' the road with my best friend

2009-09-08T16:24:00.008-04:00

When you're saving for a house as furiously as we are, life can get rather dull. So that's why we got out of town this weekend and explored the incredibly boring countryside of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio.

On Saturday, I suggested that we do something fun, and with no money, and the fact that we've done everything free that Indy has to offer, Mike decided to hit the road. He absolutely LOVES Jack in the Box tacos, even though I am quite repulsed at the sight of them. So we drove to Illinois to get Jack in the Box. Yes. However, we ended up traveling much further than intended, and ended up in Troy, IL, which is about 15 miles from St. Louis. And after Mike got his tacos and I ate a pathetic chicken pita, we hit the road again. 6 hours total for the day!

So happy

We like spending time in the car together. Sometimes it's good to talk and have no interruptions, but there is also a time to be silent. Both were experienced on this trip. It's a good thing we like to do this because we are planning to drive down to TX this year for Christmas.

I spent most of the day Sunday (day of rest? yeah right) baking and preparing for our journey to Mike's Aunt Sandra & Uncle Keith's home in Cincinnati... which is a much more reasonable 2 hours away.

And on Monday morning, we slept in, ate a nice breakfast courtesy of a coupon from Chick Fil A for a free chicken biscuit!! Around 11am, we hit the road, bound for Cincinnati! Indiana is incredibly boring and flat, but once we entered Ohio, I was taken aback by the beautiful rolling hills! I hope we get to go that direction in the next month or 2 when the leaves start to change! That will be just gorgeous! We spent the day at Keith & Sandra's, laying around, taking advantage of "Labor Day," enjoying some good conversation, Rutgers vs Cincinnati, and of course an NCIS marathon. Here are some pics from the day:

Welcome to Ohio!

Uncle Keith, Aunt Sandra and Shawn

The Sweetest In-Laws to walk the earth

Me with my one and only!

I hope everyone else had a safe, fun holiday weekend. Now it's back to the grind... grrr.

I'm so excited because.....

2009-08-26T13:52:00.002-04:00

My sister Melissa gets married ONE MONTH FROM TODAY!!

OMG I get another brother-in-law! I am pumped. Although I've never met Jake except for a few Skype chats, I think he's gonna be a great hubby for my sister. Wow that sounds so weird. Aren't they just as cute as all get out? (I've heard that all get out is really something, hence the comparison) Check out their wedding website: http://weddings.theknot.com/pwp/pwp2/view/MemberPage.aspx?coupleid=5174784490155557&pid=2712317

Life is changing. Holly just finished her college internship and is now a Child Life Specialist applying for jobs. Melissa is getting married! Not much is happening for Mike and me, we're just carrying on with life, trying to not get run over in the process!

This Christmas we'll have 2 married couples visiting my parents house. So far, it looks like the newlyweds will get Melissa's old room, and we'll be out on the sofa bed. But if I'm only able to make it to TX once a year to see my family, personally I don't care where I sleep. Just so I'm there with my family. And it will be fun to watch Jake observe the Emerson family Christmas traditions for the first time. Funnier because Mike is starting to catch on....

So anyway back to the wedding. Mike and I will be leaving on Thursday 9/24 for Savannah, GA where Jake & Melissa live, and also where they will be getting married. On top of that, we're staying an extra 3 days for our vacation! Good thing they live in a vacation spot! This will be my first wedding as a "Matron of Honor" and it makes me feel so experienced and old! Haha! Mike and I are SO in need of a vacation, so we are really looking forward to this.

Until then, we have to keep our noses to the grindstone and keep praying that God gives us patience! I have a feeling that this fall is going to fly!

My Love

2009-08-21T09:24:00.003-04:00

Our 2nd wedding anniversary was over a month ago, and with the busy-ness of work, work, and work, I never got to dedicate a post to my wonderful husband, Michael. I posted something similar last year, but it's time for an update. Being married for 2 years has had its share of ups and downs, but it has definitely been a fun ride. I'm so glad that God led me to Indianapolis to meet him and start the next chapter of my life. Here are some wonderful things that I have learned about Mike since we got married, and the things that I love most about him:

The boy could watch cartoons all day long. He mostly favors GI Joe, Batman, Superman, and Star Wars. When we were dating, once I invited him over for breakfast and Saturday morning cartoons. To me that meant Bugs Bunny and Tom & Jerry. To him, that meant superheroes.
He prays with me every morning before he leaves for work. I am usually an hour away from having to wake up, and even though I'm more than half-asleep he takes the time to go to the Lord with me in prayer.

He prays with me each evening before we go to sleep (that is, unless we hit the sack at different times).

He complains all week about having to get up so early, but he often up and at 'em early on Saturday mornings.

One of my favorites: he can swish Listerene for several minutes without it burning his mouth. After 30 seconds my eyes look bloodshot and I'm almost in tears! And YES, he does spit it out.

He supports me in my Pampered Chef business so faithfully. He does a great job of selling too! We were in David's Bridal a few mos ago and while I was in the dressing room, he was talking to the lady who works there about my business! Hilarious!

He taught me to fish this year. I'm still not baiting the hooks, but I grabbed the fish I caught off the hook!

When he hears a song on the radio or on TV, he starts dancing and it is SO funny.

He has become more disciplined (which is influencing me of course) about saving money for our future house.

He tells me I'm pretty even when I don't feel pretty.

He puts up with my whining, which I am working to reduce.

He likes to watch The Real Housewives of .... with me. Oh and The Hills. His commentary on all of it cracks me up. He draws the line at The Golden Girls. I draw the line at Star Trek.

One of our favorite things to watch together are reruns of Friends. We just sit in the bed and laugh together.

He never ceases to amaze me... last year we did a 5K and on our practice walks, I always leave him in the dust b/c I walk pretty fast. But he took off running at the race and finished several minutes before I did! I didn't know he had it in him!

I have learned that it probably isn't a good idea to travel with him to cities that have toll roads... toll roads Mikey no likey.

He loves to read instructional do-it-yourself books about electrical work. I look at it and it makes no sense to me. He has the knack.

He gets the paper for me every Saturday at Meijer so I can get my coupons.

He helps me carry in the groceries.

I find the Bible out on the table most mornings when I wake up. It makes me feel good that my spiritual leader is spending time in the Word almost every day.

When I come home on Tuesday nights, exhausted from work and being at Riley, he welcomes me into a big hug.

Oh I could go on for days! But maybe I'll save some for next year.

Thanks for being the best husband ever! I'll try to be the best wife I can be. I love you, Honey!

What's up with us?

2009-08-18T13:30:00.010-04:00

Thanks everyone for listening to me in my post yesterday. It was like a huge weight lifted off my shoulders to get all that in writing! I read it over and over and over, debating whether is was post-worthy or not. But then I realized that it is pretty relatable material, and decided to go for it.

Mike and I have been extremely busy over the past month, and I wanted to update everyone on what's been going on.

1) The second weekend of July I went to Chicago for the annual Pampered Chef National Conference. I took the Megabus up there all by myself and it was no big deal! Got to Union Station and hailed a cab to the hotel. I'm a big girl! I had so much fun learning about ways to grow my business and was able to soak up some knowledge from some very "seasoned" consultants! I even sat on the shuttle bus next to one lady who was being honored for $1 million in sales! Wow! Then again she's been at it for 18 years! Here are some pics:

Here I am in the video kitchen at the home office. This is where they do all the instructional recipe videos online! Fun!

Opening session kicked off with song and dance! I was impressed!

And this was one of the most exciting moments! This is me with Doris Christopher, the President and Founder of The Pampered Chef! She started the business in her basement almost 30 years ago as a way to make money and stay home with her kids. Thanks Doris!

"Pampered Chef America!" Haha.

Here's Ashley and I with WAHOO Woman!

On our last night following the Executive Banquet, we got our DANCE on!

And on Saturday morning I was invited to a "first-timer's" breakfast with Doris Frame, who has been in the business 18 years! She is so helpful.

This conference was so much fun and really got me extra-excited about working my business around my crazy work schedule. I left with a camp high! And all the while, my sweetie was here in Indy, probably watching all the GI Joe cartoons he could stand and eating all the McDonalds his body could hold. Life's tough. :) More pictures from the conference can be viewed on my facebook page at www.facebook.com/rachelcouts.

2) Mike came to pick me up in Chicago and we spent the day there. Mike HATES this city b/c of all the traffic and the toll roads. Me, I'm used to it from growing up in Houston. But b/c I was there and he knows I like the city, he came and got me. We spent the day walking around Navy Pier, eating ice cream and some good seafood.

This post is already really long, so I'll only post one pic of the trip. These can also be found on my facebook page.

I hope to keep up a little better. Good luck, huh Rach?

Anger

2009-08-17T15:48:00.003-04:00

Wow, that sounds ominous, doesn't it?

No really. Our pastor has been doing a sermon series recently entitled "How to Kill Relationships and Irritate People." I had no idea how convicting it was going to be, and I don't think anybody else did either. If you want to take a listen, visit www.yourchurch.com. Be ready to feel 2 inches tall.

I've always known that I get frustrated with things easily, and it always depends on what else is going on... but I never translated that into "anger" because it is never long-lasting. I get more short bursts of anger. One thing that the pastor said (among many) that really made me listen, was a challenge that Jonathan Edwards gave to himself:

"Try to never become angry at an inanimate object."

Sounds kinda dumb, right? Yes, but incredibly relatable for me. I become angry with my work computer (not my Mac) on a regular daily basis. Like really angry. I work at home, so letting my feelings out is a little easier than if I were in the office. Our retired neighbor who is home all day long probably thinks I'm a psycho b/c of all my outbursts in frustration with this machine. I don't get frustrated with people nearly as much as I get angry with inanimate objects. My computer. My hair. The kitchen floor (it has these little grooves that harbor dirt and I can NEVER get it out). The dishwasher.

I become extremely frustrated with things I cannot control. But wait... isn't that one of the things that anger is borne out of? The fact that we want to control what goes on in our lives? Isn't that what they call "pride?" A-HA!

It seems that most of my anger and frustration comes out of discontent. I become bored very easily and I like change, to a point. If I had my way, we would be living in a house, have at least one child, Mike would still be working, and I would be at home with said child, doing Pampered Chef full-time. That is my dream. And I want it now. I wanted it like a year ago. So far, no dice. My job is currently soul-squelching, exhausting, and I am totally, completely 100% burned out. Sometimes I even question if I want to stay in the health field. We are living in an apartment that is wall-to-wall stuff, and I can't do anything about it. I like to have my home clean, and I just can't get it clean because of all the crap. There's just not room for it. We are busting at the seams right now. And of course, because of the lack of space, there are no kids. I am doing Pampered Chef part-time and it's actually going really well. It's just that I know it would probably be going AMAZING if I had the time and opportunity to do it full-time.

I go to church, read blogs, and see people who are exactly where I want to be. Their life may not be glamorous, but it's what I want. And I think something that makes it harder, is that I'm probably closer than ever to actually having it. It's like it's so close, yet so far away!

It's interesting how we change as we grow. My biggest source of anger used to be traffic. Now it seriously doesn't get me like it used to. Indianapolis mellowed me out.

I know that God is using this time to mold me and get me ready for what's next.
1. Living with a roommate the year before Mike and I got married definitely prepared me for a spouse.
2. Allowing me to start a business with PC before I can do it full-time is allowing me to get good at it so that when the opportunity to go full-time approaches, I'll know what I'm doing!
3. Making me wait for kids is giving me more time to observe families around me, and learn about what to do when that time comes for us.
4. Dealing with an apartment that will never actually be clean is teaching me that the world doesn't end if the bathroom floor isn't swiffered today. I would love to see the statistics for death by clutter. Hmmm.
5. Living with a man who watches more cartoons than most children must be preparing me for the household of boys we'll end up with some day!
6. Having a hubby who is a picky eater is getting me ready for the kids who consistently ask, "What's the green stuff?"
7. And last of all, only having to care for one person (Mike) has given me more opportunities to reach out to others too.

I want to ask for prayer from any/all of my blog-readers that I would continue to see my anger and frustration and not view it as failure, but as a way to grow. And that I would "breathe grace." I want to be a woman Mike looks forward to seeing every evening, not a haggard, exhausted, over-worked person who has no time for him. I think that Satan uses my job as a way to tempt me to sin over and over and over again. I need to look at all my responsibilities and view them as blessings, rather than headaches. Chances to learn.

There. I did it again. Called the computer a freakin' piece of crap.

This isn't going to be easy.

Seeing myself on screen

2009-08-10T12:16:00.004-04:00

Saturday, Mike and I saw Julie & Julia and I have never related so much to a character in a movie as I did with Julie. Wow. It was weird. Through the entire movie, Mike and I would exchange glances and know what the other was thinking. "oh my gosh, that's me."

First of all, this is a very sweet movie for both men and women, but I guess it would fall under the "chick flick" category. But there were plenty of men in the theater, but they were with their female significant others.

If you don't know the premise of the movie, then head over to http://www.imdb.com/ and look it up.

There were glaring similarities between myself and one of the main characters, Julie Powell.

J: She works on the phone in a cubicle and takes complaints for a living.

R: I work on the phone (used to work in a cubicle) and listen to people complain for a living.

J: She is married to a sweet, adorable, encouraging man who listens to her and supports what makes her happy.

R: So am I.

J: Her family lives in Texas. (Her mother was not supportive, but mine is, so that's a diff)

R: I have family in Texas.

J: She wants to change the world.
R: So do I.

J: Cooking is her stress-reliever.

R: Oh boy, I don't know what I would do if I didn't like to cook!

On that, somewhere in the movie, she said something like "It's good to know after a long day where nothing is certain, I can come home and know for sure that chocolate, eggs, and flour will make a cake." I totally identified with that. After a long day of zero certainty, I can come home and know that powdered sugar + butter + vanilla extract + milk will always equal an amazing sugary glaze. That is so comforting. It always works.

There were several conversations in the movie that Mike and I have had. Times where we sit on the bed into the wee hours of the morning, talking about our feelings (OK, I talk about my feelings) and about our dreams/plans for the future. Some conversations are tearful, and some have us in stitches!

There were times in the movie where her husband Eric came in and helped her when she couldn't take it anymore, and Mike would totally do the same.

Now I want to make it clear that while watching this movie and noticing all the similarities, I wasn't exactly proud of the fact that I was just like her.... she was a brat and possibly difficult to live with sometimes. And I know I definitely am at times.

It is difficult being a wife sometimes.... working full-time with too much overtime, having a part-time job (that I really love, but it takes time away), all this while trying to keep our apartment livable and a husband happy and fed. I can't imagine trying to do it all with kids too! Sometimes it's hard to create priorities, and find the work/life balance. As it turns out, according to surveys, this is the thing that most women find the most difficult to do.

All this to say, hats off to Nora Ephron for Julie & Julia. And Meryl Streep was adorable as Julia Child. Have you ever watched JC on youtube? You can see her programs, and I love how she's imperfect and totally OK with that.

We could all learn a little from both these women!

Twitches

2009-07-29T17:12:00.002-04:00

OK so no pictures yet. I've been so insanely busy recently that some days I just cry because I'm so tired at the end of the day!

That being said, my left eye has been twitching since last Tuesday, and it's weirding me out. It's only a minor twitch, but strange nonetheless. Anybody had this problem before? Interestingly enough, it ceased twitching on Saturday and Sunday.... I wonder what the trigger could be???

Fun and pictures to come soon!

2009-07-16T16:23:00.001-04:00

SO I went to Pampered Chef National Conference in Chicago last weekend, and I can't wait to blog about it! However, they do their conferences back to back since there are so many consultants in the country, so I have to wait until this weekend to share my stories and pictures. I don't want to ruin anything for the ladies and men who haven't yet attended!

Stay tuned!

Busy Bees

2009-07-02T12:12:00.010-04:00

We have been so busy recently! I have been working a lot of overtime, plus taking care of our home and staying busy with my Pampered Chef shows, so much that I barely have time to remember my own name! But it's good though, much better than being bored!

June has gone by so quickly, I can hardly believe that Mike has been home from England for a month now! Since then it feels like we've started over, and in that newlywed phase again... in a good way though! We take advantage of more time together, but still enjoy a little separation every now and then.

Two weeks ago, Mike and I went over to Eagle Creek on Father's Day to celebrate with his family! I've never been much of an outdoorsy girl until I moved to Indy and started hanging out with Mike and his family... but I love it! The weather in the summer is hardly ever too blazing hot to go out and do something fun. Very different from growing up in TX. Mike's family is mostly men, and they all love to go fishing, something that I have always thought was gross and a bit barbaric....

... but after some coaxing from Glenda, Margaret, Kerry, and of course Mike, I gave it a try. Kerry had his pole and let me reel in a fish. It was the coolest feeling. So then I had him bait my hook and caught another one. And another one. And another one.

There you have it! I'm hooked on fishing! Then again I'll always have to get Mike or someone else to bait my hook and take the fish off, but I love it! Here are some pictures from our Father's Day get together:

Couts men fishing (Kerry, Kevin, Dad, Mike)... and all those buckets are of course... ours

This is the fish that I reeled in. A Blue Gill.

This is the first fish that I caught all by myself. Look at the expression of sheer excitement! And everyone cheered for me too!

Waiting for a bite...

I got one!

So did Mike!

My cute fisherman. :)

Then last weekend Mike and I went up to Lafayette to visit his former church, Faith Baptist. He went there for about 10 years after college and made many friends. Lots of them came to our wedding, and it's been fun keeping up with them on facebook, even though Mike's not on there... yet. It's also fun to visit because some people knew that he got married, but have never met me, and they would say, "Is this her?" Fun. He likes introducing me as his wife.

When we arrived, we were informed that it was Lake Day, and everyone was going over to Melissa Eikenberry's parents' lake house on Lake Freeman in Monticello, IN to ride jet skis, lay out, and play at the lake. Originally, Mike and I had planned on going rollerblading on the Purdue campus after church, so we actually already had a change of clothes. But we headed to Wal-Mart to get towels and Mike got some swim trunks. My favorite was when MIke said, "Yeah, we'll go to Wal-Mart, and I'll pick up some trunks and you can pick up a swimsuit!" Yeah right. Like I can walk in a store, point to one I like and take it home.

Oh, dear, you have so much to learn.

Anyway, here's us at the lake. Mike was in heaven. Just a few pics:

I didn't want to get completely wet since I didn't have a suit, so Mike found this tube for me, and Jeannie tethered me to the dock. This is me chatting it up with Elizabeth and Renae, new friends. :)

That sums up what's been going on with us lately! Actually there's a lot more, but it is not remotely interesting, so I'll spare you! Happy 4th!

2009-06-25T09:34:00.002-04:00

Mike and I saw 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' last night. I was going to write a movie review of my own to describe the whole mess, but I found one on msnbc.com today that captures everything that I want to say, but better! This was a movie made for men: hot girls and explosions. For no reason. Read on....

Alonso Duralde Film critic writes:
Artist and filmmaker Peter Greenaway once famously noted, “Cinema is far too rich and capable a medium to be merely left to the storytellers.” Still, when he suggested a move away from narrative, I can’t imagine that he was advocating a movie like “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” a cinematic avalanche in which Michael Bay eschews anything resembling plot or characters and instead screams at the audience’s eyes for two and a half hours.
And before any of you launch into the usual riposte of “This isn’t supposed to be an Oscar-winning drama, it’s just FUN!!!!” let me point out that there are good giant-robots-walloping-the-tar-out-of-each-other movies and there are bad ones, and this second “Transformers” movie falls squarely into the latter category.

Trying to take in this movie is akin to shaking up a snowglobe and paying attention to glitter shard No. 432,581: When two similarly-colored CG robots are simultaneously morphing and punching each other in the head, it’s impossible to figure out where one ends and the other begins, resulting in a visual cacophony that goes hand-in-hand with the bowels-rattling bassline and the shrieking, incoherent dialogue.

And then there’s what passes for story, which has all the lucidity of a toddler-on-Red-Bull’s fever dream. It goes something like this: The good-guy Autobots are still on Earth but are being kept a secret from the general public. They’re working with the U.S. Army to wipe out occasional appearances from the nasty Decepticons, and intel suggests that something big and nasty is around the corner.

That would The Fallen (yes, it’s a character), a rogue Autobot who had once attempted, millennia earlier, to snuff out the sun. He plans to use a shard of the All Spark, which brings these robots to life to… wait, actually, I can’t even remember what the shard, which happens to be in the possession of Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf), has to do with his evil plan, but eventually the bad guys figure out that Sam has some mystical knowledge embedded in his brain that will help them to locate the Matrix of Leadership (as opposed to the Axis of Evil, perhaps) that will restart the sun-destroying machine.

The storyline, such as it is, exists mainly as an excuse to reassemble much of the cast of the first film, including Sam’s sexpot mechanic girlfriend Mikaela (Megan Fox), conspiracy theorist Agent Simmons (John Turturro, who also voices cranky old Autobot Jetfire), and Sam’s goofy parents (Kevin Dunn and Julie White). Many of the robots from the last movie return, including the “twin” cars whose speech and behavior patterns are appalling stereotypes of young African-American men; the movie should just name the duo Step and Fetchit or Shuck and Jive to drive home the point.

There’s no wiggle room here for anyone to do any actual acting — and yet, Tyrese (as a soldier) still manages to be stiffer than anyone else on screen — and those who want to look for it can find a pro-George W. Bush subtext. (Diplomacy is for wimps! The French eat gross stuff!)

But with so much to despise about “Revenge of the Fallen,” there’s no need to get caught up in matters of performance or ideology. This movie is an assault: It doesn’t look good, it doesn’t make sense and it pummels the viewer into submission when it could just as easily have been entertaining and exhilarating.

“Transformers” is ostensibly about saving mankind from exterior forces, but humanity itself is sorely lacking from the finished product.

Summer is Funner

2009-06-11T12:16:00.008-04:00

Yay! It's finally summer! Then again, we have to wear jackets in the evenings, and had highs in the 50s some days last week... but here in Indiana, you gotta take what you get!

We have been super-busy since Mike returned, trying to catch up on 5 months being apart... poor Mike, he just wants to sit home some nights and relax, but I've been dragging him to all sorts of fun things!

Last Friday night we went to an Indians game with my company, who paid for the tickets and a yummy hot-doggy meal. Our seats were kind of cool, very close to the field in foul-ball territory. But hey- it's Victory Field... I'll sit anywhere! We had a good time socializing and watching "the tribe" play a decent game. Oh and Mike got an iPhone last week so he spent a lot of the time playing with his new toy. I would have rather he look out for foul balls to protect me, but whatever. He did protect me one time though. :)

This is us at the Indians game

Alex and Megan with the ball that he caught!

My Megan and Me

Then on Saturday night we went over to Kerry & Glenda's house to celebrate the triple May birthdays! Mike, Uncle Kerry, and Grandpa all have birthdays around the same time, so they always celebrate together. I love going out to their house because it gives me a little taste of the country. We ate some good food, opened presents, ate ice cream cake, started a fire (in the firepit, it's OK) and I got to shoot a gun. Don't ask me what kind, I don't know. I was pretty good!

TARGETS

Checking out Glenda's garden... I want one someday

Mmmm ice cream cake

Happy Birthday!

In other news, my sister Melissa is ENGAGED!! She will become Mrs. Jacob Yellig in September and I could not be more excited. It just kills me that I won't meet this kid until the weekend of the wedding, but that's one of the things you deal with when you don't live near family. But I totally trust Melissa and her instincts and from what she tells me, he is a doll. Mike and I were talking about it the other day, discussing how this year so much is happening, and he made the comment that next year at Christmas, there will be 2 married couples (not including Mom & Dad) at the house! I guess the newlyweds will get Melissa's room and Mike and I will be on the pull-out couch. Haha! Honestly it doesn't matter to me, I'm just so excited that our family is growing and that my dad has some more male companionship!

Well that's just about all that's going on around here. Other than that, I'm staying super-busy working overtime in my normal job and having a ton of fun with Pampered Chef.

Rachel<><

Bumper Stickers

2009-06-09T11:53:00.002-04:00

The other night at Wal-Mart we walked past a car with quite a few bumper stickers on it. My opinion is that people who have more than 5 bumper stickers on their car are usually obnoxious and often liberal. Anyway, here are 2 of the bumper stickers that made me go hmmmm....

"Choice: It's a beautiful right."

AND

"Say NO to animal cruelty."

Thoughts?

I got my baby back, baby back, baby back

2009-06-02T12:01:00.003-04:00

Mike is finally home, y'all! We could not be happier. The word came in on Sunday morning, and it was a very nice treat on my hardest day of the week.

He got home last night, and after dinner with his parents and grandpa, we went home and he started looking verrrrry sleeeeepy... and I just wanted to be with him... so together, we went to bed about 8:30! Of course this was very early for me, but it was his 1:30am! We both woke up this morning, completely rested and in a good mood. I guess that's what 11 hours of sleep will do to you! His driver's license expired on Saturday (his birthday) so I had to take him to work this morning.

These past 4 1/2 months have been very difficult for both of us, and there were many people who came to our aid to make life a little bit easier and more joyful for us!

Phil- Thank you so much for buying me dinner when I came to visit Mike. You have been so gracious in answering your phone when a sometimes-frantic, worried wife is on the other end. Thanks for promptly sending messages to Mike's room when he was out traveling.

Holiday Inn Solihull- (even though no one from the HI reads this blog) You gave my hubby such a nice home for 16 weeks, and always greeted him at the door with kindness.

Kelli- Thank you for being such a dear friend to me when Mike was gone. You were faithful to pray for us, and always asked if there was something that you could do. Thank you for always making me feel included.

Erin- Our walks together and time spent watching movies and eating ice cream were so precious to me. Your sweet spirit was always so refreshing on days when I needed a word of kindness. And you, also, thank you for always making me feel included in group activities, even though I'm the old married one. :)

Heather- you are the closest thing to a sister I have in Indy. Thank you for your sweet text messages, and calls, just to see how I'm doing. It was fun to hang out when we were both missing our men, and I cherish our conversations about love and life.

Mom & Dad Couts- Thank you for checking up on me literally every day, just to make sure I'm doing OK. I'm sorry I didn't have a chance to get together as much, but these girls who I just mentioned kept me pretty busy!

Ryan & Laurel- Thank you for all the meals at your home, and thanks for always making me feel part of a family. It means so much to both of us.

Mom- I find it comforting to talk to you because, well, your my mom.... and also, you've been a wife of a man who travels a lot. But you had kids to drive you nuts at the time... thanks so much for our sweet conversations and thank you for never seeming to get bored of my rambling. I called you numerous times, in tears, and you kept your cool every time. If you had started crying, I would have felt like I burdened you. Thanks for teaching me how to be a good wife.

Dad- You brought a different perspective, and showed me how to be a supportive wife of a man who travels a lot. Thanks for your humorous email forwards that always come at a time when I need them. I love you!

Melissa and Holly- You girls always seem to call just when I need it too. Melissa, your engagement story got me through last Sunday, and Holly, news of your awesome internship gets me through each day. I am so proud of and excited for both of you.

My girlfriends at church (married and single)- Thank you for including me in your various activities. I was afraid that after I got married, I would all of a sudden lose you, but that didn't happen! I love to be around you girls and encourage you in your lives, just as you do for me.

My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!!!! You have been the one who has carried us through each excruciating day apart from one another. You filled us with gladness and hope when we didn't have each other to turn to. You gave Mike comfort as he was all alone in a strange country (haha) and you gave me peace when I felt all alone in my home country. Thank you for keeping both of us safe and for bringing us back together again.

We have a list a mile long of things that need to be done now that Mike's back in town.... I just need to realize that it may not happen in one week. We have missed each other so much, and I know it will be a huge adjustment, but we're up for it!

So on the count of three....
1
2
3
WELCOME HOME, MIKE!

Update on us

2009-05-28T15:46:00.002-04:00

2 posts in one day? Do I have a fever?

Well there isn't much to report on "us," because the manly side of "us" is still out of the country in England on business, and this trip has been 6 weeks. Aaaand we don't know when he's getting back.... we were expecting to see him this weekend or even as late as June 1, but even that's up in the air now due to complications over there with his work. I need my hubby back! I actually have a bit of a hard time imagining what it will be like when he comes home and is here... in the apartment... for real... not just an image on a computer screen via skype. But I'm sure as soon as he and his mess return from England, it will all be back to normal! But I happen to LOVE normal! I hear of all these people going on dates with their husband, and I can hardly remember the last time we did that. Yesterday was the 100th day we have been apart total (not consecutive).

I've had an incredibly stressful week because I'm anxiously awaiting the return of my honey... but on top of that, the internet on my desktop work computer suddenly stopped working on Tuesday, so I've been working in the main office instead of the home office. This is frustrating b/c I don't have all the stuff that I have at home, but it's good to come in and see people I haven't seen in a few months. As it turns out, it may not be the computer's problem, but our modem, so that will involve the cable company, which is never a short process.

On that topic, Saturday marked my 4th anniversary with my company. It's a little hard to believe that I moved here 4 years ago for this same job, and I'm still doing it. 4 years out of college and still at entry level. Yup. I have switched positions in the company several times, but I enjoyed my first role the best. BUT the pay is good, we stay busy, and I'm really really good at it.

Have I ever mentioned that I have the best friends in the world? That post will come soon after Mike returns, whenever that is. They are so wonderful at distracting me and keeping me busy with fun activities to encourage me and help me pass the time.

More info when it becomes available....

Jon & Kate Plus 8 Divided by Two Equals Train Wreck

2009-05-28T10:58:00.002-04:00

In the past few years, one of my favorite TV shows has been Jon & Kate Plus 8. Watching those little cuties grow up, learn new phrases, and function as a crazy family unit is pure entertainment. But recent events have turned me into one of those people who will probably never again tune into this show.

Mike and I have watched it together many times, and even before we were married, I told him, "I will NEVER speak to you like that in private or in public," regarding the way that Kate treats Jon like a child and is always very hard on him. Mike has often teased me that I'm like Kate in some ways, and he's like Jon. I'm a little weird about germs and I like to make everything from scratch and use as many organic items as possible... and Mike is very low-key about stuff sometimes. But that's where the similarities end.

Did anyone have a chance to see Monday night's season premiere of the show? It was extremely uncomfortable to see the obviously distant Jon and Kate at their childrens' birthday party, pretending to have a good time. It was painful to watch... they had papparazzi hiding in the bushes, following them to Target, and catching all the awkward moments. The husband and wife didn't even acknowledge eachother's presence, except when Kate needed Jon to do something for her.

It bothers me when tabloids annoy people like this, but these are not people who originally intended to be celebrities, but have turned into them. It's a slippery slope, and they have been sliding down it for some time now. Last month I bought and read Kate's book, Multiple Bles8ings, and thoroughly enjoyed it. She came across in the book as being very real, and after reading it, I feel like I know her. The book helped me to better relate to the Manleys, a family in our church who had quints over a year ago... helped me to learn about the emotions that their mother may have gone through, and may be going thru at this time. The Gosselins claim to be a Christian family, but hey- infidelity, deceit, etc can happen to anyone if they are not strong enough in their faith to fight it off.

I was in denial about all of this because the tabloids were the ones reporting everything, but once Kate's brother Kevin and sister-in-law Jodi came out to the media about what was going on, I knew everything was truly going downhill. I still don't want to believe it all, but this stuff happens.

Despite all of this, they continue to film the show. TLC (The Learning Channel) is famous for providing a great deal of variety in their reality shows, and they are not usually trashy like others... after I watch a TLC show, I often don't have the "my brain is going to melt from inactivity" feeling that I get from watching shows on Bravo or MTV. TLC needs to halt all the filming and leave them alone to deal with their issues. Nobody in their right mind wants to see a family crumble, especially when 8 kids are in the middle of it. I really hope that they get some Godly counsel and can work things out... but after seeing the interviews on Monday night's season premiere, they couldn't even look at each other. Sad.

I don't know exactly where I'm going with this post, these are just my feelings. Any thoughts?

Dear Fashion Industry,

2009-05-27T17:22:00.003-04:00

Please stop making clothes so baggy. They are comfortable and feel great, but make some of us look pregnant. Because some of us, as soon as we get married, are constantly asked (even in not-so-baggy clothes), "are you expecting?" Recently the only thing I've been "expecting" is that question. Yeah, not such a fun question to answer.

Sincerely,
Rachel "No, I'm not pregnant, just trying to be fashionable" Couts

4 years ago....

2009-05-18T14:59:00.006-04:00

I made the biggest change of my life (up to that point) and moved here to Indianapolis! I can't believe it's been 4 years! In this time I have learned so much and have grown in so many ways. I moved 1000 miles away from home to a state where I had no friends or family, and (as dramatic as it sounds) one of my biggest fears was that something would happen to my in my apartment (pass out, hit my head, die, etc.) and no one would know it until I didn't show up at work the next day. This was the scariest thing, but was probably one of the coolest things I've ever done.

My mind goes back to when my Dad and sister Melissa pulled away from my new apartment, and I knew it would be months before I saw them again. Months. An eternity. I sobbed so hard for about an hour, then decided to pick myself up and get moving. I went to the store and bought shelves. And put them together myself. Looking back, I remember being so proud of myself for putting together those shelves. Haha.

But it wasn't long before I started to meet people at church and at work who helped me to find my place. God was so gracious to send such a wonderful support system my way, just when I needed it.

This is Abi, Me, and Heather at the Christmas banquet, where Mike and I had our first date

My first summer here I went to Brownsburg Christian Church (now called Connection Pointe Church of Brownsburg) where I met a sweet couple who had just gotten married and needed to get rid of furniture. They gave me a table & chairs, and a couch. The table and chairs were so nice, but they are now in the hands of some lucky Goodwill shopper. The couch is now in Ryan & Laurel's home. After a few months, I visited College Park Church in Indy and fell in love with the teaching, and also the dear friends I met. I don't know what I would have done without y'all! Abi, Nate, Heather, Ingrid, Rachel, Beth, Allan & Karen Harmer... thanks so much for your continued friendship.

Good times! This is Josh, Ingrid, Chris, Amy, and Nate. I think we went bowling that night.

After attending College Park for about 3 months, I met the most wonderful Michael Couts at Timothy's home, watching the movie "Miracle." I thought he was nice and cute, but at that point, I wasn't really looking for someone. But he found me. He pursued me for a few weeks, then we started hanging out more. He asked if he could be my escort for the 20somethings Christmas Banquet. That was our first date. While at the banquet, I pulled 2 of my friends, Lucile and Abi, aside and demanded answers: "What do you know about this guy? What do you think? Do you know his family?" He walked in on us talking, and we played it off. When he approached me, he put his hand on the small of my back and asked what we were talking about. When he left, Lucile burst out, "He put his hand on your back! He put his hand on your back!" That still brings back a smile to this day. We went back to my apartment and watched a very safe date movie, "Elf." And that's when he held my hand for the first time, but not without asking if it was OK. When Buddy the Elf says, "You look miraculous," Mike turned to me and said "that's what I thought when I saw you tonight." At that point, I proceeded to melt.

BOOM. 14 months later we were engaged, and 5 months after that, we were married. And here we are!

I miss Texas more than anything and ask Mike every once in a while if his company has any openings there. I can go anywhere with my job, and sometimes I really do want to get outta here. If the opportunity arose, I would move to Texas in a heartbeat. No argument here! Texas is the best state in the union, and I often joke that I never should have left. Obviously I'm glad I did, but homesickness isn't a rare thing. For crying out loud, my family is there, and we're lucky to see them once a year, maybe twice. But Indiana has been good to me, and I'll stay here with my hubby as long as God wants us here.

I went from being alone in a place with no family or friends, and I now have both. Could I be more blessed?

Oh, and today is my Dad's birthday. He is 57 years wise today. Happy Birthday, Daddy! I love you!

Sundays

2009-05-10T19:36:00.002-04:00

I don't know if anyone actually reads this blog, but I know that one day I'll be able to look back on this and remember...

But Sundays are the absolute hardest day of the week. I work all week long, waiting for the weekend, do some stuff on Saturday, then dread Sunday morning. I love going to church and seeing my friends, but I feel like half of me is missing without Mike there. I've been skipping Sunday school often because sometimes I just don't feel like being with other people, even though I know it is probably best. I just want to go to the service, then duck out and go home. I want to be with people, but be alone. Weird.

Anybody else been through something like this?

Political Post

2009-05-08T13:39:00.003-04:00

I've had one brewing for a LONG time, and I'm still going to hold back because I have a LOT more to say than I will express on this blog. Some of it is not exactly Christ-like, so I'll just hold on to it.

The question that keeps coming back to my mind over and over is:
"How can someone be a Bible-believing Christian and support Barack Obama?"
If someone has the answer to this, I would love to hear it. I have a hard time wrapping my head around it. It seems that most Christians with whom I attend church are conservatives, but I know there are some Liberals out there. Moderates even. That's fine. I can still love them as Christian brothers and sisters.... but I will always have a hard time understanding how they can explain relating their faith to their political opinions. Now I know that we all make mistakes... I make small decisions every day that I immediately regret, and realize that they are sinful. But I do my best to not continue to live that way.

I just don't understand how someone can call themselves a Christian when they fully support a President who is in favor of the following:
-Abortion- not just in our countries, but he repealed a law that bans sending money overseas to help people in other countries get abortions... countries to which we are trying to reach with the GOSPEL of HOPE.
-Embryonic Stem Cell research- this all begins with an abortion
-Socialized Healthcare- Man, you shouldn't get me started on this one... basically I will be paying for other people's healthcare with my hard-earned money... illegals even. Why do you think people come to the US from abroad to get healthcare? We have the best system in the world. Why are people dying in Mexico of Swine Flu? Poor healthcare. They have to wait in line for drugs. People in Great Britain are dying of cancer b/c they can't get the medicine they need b/c the government won't get it to them. Do you want your doctor's office to someday look like the Social Security office or the Dept of Motor Vehicles? Sure, it would be great for everyone to have healthcare, but that's not the way it works. Sorry. There is no such thing as a free lunch. Get a job that offers you benefits, or get private healthcare. There are always options. To rely on the government is just plain silly.
-Redistribution of wealth- again, I'll eventually be paying for the bum on the street who doesn't want to work for a living. Oh, and the illegals again.

And these are just a few. You may be thinking, "What do those last 2 have to do with believing the Bible? Aren't we supposed to help the poor?" And the answer is YES. But that is something that should be left up to us, personally. It is not something that should be mandated by the government. That's what non-profit organizations are for. Think of how many organizations are out there, who may start suffering because of lack of funds once these required taxes are taken our of our paychecks. People may not be able to afford to donate to various organizations. It is as if the government mandates everyone in the country to spend a certain amount of hours serving at a soup kitchen each year, depending on how much money they make. Sound fair? Not really.

Now I haven't lived through very many presidents, but I have tried to pray for each one every day. However, this has been the most difficult one. It is so hard to pray for someone who stands for everything you are against, and is against just about everything that you stand for. How can I support a man who signs the declaration for the National Day of Prayer in silence? It's as if he's doing it just to appease people like me. To "reach across the aisle" I guess. Like his arm was twisted. It makes me absolutely sick to see where our country is headed, and can't believe that I'm praying for the man who is pointing us in that direction. I don't think I've ever been so challenged in that way. Please, fellow Christians, R or D, join me in praying for this man and his staff.

OK so I think I'm done. Like I said, I have many more opinions, but it is probably best that I keep them to myself. These are my opinions, and these are my struggles. And I welcome feedback.

Notes of Encouragement

2009-05-05T09:11:00.004-04:00

I sit at a desk all day long, and just like everyone, I have good days and bad days. But there are some notes of encouragement, or just symbols that make me happy that are tacked/taped on the bulletin board above my desk. I thought that I'd share them, in hopes that they might encourage you today!

Still I will trust you
Still I will follow
Still I will listen
to your every calling
While the storm rages on
And I can't find my way
Still I will trust you Lord
-Still I Will Trust You by Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir

"Hold on to the promises of God, no matter how long it takes. Because no matter what your situation, God is always faithful."
-Some pastor on Moody Radio

"Happy Wedding Day! I'll be thinking of you. Love you much, Meg."
-note left on my desk from my friend Megan the week before we got married

You are my hiding place
You always fill my heart
With songs of deliverance
Whenever I am afraid
I will trust in you
I will trust in you
Let the weak say I am strong
In the strength of the Lord
-You Are My Hiding Place by Selah

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end to all my sin!
-Before the Throne of God Above, one of my faves

"It's only temporary!"
-Courtesy of Grandpa Couts

"This is the day the LORD has made! I will rejoice and be GLAD in it!"

This isn't a note of encouragement, but it brings back good memories: a pink foam cutout of a baseball bat, painted with gold glitter, "GO ASTROS." I made this at Radio Lollipop in 2004 when the Astros were in the playoffs. Good times.

I also have a double helix keychain that I made in the genetics class that I taught at the museum when I lived in Houston.

Nothingness

2009-05-04T16:32:00.002-04:00

So yeah, there's nothing to really blog about. I'm still here. Mike's still there. And will be for another 4 weeks. This is the most un-fun thing EVER. However, Pastor Mark's sermon yesterday really encouraged me, and I told Mike to get on www.yourchurch.com to hear it. Something my Dad would always say in the face of a trial or disaster, "You know, God is not surprised by this." True.

Pastor Mark delivered a message from Matthew 2 about the state of affairs in Jesus' region after he was born. Herod was in control. Herod was also nuts. He ordered the slaughter of all those baby boys under 2. So when Herod got threatened and freaked out, so did the people of his kingdom. There were 3 main points that I took away from this, and I want to share them:

1. God is unstoppable, in control, and always a step ahead, even when we don't see it.
2. Jesus is opposed- actively or passively- by those who are threatened by them.
3. Opposing Jesus- actively or passively- is treason either way. Yikes.

That first one is the most applicable for us right now. Mike has been away for 11 weeks so far, and by the end of this whole thing, it will be about 15 weeks. Why would God do this? Why would he have us apart for so long? If I learned one thing from Pastor Mark's series on Job, DON'T ASK GOD WHY.

You know how when we plan, God laughs? Well I have some ideas of positive things that have come out of our separation. The negatives are obvious, so I won't focus on those. So here they are. Go ahead and laugh, God! My feelings won't be hurt.
1. Mike has become so independent and learned a whole new culture all by himself. He has been given a chance to travel, almost all on an expense account.
2. Frequent Flyer miles... I think as of right now we have enough for 4 round-trip tickets anywhere in the continental US.
3. If Mike hadn't been in England for an extended period of time, then I never would have been able to visit, and wouldn't have a nifty stamp on my passport. (first one!)
4. Since Mike left, I have been more diligent in my quiet time than ever before. And even when he was back for a week visiting, I was still able to keep it up. I may actually read through the whole Bible this year!
5. This has given me more time to spend with my single girlfriends and encourage them in their walks with Christ.
6. God could be protecting Mike from Swine Flu here in the US. You never know.
7. I was sick for the past 2 weeks with allergies that caused a severe cough, often waking me up in the middle of the night several times, as if I was choking. This would not have been good if Mike were in the bed next to me.
8. Plainly put, the apartment stays cleaner with just me. And trust me, I make enough mess for 2 people, but when it is just me, I tend to be neater.

Well lookie there! There IS something for me to blog about! Hopefully in this time apart, Mike and I will continue to grow personally, and then share what we've learned when this whole ordeal is over.

In Mike's absence, though, I have found a new 24 buddy! My friend Jennifer came over last week to watch it with me (b/c neither of us like watching it alone) and we're going to try to make it an every-week type of thing!

May is getting bizzzzzzzzzzy though. I'll try to keep up with the blogging. But then again don't I always say that?

Rachel <><

Rachel's Fab 4

2009-04-21T17:21:00.000-04:00

I wanted to spend a moment and talk about the 4 things that have recently made my life fun, interesting, or easier lately!

1. The Slanket! (http://www.theslanket.com/)

Most of you have seen the infomercial for the Snuggie on TV... who hasn't? Basically it is a blanket that has sleeves sewn into it, so you can wrap up on the couch (or in the work chair!) and be completely warm. The Slanket is so much better than the snuggie b/c it's made out of heavier fleece, and is much warmer! I love it and would highly recommend it to those who are always cold, and not trying to run up the heating bill!

2. Stovetop Popcorn

What a bargain! I wish I had learned about this years ago! I have been microwaving popcorn for years, getting frustrated that not all the kernels are popped, some are burned and some are not, and they're not all evenly seasoned... well those days are over! I'm going back to the way our ancestors did it, on the stove. I don't have one of those old-fashioned popcorn-poppers, I just use a small saucepan. Into the saucepan I pour enough peanut oil (or EVOO if I'm eating with Mike) to coat the bottom, turn the heat to medium, put in one kernel of unpopped corn, and wait. When the one kernel pops, it's time to add more. I add just enough to cover the bottom of the pan in one layer, put the lid back on and wait! In the meantime, microwave or heat in a saute pan about 2 tablespoons of 1/2 butter 1/2 margarine and then add to that whatever seasoning I'm feeling that day, usually Mrs Dash Garlic & Herb. The pot of popping corn starts to pop a lot, and oil drips down the sides, so I'm handy with a kitchen towel to catch it before it hits the burner. When all the corn is popped, pour into a bowl and drizzle the butter mixture on top! Voila! It is SO yummy and much cheaper! PLUS 3 cups of popped popcorn has 4 grams of fiber!

And here's the price comparison:

1 box of 5 bags of microwave popcorn (5-10 servings) $3.99

1 container of unpopped corn (50-60 servings) $3.99

3. Jergen's Natural Glow Lotion

This white girl thinks that this lotion is one of the best things ever invented for summer! It gives me a natural, non-orangey tint that just makes me look healthier, not so pale and pasty. I'm big on SPF now, especially on my face, and I don't want to do anything that will cause me to get all wrinkly or give me skin cancer... so Jergens to the rescue! And now they make it firming, and it is clinically proven to reduce the appearance of cellulite in as little as 7 days? Gen-YUS! Well I guess I'll have to test that in the Couts lab...

4. The Real Housewives of New York City

Bravo's 2nd installment of the housewives is one of my faves. First there was Orange County (which I also love), the NY, then Atlanta (gross), and coming this summer New Jersey! But I love these housewives... they are hilarious. Their accents, demeanor, and of course the funny way they relate to each other cracks me up. They all claim to be a great judge of character and have amazing class, but as I sit there watching them, they fail almost every single time. Jill is the loud Jewish lady who is spoiled by her husband Bobby and truly loves life. Ramona is the pop-eyed lunatic who thinks she knows everything better than everyone. Bethenny (my favorite) is the confident, dark, witty, cynical single girl who just wants to find love. Alex & Simon (yes, I'm including the husband) always bothered me a little bit b/c of their snobbery and pretentiousness, but they are starting to grow on me... they're happy in their marriage, love their kids, so more power to 'em. Kelly seemed like a pointless addition at the beginning of the season, but as it has moved on, I'm so glad they brought her on... she's a dim-witted model who can't get enough of herself. And last but not least, there's LuAnn... ah, the Countess. I liked her last season, but she won't stop throwing her dumb title in everyone's face... she talks about how she went from being a regular girl, and American Indian to being a Countess.... didn't take a lot of work, actually... all you had to do was marry a count. Gosh. She is so pretentious it drives me nuts! But she's fun to watch!

Check out the Housewives! Tuesday night, 10/9 Central on Bravo! It is mind-numbing, second only to The Hills!

Catch-Up

2009-04-21T15:50:00.000-04:00

So basically this is what I need to do. Catch up. A lot has happened since I last updated! Well when I last updated, Mike was out of the country on business again, and alas, he is still gone. This was supposed to be a 7 week adventure, and it has turned into more like a 13 week nightmare... OK maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit. It's so hard to have your sweetie gone so much, it's like every hour of those first few days he's gone just drags. Almost on the edge of tears the whole time. It never gets easy.

This time when he left, though, I prayed probably harder than any other time... I prayed that God would show me strength I'd never seen before, and give both of us the endurance to get through this one last trip overseas. That day was one of the best work days I've had in a long time (that's saying a LOT), and I kept saying to myself all day, "Wow. I can't believe you're OK. You're not crying." I was shocked. But you know? That's exactly what I prayed for! So why was I shocked again??....

One of the best things about Mike being gone is that I got to visit him! March 19-24 I spent in Birmingham, England with my honey. This was my first trip overseas!
Day 1: I arrived looking dissheveled, wondering what day it was, and after a shower and a cat-nap I was as good as new! He showed me around the area where he's living, a rich suburb of Birmingham called Solihull. There's a mall and a library right across the street from the hotel so I was hooked up.
Day 2: LONDON Baby! We spent the entire day in London, and, I'm pretty sure we saw it all. It helps when you don't do anything that costs money. We walked for-EVER and saw all the highlights! We even took a flight on the London Eye, the amazing ferris-wheel-like ride that gives you a birds-eye view of the city! Amazing! We took a train from Solihull to London and did the following: Buckingham Palace, Green Park, Oxford Street, Oxford Circus, Palace of the Guard, Big Ben/Westminster Abbey/Houses of Parliament, Scotland Yard, posed in a phone booth, took the Tube most places, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Harrod's, Picadilly Circus, Hyde Park, and I think that's it. Actually I had been suffering from an acute case of plantar fasciitis before we left (foot pain) and after London, my foot pain was gone! Who knew? It was a great day.
Day 3: Well we were going to Stratford-Upon-Avon, Shakespeare's home, but when we woke up Sunday morning, walking around like 90 year olds (sore from walking), we decided against it. Instead we drove to downtown Birmingham and I haven't been that scared in a long time. Mike was right... driving in England is like driving on a go-kart track. All I could say was "PLEASE just get me a blindfold and a cigarette." SCARY.
Day 4: Mike went to work and I milled around town... ate lunch at the mall, read some, saw a movie at the mall, ran on the treadmill at the hotel and shopped some more. There was even a Pilates class there at the hotel gym, but for 3 pounds I passed it up. Are you kidding me?
Day 5: I left. And cried a river. I was so pathetic, sitting in that foreign airport, with tears running down my face.

But Mike returned just a few days later! Yay! If only for a few weeks, but these days I'll take what I can get. Having him here is so wonderful, and it's great to know that the next time he comes, he'll be back for GOOD. In the past when he would come back, it was like I was just holding my breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Now, he MINE!

This has been one of the biggest growing periods of my entire life. But I've found that each time I go through a growing period it seems like it's the biggest one. Looking back, I can totally see some of the ways that God was providing for us by having Mike away during this time... most of all, we were planning on buying a house this year! But the Lord is making us wait another year b/c there's NO way that we would have saved enough, and no way that I would have wanted to or should have gone thru the home buying process without Mike.

Also, the Lord is always growing me, and I shouldn't be surprised because I ask for it... for the first time, I'm actually looking forward to this last trip without Mike in a way because I'm able to use it for God's glory! I have SO much time to spend encouraging my friends and I also have 5 cooking shows scheduled for the month of May! Wow! AND on top of that, it allows me more freedom to work all the required overtime my company has laid on us.

Praise the Lord for his faithfulness! Let me share a song that has encouraged me in the past few weeks, just the chorus actually. Some of you may know that I am a super-huge fan of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, so here goes:

Still I will trust you
Still I will follow
Still I will listen to your every calling
While the storm rages on
And I can't find my way
Still I will trust you Lord

YES!!

Never felt like this before

2009-02-24T09:25:00.000-05:00

The past 7 weeks have been by far the most difficult I've ever endured in my life. Yep, that's how long Mike's been gone, and we found out yesterday that they want him to stay another 3 weeks. After he told me the news yesterday, I was so devastated that I actually had to take the rest of the day off, I couldn't work.

Never in my life have I experienced a depression, but I feel like this is it. I haven't felt like cleaning, cooking (crazy, I know), or even shopping, things that usually make me feel better. I haven't even had that much motivation with Pampered Chef either. See? Weird. It's all I can do to get out of bed to work each day, and I try to stay busy, but I just haven't felt like doing anything. Normally I would NOT be OK with the kitchen counter being dirty before I hit the sack at night, but recently I just didn't care.

My FT job is extremely exhausting, physically and mentally, and I really depend on Mike's physical support every day and it hasn't been there. When he's here and I'm out either running errands or out doing my own thing, I can hardly wait to walk thru the door and see his face and get a giant hug and kiss. But I'm starved for that. It seems like the stress of him not being here has aged me and is starting to affect my immune system.

I know all this will pass after March 27th, but I never wanted to be one to just live for the future and not for the present. But the present kind of sucks.

HOWEVER in the midst of all of this, I have been shown the most amazing grace, comfort, peace, and closeness to my Heavenly Father EVER. With Mike gone, it has given me more opportunities to serve God by volunteering in various activities and it has also given me more time to spend with Him in the morning. And one of my biggest fears after marriage didn't come true: I was always afraid that after we got married, I would lose many of my girlfriends and after this time without Mike, I have learned that my girls are still out there and we're still close.

I feel like during this time, the Lord has spoken to me in ways that I may not hear if Mike were here. I have had plenty of alone time to hear Him, but it has most usually been in the form of song. Last night I was on the way to Bible study and the songs, "Jesus Take the Wheel" by Carrie Underwood and "He Will Carry Me" by Mark Schultz came on my iPod and I just started bawling! And at Bible study some verses were brought to my attention that really made my day.

So, in summary, life has been massively difficult, but there is a silver lining. He is coming home eventually. Oh, and I get to go visit next month. :) And Jesus is STILL faithful. Apparently He knows we can handle it, otherwise He wouldn't give us this challenge.

PRAISE GOD FOR HIS FAITHFULNESS!!!!

~~Fear not, for I AM WITH THEE!~~

Chloraseptic?

2009-02-18T22:37:00.000-05:00

Yesterday when I was on the phone with one of my health education participants, I was in the middle of explaining something and he asked, "Do you use a lot of Chloraseptic in your job?" I asked, "No, why?" and he replied, "Because you must get sore throats all the time."

Thanks, dude.

Recent happenings

2009-01-28T17:06:00.000-05:00

So I guess one of those New Years Resolutions hasn't exactly worked out so well, but it isn't even February yet... I will not give up! I will blog!

At least the other ones are doing well... I've been pretty good about walking and doing other forms of exercise on a regular basis in preparation for the Mini in May. I have also read my Bible every single day, following a Bible-reading program suggested by Pastor Mark. It's going very well and I'm enjoying my time with the Lord every day! One resolution that I didn't post was a repeat from last year: floss every day. I think since 1/1/09 I have only missed one night! Not bad! I was great last year until our vacation in July and I'm determined to do it the whole year this go-round!

I have so many things to write about, I think about it almost every day.... recent movies I've seen, TV shows, books I'm reading, the election (I have some fierce political views, but am determined to retain my Christian integrity and not be too honest about my feelings about the current president), and still more on grocery shopping and money-saving.

The biggest thing going on in my life recently has been the departure of my sweetie to the UK on business for the past almost-3-weeks. He left on 1/12 and it had to be the worst day of my life. I cried quite literally all day long, most of the week. In the 17 days since he left, I would say that hardly a day goes by when I don't cry at least a little. The first week he was gone I slept with his pillow so that I could pick up the smell of his deodorant, cologne, etc. I'm a little better now, though, but I miss him terribly. I'm not sure I knew how much I loved him until he walked away from us at the airport. I immediately had this hollow feeling in my chest that is still there. Going to church is so hard, I feel like only half of me is actually there.

On the other hand..... this apartment has never been cleaner. Seriously. Not as much laundry, not as many dishes, and I know where everything is, just where I left it the last time! Now don't get me wrong... I would much rather have him here, but at least I can have some good clean fun while he's gone! I've also had time to go out with my girlfriends, and I even had a decent crowd over on Saturday night for a Soup & Slippers party!

But that's about all that has been going on in the past few weeks. Maybe pictures will come later tonight.

Rachel <><

2009-01-09T13:03:00.000-05:00

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (I sang, does that count?)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain (does Enchanted Rock count? It was tall)
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept in an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight (I am a girl, right?)
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse (solar)
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight (with Jessica and Nicole!)
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (Yay Pampered Chef!)
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies (Troop #10321, 1988-1989... not a good year for me economically)
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy (blankie)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt (my t-shirt quilt is amazing!)
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chicken pox
89. Saved someone’s life (every day, baby)
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous (a few times, but I met David Caruso from CSI last year at the ACSM conference! He was cool)
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake (OK well we didn't exactly swim in it, but walked right up to it and were almost consumed by the flies so we turned around and went back to the city)
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

In review: I have never been anywhere, and I've done a bunch of random stuff. This is a good Bucket List, of things to do before you "kick the bucket!" Man if I could just go to Europe I could cross off like 19 more! Someday when we're rich....

Thanks-mas

2008-12-29T16:20:00.000-05:00

OMG it has been way too long since I last posted! But we have been insanely busy with holidays, family, friends, and Pampered Chef!! Haha! So I have decided to title this post "Thanks-mas," stealing the name from our friends Adam and Laura.

My parents came to visit the week of my 28th birthday, and it was so nice to see them after 11 whole months! For the record, that is FAR too long! We carved pumpkins, laid around, went shopping, while the men went shooting. They left and I cried like a baby, but don't I always?

Thanksgiving came and went like usual, but we were once again reminded of how blessed we are to live in the USA and have such wonderful and secure jobs. Mike and I took most of the week off, and it was just the vacation we needed, except I found myself doing nothing but cooking, cleaning, and organizing all week long... at least I wasn't at my real job! We had Thanksgiving dinner at Ryan & Laurel's (sister-in-law and brother-in-law) house with many visitors who were unrelated, but it was great. Laurel gave us an idea for a tradition that I would like to start once we start a family, based on the tradition of going around the table and saying what we are thankful for. Everyone had 3 small kernels of unpopped popcorn at their placesetting, without any explanation. At the end of the meal, Ryan passed a little bowl around the table, and one at a time, we had to say something that we are thankful for. The bowl went around 3 times, and hearing everyone's thanks really inspired each one of us to be thankful for everything in our lives.

In these economic times, especially with all the layoffs happening all over the country, Mike and I are very grateful for our jobs, even though we may not be happy in them all the time. Mike is in his dream job, while I'm still waiting for mine. He has been placed on a new project and will start that venture next month, which will bring many changes to his job description and to be honest, he's pumped. My company has hired about 60 people in the past 3 months, with no sign of slowing down. A big change for me is that starting on January 12, I will be working from home! This is something that I've been wanting to do for quite some time, mostly because I hate hate hate hate Indiana weather and don't see the point in risking my life each day in icy traffic to do a job that doesn't need to be performed in an office. Home will work just fine for me, thank you. Goodbye to the days of getting up 30 minutes earlier to scrape off the car and dig it out of the snow. Bring on work in the jammies. Bring it on.

The day after Thanksgiving Mike headed out to the stores to do his Black Friday shopping and I decided last minute (when I learned how cold it was and how early it was) that I would stay in the rack. I told him to call me if and only if he absolutely needed my help. Well, about 20 minutes later I got a call, and he needed some shopping help. I went to Meijer and struck out on the digital photo frames... all gone. Then I headed to the DVD section.... struck out again. Then he asked me to wait in line outside Target and he would meet me there.... well I was not dressed to wait in line outside... but I did it anyway... and we got the TV!!!! Plus, Mike had a $300 gift card so we barely spent a dime! YES! After that I headed to HH Gregg to get a digital photo frame for Nanny and Papa and finally had the sweet taste of success! Then I headed home and went back to bed. Nice.

Since then I have been super-busy with Christmas parties, baking, Pampered Chef Christmas orders, and getting ready for our TX trip. December absolutely flew.

On Thursday, 12/18 Mike and I headed to Texas to spend some time with my family down there. What a sweet time it was. I got to hang out with my sisters who I love more than anything and enjoy being a complete goofball. We got to double-date with Erin & Ryan Welsh, do lunch with homeschool girls, and see old church friends! And can you say LOS CUCOS? FREEBIRDS? RUDY'S? Oh it was wonderful! Finally some good food! I really did not want to come back to Indy.... every time I go back to Texas, I think to myself, "Now this is where I belong," even though I know that's not true. It's hard to be left out of so many relationships that I grew for so many years. I miss people's weddings.... babies.... new families... life events.... I hate it. If a family member happened to die, I would probably just have to stay in Indiana and deal with it. And I have 3 grandparents who are getting older every day.... and it stinks to think that every Christmas may be the last time I see them. However, I know that God has me here for a reason, and that is to do a good job at work, serve Him, and love Mike. Sounds easy, huh?

Anyway.... here we are, back in Indiana. Today is my first day back at work and BOY it was hard getting out of bed today! There was a bright spot this morning though... I walked into the office and saw my picture on our "Wall of Fame," where I was named "Health Educator of the Month" for October 2008! They spelled my first name wrong, but hey! Its still me!

Here are some other random things that have been going on since I last blogged:
-I'm in a great new Bible study with girls from church. It is Beth Moore's newest study, "Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman." It has been so nice to gather with these wonderful ladies and study this amazing book!
-I've been reading books like crazy recently, which is weird because growing up, reading was something I really hated doing. In the past few months I read: The Secret Life of Bees, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Get Out of That Pit, Corrie TenBoom, and I'm currently reading Mistaken Identity. Next up are Marley and Me, 90 Minutes in Heaven and Fahrenheit 451. Good luck, huh?
-Pampered Chef has been going amazingly well and God has really shown me that it is where he wants me. I would give my right arm to do it full-time, but part-time will work for now! I had a lot of shows and individual sales in November and December, and all of the money goes straight to our house savings!! Yes!! It's so good to know that I'm doing something so fun to contribute to our new home. Pampered Chef has allowed me to get out of the house and meet new people, and cook for them! Cooking is truly something that relaxes me, I'm just not crazy about the dishes.... I hit my $5000 in career sales in November, which was encouraging. I really love this business and all the ladies I've met along the way. They encourage me in what I do and give me constant affirmations, because I don't receive those very often in my regular job. If you would like to order anything or host a show, feel free to visit my website! www.pamperedchef.biz/mrscouts. I'd love to help you pamper yourself!

I am excited for the year to come, and I even have some New Years Resolutions! There are only 3 right now, and knowing me, this list is sure to grow.

1. Train for and compete in my 2nd half-marathon in May (2009 500 Festival Mini-Marathon)
2. Blog more (haha we'll see)
3. Read the Bible more consistently (hopefully this will be easier as I start working from home)

OK that's it for now. That was a long one, but hey it's been a long time since I last posted. Maybe pictures some other day. Then again, maybe not. No promises. Love to all my homies!!!

Rachel <><

The Great Grocery Debate

2008-10-03T22:45:00.000-04:00

In the past few months I've become a lean, mean, grocery shopping, money saving, coupon clipping machine! It's become a new obsession to find the best deal in town on just about anything!

And there's more to it than just the shopping trip! I used to go to the grocery store (Wal-Mart) on Saturday mornings, along with every other crazy person in town. I bolted thru that store and huffed at every person who got in my way. Mike told me that I needed to go to the bike section, buy a horn and put it on my cart. It would put me in the worst mood, and it really damaged my thinking. I was struck by something that our new pastor said earlier this year. When his family was moving from Michigan to Indiana, his wife said that her goal was to get through the moving process without sinning.... thus began my quest to hit the grocery store each week without sinning.

First I decided to try another store, and see if it would help my mood. And boy did it work. So here is my comparison of 3 major markets in our area, with the pros and cons:

Wal-Mart

Pros:

1 mile away from home

I know the aisles like the back of my hand

I can get groceries AND home care AND personal care items AND clothing in the same store

Open 24 hours

Relatively clean shopping carts

Very good prices

Cons:

Every crazy person in town decides to show up when I'm there

Very few decent product specials

Warehouse feel

Lackluster produce

Meijer

Pros:

Clean atmosphere, don't feel like I'm in a warehouse

1 mile away from home

Good selection of hard-to-find foods (International)

Beautiful produce, lots of variety

GREAT specials

Good coupons at the register

Nice big shopping carts with a cup holder and a little tray for my calculator

I can get food, clothing, and personal care items in the same store. And this is higher quality than Wal-Mart!

Cons:

Prices may be a tad higher than other stores

Kroger (I went for the first time tonight!)

Pros:

Savings with the Kroger Plus Card

The most gigantic shopping cart I've ever seen in my life

GREAT specials

3 miles away from home

Decent prices

Dollar sales

Cons:

Kind of icky-feeling inside the store

Not the best produce selection, but it had what I needed for the most part and what they had was gorgeous

So there you have it, folks. I haven't quite made a decision on which one I will go to each week, maybe it will be a different one every time! Probably will depend on what kind of specials they have and also my selection of coupons!

Since we got married and I had to start cooking for someone else besides just me, I got into meal planning and it's been the best habit! Every Thursday or Friday afternoon I come up with a menu for every night of the following week, make the grocery list, and go for it! It's extremely helpful when we come home from work and know exactly what's for dinner!

Anyway, Mike just turned on Ironman so I'd better go. Great movie.

Funny

2008-09-01T12:09:00.000-04:00

Last night Mike and I were on the way back to our apartment from seeing Aunt Dean in Methodist Hospital and we had the GPS on. We were about to turn right onto South Crossing Drive, and it appears on the machine as "South Crossing Dr." Right before our turn, the lady's voice from the GPS says in a calm, but serious voice, "Approaching right turn on South Crossing Doctor." I just about died laughing.... and I needed it!!!

I'm really not...

2008-08-13T12:50:00.000-04:00

Pregnant, that is. It's funny. Ever since I got married last year I have to be so careful about what I wear! Anything that is baggy in that area, people start to ask.... it's fashion, y'all! Actually I think it's rather hilarious, especially since an unmarried friend of my exact shape and form could wear the same thing, and people wouldn't say boo. These days, shirts and dresses that are loose around the waist or have a high waist are in style. And if you have the least bit of a tummy, you look pregnant. Oy. Here are 2 perfect examples that make me laugh, even as I'm typing them:

1. At my company Christmas party last year I was standing in line at the bar, where everyone is allowed 1 "drink," which includes everything but water. I ordered a Diet Coke (my obsession) and a co-worker standing behind me exclaims, "Are you pregnant?" (this doesn't have to do with fashion, but it's still funny) I looked at her in disbelief, she was thinking that the only reason why I didn't order free alcohol was because I could be pregnant. Ha.

2. A few months ago in church I was wearing a blouse that I always loved, and it has a high waist, one of my favorites. As we were getting up to leave, a man pointed to me and asked Mike, "Is this your first?" Thankfully Mike is a smart person and quickly understood what the man meant and told him it was just a baggy blouse. Needless to say, that was the last time I wore that pretty blue top. Sad.

Come to think of it, I think I was wearing the pretty blue top at the company Christmas party. Hmm.

Trust me, even though I'm somewhat slow on this blog, all you readers can count on me that when there is news, I will most definitely post it! But don't hold your breath! :)

Mike and I are doing very well, enjoying our 2nd year of marriage! Can you believe it? We've been spending an unbelievable amount of time watching the Olympics, and I really don't like how it interferes with the work that I like to get done in the evenings. It's just so addicting and exciting! I know that once it's over I'll be getting so much more done! Mike is working tons of overtime and it's really exhausting for him, but it is also counting toward our house savings!

I am also enjoying my business with The Pampered Chef! Have I mentioned that on here before? Oh I am LOVING it!! In my first 30 days I met my 2 goals of holding 4 shows and having at least $1250 in sales. This company is so much fun and I'm learning more and more each day. At first I thought that I would only bring in a little money to help with house savings, but as I get into it a little more, it looks like I might make a substantial contribution!! Please anyone who reads this, let me know if you are interested in hosting a show or purchasing any of the products! They are SO fun! You can visit my website and have a look around: www.pamperedchef.biz/mrscouts.

Well let's see... there's not much else going on around here. I'm the only one here in my little shared office today b/c Bill and Ellen are both out of town and Kim is sick. It's actually quite nice to have "my own room" for a day.

In other blogging news, I have been cooking up a fiercely political post in my mind for a few days, and I'm not sure if it will ever come to fruition. I would like to keep my political opinions to myself because sometimes my method of delivery is not so tactful. :) So stay tuned. Maybe.

Have a great week everyone!

Recent Reviews

2008-07-29T12:50:00.000-04:00

For anyone who doesn't know, Mike and I really enjoy going to the movies. We don't eat out a lot, we don't go to expensive events or anything like that, but we do enjoy a nice matinee at the movies. There is a Regal Cinema within walking distance from our apartment complex and it has been a great way to get away from the apartment, get some exercise, and have a few laughs. In the past 2 weeks we saw 2 movies that I felt compelled to blog about, as they both stirred up thoughts that I wanted to share. So here goes:

The Dark Knight
One word: DARK

Overall, I liked the movie. And I'll admit that I bought the hype. However, I think that it should have received an "R" rating. We rarely see a movie that causes me to bury my head in Mike's shoulder so often. Seriously! Heath Ledger was freakishly scary as the Joker, and really made Jack Nicholson's version of the Joker 20 years ago look like Ronald McDonald. As I watched his portrayal of this sick, loony villain, I could only imagine what frame of mind he had to get himself into in order to play that character. The sound mixing in this movie was incredible-- I love going into a theater and the walls shake from the intensity of the sound. The movie was also very long... CAUTION-- POSSIBLE SPOILER AHEAD-- with the introduction of Two-Face, I figured that we would have another movie on our hands, but no, it just dragged on. This definitely could have been 2 movies. And I thought it was weird that they had Maggie Gyllenhall (spelling is wrong, I'm sure) play the character of "Rachel," when Katie Holmes played her in the first movie. I get annoyed when movies and TV shows try to do that. Case in point, "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" (the 2 Vivians). Despite all of this, I would still give it 4 stars.

Mamma Mia!
One word: Obnoxious

OK so when it comes to movies made of Broadway musicals, I am extra critical, but no less hopeful. I knew the plot of the show going into it, and this is one of those movies where you just have to check your brain at the door and enjoy it. But that's hard sometimes. I must preface by saying that I'm not a huge fan of some of the songs, but I know good music when I hear it. As a whole, the movie was fun, colorful, energetic, and the scenery was beautiful. But the casting was all wrong (the leading girl was good, but looked way too young for the part), the timing was inconsistent (it was never clear when this story takes place), and the music was somewhat ruined by... well... casting!

Being a Broadway musical fanatic, I become very annoyed when Hollywood studios make movies out of musicals, and hire actors who can kind of sing. They get big names in order to bring people into the theaters, and the actors butcher the music. Back in the olden days, if an actor couldn't sing, they valued the music enough to find someone who could sing, and dubbed the voice. For example, the same woman was the singing voice for Deborah Kerr in "The King and I," Natalie Wood in "West Side Story," and Audrey Hepburn in "My Fair Lady." Have you noticed that? The music was beautiful and the acting was also good. But now it's hard to find a good musical... Last summer, "Hairspray" was the big blockbuster, and it was good overall. But oh my gosh Amanda Bynes could NOT handle the part of Penny... she's a white girl who has a deep, soulful singing voice that really catches Seaweed's attention. And it didn't work. Several good examples of recent musicals-to-movies were "Rent," "Dreamgirls," and "Chicago." The makers of "Rent" did the smart thing and hired most of the original cast of the show, which made it amazing. "Dreamgirls" is one of my absolute favorite movies and not only could all of the actors sing, but they sang WELL. And who doesn't love "Chicago?" Richard Gere was a little iffy, but the rest of the cast was pretty good.

As a whole, I enjoyed "Mamma Mia!" but only because I let myself. I was disappointed that the music was somewhat disrespected (whoever didn't put Meryl Streep's songs in her key should be fired). However they did cast Christine Baranski who is always hilarious. I love her. And SHE can sing. :)

OK, stepping down from the soapbox. I would give this movie 2.5 stars.

Any thoughts?

One Word

2008-07-17T23:34:00.000-04:00

1. Where is your cell phone? nightstand (that's ONE compound word)

2. Your Spouse? sleeping

3. Your hair? blondish

4. Your Mother? musical

5. Your Father? tall

6. Your favorite thing? books

7. Your Dream last night? forgot

8. Your favorite drink? smoothie

9. Your dream/goal? mom

10. The room you're in? living

11. Your hobby? cooking

12. Your fear? failure

13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? mom

14. Where were you last night? show

15. What you're not? unhungry

16. Muffins? banana

17. One of your wish list items? house

18. Where you grew up? TEXAS!

19. What are you wearing? jammies

20. Your pets? fish

21. Your computer? Macbook

22. Your life? blessed

23. Your mood? tired

24. Missing someone? family

25. Your car? truck

26. Something you're not wearing? socks

27. Store? Marshalls

28. Your summer? Busy!

29. Your favorite color? pink

30. When is the last time you laughed? tonight!

31. You cried? Monday

Try this... not that easy!

One year ago today.....

2008-07-14T12:55:00.001-04:00

... I married the man of my dreams!! In a way, it seems like we've been married forever, but it feels like our wedding day was only yesterday! I have never learned so much in such a small period of time. Being married has been a blessing, but not always easy. I learned that God is gracious and I am not. I learned that real love really can conquer all. Last night I was lying in bed thinking about all the changes that have occurred since we got married... a year ago yesterday we would not lay in the same bed... Mike was not wearing a wedding ring (that was actually something that I had to get used to: "Oh, he's married... wait-- he's married to ME!!!)... a year ago yesterday I never would have gone to the bathroom with the door open... and those are just a few of the many incredible changes. Mike never really does any housework unless he is asked several times, but then again I'm very particular in how I like things done... but then again I would NEVER touch the finances. That's all Mike. We are so very different, but I'm so glad. This has been the most wonderful year of my life, and I'm thankful for every moment... easy and hard.

I'd like to take this opportunity to list some amazing (and funny!) things about my sweet husband, Mike:

He's really smart with our money, and makes sure that every penny has a place. We hope to never be in debt! He is so dedicated to our budget which isn't so much fun sometimes, but we will have a house sooner rather than later because of this!

He can swish Listerine in his mouth for 5+ minutes without it burning his mouth. Amazing.

He likes his shirts folded in a certain way so that they fit just right in his drawers. I actually started folding my clothes that way now.

He chooses what he will wear each day by the order that it comes in his closet. I have to keep an eye on this sometimes because the shirt and pants don't always match.

He could watch Stargate for hours on end. Seriously, hours.

He has a deathly fear of poison ivy, oak, etc. Let's say a football rolls into a patch of green under a tree... even if he knows there's no poisoned leaves, he still won't go and get it. "But there might be poison ivy down there!"

He prays with me every night before we go to sleep.

He prays with me every morning when he leaves for work (even though I may be half asleep at the time!)

He doesn't like to take credit for very much... "I'm just doing my job. God should get the credit."

He takes such good care of me by always taking my truck in for an oil change... I've never been good about that.

He likes to eat eggs "over easy," which I learned does NOT live up to it's name. After a year of marriage, I can finally do it without breaking the yolk most of the time. (why can't he just like them scrambled??)

He is a gadget junkie... if it has LED lights included in it, he's all over it.

He has the amazing ability to eat straight out of a bag of chips and stop before he's had too much to eat. I'll just keep eating until someone takes the bag away from me.

He has to be the undisputed KING of to-do lists. As I go through bags of papers in the den to decide what needs to be shredded, I find to-do lists from activities we did back in 2006. Some are pieces of paper folded up with 1 thing written on them, and some have 20+ items. As long as I've known him, he keeps crazy to-do lists, and they're very detailed. They even include things like "clip my toenails" and "pray with Rachel."

He'll use the same bath towel for like 4 days straight. Ewww. Yeah, I know it saves laundry and we use it to dry our clean bodies, but ewww.
When he comes in the door after a long day at work, even before I see his face I hear him call out, "Who's my pretty girl?"

He looks very handsome when he comes home from the barber shop with a fresh haircut.

OK so that's all I can think of right now... but I know that there are more! I love you sweet Michael!

(Now we can eat that frozen cake in the freezer that's taking up about 10 cubic inches of space!! Maybe we can have ice now!)

This is the story of....

2008-07-13T21:23:00.000-04:00

....Mike and Rachel on Vacation!!!

Day 1: 7/3/2008

We started out the day at 5:30

am with the intention of going to Holiday World theme park... so we got up early, packed the bags, and opened the door... to find that it was raining cats and dogs! You see, our apartment is incredibly insulated that you seriously can't hear the rain unless you are directly next to the window. Then on to Plan B: taking an actual vacation day by doing a lot of nothing!! YES! Just what w

e were looking forward to! Since it was 7am and we were wide awake, we went over to Bob Evans for a calorie-licious breakfast. Then back home to start watching Season 5 of 24! (The best season EVER) What a great day! After a while it continued to rain so we drove to Metropolis for a movie day! First was Hancock with Will Smith (a little weird, but good), then lunch at Panera, and Wall-E!

Here's a picture of us very excited to be on vacation:

Day 2: 7/4/2008

Alas! Plans once again thwarted by the rain! Our original plan for the 4th of July was to go boating but after checking out weather.com, we decided otherwise.... we pretty much laid around (what we really needed to be doing) and Rachel came down with a small case of cabin fever... which was somewhat cured by an afternoon of baking! Oh and just so you know, mint extract does not make a good substitute for vanilla extract in homemade chocolate chip cookies. Anyway, that night we really didn't feel like driving downtown and messing with crowds, so we went over to Plainfield to watch fireworks at Hummel Park, one of our favorite walking/rollerblading spots. The day was not a total loss! And yes, we were wearing sweatshirts!

Day 3: 7/5/2008

Finally a day out of Indy!! Saturday we headed to Santa Claus, IN (yeah I know) to Holiday World! Of course first came a trip to Bass Pro Shop in Clarksville, IN... and then we were off to ride the rides! We started out at the waterpark and it was so fun. Did I mention that this theme park has free unlimited soft drinks? Yeah you just walk up, grab a 12-oz cup and fill it up with whatever soft drink they have! Free of charge. Oh and they also have free sunscreen. At Holiday World, each section of the park is devoted to a different holiday, and the Christmas section was at the front. They had a life-size nativity scene at the front of the park, which you don't see every day. After the waterpark, we had some lunch and very large ice cream cones, and we were ready to hit the coasters! We were able to walk right up to

one of the 3 rollercoasters at the park (all are extremely fast, wooden coasters), The Voyage, and I realized why there are only 3 coasters at this park. They will beat you up. I don't do well on wooden coasters because of the rods in my back, but I am stupidly fearless sometimes and just go for it. I was fine for the first 30 seconds or so, and then it got so fast and jerky and rough that I started to worry about my back. My screams went to cries toward the end and that's when Mike did the sweetest thing he's ever done for me. I'll never forget it... he let go of his bar and leaned over and wrapped his arms around me to keep me stable. I cried as we got off the ride, and I had whiplash the next day. After that ride, we both decided that we were definitely done for the day. It was all better later b/c we stopped at Sonic on the way home. Fun day overall!

Day 4: 7/6/2008

What a fun Sunday! After church we drove up to Peru, IN to Lake Mississenewa and went boating with our good friend Mike Rainey! Pro: I got to drive the boat, Con: I got sunburned! No really it was so fun. We only pulled the tubes around a little while, then parked the boat in a cove and talked for a while. Yeah, definitely could have used a girl-friend out there...

Day 5: 7/7/2008

On Monday we headed down to Petersburg, KY for the Creation Museum. What an amazing place! The whole museum was dedicated to the scriptures, and compared what the world tells us about "how we got here" to what the Bible says. It was so awesome, I would highly recommend it to anyone!

Day 6: 7/8/2008

Maybe not the best choice on our part... since it was the last day of our traveling vacation, we went into it exhausted. On Monday night we got a hotel in Lawrenceburg, IN and then went to Mason, OH Kings Island on Tuesday. Honestly we were too exhausted for another day at a theme park.... but we went for it anyway! After the water park we did one roller coaster and Mike was done for the day... but I was good to go! So I rode the Backlot Stunt Coaster (which is a ride based on The Italian Job-- the coaster cars are actually little Mini Coopers!) all by myself, which was a different experience. Maybe we'll do better next year!

So that's our vacation! Actually the last few days we slept in, read, did some laundry, watched 24, and just relaxed. NICE. It was a good time for us to focus on spending time with each other and saving money in the process. Only 365 days until our next vacation!!!

50 Nifty....

2008-06-18T19:38:00.000-04:00

Today at work I was telling some co-workers that I can name all 50 states in alphabetical order in less than 30 seconds. Then Ellen said, "Yeah I learned the song." At that moment, Ellen, Bill and I all chimed in singing "50 Nifty United States from 13 original colonies..." We all learned the same song... I grew up in Texas, Bill grew up in Illinois, and Ellen grew up in Indiana! I don't know, it was just funny!

I should have known....

2008-06-11T13:00:00.000-04:00

Recently my company gave us an incentive of a $100 gift card for completing a health assessment. Sounds great, huh? Yeah I thought so too until I found out last week that it was taxed and taken out of our last paycheck....

So Happy Together....

2008-06-10T12:38:00.000-04:00

Today my parents will celebrate their 30th Wedding Anniversary. Holy cow! My sisters and I consider ourselves extremely fortunate to have been raised in a home with loving parents who never even considered the option of splitting up or getting a divorce. Now I'm sure that from time to time they had their disagreements, and especially after being married for almost a year, I appreciate them even more! So many of our friends growing up had parents going through a divorce, and it was the norm. Sad, but nonetheless somewhat normal. My parents have not only gotten through 30 years of marriage together, but they have gotten this far and they are still so extremely happy! I love it! They worked so hard to raise us in a Christian home and I am incredibly thankful for that. They prayed that my sisters and I would find quality mates who would lead us in our own happy marriages... one down, two to go! They loved us when we were horrible (especially me at 13-14 years old) and when we were adorable (usually Holly). And for all of that, I am eternally grateful! They saved their money so faithfully so my sisters and I could go to college debt-free, all the while tithing 10% to the Lord. They also were able to pay for our beautiful dream wedding. Thank you so much! Maybe I'll be calling you in a few years for financial advice....

My mom has always been someone to whom I can call when I need to vent about something emotional, and there's hardly a question I'm ever scared to ask her. I had to call her last night and ask her how to cook corn on the cob, and she was there for me.

My dad has always been the biggest man in my life. You know that little girl/daddy relationship? We totally have it. And luckily (?) for him, I inherited his sense of humor. As I got older, he would find that I could often beat him to the punch on puns and sarcastic comments so you could say that I learned from the best! And if you were at our wedding last summer and saw the beautiful speech he gave as he gave me away... tears. Thanks Dad!

Mom and Dad, I can't thank you enough for all you have taught me and will continue to teach me. Probably the most valuable thing you taught me is how to have a good marriage by example. I'm so proud of you for meeting this milestone and maybe Mike and I will go ahead and start planning that 50th anniversary party! Look out!

Love you!!!!

Hello Blogger!

2008-06-04T21:05:00.000-04:00

OK so for years I've been with Xanga, and you know... it doesn't have the look that blogger does, and so here we are. Also, xanga didn't work so well with my Mac and I had a hard time uploading pictures. I'd like to keep up with it as often as I can, like I used to so faithfully before Mike and I got married!

Now for what's been going on with us for

the last month b/c I've been a little slacking in the posts! The first weekend in May, Mike and I participated in one of Indy's biggest events (no, not the 500), the 500 Festival Mini-Marathon! Well actually, we did the 5K but still... it was fun. I was so sure that I would finish before Mike because I walk a lot more than he does, and I can really haul booty when I get in a race. Usually when we take our walks together, I leav

e him in the dust! When the race started, we were both running, mostly to get ahead of the slow people. I ran for about the first 1/2 mile, but Mike kept going! He ran the whole thing and that stinker actually beat

me! I couldn't believe it! Of course I'm super-proud of him, but a little shocked that I didn't finish first! Way to go, honey!

Since we participated in the

5K, we were given free admission to the Indianapolis 500 Opening Day celebration. He has been to the race before, but didn't really enjoy it because it

t was so hot and people were generally stinky and drunk. I've been to the track a few times for the car museum, but this was my first "racing event." I really like Indy, and it's cool to live in a city that is so well-known and famous for something.... racing. And blue eye shadow. And mullets. And homes decked out in loud checkered flag decor. Gotta love it!

Then a few weeks later, my Dad's birthday came and I had the birthday present of all birthday presents in mind.... I was on www.hannity.com (I've been Hannitized!) and noticed that Oliver North (Dad's a big fan) had written a new book, and was coming to Indy to sign copies! So after work one day I went over to the Lifeway Christian store in Castleton and after waiting for only 1 hour, I got the book signed! He was not posing for pictures, so this is the best I could do... cool!

We had a fun memorial day weekend! It was busy, but we had a good time! In the Couts family, 3 birthdays (Uncle Kerry, Grandpa, and Mike) all occur in the same week, so they always celebrate together, and we can usually count on Kerry being at the grill making some de-lish steaks! We went over to Kerry & Glenda's new place in Avon, and it was amazing! They have a nice new house, with a huge deck, a garage, barn, basketball court (1/2) and a huge backyard! We had a great time celebrating the birthdays and enjoying the weather that finally decided to be warm.

Mike and Kerry at the grill

My sweet Brother-in-law Ryan and his wife Laurel... they always make me smile!

Last Friday night was Mike's 36th birthday, and I surprised him with 2 tickets to the Indians game right behind home plate! We had so much fun!

Needless to say, we've been incredibly busy recently, so I'll try to keep up!