Cheers to 15 years!

Cheers to 15 years! On May 11, Tal and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary. Here are a few fun facts about our relationship. Tal and I met at the singles group at church. For our first date, we ate dinner at Carrabba's, and we both wore red. Ten months later, Tal proposed at an oyster bar. We got married 15 months after our first date. On our wedding day, it was hot and humid. We had an outdoor wedding that started an hour late because the best man (Tal's brother) forgot his tux, and the pastor got stuck in traffic. Fifteen years later, our marriage isn't perfect because Tal and I are imperfect people. However, we have persevered, had lots of fun, and made many memories along the way. Happy 15th Anniversary to us!

To celebrate our anniversary, we picked up Chili's for dinner and dessert from the Italian bakery in our neighborhood. We shared four slices of cake: red velvet, chocolate mousse, caramel cake, and tres leches. We kept our celebration low-key because we're hoping to take an anniversary trip later this year.

IL Road Trip: Part 4 (Bowling)

On our last day in Illinois, the girls and I loved playing two games of bowling and eating lunch at the bowling alley with Grandma Judy. 

IL Road Trip 2022: Part 3 (Children's Museum)

On Day 3 of our trip to Illinois, the girls and I (along with Grandma Judy) explored a children's museum on a rainy day.  The girls enjoyed role playing, climbing the rope tower, and painting on the glass paint wall. 

Rope Tower

Go NC State!

Paint Wall

IL Road Trip 2022: Part 2 (Zoo)

On Day 2 of our trip to Illinois, the girls and I visited a local zoo with Grandma Judy. It was a beautiful day to walk around the zoo, see the animals, and play at the park. Our favorite animals were the zebras, giraffes, and lions.

In the gift shop, the girls and I found street signs with our names: Rachel Road, Savannah Lane, and Hadley Place. So cool!

Mother's Day

My favorite time of the year started today! Over the next 10 days, I look forward to celebrating Mother's Day, our wedding anniversary, and my birthday. For Mother's Day, this morning the girls surprised me by making pancakes for breakfast. After church, we picked up lunch from Moe's and relaxed the rest of the day. I loved how happy and excited the girls were to make pancakes and give me my gifts. I felt loved and appreciated today. I am blessed!

Pancakes

Tal and the girls gave me a sweet card and an HGTV magazine.

Hadley gave me her silhouette that she created in her 1st grade class.

All about my mom. My mom's name is Rachel. My mom is 45 years old. My mom cooks the best pizza. My mom's favorite color is teal. My mom loves to eat Applebee's. My mom helps me with homework. My mom laughs when I tell a joke. My mom is really good at reading. My mom and I really like to play games. I love my mom because she is so sweet. By: Hadley (age 7, 1st grade)

Hadley left this note on my nightstand. "Don't open until Mother's Day. From Hadley your daughter."

Inside: "You're a great mother. You're the best mom ever and the best teacher ever and you get pancakes for your breakfast from me and Savannah. I hope you have a great time for Mother's Day. You're the best mother ever and the best cook in the family except Grandma." (Hadley said Grandma Barbara was the best cook in the family because she makes pork chops. Hadley said I should be happy that I'm the #2 cook in the family. Haha!)

Landscaping Project

Last week Tal and I completed our biggest home improvement project for 2022. We hired a landscaper to shrink our flower beds, pull weeds, spread mulch, and lay sod. We hope these changes will help with weed control, reduce our yard maintenance, and improve our curb appeal. 

A few weeks ago, Tal started the landscaping project by dismantling the girls' play area in our backyard. He cut up the play set and removed the plastic borders that surrounded the play area. 

Tal's family built the play set 8 years ago, but the girls hadn't played on the play set in a long time. They prefer to play at the park a couple times a week. 

Play Area: 2014

Play Area: Progress

The landscaper scraped the play area and laid sod.

Play Area: Progress 

Play Area: After

On three sides of our house, the landscaper scraped our flower beds and shrank them from four feet wide to two feet wide to make them easier to maintain. Then, he laid sod where our former flower beds used to be.

Left Side Yard: Progress and After

Left Side Yard: After

Right Side Yard: Progress and After

Front Yard: After

Pullen Park

The girls and I enjoyed having a playdate at Pullen Park with our friends Amanda and Tyson. We walked around the water. The kids played in the sand, swung on the swings, and climbed the rope spider web. 

Playing tic tac toe

After Pullen Park, we picked up our favorite cookies, including molasses, root beer, and sugar. 

Before we headed home, we walked through the WRAL Azalea Garden and admired the blooming spring flowers.