How do I look?

uhhh not so great. Today I decided that I need a new look. My hair is kind of blah and the dark brown that I colored my hair last month has now faded into an ugly "sun in" orange. Ah sun in. My best friend Carlen and I used to douse or hair with that junk and put our heads under table lamps. We once even burned our top lip with Veet trying to rid ourselves of our middle school mustaches. Heehee. Anyways, I haven't been keeping up with myself lately. Im trying to grow out my eyebrows a bit and I am in need of new makeup. Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to accomplish a few things on my to-do list.

Halloween 2009

Those close to me know that Halloween is my FAVORITE holiday. Each year we usually take Nathan trick or treating in the Heights. This year my father in law treated us to a weekend in Kemah! The weather couldn't have been better. Nathan had a blast hanging out with his cousins. Willie and I both enjoyed spending time with his side of the family. I think this was our first semi- out of town getaway as a big family. Here are a few pics from this past weekend. Nathan of course went as his favorite character, Mario. I went as a black cat...I know, I know, very creative and Will went as a referee. We had dinner on the boardwalk, played games, and rode the rides. Even though the kids didnt get much candy, we all had fun.

Now that Halloween is over I have Thanksgiving on the brain. What to wear and what to bake? We have a pretty big extended family. We usually have three to four Thanksgiving dinners that day. The day after we try and do the whole "Black Friday" thing. I have to admit, it is a lot of fun. We normally go with my brother and sister in law very early in the AM. Hopefully there are good deals that day so that it will be worth it. I also want to try and squeeze in family pictures for Christmas cards. Every year I plan on sending them out but never get to it. Another thing to look forward to in the next few weeks is the end of my fall semester! Ahhh, I can see the light.

Better late than never

As promised here are Nathan's first day of school pics. Thanks to good ol Willie who uploaded them for me last night. Enjoy!

It's the great pumpkin Nathan Eric

This past Sunday my boys and I headed to a pumpkin patch in Kingwood. Nathan's first school project is to decorate a pumpkin in his favorite character. They are going to have a mini costume/pumpkin patch parade next Friday. I can hardly wait! Anyways I was trying to find a place that wouldnt be super crowded and also had a little something "fallish" to do for the little guy. We ended up finding a church which had exactly that.

Baby Im Back!

Its been awhile since I have updated my blog. A lot has changed since my last entry. Nathan has started pre-k and is doing so good. He loves going to school and has made many friends but I have learned that Nate is NOT a morning person, lol.
I started classes back up at HCC. It has been ok so far. I have to admit that my math class is kicking my butt. Im almost through my my basics so if all goes well this semester I should be out by May.
Willie also started classes earlier this fall. He changed his degree plan from Firefighting to Audio Engineering and loves it. Im glad he's pursuing something that interests him and that hes good at.
Today is our 1 year anniversary! We celebrated by staying at nice hotel, had a nice dinner and just enjoyed each others company. I can't believe it was a year ago. Time sure does fly by. I'm blessed to be married to such a wonderful person and look forward to many, many, many anniversaries as husband and wife.
I have been lacking in my photo taking. I have yet to upload photos from Nathan's first week of school. Hopefully I get to it tonight so I can post some pictures up.

xoxo
Rachel

Say hello to his little friend

Meet BooBoo. I like to think of him as our second child. He was given as a babyshower gift to Nathan from my Tia Dora & Deidre. Somehow Nathan grew very attached to him and I have to admit, so have I. The two of them always make their way into our bed each night. There have been many times when I have to issue Amber Alerts because Nathan cannot sleep without him. I don't know when or how Nathan grew attached to him but I know I did earlier this year when I was in the hospital. Nathan wasn't allowed to visit me because I was in ICU so he gave BooBoo to Willie to give to me. This past May we decided to take Nathan to Texas Childrens Hospital because of a high fever(his body always reacts weird when he gets a fever) Here we were, the 3 of us with BooBoo in tow trying to find the entrance when we realized Nathan had dropped him somewhere. Panicked I took off trying to find him, literally worried that he would not be found but alas! there he was lying next to a trash can. I wonder when and if Nathan will one day forget about him, I know I won't.

Finally!

I've been waiting for what seems like eternity for this movie to come out. W actually agreed to see it with me and admited it looks good. Hopefully we can find a sitter this weekend.

While browsing Etsy I found a cute necklace. I guess I can add it to my birthday wish list. Etsy seller: trystbykerry

Closure

I never believed in the term "closure." I always felt that its a bullshit way of making an excuse for one thing or another. Since hearing of the passing of an old boyfriend, I was taking it real hard. I wasn't too sure if I was going to attend his services. Not sure If I would be welcomed or not, but I wanted to pay my respects to a person who at one time I loved.
I was taken in by 2 of my best friends along with my brother, my legs were shaky & I felt like running back to the car. My brother took me in the small room where his casket lay. I see his cancer stricken wife at the foot of his casket(obviously going through chemo). It broke my heart. I was so focused on Mario and his untimely death but after seeing her, how young and beautiful she was to be going through this tragedy, I had a change of heart, I saw things in a different light. I know one day they will be together. I found comfort in that.
We are only given one life here on this Earth. Why not live it to the fullest & go for your dreams? I realized that I wasn't being as supportive with W as I should have been. I live by schedule & do not like taking risks of any sort. He is currently attending college to become a firefirefighter but truly wanted to study audio engineering. He's great at stuff like that while I don't understand it. To make a long story short, he didn't go in that direction because he felt I wasn't behind him. Honestly I wasn't. The job market here in our city is tough and firefighting felt like a sure job & a stable way to make a living.
I know believe everyone should give their dreams a shot. If you fail then at least you know you tried and will never have to ask yourself what if? Life is too short, make the most of it & never take for granted the ones you love. I am so blessed to have a great, no make that fantastic husband & son. I want my son to follow his dreams & so on & so on. So thats it. Out of tragedy I learned the most valuable lesson that has changed me & my family forever.

Blank

Yesterday I found out that an ex boyfriend of mine, Mario, passed away. It's been very hard for me. Granted, we were together when I was younger but we were together for years and went through a lot together. Im very sad. There are so many things running through my head like how we broke up to visions of him dancing or the sound of his voice. Over the years, up until I met Willie, we still kept in contact. After getting over the break up I never had ill feelings towards him & truly wished him the best. I was glad to hear he was married and he felt the same way when he heard I was engaged. Today is his viewing and Im not sure Im going to be able to handle it. I have my friends and family who are willing to support me but Im just so scared of seeing him. I know he's not going to look like himself. Im scared because I dont know how im going to react. We were close and together every single day that we were in the relationship. Im sad because having known him, I knew he had dreams of making something of himself and now his life was cut short. I know God has his plans for everything, it's just hard to understand it right now with him dying the way he did.

Wish List

Here are a few things that I've been admiring. Im trying to cut back on spending but who knows, my birthday is around the corner.

Astrology Pillowcases-Urban Outfitters

Blue Sweater-Anthropologie

Love Birds Necklace-Etsy seller Sweetmini

Monogrammed Purse Hook-Not sure where I found this image

Vintage Blue Apples-Etsy seller Spacejam

Little Willie

Nathan ran up to me the other day and said "Mommy, remember Papa(my grandpa) calls me "Little Willie!" He found it quite amusing as did I. Willie used to be called Little Willie, and still does by some of his relatives. Its interesting how we are able to make these "Mini Me's." They look like us and act like us. I like to think Nathan gets his goofiness and most of his looks from his dad and his cautiousness and memory from me.

While at my cousins graduation party today I was asked when is Nathan going to have a little sister. Its a question that has been popping up quite frequently, most recently by my dad the other night at dinner. He was speaking as if it was fact that Nathan will have a sibling by the times hes five. Hello...he's 4 1/2! My mother even promised him a sister when he turns five. Sure we always envisioned our children being 5 yrs apart. My older brother, younger sister and I are all born 5 years apart(80,85,90) At times I do feel sad for Nathan because I know he's lonely. On the other hand I also feel that the time has to be right for us.

Just the two of us

Here's a pic from our vacation in New Braunfels earlier this month. Nate and I were snuggled up in the cabin watching cartoons. This summer has gone by pretty fast. I have to say I can't wait for the season to change. It is so hot. My "angel" Willie found the cord to my camera so I was finally able to upload photos from the summer..so far.

The weekend can't come any faster, tomorrow is Will's baseball game(Go Nawfside Hype!) Saturday morning I plan on going garage sale-ing. I haven't been in so long but will be on the lookout for any decor or furniture pieces I can add to Nathan's room. We plan on painting his room in the afternoon. Poor kid, he's been waiting and ready since last weekend. Saturday evening is my cousins pool party. It should be fun, We haven't spent time with my dad's side for awhile. Sunday is church then back to school shopping for Nathan. Im so glad I started shopping early...like last year. He has a ton of pieces already. I put some things up on craigslist, hopefully they sell because I need to make room

Extreme Room Makeover

Ok so maybe not extreme but I am in the process of redecorating Nathan's room. It's currently Superhero 'd out. He's still into them but not as much as he was maybe a year ago. I decided to do something that he can grow into so I'm doing a Sports/School theme. I found a very nice comforter set at Target today. In my opinion its a more updated version of the typical sports bedding that is out there and at 39.99 it was a steal.

I also bought the matching lamp. I seen it online and didnt think much but when I saw it in person I really liked it. The colors are nice and the baseball bat base is clever. The best part of all is the the whistle cord used to turn it off and on. It was 29.99, a little more than I wanted to spend but It will add a nice touch to the room.

Nate doesn't have a nightstand, we didnt think he needed one when we bought his bedroom set last year. He has a Step 2 bookshelf toybox that has his lamp on it. His room is small and this piece takes up a lot of space. I had in mind a locker nightstand but they are not available locally and are too expensive online. Over $200 plus and extra $100 for shipping! That is way too much for a little nightstand. Walmart.com has a locker storage unit that customers have used as nightstand. It looks small but the measurements are much larger than expected. Its made by KidKraft and is priced at 59.88 with site to store shipping.

Im still on the seach for a tv stand. His is a hand me down and looks quite beaten up. He has a ton of games and videos so Im looking for something that will keep everything nice and organized. I also want to hang up a cork board or something along that line for him to hang up his drawings and school work. Yes he starts pre-k this August! Its very bittersweet for me:/Willie suggested a small desk, not sure if he'll have room for it but I am going to be selling a lot of things that he no longer uses or plays with. Maybe I'll try Ikea.There is still the little knick-knacks that will help complete his room so I'll be checking out stores, garage sales, online(craigslist, kingwoodyardsales) for a good deal. Hopefully everything will be done by the time he starts school.

Over the weekend we picked up a gallon of blue paint(Song Bird) , a football picture frame($2.00 at Big Lots) and a sheet set at Walmart on sale for 7.50. I also bought a couple of school supplies for him which was exciting but just made me realize how fast my baby is growing up.

North America: Places I want to go

Canada: Something about Canada, from their eh's to their moose, there's something about Canada. Oh Canada!

Fall in Boston: I love their accents, not to mention Mark Whalberg is from there, the scenery is quite beautiful.

San Francisco: Whatever happened to predictability? I was told by my uncle that this is the place to go, Golden Gate Bridge looks neat to drive across, Lombard Street and Alcatraz Island. Seems to make a great Rodriguez Family Vacation.

Lake Tahoe: When I picture the perfect setting this is what comes to mind. Ice-capped mountains, ice-blue lake, and pines! I can imagine being in a small laske-side cabin reading a book. My mother in law vacationed here during the winter, hopefully we'll be able to make the trip out there.

Vermont: Why Vermont? Just because. I've always wanted to drive through a bridge like that. I didn't post a pic of the fall foliage but thats the real reason why I want to visit this state. For those who know me, it's no secret that i love Autumn!Heck, I was even tempted to get a small reddish orange fall leaf tattoo on my hip! Like a song can take you back, there is something about the reds, and oranges of the leaves that take me back to a place when I was most happy as a kid. My wedding was set in October because I had this vision of how everything would look and feel. Houston autumn is no Vermont autumn so this is very high on my must-sees.

Maine: Lighthouses! They seem so spooky. I have family(from my father's side) who live in Maine. Maybe I'll try clam chowder...maybe not!

Ok, so many of my must see places have something in common, they are not hot and humid. That has to be the worst weather combo in my opinion. I hope to knock 1 of these places off within 3 yrs. Maybe for an anniversary(Willie I hope you read my blog)

Damn you Carlen's mom & her delicious cake!!

This past week has been pretty busy for me. A good friend came in from Africa(Its been almost 2 yrs since I've seen her last). It was nice getting together with the girls & the guys(for once!). I'll post pics when I find the cord to my camera.

Yesterday while surfing the web I found the perfect Halloween costume for my Natester and yes I usually start looking months in advance. What can I say, Halloween is my favorite holiday. There is even a small device that makes the jumping noise and fireballs. Last year I was so busy with the wedding and side-tracked by Ike that I didnt get a chance to put much effort into looking for a costume so he ended up being a Blue Power Ranger, pretty plain but he liked it.

Today is a lazy Sunday. Willie is taking the car for an oil change, Nate is watching Spongebob and Im attempting to spruce up my blog. Have a great week everyone!

You run, you slide, you hit the bump and take a dive

Today was supposed to be a great day. I woke up early, showered, then headed to the mall to find something to wear to the No Doubt concert tonight. I liked the first shirt I tried on. It looked great from the front , the side and ....wait a minute..my back!!!! I spotted petichiae on the back of my arm. Oh no , not again! For those who dont know its basically busted blood vessels and one of the first indicators of platlets dropping. Last week was my last day of steroids so I thought it was happening all over again. I freaked out, ran out of the dressing room, into the parking lot and into my car. People must've thought I had gone crazy because I was sobbing the whole time. My mom and will took me to St. Lukes. I was seen right away, which was a good thing because you can spend hours in the waiting room. I was thinking the worst. My doc told me if the steroids do not work I may have to have my spleen taken out or be put on chemotherapy. My bloodwork came back fine and my platlets were at 375. Anywhere between 150-450 is normal. So , I am happy they are normal but what is causing the spots? More unanswered questions. I feel a bit light headed. Hopefully everything turns out fine. Oh and in case you were wondering, we sold the tickets for $200! My mom listed 4 lawn tix on craigslist and here phone must've rang about 100 times. Too bad I wasn't able to make it. I've been looking forward to it for the longest.

Oh where, oh where can he be?

Has anyone seen my husband lately???He's about 5'7 and handsome, sizzling~ Geez lou-ezzzeeee. Today was a rather productive day. Nathan and I spent our morning at the SS office because I lost our SS cards! I know, what kind of mother am i? Feed me to the lions. Too bad the computers were down but i was able to get something for the mean time. A lady coughed around Nathan and I wanted to knock her out. Hello, cover your mouth! I stopped by my grandmothers to pick up a bill and spent some time with her. I hate the fact that I cant easily communicate with her. There are so many things I want to tell her or even ask her but I can't. I registered Nathan at Lyons. He's #3 on the waiting list, so hopefully 2 kids gets swine...jp. Kind of. In other news, I checked my grades and I made an A and 2 B's. 3 more classes and I get my degree. Is it okay to admit that im proud of myself?Taps self on back. Good job Rachel Long!

yeoooowwww!!!!!!!!

Who wants to see badfish with me??? Im excited. hopefully I can find a few people to drag along with me.

Bittersweet

I went to the dermatologist and was correctly diagnosed.
On the way up to the doc , Nathan started feeling sick complaining of stomach pains. He feels kind of warm, I hope he gets better soon.

Got me looking so crazy right now

I think Im going through withdrawels from my medication. Hmmm, not quite sure but I feel crazy! In other news, I finished my Mother's Day cookie Bouquet. It took so long to make and the cookies are burnt but it's the thought that counts, right? My Biology final is a take home exam. Couldn't get any better than that.

Best Day Ever

So today my nurse called and told me that I will be off the steroids in 2 weeks! I only take 2.5 every other day until the 22. You guys do not understand how happy this makes me. The medication Im on makes you gain wait(a lot of it) makes you hairy, gives you "Moon face" and has the potential to make you go mental. Ahh im so happy. Also instead of my regular 2 weeks blood work I'll only go in about once or every other month. I've been going every 2 weeks since January. Thank you JESUS!
To top it off I renewed my membership at Darque Tan.

No Diggity

Woo-Hoo Can't wait. I completely forgot about the concert until I heard a song of theirs on my cousins page. No Doubt was the first "real" concert I ever went to in 95 or 96 I believe. I went with Virginia...awww. Anwways can't wait. I wish more people would come, it shall be fun.

Eh, you always say that

I finally was able to get out for a few hours today. It felt so nice. I bought Nathan a book and me some sandals that i have been wanting oh yea and a shirt. Too bad i have nowhere to wear them to.

Life has been rather boring lately. With finals coming up and all this chorizo flu going around Im going cray-zay! My dad acts like a kid and Im tired of it.

Anyways, have I mentioned I have the greatest kid on EARTH!!! Yes Earth. He's so goofy and charming and a brainiac, his future sibling(s) are going to have to step up!!!

Say Whaaaaa

I have to hand it to my husband. He has a knack for matching people to their animal or creature equivalent. I still can't get over the teenage mutant ninja turtle(the movie version). Hilarious. Or a certain "someone" who looks like Gena Davis when she pulled her face down (beetlejuice)Gotta love him!

Ohhhhh Kelly Clarkson

I got my legs waxed today for the first time. It hurt so bad! But Im already addicted. Next Bikini! I know TMI. Im so excited for this week(after wed) Willie, Nate and I are planning a small getway to Galveston. I need to even out my farmers tan.

Kirk Cameron???

For the past 2 nights I have been dreaming that I am married to Kirk Cameron! Yeah, I know! He's Willie but he looks like Kirk. I'm weird. Uh-oh Will better watch out! hee-hee

IM BA-ACK!!

Spring Break is officially over. I enjoyed my much needed break. I NEED A HOBBY,oh yea bike riding can be my hobby. My dad bought me a helmet. I felt special in both ways =)

oink, oink

Ok so maybe I picked a bad day to start my diet. (I was pregnant in that pic taken circa 2004)I started off with good intentions. I woke up at 7:30am and went to the gym. Somewhere along all the SuperBowl Hoopla I fell off the wagon. Oh well.

Special Bag

Today's assignment for Speech...fill a special bag with 7 things that tell who I am. Way harder than I expected. I like coupons. Should I fill it with coupons? So far I have decided to put my wedding rings, a picture of Nathan, a book, candle & that's about it.
I'm waiting for a call from Nurse Brenda(who by the was supposed to call me Monday for my lab results). Im nervous but I know everything will be alright.

Words of Wisdom

Never judge a book by its cover...enough said.

"Pizza Hood"

Tonight is my last night of eating bad. We ate at Pizza Hut or as Nate calls it "Pizza Hood." I'm pudgy and not loving it. The steroids I'm on make me HONGRY! Tomorrow is the John Legend concert. I'm soooo excited!

Allow me to introduce myself

The name is Rachel. I'm 23, born and raised in Houston, Texas. I have a husband and a son. I 'm currently in college going for my associates(Almost done)and plan on attending UH. My goal is to become a Kindergarten teacher.

I recently was diagnosed with having ITP, a very rare blood disorder in which my platelets were low, extremely low. The cause is unknown and my blood has to monitored regularly. It sucks but I'm still kickin it!

Since it is the beginning of a New Year I was inspired to chronicle 09 in a blog. Enjoy!