Happy Birthday Rachie!

(TOP)A middle school yearbook pic of Rachel and I. Now you see why I eventually got contacts! :-)
(BOTTOM) Rachel and I today.

One of my best and dearest friends is my friend Rachie, ahem, Rachel. We first met in homeroom class in 6th grade and instantly became bonded at the hip. Every weekend we would rotate between spending the night at her house, or my house, then back to her house. We loved going to the ice skating rink together to check out cute boys. We loved shopping together buying the same pink flannel shirts from Limited Too. We loved having our moms drop us off at the movie theater to to go see movies and again check out cute boys. I even have Rachel to thank for introducing me to God when she invited me to attend her church that she and her family went to, and it soon became the church my mom and I would eventually call home too where I was baptized a few years later.

Then in 8th grade, Rachel went to a different school and my world was shattered. Through high school and college, we kept in touch and would hang out from time to time. It wasn't until we both moved home after college that we really reconnected and our friendship picked up where it left off back in middle school.

They say old friends are the best of friends, and with Rachel, it is so true. Rachel reminds me of everything that is good in the world. Always the optimistic, she has one of the biggest hearts I know, and she constantly teaches me without knowing the beauty of loving others and the joy that comes from simple things in life. She's the kind of friend that is always there for you no matter what.... such as dropping everything to give you a ride when you get a flat tire on the way to a wedding you are supposed to be shooting in half an hour. :-) Though she's a fashion nut, she sees beyond superficial beauty into the beauty inside each person's heart that she meets along the way, and she carries an enthusiasm for life that is absolutely contagious.

And tonight, we celebrated her 26th birthday just like old times, just Rachel and Scarlett pigging out on cheesecake, shopping and catching a chick flick (and... other adventures... see below...)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RACHEL!!!!

Everyone go to her MySpace page and wish her happy birthday!

Other adventures of our night...


When in Barnes & Noble, I saw the brand new issue of The Knot was out, which I had been itching to see because......


It has my full page AD in the new issue!! Woo hoo! Go Captivating Studios!


Rachel checking out my ad.

In other big news, today was a special day because I FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY bought an iPod. I know, I'm like the last person in the world to get one. But I've started going on runs with my dog lately, and got tired of holding my big CD player, so I knew it was time I break down and invest in an iPod. Also, I was inspired by my friend Jill Higgins to get the Nike shoes that sync with your iPod to track your distance and calories burned. So in the midst of our shopping, we stopped at the Apple store to get my first iPod and then stopped at Dick's to get my new Nike shoes. They had a track in the middle of the store, so here I am goofing off running around the track modeling my new shoes and holding my new iPod Nano and adapter thingy!



Close up of my new toys. YES, of course I got the hot pink iPod and hot pink shoes. Duh! I'll be setting up a challenge thing on the blog soon to be able to run virtually with all of you, so stay tuned to sign up! Who would have thought I would become a runner, HA!



Rachel doing her "Marilyn Monroe" minus the dress pose outside the movie theater.


Both of us waiting in line to see License to Wed. Cute movie by the way!