so grateful!

i am my own worst enemy // but it will all be okay

September 23, 2015 by Rachel 1 Comment

Sometimes I get in my own head. I start to panic because it’s pretty much the worst place to spend a significant amount of time. I am THE BEST at doomsday scenarios, in every facet of my life. Seriously. I can jump from nothing to worst case scenario in 2 seconds flat. It’s a horrible feeling.

So when I play “worst case scenario” over and over again in my head, I literally have to talk myself off that proverbial ledge. I’ve been extremely stressed during this pregnancy. In addition to the major sickness, I’ll just burst into tears because this is not how life should be. And I’m missing a lot of work because of it. And that has me stressed out, like, beyond words. I just feel like none of this should be this way right now.

But wasn’t I just preaching in my mantra for this week (which, I’ll admit, is more for me than anyone else), that worrying just sucks the joy from today? Yes, yes I was.

Regardless of the many of the several doomsday scenarios I think of, I will be OK!

… I will still be alive.

… I will still have my health.

… I will still have this baby in my belly.

… I will still have my husband, who very much loves me.

… I will still have Moosh and his relentless toddler love.

… I will still have a roof over my head.

… I will still have food on the table, morning, noon and night.

In the same way that I can be my own worst enemy, I am also good at talking myself off the anxiety ledge. And if I just can’t manage to do it, I’ll reach out to someone who will do it for me. ♥

And everything will be okay.

And yesterday, someone on the internet reminded me that we survive even our worst days. And it’s true. And if you need that reminder today, or if you know someone who does, I’ll leave you with my favorite quote:

the power of awesome customer service //

August 15, 2015 by Rachel 1 Comment

It’s a well-known fact that pregnant women are hormonal hot messes and will either snap at you or cry if things do not go their way. OK, well if you have never encountered a pregnant woman, you might not know this… yet! But you’ve been warned!

So it should come as little surprise that my over-sensitized reaction to our car break-in was hyped up that much more by hormones. Well, a couple of days after the incident — just as I was coming to terms with lost possesions and the like — I realized that in addition to my wallet and purse, I had put my Jawbone UP24 in my purse just that morning.

See, I had been emailing back and forth with their customer service regarding my band not taking/holding a charge. We’d been through a week of troubleshooting and the next (and final) step was to call in and make arrangements to have a warranty replacement done. So I shoved it in my purse and figured I’d give them a call while Ari was playing at the café.

I was SO bummed when I realize that it, too, had been stolen. I have religiously worn that band (both it and the original band), for 2+ years. I have always felt like it helped me to hold myself accountable for being active throughout the day. A couple of days passed and I ended up getting a follow up email from customer service, requesting that I let them know if the issue had been resolved or to call in if I still needed further assistance. I emailed back a friendly, but sad, “Thanks, but it turns out our car was broken into and my purse, wallet, and UP band were all taken. So I suppose there’s not much that can be done now! :)” and figured that was that. Chalk it up to “YOU WIN, THEIF!”

But no. Just a few minutes later, I received a call from Jawbone customer service. The agent told me that he was so sorry that it was stolen along with my other belongings, and that he still wanted to help me. I just sent him my proof of purchase to show that the band was still under factory warranty, and that since we had been working to resolve the issue already, he could have a replacement band sent to me! Whaaaat?? Oh! But they didn’t have my size band… so instead they were going to send me a newer model.

WHAAAAT??!!

I really felt like they went above and beyond. Seriously. They didn’t have to do that. They didn’t have to do any of it! They blew me away with their customer service! Seriously. Even though for the last 2.5 years I’ve been fairly happy with my Jawbone UP bands, there have been moments where I considered getting a FibtBit instead. But nope. Never will I ever leave Jawbone! Not after this experience! 🙂

My faith in humanity is restored. Sure, I may not have my Tory Burch wallet back or my purse… but I have my faith in people doing nice things for other people. ♥ ♥

So if you can afford to pay it forward, whether it be for free coffee for the person behind you in the drive thru, or just with a simple smile, DO IT! ♥ I’m certainly going to! You never know how it can impact a persons day!

do what you can // it takes a village. still.

July 15, 2015 by Rachel 1 Comment

After Moosh was born, it became crystal clear that the saying “It takes a village to raise a child” is 100% true. I was, and forever will be, eternally grateful for everyone who brought over a meal or sacrificed their time to come clean our house and do the laundry. We even had several family members donate a few nights to staying with us overnight and hanging out with a very colicky baby while we slept.

And I’m already noticing this again during this pregnancy. In just the littlest ways, it has helped tremendously.

My Husband // It’s no secret that I’ve been sick and less than human over the last few months. I’ve slacked on everything. Obviously, it’s not on purpose; but there is still a huge amount of guilt over disregarded housework, laundry in piles, and a toddler disheveled. Not to mention my inability to go into work. He’s been incredibly supportive and has picked up my slack.

My Doctors + Pharmacist // They have all seen a lot of me lately. I’ve been in to see my doctor biweekly and the pharmacist about the same amount, if not more. My doctors (yes, the practice has multiple doctors that I rotate in seeing) haven’t batted an eye at trying different methods to help my extreme morning sickness. They’ve been patient and accomodating.

And as odd as it sounds, my pharmacist has been a huge supporter. Not only have I seen him on the regular over the last few years, but he was one of the first people to find out I was pregnant both times! The first time — with Moosh — I literally went one week to picking up my birth control pills to filling and picking up prenatal vitamins the next. This time around he had to go behind the counter to get me some B6 vitamins, which are made pretty much for combating morning sickness. Ha! Well over the course of this pregnancy, my dear pharmacist Patrick (yep, we’re on a first name basis — LOL), has told me about how his wife had a terrible time with both of her pregnancies. This last time I went in to get a new morning sickness medication Patrick offered an additional piece of advice… He told me not to feel guilty about the multiple doctors visits and not to feel like I was wasting their time. That all of them were happy to help and get me to feeling better. ♥ THANK YOU PATRICK!

My Family + Friends // Everyone has been so supportive. My mom calls in to check on me everyday. I know she wishes she could be here to help me through this time, but times like this last weekend she WAS able to come up and help out. And I totally appreciated having her take on a super crazy toddler for me.

My Coworkers // I’ve had so many people ask me how I’m doing on the daily. And there are so many women, so many mothers, who have been so incredibly supportive. Not really offering advice, ’cause let’s face it — there’s nothing a pregnant woman loves less than advice — they’ve just been consoling, comforting, and a shoulder for me to cry on.

So yeah. This quote. I’ve gotta remember this. I can’t change my situation; I’m simply waiting for the situation to change in my favor. Thank you to everyone who is respecting where I am. I’m going to use what I have (and that’s my resources — YOU!). And just know that I’m doing what I can. ♥ And I will forever be grateful for my village.

a huge thank you!

April 18, 2012 by Rachel 5 Comments

I know that I’ve dropped a couple of huge surprises on you the last few days.

And the outpouring of congrats and well wishes has been overwhelming in the most amazing way!

So thank you thank you THANK YOU for all of your support!

I love you all!

and I kind of (sort of) promise not to drop too much more crazy news on you 😉