{twenty-three}

It's my favorite day of the year!

...my birthday :)


I'm closing my eyes, taking a deep breath, and blowing out the candles on my cake.
Time to celebrate another year of life, another year of laughs, smiles, and memories, and another year to live each day to the fullest. 

My sweet Mammaw gave me a birthday card with this quote on it, and it made me cry.


"From the moment your life began,
you had a Father in Heaven
who wanted you to know His heart
and His incredible love for you...
On this birthday and in the coming year may you discover daily
the depth of His heart and the measure of His love for you."


Amazing love.
And it's really lovely that He decided to bless me with another birthday.


Here's to another year!
Wish you could all be here to celebrate with me :)


Oh, and it's also my idol's birthday...Celine Dion, duh.
Happy birthday, Celine! And in honor of her fabulousness, here's my favorite song. Sit back and enjoy. And look how rockin' her legs are. 

{music monday}

I don't know about you, but this fabulous Spring weather that we've been having in the past few weeks just puts a pep in my step. It makes me smile a little bigger and look a little more forward to the day ahead. There's pretty much nothing better than a sunny, Spring afternoon with nowhere to be, an open road, a good friend in the passenger seat, and the music up loud. Just the thought of that scene makes my heart happy.

And that brings me to the always beloved Music Monday topic...

I don't even remember the last time I posted a Music Monday list, but it's back and it's better than ever, kids. This playlist is a mixture of some old, some new, some beloved, and some that have recently grown on me...but this compilation has been on non-stop since it was created. It makes me crave the aforementioned scene, and since I'm off today and tomorrow, I think that will be happening quite soon. And I'm gonna love every second of it.

So, friends...I double dog dare you to download some/all of these songs and not enjoy listening to them with the windows down and the volume up. It'll soothe the soul and make any day seem a little brighter, I pinky promise.

1) "All for You" by Keith Urban

2) "Oxygen" by Colbie Caillat

3) "Baby Tomorrow" by Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors

4) "Basket Case" by Sara Bareilles

5) "Fire and Dynamite" by Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors

6) "If I Die Young" by The Band Perry

7) "Georgia" by Hanson
8) "Someday" by Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors

9) "This" by Darius Rucker

10) "When She Comes Around" by Ben Rector

11) "Edge of Desire" by John Mayer

12) "Easier Tonight" by Matt Wertz

13) "Hold You in My Arms" by Ray Lamontagne
14) "Arms of a Woman" by Amos Lee

15) "Secret" by Maroon 5

...and just for good measure, a little thought for your Monday:

Hope your Monday is going just fabulously, sweet friends.

What Happens in Vegas...

Hey there, blog world. It's Rachel here, in case you forgot. Sorry I've been so MIA.
I know you've all been holding your breath for my Vegas/vacation update {sarcasm} so get excited, the post is finally here.


I'm pretty sure I just had the best week of my life.

No, really. I kid you not.

So before you get too far into this post, let me warn you...it's going to be full of rainbows and sunshine and lots of giddiness, because that's how my heart feels right now. So if you're not into all of the aforementioned items, you might as well click out now. But please stay--you know you want to...everyone needs a little dash of happy on Hump Day.

Life is so good. I haven't been this happy and content with my surroundings and situations in such a long time. And it feels so good to be in this place. I needed a break from work to recoup, regroup, refresh, rejuvenate. I feel like a new person...and I like this person a whole lot right now. My zest for life is back. Maybe it has something to do with this fabulous Spring weather, too? Either way, I'm loving it.

Whew. Las Vegas. My whirlwind, fabulous birthday vacay. 

If I didn't already have the travel bug {thanks NYC}, I most definitely have it now. And I have it in a bad, bad way.

The flight there and back were both fabulous...complete with Bloody Mary's--duh. I could be a professional traveler, without a doubt. I need to find a job that lands me in an airport at least once a week. The hustle and bustle of flying is invigorating!
We almost missed our flight back because no one filled us in on the fact that you need to be at the Las Vegas airport like 3 hours before your flight to make it through security in time. So just picture me running through the airport grasping at my belongings for them to keep up...I actually got a "wow, you sure can run well in heels" from a complete stranger. 
Why thank you, what a compliment.


...get ready for picture overload--it's about to hit hard...

Let's see...where, oh where, to begin. We ate. A lot. And drank. And shopped. Shopped a whole lot.  The food was incredible {broke my diet biiiig time--but hey, that's what vacation is for, right?}. Yes, I' will be living off of Special K this week and next. Some of the food highlights--dinner at Boa the first night {best filet e-v-e-r}, lunch at Serendipity 3, and some of the best pizza I've ever tasted in between those meals. DELISH!

Biggest peach bellini ever created

Oh, just where Kim Kardashian hangs out

Boa

Sweet Serendipity 3

Frrrozen Hot Chocolate...best thing you'll ever eat. Ever. 

We literally shopped til we dropped. Girlfriends--Vegas has the absolute BEST shopping I've ever seen. I didn't think anywhere could beat New York, but Vegas has it in the bag without even trying. It was terrible for my bank account but oh-so-good for the soul. 

Hello Louis and Gucci

Best shopping in the world!

My addiction.

"Trevi Fountain"

My pride and joy...happy birthday to myself! I think I'm in love with a purse.

I'm just getting to the best part now...Celine. Ah, sweet Celine. My hero. We stayed at Caesar's, so of course, everywhere you looked, you saw her face. Which I loved--duh. Just imagine your favorite artist...and then multiply it by 483. That's how much I love Celine. And thankfully, Dannah loves her just as much. One of the many reasons we're best friends. 

Favorite!

Well hey there, Celine. 

The view from our hotel room

Gorgeous Caesar's Palace

And let me just tell you--she sounds even better live than she does on a CD, if that's even possible. She's incredible. Best concert I've ever been to, hands down. I could listen to her sing all day, every day and it would never get old. I'm slightly obsessed, as you can tell. 


One of my favorite parts of the trip (other than Celine, shopping, and eating) was our visit to Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. Hilarious. We had the best time taking pictures and laughing our butts off. Some of the wax characters looked just like the celeb, but some were just plain awful. It made for a fun few hours, though. Enjoy...

Marilyn 

Eva Longoria

My boyfriend, Justin Timberlake

Faye, I know you're jealous of this one.

This is for you, Brad and Faye! Heyyy, Britney!

Simon!

I got a butt just like Beyonce.

Gaga!

Dannah's idol

The Kennedy's...my favorite couple!

ABE!

The weather was absolutely perfect! The thing I love most about Vegas weather is there is NO humidity...so unlike the South. No humidity=my curly hair stayed straight the WHOLE day. It was fabulous and amazing...pretty much a miracle for the frizz. We couldn't have asked for more perfect skies and sunshine the whole time...sure helps to recharge the batteries :)


Some sights of Vegas...

We got home from Vegas just in time to celebrate Dannah's birthday (St. Patty's Day!) in Memphis with Rebecca and her parents. It was so good to be with two of my very best friends for these few days. Makes my heart happy!

Ah, sweet Vegas. What a trip. I'm ridiculously happy and in love with life now. It's amazing what a little vacay can do for your soul! And being with best friends all week definitely didn't hurt the situation at all :)


...stay tuned for the second installment of the {best week ever}. I'll give you a sneak peek--it involved a weekend at the lake, baseball, best friends, and some beverages. Perfect? Yes.


Life is good, y'all. Really good. And it's only just gonna get better from here...

{birthday shout-out}

Today is a big day, people.

It's my little sister's 21st birthday. The big 2-1. As in, she's officially legal.

Time flies when you're having fun, doesn't it, Sisby?

Happy birthday to my best friend, my little sister, my shoulder to cry on, my confidant, my comic relief, my advice-giver, my MOH, my hair-teaser, and my own personal stylist. I'm blessed to have a sister as precious and wonderful as she is. She's the only person I can fight with one second, then laugh with the next. She's the prettier, funnier, more popular half of the Dillard girls, and I'm so lucky to call her my one and only sister. 

Katie, I love you to the moon and back! I cannot believe you're officially an "adult" now...how long have we been counting down for this day to arrive?! You can finally come to the Library with me! I hope this year brings you more happiness and joy than  you could've ever imagined--you deserve every bit of it and more.

Can't wait to be in Oxford on Thursday to celebrate with you...it's going to be one heck of a celebration, that's for sure. Thank you for always reminding me to not take myself so seriously, to enjoy life to the fullest, and to always laugh as much as possible. 

I'm so thankful for you!

Happy Birthday, Sisby!

{inspired thoughts}