The Men in My Life

Earlier today I was planning out all the many blog posts I have in my brain to share with you all. And it dawned on me, that here I am telling you all about myself and my adventures, and I barely even dive into one of my main sources of support in my life. The men in my life.










My dog, Linus, and my cat, Fox. Why, what did you think I meant?
Now I already did a blog way back when introducing you to Linus, so if you would like to see his baby pictures, scroll on back. But for now, I'll just show him to you as he is. BIG =) Now, to some, Linus may give off a different impression than he means to. (He's very protective of my family and I. We call ourselves his "peeps"). But even though when he barks he may sound like he wants to have you for dinner...


He really is just a big softy. If puppies had a school picture, this next one would be Linus'

In all seriousness though, I LOVE this dog. To sound incredibly cliche, he has seen me through a lot of hard times. Whenever I'm upset, he knows. If I start to cry, he rushes up to me, licks the tears off my face, and sits with me. One time I was really sick, he started laying toys next to me on the couch. Usually if he wants to play he holds the toy in his mouth and begs. But this time, he just began setting them next to me one by one. He would set a toy down, lick my face, and walk away. By the end of the day I had all of his toys. What a generous little guy =)

Then along came Fox. Now, Fox isn't technically my kitty. He actually belongs to a friend, but he has been living at my house for around 9 months now....so he is sort of like my foster child. Regardless...I'm his mommy. =)As soon as Fox and Linus warmed up to each other, they were inseparable...

Fox's favorite pastime is being under, or in things...




When he was just a couple of months old, he was a TOTAL cuddler. He slept in my arms the whole night! =) So cute. Now that he is older he is a bit more independent, but he still likes sleeping in my bed. Which I don't mind at all! I mean who WOULD mind waking up to this hunk every morning?

I'm so glad I got to introduce to you to these stud muffins. Who are the most important furry members of your family?

ABRACADABRA! Adventure No. 3

I love it when an adventure calls for dressing up, don't you? That's why I was SO excited when my friend Brian asked me to come with a group of friend's to the MAGIC CASTLE in Hollywood. If you know anything about the Magic Castle, then you know it is a very exclusive club, and you can only get in if you are a member, or are a guest of one. Needless to say I was pretty excited. I've always loved magic. As a kid I had a magic kit that came with a book, cards, a wand, etc. I walked around the house doing "tricks" for my family. I'm sure I had some exceedingly clever name like "The Great Rachel." =)

I was also so excited because I had an excuse to wear the dress I scored at my friend's garage sale for $5! (Plus the shoes I bought from her too!)

I looove this dress. I even got compliments from women I didn't know at the Magic Castle on it! Score!

I paired it with a purse of my mom's that had a vintage feel that I felt really went with this look. Slap on some garage sale heels and a rose pearl bracelet from Forever 21 and I was good to go!

I can't wait to try this dress for another event. A friend of mine suggested cowboy boots for a more casual event. How about a night out at the Malibu Winery, or something like that? Ok. =)
The only bummer thing was that we weren't allowed to take pictures inside. So I scored a bathroom shot once I got the chance =)

My friend Lauren said the bathroom made her feel like she was in Moulin Rouge. I couldn't agree more! What girl doesn't like light bulbs around a mirror, I mean...really?
I took a few shots before we went in. My friend Katie and I, the outside of the Castle, (which doesn't even begin to do it justice, this place is to die for beautiful inside) and all the ladies outside the door. Don't mind my awkward pose in that one haha.




I had SO much fun at the Magic Castle. I even reached my one and only goal for the whole night...I got called on and got to participate in a magic trick! (Which completely BLEW MY MIND!) If I'm ever really really wealthy...may be I'll be a member and go, oh I dunno, every two days or so ;)

Adventure No. 3...you might be my favorite yet. On to the NEXT!

BANG! BANG!

I'm on a roll, guys. Recently, I decided I was gonna start really living life to the full and take advantage of not being in school.

I
Love
It.

So for adventure No. 2 my friends Katie, Brian, and I all went to the shooting range. Brian wanted us to teach him a few things about guns. Right...that's it. It was such a fun day. Every one should try this once in their life...it makes you feel like a secret agent. Especially when you get to shoot a glock 23 .40 cal. That's right, I just used that in a sentence. Watch out bad guys.

This was my favorite one to shoot, I felt pretty hardcore.

This next one scared me a little bit hahaha...But it was SO COOL. And I was the most accurate with this one, so it was really fun to shoot. There is something strangely satisfying when you hear the *ping of hitting your target. Here is a shot of Brian teaching me how to use this massively large gun haha.

Who says a girl with fabulous nail polish can't shoot a semi automatic weapon?

And here's a little collage of a few more pics from the day.
Check out Katie's face in the bottom photo...hahaha that was her face after she shot the first gun...priceless.

So adventure No. 3? Oh...don't you worry, It's already all lined up. Just keep on checking in to find out!

Put a Cherry on It!

This last week my family and I decided to be completely adorable and take my Grandpa Cherry picking.
That's right we picked cherries, and no, I don't mean from the shelves at Trader Joes.

Here's a little preview! We went to Windy Ridge Farm in Leona Valley. It was pretty quaint =)

My 93 year old Grandpa put us all to shame by picking the most cherries. He's awesome...I hope I'm like him when I'm 93. =)
I'm gonna count this as another small adventure. Something new, and different. What do you count as an adventure this week?

He Laughs

I LOVE being an auntie. More specifically, Auntie Ray Ray. But now, not only am I an auntie to my adorable niece...now I have an equally adorable nephew!

Oh BOY! Hahaha...we were all so excited to finally have a boy in the family. In a family FULL of girls...testosterone levels were at an all time low. =) But this little cuddle bug is gonna change that! What a fun day it was! I got to watch Sophie while my sister was being very very brave=) When Isaac was born we went to go see him. Sophie was a little timid at first, but she warmed up to him soon enough! And what's a day with your Auntie without a treat??

Here are some fun pics from that day!



What a blessing! I'm so excited to see the adventures this little guy will bring!

I'm Gonna Be an Auntie!...Again!

Yesterday I got to celebrate my sister and the soon arrival of my baby nephew, Isaac Garrett Heathcote. I love my little niece more than words can say, but the anticipation of there finally being a little boy in the family is almost too much for me to take. It's going to be so new and exciting!

My mom and I planned for months and months for my sister's shower. If anyone knows me or my mother, they know that when we plan an event...we go all out! We even joke that we should open an event planning business one day. Here are some shots of the event...What do you think??

The AMAZING cake was by Skiff's Cakes in Simi Valley. They copied the centerpiece stuffed animals for the cake topper...I KNOW, right??

The centerpieces were adorable stuffed animals, wooden toys and/or vintage books and a decorated mason jar with fresh cut daisies!

The Aardvark with the vintage books was my favorite! So cute!

Lovely family and adorable Goose!

These were a fun detail for our tea table! We found them for a steal at TARGET!

This was my special art project for the shower. Simple cardboard letters from the craft store painted any way you like, and then hung on a clothes line =)

The tea cups we found on a website called englishteastore.com They were a great find! The guests got to not only drink their tea in a lovely cup, but then take it home with them as their favor and a constant reminder to pray for the Heathcote family!

And of course me and my amazing sister and the lovely mommy of two to be!! So what did you think?

My Son/Boyfriend?

So It's been close to a month since I last posted? Ick. Not ok. We will work on this. And those goals I've been working on...don't worry I am still working on them. I'll post more about those in the next couple of days. But tonight, I felt it was time to introduce you all to a very important person in my life...My Dog, Linus. And yes I say person on purpose. He is quite possibly my favorite person in the world.

Two years ago this little bundle of joy came into my life...

So cute it hurts, right? I know. Quickly he was deemed my "son" and our adventures began. Linus quickly won the hearts over every family member in our house. We nicknamed him my "rescue" dog. He came to me right after my divorce. I like to think that he rehabilitated me =)

I was so proud of my little boy! His name came to me one day sitting at work. I actually looked on baby name websites haha. And finally I came across Linus. I knew it was perfect for him because A. My mom grew up loving the Peanuts Gang, and B. He already was constantly wrapped up in this specific blue towel we had. It was meant to be.

After Linus started getting older, he went through a sort of "doggie puberty." Except instead of the voice change, Linus had what we call the "ear change."

The last one shows a tradition that lasted quite some time. Our neighbors had an orange tree and after every walk Linus would pick one up off of the ground and carry it all the way home. He would drop it out for me and wait patiently while I peeled it for him so he could enjoy his treat! =) This next one we call "The Trump Look."

Another variation:

Finally his head began to grow into his ears, and they seemed to take their final resting place =)

One day we got a new recliner, and moved our old rocking chair off to the side. Before we had a chance to take it outside to get rid of it, Linus realized he could easily make use of it...

No Shame.

This chair has now never left its awkard spot in our bonus room and how now been deemed "The Linus Chair". Every night this is where he goes to relax =)

As my sittuation changed, Linus went for being referred to as my son to every once in a while as "the only man I need", or "the man in my life" and finally just, "My boyfriend."

He loves to spoon. So there you have it, my son/boyfriend. The only man I need =) Who is your favorite "person?"

Bottles, Bibs, and Besties

A year ago, I would have never thought that I would be spending the evening with my two best friends "oohing" and "ahhing" over a brand new baby any time soon. But boy am I glad that is the way it turned out. Sometimes life can send some surprises. And I happen to be one of those people who believe the best packages...are the smallest ones!
My friend Katie is an amazing mother! Already her instincts amaze me. It makes me wonder...when the time comes for me, will I be that natural? Lily is so beautiful! Such a blessing, and I'm so glad I get to be here to watch her grow!