On our last stop in Springfield, Ethan and I went exploring in an overgrown wood-like area in the middle of the city. We explored and photographed for thirty minutes or so. Here are some of the shots we took. :)
(The glare in my glasses is way weird in these. Can’t tell where I’m lookin’)
I kinda like him.
Happy Thursday.
With love,
Rachel
This post is going to be personal. I get more readers that way…creepers…
Just kidding. If someone spilled their deep thoughts and words, I’d cozy up to the computer screen too.
I’m writing on jealousy, one of the things I struggle with the most. I feel as though it’s kind of time to come clean and hopefully rid myself on the whole issue.
Here we go.
One of the areas where I fall hostage to the jealousy monster is engagement.
I want to get married so so badly. And I will. I know that.
But it tests my envy AND patience to see couples who have been together for a shorter amount of time than Ethan and I have get engaged. I am envious of them. I haven’t been celebrating a lot of my friends recent engagements like I should have. I’ve, instead, been bitter that is wasn’t me who got proposed to. I’ve been “liking” the new relationship status on facebook, but will throw a pity party in my head instead of really being happy for them.
And that’s just obnoxious and uncalled for.
I need to suck it up, frankly.
So, to any friends or acquaintances who have recently gotten engaged, I really am happy for you.
And whenever Ethan pops the question, I’ll be really, insanely (and I stress insanely) happy.
:)
Another way I get envy is when a girl who I think is better than me in some area has any sort of contact with Ethan. It’s bad. I don’t want to say I’m overbearing, but it has caused some arguments in the past. I’m trying to get better, because I know that Ethan would never purposefully hurt me. Sometimes A lot of the time, I’ll compare myself to another girl and think “Oh, she’s prettier/thinner/smarter/more creative/funnier than me” and that is not what I should be doing.
God created me. And He doesn’t make junk.
My parents always tell me not to compare myself to others. And I listen to them. But continue doing it.
I also often compare myself to other photographers in many ways. I’ll look at their websites/equipment/photos/clients/calendar and think “Why don’t I have that?” or “Why can’t I do that?”
I shouldn’t compare myself to photographers or artists who 1) are years older than me and who have years more experience or 2) are not in school anymore and are able to devote all their attention to photography.
Right now, it’s kind of unrealistic for me to be a full time photographer because I’m still a student. I understand there are exceptions with everything, but in order for me to do photography full time/as my job, I still have a lot to learn and do. And I’m very excited and very capable to do it, but it will take more than the one year I’ve partially focused on it. I understand that.
I also get jealous when someone has something I want (duh…who doesn’t, really?).
And then I look deep into my life and realize that I am beyond blessed. I have all that I need and way more than enough. I have friends and family who support me in all ways and a boyfriend who does the same. I also have a God who provides for me and loves me. I don’t need more stuff. I don’t really want more stuff (unless it’d be unlimited flights to anywhere in the world for me and as many passengers as I’d want…).
I am blessed. So blessed. There is no reason to be jealous.
My goal is to show love to all who surround me.
And love does not envy.
Happy Wednesday.
With love,
Rachel
PS: How does everyone like my new brand/name/design?
I’m fond of it. ;)
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And finally, on the subject of marriage: while it is difficult to find the right person to marry, particularly when you are young, I personally recommend it. Being married has been one of the best experiences of my life, and I know Abby feels the same way. If you really are right for each other, it will happen, and your 20s is no time to rush into anything.
i can very much relate to this in more ways than one.
Ethan celebrated our 2 year anniversary in February, and his gift to me was a trip to Springfield to visit Red Velvet. That’s all we really had planned. We went to Springfield this past weekend and had an absolutely glorious time. Red Velvet was just a tiny part of why it was awesome. (and Red Velvet was actually a bit of a let down because neither Elsie or Emma were there, their sweet shoppe was closed, and the selection of vintage wasn’t as big as I was expecting. White Whine….But we’ll go back when Elsie and Emma are there so I can meet them and drink some bubble tea. It’ll be grand.)
Anyway, here is a look at our incredibly lovely and fun weekend through instagram:
(All photos via instagram. Username: deerrachel)
The 4.5 hour drive there was filled with music, the ABC game (I won) and laughter.
And a nap for me.
Our first stop was lunch (we pulled into town around 12:15) at Grad School, which got
locals’ high praise. I had fish tacos and Ethan had a sandwich.
My handsome lunch date. :)
Hoover Music sign near Grad School.
Red Velvet! Ethan spoiled me and bought me a black and white gingham dress with buttons up the back that you’ll probably see me wearing in a near outfit post.
After Red Velvet, we went down the street to a few more vintage shops. Ethan bought me a
vintage felt Stetson hat that I adore. Then we went to Funtiques (the coolest store ever) and stopped by an independent movie theater and a rad local skate shop called Classics that Ethan loved.
Pretty letters at Funtiques. I ended up buying letters to make the word “explore”
and a fantastic retro salad set in the prettiest shade of green.
After an afternoon of exploring, we checked into the most charming and adorable
bed and breakfast ever, The Walnut Street Inn. I died. We took a little nap
and then went out for dinner.
We searched for a restaurant that was local and was rated highly and we came across a place
called Arris pizza. It really was mediocre. Haha. A little disappointing, but fine.
We got froyo afterwards. Ethan is a stealer.
We also decided we are old people and went to bed around 10:30. But we slept well.
The next morning we woke up and got ready and had our very delicious Apple and banana french toast soufflé, fresh fruit, bacon, OJ, and hot tea. It was lovely. We ate outside and everything was fantastic.
Pretty flowers outside.
My colors of the day were pink, coral, and mustard. I ended up having to take the
cardigan off because it got too warm. So lovely, though.
After breakfast, we headed to Urban Flea Market, which is the best and biggest flea market
I’ve ever been to. I ended up spending $25 and walking out with a mid century orange
side table, a vintage suitcase, and two vintage silk scarves. Really lovely.
After Urban Flea Market, we went back downtown to enjoy some coffee and sunshine.
Coffee Ethic is right across the street from a park with fountains and sculptures downtown.
Ethan drank a dirty chai and I had an iced mocha.
I really like us. It was also gorgeous outside. Perfect. About 74, sunny, a little breezy. <3
Coffee in the park.
After coffee, we bought some bread, cheese, crackers, and jalapeno jam from a local little
grocery store. We had a picnic in the park then played catch with a ball I brought. It was
a lot of fun and sparked the urge to find/buy some baseball gloves and a few baseballs.
After park time, we went to go see a local play at Springfield Little Theater. We watched
Red, White, and Tuna. It was pretty funny, but pretty long. We didn’t have much time to do much
else. After the play, I did some homework (online summer courses. Gross) and Ethan cruised around on his pennyboard. After all of that, we searched for about an hour and a half for a good restaurant
that was open on Sundays. After a while, we finally found a local Italian restaurant and ate a
fantastic meal. We vowed to turn our phones off, so no instagram of the dinner.
We had bruschetta, salad, really flavorful and different pasta dishes, creme brulee (my favorite!) and good conversation. It was lovely.
By the time we got back to the Bed and Breakfast, we were both pretty tired.
We watched some Food Network and then went to bed early.
The next morning, we checked out of our B&B which we intend on staying again and headed out
for some breakfast.
We ate at a local creperie, called Aviary Cafe. It was such a cute little place.
The decor was lovely and the food was amazing.
I had berries and cream crepes.
(Crepes with marscapone cheese, berry compote, vanilla custard sauce and whipped cream)
And then I didn’t have berries and cream crepes.
Some of the prettiness of Aviary. And my shoes…
We took one last stroll around downtown before heading out.
The last stop was a little overgrown forest area we found. So we stopped for some photos (that I’ll
share very soon) before we hit the road.
I’m so thankful I got to spend this past weekend with my boyfriend and best friend.
He means the world to me and he is so generous, funny, kind, and loving.
He spoils me. And he shouldn’t. But goodness, I love him.
*Gag*
With love,
Rachel
Oh, by the way, I’m not offering 15% off ALL shoots booked with me from now until August 18th.
Woohoo!
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Sounds like the perfect anniversary! Love your photos too!
So, as you guys may or may not know…I am a full time student and I also work 4-6 days a week at a local restaurant. That means that I don’t have the time I’d like for photographing, running my business, shooting clients, blogging, yada yada yada. I’ve been wanting and needing to focus more on photography since I hope it will be my way of providing for myself and my family in the future.
Now that school is out, I’ll have more time to photograph, but then my job will still be in the way…
Well, not anymore.
I spoke with my boss a few days ago and told her that I enjoy my job at Coolgreens, but that it was not my passion. I also told her that I’d love to focus my time on photographing and she totally understood. So, I’m quitting my job at Coolgreens for the summer and will go back to work there once school starts back up (if I need it to).
I’m really thankful for managers who care and understand where I’m coming from. I realize that not many people have these kinds of opportunities and I realize I’m blessed.
So, with all of this said: I AM NOW SUPER FREE FOR SHOOTS AND STUFF, SO EVERYONE SCHEDULE WITH ME!
I’m doing a happy dance for all the freedom I’ll be having this summer. :)
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I’ve been looking forward to the day when my kitchen has been clean enough to take pictures and then share them on here. My Dad and I moved into a new (for us) house in February and we’re just now getting things all sorted and decorated and put together. We want company, so feel free to swing by whenever you’d like.
Except for when I’m asleep.
I wouldn’t like that.
Here are some bits and pieces of my kitchen.
All mugs were either thrifted around OKC or gifted. Except the blue Oklahoma one is from Blue 7. The coffee maker is from Ethan’s mom, Anne. The fruit / potato wooden bowl was a hand-me-down from my mom. The bowl the watermelon is sitting in was a garage sale find.
The wall is partially painted with teal chalkboard paint from Home Depot. The orange tea pot was a Christmas gift from my dad. It’s Rachael Ray brand. The tea towels on the outside are vintage and from my old roommate, Aubry. The floral, middle tea towel and the oven mitt were gifts from my mom.
I found the flowered vase at a thrift store and the pink and green whisk is a gift from Ethan from Anthropologie. The olive oil, if you’re curious, if from Whole Foods. And the random black spoons were a free gift from an electricity company.
Thrifted mugs. All my plates are vintage and were thrifted. The bowls are a mix of Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Vintage, Flea Marketed, and Ikea.
My little succulents. Plants from Lowes and mason jars were thrifted.
You can spot my teal chalkboard refrigerator back there. Yay!
These are my cookbooks. I hardly ever use cookbooks when I cook, but I really really really enjoy reading them either for fun or to gather recipe inspiration. These were mostly gifts or from Half Price Books.
Dis muh faucet.
Green/blue triangle containters are vintage/thrifted. The yellow and black tea holder was a gift. The knives are from Amazon.com. They’re fantastic. All of my vintage thermoses were thrifted or garage saled.
Silverware is from IKEA and Urban Outfitters.
Well, I’m about to take my last final. Which means school is done.
Which means it’s summer.
Which means I’ll be blogging more.
Which is exciting to me.
Hope you’re doing well. Keep checking back for more rooms of my house. :)
With love,
Rachel
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LOVE it.
Your kitchen is the cutest. Can’t wait to see the rest of your house (:
by rchlwtrs
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