{currently obsessed}

...with this song by Adele. Yes, Adele, again.
But, really. Listen to this song and tell me that you don't like it. I dare you.

It's the story of my life.

And you better believe it will be on repeat all weekend long.

{thursday's things}

"Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves

 to realize how good things really are." -Marianne Williamson

It's Thursday, y'all, and I'm excited. 

Why am I so excited? Because this is the only day off I get all week.

The thought of a whole day without having to do anything I don't want to do or be anywhere at any specific time just thrills me to no end. It's the little things, people.

So in the spirit of my happiness of being off work and away from the hospital, I'm 

gonna give you one of the random posts that I just know y'all love so much!

Following in Meg's footsteps (as usual--I just love that girl!), I'm going to fill y'all in on some things that are on my mind. Lots and lots of fun things.

...things that make me all giddy inside...

+having a TiVo full of all of my favorite shows

+the weather being warm enough to ride around with the windows down and music up

+fro-yo dates and life talks with Laura

+voicemails with Bible verses and prayers from encouraging friends

+going back to Oxford in 9 days!

+listening to a song and feeling like the lyrics were written just for you

+seeing a 4-pound weight loss on the scale this morning since weighing in last week :)

...things that I'm a little too obsessed with currently...

+How I Met Your Mother...I'm addicted, it's true

+"Rolling in the Deep" by Adele...the song is on repeat at all times

+sleep. sleep. sleep.

+frozen yogurt. it's my downfall.

+NARS lip gloss in Orgasm...I swear, it's the perfect color. Ever.

+the wardrobes on Gossip girl...to.die.for.

...things that I'm looking forward to...

+Lady Antebellum concert with Elizabeth in 15 days

+V-E-G-A-S with Dannah in 18 days!!!

+MK's Bachelorette party in 23 days

+My 23rd birthday in 35 days

+Mary Kathryn's wedding in 38 days! 

{ahhh, so many fun things! Am I a lucky girl or what?!}

...things that are on my prayer list...

+for me to have a more gentle spirit in my everyday words and actions

+for God to be preparing my heart for the man He has planned for me

+for a few sweet friends (you know who you are!) to find where God is leading them in the next few months

+for a certain situation going on in my life right now

+for patience in said situation, and that God will guard my heart no matter what road He leads me down

+for each of you and all the daily ups and downs y'all go through

...things I could go for...

+a weekend at the beach with all of my besties

+a good, home-cooked meal from my Mama or my Mammaw

+a margarita. And make it a big one.

+a mani/pedi complete with one of Katy Perry's fab OPI colors

+a big ole bowl of Ben and Jerry's

+oooor a box of Girl Scout cookies--anyone want to send me some?

+Did I mention a beach? Oh, and a margarita?


Enough with the things...onto a Bible verse. This verse was in my devotional this morning and I seriously loved it. I've heard it before, but I just love when you read a verse again at a different point in your life and it takes on a whole new meaning and speaks to you on a totally different level--the power of the Word, I guess. So thankful for that!


"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." -Ephesians 3:16-19


Before I go, I must pour out some thankfulness to all of y'all that read and commented on my guest post at A Blonde Ambition. Wow. That's all I can really say--y'all touch my heart and make me feel so loved--may have even teared up 14 a few times. Y'alls encouragement is the reason I get through the tough days, when all I want to do is give up. I am so blessed by each and every single one of you! I am honored to call you friends :)


I'm lucky to have new readers over here at Simple.Little.Joys! If you're new, stop in and say hello! I'd love to "meet" you! Also, if you're new--or if you're old readers, feel free to ask me anything you'd like to know. Other than my weight loss journey, I haven't been very personal lately. So bring on the questions. I'll answer anything and everything :)


Happy soclosetofridayicantasteit Thursday!

{my story}

Happy Tuesday, sweet friends.

The wonderful and precious Leslie at A Blonde Ambition asked me a few weeks ago to do a guest post on "my story" through my weight loss journey. Me? Little ole me? Write a whole post on her well-known blog? I was humbled, to say the least. Who would want to read about me? But I did it anyway, hoping to encourage just one person through my words.

So if you feel ever so inclined on this gorgeous Tuesday, head on over to her blog and read. 

That is my story. That is me. Raw and unfiltered, sharing my biggest and deepest insecurities with all of the blog world to read.  And somehow I'm content to do so.
 I'm proud of my journey. 
I'm proud of the road that it took me to get to happiness, so therefore I'm proud to share.

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
   your works are wonderful,
   I know that full well."

Psalm 139:14

the {wonderful} weekend.

 I don't know about you, but I live for the weekends. Like countdown the hours, minutes, and seconds til that glorious event commences. It's like a mini-vacation every other week. The weekends are what gets me through.

Especially the weekends when the weather man forecasts a high of 79 with no clouds in the sky. And the weekends when almost all of my favorite people in the world are located in one zip code.  The weekends when I can break out my new spring dresses. And especially the weekends when the biggest decisions to be made are which shoes go with which dress and whether or not to have a mimosa with brunch.

That kind of weekend just happened. And I'm still coming off the high of being in Oxford. Reality will hit me like a ton of bricks when I have to go back to work tomorrow night, but for now, I'm gonna share a few pictures from my fabulous weekend in my favorite town with my favorite people. Can you tell how much I loved the past three days?

Friday night was spent at the Library, in true Oxford fashion, as we do every weekend I'm in town. I'm not sure what it was about that night--but it was seriously one of the funnest nights I've had in Oxford in a long time. Everyone was in town, so I spent most of my night freaking out and doing the sorority girl squeal (that's for you, Faye) when I saw another friend that I haven't seen in ages. Loved catching up with old friends, and loved being in my town. Picture the Library like Cheers, where everybody knows your name. Fabulous, right? 

My Lobster

Meg--you made my night! You were the best surprise ever!

Sweet Charles

My usual Library crew--minus Andrew and Morgan

You know one of the things I love most about going to Oxford? Staying at the KD house. I definitely had a slumber party with my little sister Friday night, and although I'm an alum and "old" as Casey called me, I would still move back into that house in heartbeat. 

Saturday was the big day! The event that we had all been waiting for--the beginning of the downward "always a bridesmaid, never a bride" spiral for me--MK's lingerie shower!! I think the best part about my friends getting married is all of the fun parties and showers we get to have--which means all of our college girlfriends get together much more often.  This shower was one of the first times all of us have been in the same room since we graduated in May, so needless to say, we talked way too much and laughed way too loud, but it was so fun and so worth it. 

I won't include all of the pictures of Mary Kathryn's new delicates, but I can say we had a fabulous time showering her with pretty things! She may have even gotten a few edible treats...but what happens in Oxford, stays in Oxford.

Sweet friends

Hostesses/bridesmaids with the beautiful bride!

The infamous cake

Pledge class!

All of the Kappa Delta girls at the shower!

After the shower, I roadtripped with MK to Starkville for the evening. In our roommate tradition, we had Mexican for dinner, and then caught up and laughed until we both could barely hold our eyes open any longer. For any new readers--Mary Kathryn was my roommate in college. Sophomore, Junior, and Senior year. Yes, we lived together for 3 straight years and didn't kill each other--and no, we never had one single fight. Guess we were the exception to every rule with roommates. We were sorority sisters and best friends. We love being around each other, we both have intense obsessions with Grey's and Mexican food, and we just fit. She's one of those friends that just gets me. And I love her for that. I am so honored to be her Maid of Honor. I can't wait to be standing next to her on the most important day of her life--when she finally becomes Mrs. Carroll :)


Sunday came next, naturally. We slept in, woke up and enjoyed some coffee, and then started primping for the second shower of the weekend. MK's mom's sweet friends threw her a beautiful tea yesterday afternoon. The weather was nothing but perfect for this day--a foreshadowing for the wedding day is what I told the Bride! I came about thisclose to catching wedding fever with all of the nuptial talk and mounds of gifts strewn all over the house...but then I drowned that feeling away quickly with a glass of champagne punch. Not yet, Rachel, not yet. 

Ah, sweet weekend. Why must you fly by so quickly? It amazes me how three days out of town can refresh me so much. Maybe it had something to do with being in Oxford...or maybe seeing my incredible friends...or maybe being surrounded by wedding bliss...either way, I'm happy. My heart is full. I'm ready for this work week, because another weekend comes in precisely 11 days for me. 
Bring it on, week. 

{a letter to my future husband}

February 14, 2011.

Where there is great love, there are always miracles.-- Willa Cather

Dear future husband,

Where in the heck are you? Kidding, kind of. It's Valentine's Day, 2011. And I'm thinking about you, hoping and wishing you'd come into my life soon. 

I'm finally settled in Jackson. I've been a college graduate for close to a year now, I've had a great job for almost 7 months, and I'm comfortable in the most perfect little house ever. Life is good. But there's still a longing in my heart, because I haven't found you yet. I don't know if we've already met in life, or if you're still out there looking for me like I'm looking for you, but I am thinking about you today.

Above all, I pray that you are a Godly man. I pray that your love for Christ is the biggest aspect of your life. I hope that His love fills you in a huge way, and that you have a heart for Him and for His service. I don't want you to be ashamed of your faith. I pray that you will be the strong, Godly leader of our family every.single.day. I pray that you encourage me in my faith, and press me to being a better woman in Christ. I also hope that you have a church home that you love, because that is really important to me, too. Daily fellowship with other believers is what keeps me going.

I wonder what you're doing in life at this point. I hope you have a job that you love--a job that doesn't feel like going to work every day. I hope you have great friends and have made amazing memories with them so far...friends are such a huge part of my life, and I hope they will be for you, too. This  may be a little shallow, but I hope you have a love for SEC sports like I do, because otherwise, our Saturdays in the fall may conflict a little bit. 

I really hope you love kids as much as I do. I would love nothing more than to have a big family, full of love and lots of laughter, like my family is. I can't wait for many holidays together, soaking in every minute of the time we are fortunate enough to spend with each other. Speaking of family--that's a huge thing to me, too. I hope you're close to yours and that your family is really high on the priority list of your life. That shows a lot about a man. 

I pray that you have a huge zest for life. Cheesy, I know. But I'm planning on spending the next 70 or so years with you living them to the fullest. I want to travel all over the world. I want to make memories with you and with our children on vacations every year. I want to experience new things on a daily basis, and try everything at least once. I don't ever want to be afraid to do things, so I hope you are a little more fearless than me. I hope you push me to experience life as big as it gets. And I hope you're up to going on that adventure with me. 

One of my biggest prayers is that God will give me a man that can put up with me. I'm nowhere near perfect, and I know that. I'm impatient, moody, and stubborn. I have a big heart, but that also makes me really sensitive at times. Remember those things--love me for me, hug me when I'm moody, and tell me you love me in spite of my shortcomings. I'm stubborn, but I'm passionate. I never do anything with just half of my heart. It's always full force, which can be a blessing and a curse. 

There are so many other things I want to tell you, but I can't even find the words to say right now. Too many thoughts going on at once, I suppose. My heart is full of emotions that I already have for you, with the many prayers that I've prayed for you over the years, and with all of the expectations I have for us for the many years to come. I love you already, and I am clinging to the promise that God created you for me and only me. That sweet day that we finally meet needs to come in a quick fashion :) See, I told you I wasn't patient. I'm trying, though, I promise!

I really hope that you're as ready to meet me as I am to meet you. I am counting down the days! And I hope that when I see you, I'll know. I hope that all of the heartache that I've been through will make sense when our eyes meet for the first time. I hope that you'll love me in spite of my faults, and that you'll think I'm beautiful on my worst days. I hope that you'll be by my side, holding me up when I think I can't go any further, by my side on our most joyous days (like our wedding day, or the birth of our first child), and I hope that you'll mean those vows when you say them. For better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, til death do us part. 

Love you to the moon and back,

Rachel

"I believe in true love, I believe in love at first sight, I believe that love conquers all. That doesn't mean there aren't going to be hard days or difficult things to deal with because there will be--but finding that person who does it for you and knowing that that person loves you back no matter what makes everything so much easier" -One Tree Hill

{big news!}

I've been waiting for the perfect moment to tell y'all about my next travel adventure...

...but I just can't wait any longer, so here goes.

So my 23rd birthday is in March. And my BFF Dannah's 23rd birthday is a week before mine. 

I get a text message from her about a month ago that went something like this:

Dannah: "So, I have a proposition for you."

...and of course, I get all excited and say what with like 9 question marks, because Dannah's propositions are always worth listening to.

Dannah: "Well, since our birthdays are coming up, I think we need to take a birthday trip."

Me: "I am totally down for that...tell me when and where, and I'm there." (thinking she means like a roadtrip confined to the South)

Dannah: "I'm thinking Las Vegas."

And this is the point when I freak out and start doing my happy dance and forget to reply to her for over an hour. 

Then I get another text message from her.

Dannah: "I'm sure you're jumping up and down right now, but, I picked Vegas because our idol's new show is opening the second night we'll be there, and I'm about to buy us tickets right now if you say yes."

Cue me freaking out even more, because she just mentioned our idol. THE Celine Dion. Opening her next round of shows in Caesars Palace in the fabulous Las Vegas.

Let me clarify. Yes, you read that right. I am going to Las Vegas in March. A little under a month. I have tickets to see the one and only Celine Dion on her opening night. And yes, I am still freaking out as I type this. 

Another thing you should know about me if we're going to be BFF:

I know every Celine Dion song by heart. She's my go-to artist when I need a little pick-me-up or when I feel the urge to belt out some good lyrics at the top of my lungs.

 Oh, and I own her Live in Las Vegas DVD and I've watched it too many time to count (and too many times to admit to the public.)

So now do you understand why I'm ecstatic over this news?

A 3-night stay in Caesars Palace, shopping til we drop in some of the best stores in the country, a visit to the spa, hitting up Pure and the Palms to celebrate, and getting to see Celine in.real.life. Oh, and it's bound to be warmer there than it is here. A little glimpse of summer...I don't think it can get any better than that!

Happy Birthday to us!

Vegas countdown: 29 days!

{thursday's thoughts}

Things you should know if we're going to be BFF...


I don't spend the night anywhere without my sound machine. It goes where I go. 

I am a Friends addict. I have the big red box of all 10 seasons, I've seen every.single.episode numerous times, and random Friends quotes come out out of my mouth multiple times a day.

If you ever catch me in my bed watching Friends in the dark, it means I've had a bad day.

I bleed Red and Blue, am intensely loyal to my alma mater (Hotty Toddy), and love all things Oxford.


Nothing brings me more joy than going to bed and not having to set an alarm.


I'm super sensitive. I have a huge heart and tear up at something at least once a day. Some might consider that a flaw, but I think it makes me me. 

I'd do just about anything for a good cupcake.

You take me into Target, and there is absolutely no way I'll leave with empty hands. Don't know what it is about it, but it sucks me in and won't let me leave until my card is swiped.

I'll never pass up dinner at a Mexican restaurant. Any Mexican restaurant. 


I'm fiercely loyal to my friends. My friends are like my family, I'd do anything for them.

Fascinations that I don't understand (don't judge me): Lady Gaga, this season of the Bachelor, Justin Bieber, and Glee. {gasp, I know}


I would bet money that I end up like Katharine Heigl in 27 Dresses before my Prince Charming makes his grand entrance.


I haven't had a Diet Coke in 8 months and 10 days. So don't offer me one, because I'll most likely give in to peer pressure.


I often get obsessed with one particular song and play it over and over until anyone who rides with me begs me to change it.


The best time to catch me on the phone is precisely 6:20 pm, when I'm driving to work. Call at any other time, and you'll most likely get my voicemail. 


I was born to be a nurse. Buuut, my true calling is being a soccer mom. No, really. I live for the day that I cut crusts off of sandwiches for lunches, have an agenda filled with ballet, art classes, and soccer practices, and live in yoga pants and an old KD t-shirt. I can't wait to be a mom!


I celebrate my friends' birthdays like they're a national holiday.


I hate working out, but I love working out. It's a weird relationship.

I adore blogging. If you've never blogged, you probably don't understand why. Give it a try and it'll all make perfect sense. 


I miss being in college. I'll always be a Kappa Delta at heart. And I will live in Oxford again someday.




Happy Thursday, loves!
That's all from me today. We're officially best friends now. 
I'm off work tonight, and since I can't be on the beach in Tahiti, I'm planning on enjoying this cold, icy day in front of the fire with a bowl of homemade taco soup. 
Sound almost perfect? I think so! 

where have I been?

...I've been dreaming about being right here...

Okay, girls... Close your eyes. Take a deep breath. Imagine yourself (who happens to look just like Heidi Klum in a string bikini in my own fantasy) sitting on this beach, an bronzed Ashton Kutcher look-a-like sitting next to you, and a margarita in your hand. Feel the warm, salty breeze on your skin. Hear the waves crashing on the shore. Take another deep breath, then a sip of said margarita. Repeat as necessary. 

I'm officially sick of winter.

Anyone dreaming about summer like I am?

Happy Hump Day, y'all!

{all about love}

Well, goodness gracious. Hey there, February. Nice to see you again.

Where did January go? Can anyone answer that for me, because I surely can't figure it out.

February 1, 2011. Already 1/12 of the way through 2011. 

February usually comes around and I don't quite welcome it with open arms. If you don't believe me, go read this post from last year. Surprisingly, I've been in a relationship for the past 3 Valentine's Days, but it still just rubs me the wrong way. Not this year, though! I'm single (and ready to mingle, might I add), and I'm embracing that fact. I will enjoy Valentine's Day this year, and I will remember that it's really all about love. Even though I won't be sharing it with a special someone, I still have so much love to give. And that's what I'm going to focus on--showing love to everyone around me.

To celebrate the first day of love month, I have a song for all of you lovelies! It's from Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors. I have Twitter (and Facebook) simultaneously pulled up with Blogger, as usual, and literally just saw their tweet that their new video is officially posted! So hopefully you're hearing it here first :) Spread the news!

What a precious video, huh? Sweet, sappy, romantic. And the lyrics--they're make my heart melt. Maybe a guy will sing this about me one day :)

Yay for February! 

 Open up your heart and pour out all that love you have to give...you never know what you might get in return :)

P.S. My bff is getting married in April, and I have been dubbed the official slideshow maker. I'm having a hard time coming up with sweet, non-cheesy songs to put on there. So, friends, I need your help. Gimme some ideas, por favor! Some artists I've got in mind already are Ben Rector, Ingrid Michaelson, Dave Barnes, Ray Lamontagne, Michael Buble, etc. So anything up that random alley would be fabulous! Can't wait to hear your suggestions.