And the Oscar Goes to....???

Every year, I am always so pumped for the Oscars. Not only do I love seeing the beautiful gowns walk down the red carpet, but also recognizing some of the greatest films of the year. Ever since I was young, I would watch every single award show. That pastime has never died. I am always excited for the Oscars as if Christmas was coming. It also gives me good movie recommendations.

This year, I wanted to voice my prediction for the Oscars. The movies that have been nominated for Oscars are beyond amazing. Without further ado, the [hopeful] winners are...

Best Picture: American Hustle or 12 Years a Slave
Best Actor: Matthew McCoanughey (Dallas Buyers Club)
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)
Best Supporting Actor: Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)
Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Lawrence or Lupita Nyong'o
Best Animated Feature: Frozen
Best Cinematography: Gravity
Best Costume Design: American Hustle or The Great Gatsby
Best Director: Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity)
Best Film Editing: Gravity
Best Foreign Language Film: The Great Beauty (Italy)
Best Hair and Makeup Styling: Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa or Dallas Buyers Club
Best Original Score: Gravity or Saving Mr. Banks
Best Original Song: "Let it Go" (Frozen)
Best Production Design: American Hustle or The Great Gatsby
Best Sound Editing: Captain Philips or Gravity
Best Sound Mixing: Gravity
Best Visual Effects: Gravity
Best Adapted Screenplay: 12 Years a Slave
Best Original Screenplay: American Hustle or Her


Honestly, it is difficult to see the true results of the Oscars, since this is the tightest race I've seen. I'm SO excited to see the results and the grandeur of this amazing award show. With Ellen DeGeneres, you know that the Oscars is going to be a party! :)

xoxo- Rachel

My 2014 Goals [and a few bucket list ones in between]

Before I even begin, I will address my immense love for journals. I love writing down my thoughts and thinking of new ideas. I also use various outlets such as Pinterest (my online journal) to put together my thoughts, but visually since I love seeing ideas in person.

In one of my classes recently, one of my assignments was where I had to write down my goals that I wanted to accomplish whether it was in the class, or a personal one. Taking this on as a great idea to think of the goals I wanted to set this year, I thought I would share mine in case if it sparked any ideas:

Personal Goals:
1. Live in the moment
2. Take risks
3. Stop comparing to others
4. RELAX! (I'm the worst at this.. Haha)
5. Take better care of myself by eating healthier, working out, and (maybe) sleeping early
6. Be more confident

Health/Fitness/Dance Goals:
1. Run 2 miles in 10 minutes or under
2. Execute a Russian
3. Get down into my middle split
4. 30 push-ups

Learning/DIY Goals:
1. Being able to use Photoshop and inDesign more
2. Get my license by the time I turn 18 (it's kind of embarrassing I don't even have one yet!)
3. Redecorate my room before I leave for college
4. Understand HTML so I can revamp my blog!
5. Improve on calligraphy/handwriting
6. How to sew

Bucket List Items:
1.. Go to New York City
2. Learn how to make tiramisu and macarons; my two favorite desserts!
3. Read at least 15 books
4. Take senior photos

It's a handful of goals, but I like setting them because it keeps me motivated, and even more excited to try new things. I have so much to look forward to! Cheers much needed!

Resolutions or goals, I hope that you continue to stick with yours! Easier said than done, but never give up on them! You never know how far you will go!
Have a wonderful day!
-Rachel

Red Carpet Fashion: Golden Globes and SAGs

Oh how I love awards season! In addition to my excitement seeing all the amazing movies be recognized for their work, I am also fascinated by what all the illustrious Hollywood stars are in. Just recently, the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild award shows aired. Since I am posting a little late, I am posting a few my fashion favorites from both events:

Golden Globes:

Lupita Nyong'o (Ralph Lauren)

Emma Watson (Dior Haute Couture)

Kate Beckinsdale (Zuhair Murad)

Jennifer Lawrence (Dior)

Margot Robbie (Gucci)

Julia-Louis Dreyfus (Narciso Rodriguez)  

Sofia Vergara (Zac Posen)

Taylor Swift (Carolina Herrera)

Jessica Chastain (Givenchy)

Olivia Wilde (Gucci) 

Screen Actors Guild: 

Jennifer Lawrence (Dior)

Amy Adams (Antonio Berardi) 

Anna Gunn (Monique Lhullier) 

Lupita Nyong'o (Gucci)

Sofia Vergara (Donna Karan Atelier) 

Jennifer Garner (Max Mara, Brian Atwood) 

Sarah Hyland (Pamela Rolland) 

Cate Blanchett (Givenchy) 

Tina Fey (Oscar de la Renta)

There were so many great dresses that celebrities wore at these award shows. I now officially can't wait for the Oscars! :)

-Rachel

GG Sources 1-2, 4-9: Tyler Boye from wwd.com; Source 3: Wire Images from huffingtonpost.com
SAG Sources 1-6, 8: Getty Images from huffingtonpost.com; Source 7: Jordan Strauss of Invision/AP from eonline.com; Source 9: Matt Sayles of Invision/AP from eonline.com

Hello 2014!

Wow, 2013 was quite a year! 2014 is definitely going to be a great one!

Just a little recap of 2013

This year, I am determined to try to blog more often. There are so many ideas and projects swirling in my mind that I hope to accomplish, and that will most likely be posted on this blog. Now that college apps are finally done, I have so much to look forward to: graduation, summer, and going to college. This is a year filled with new exciting memories and the beginning of new chapters.

To be honest, I don't make resolutions. It's probably a good idea to, but I am a person who sets goals rather than resolutions. I think setting goals is a way for me to be motivated in working towards them. I will write another post of what I hope to achieve in 2014!

I hope this year is filled with lots of wonderful memories! Make the most of it! :)
-Rachel

Rainy Day Thoughts.

Just a few of my favorite things in a picture. 

I'm guilty for not keeping up with this blog, which is something that I would like to improve on because it's actually fun to just write your thoughts out for the world to see. Who knows, maybe my future boyfriend could be reading this. Anyhow, my creative juices were flowing today with ideas and aspirations, or just a few of my favorite things. Thinking about it makes me want to go out and accomplish the impossible. Here's to new experiences, kick-butt memories, and taking on the world!

-Rachel

My Mini Family Road Trip

A few weeks ago, my dad had this genius idea of going on a trip with my brother for as his graduation present. That trip turned into a family vacation with another family to New Orleans and South Padre Island. We left for 5 days last week to enjoy the various sights of the few cities we were in.


Unfortunately, I didn't get to spend as much time in New Orleans as I had hoped, but I really enjoyed going to the French Quarter and walking around the Riverwalk at night!
P.S. I also forgot to try beignets! :O

 My family and I ate dinner at Cafe Pontalba. It was one of the restaurants at the end of the street that overlooked a park and the St. Louis Cathedral. The view almost made me think as if I were in a cafe in Paris. (It was probably the windows)

 The food there was quite delicious! I tried gumbo for the very first time while I was there; a tad spicy, but delicious! I ordered the Shrimp Orleans which had this rich cajun sauce that almost tasted coconutty, but either way, it was a delight! 

 Oh how much I love bokeh pictures... 

My family and I only spend one night in New Orleans and decided to drive all the way back to Texas and make a pit stop in Houston. I didn't really do a whole lot while I was there, so there aren't really many pictures of my time there. The following day, we drove the rest of the way down to South Padre Island. This is the highlight of the trip.

 Since we got to spend an extra day in South Padre Island, my brother suggested that we went on a dolphin tour to see dolphins. I definitely got excited because dolphins are my all-time favorite animals and I think they're absolutely adorable!

 On the dolphin tour that I went to, they promoted ecotourism and dredged for different sea creatures for all the observers to see. I was fascinated with all the various sea creatures, especially the sting ray that was caught. (I'm holding a manta ray by the way.. I forgot exactly the exact name.)

 I didn't get to see a whole lot of the dolphins' faces, but I was still happy I got to see them! :) 

I just decided to put these in because I really tried to wake up as early as possible so I could witness the sunrise. Having it across the ocean just made it even more beautiful and very picture-esque. I definitely treasure the views like these. 

Although the vacation I had was quite short, I still enjoyed every minute of it! Hopefully there will be more wonderful adventures to embark on. Until then, hasta luego! (See you later) 

-Rachel

P.S. Still trying to figure out how to scale the pictures.. 

Think Happy Thoughts.

I apologize for the lack of posts. Things have been a little hectic, but that can be saved for another post.

I came across this picture on Pinterest the other day (which I just realized that I had used in the last post). I immediately had to pin it probably because the way that it looked, and I like reading quotes. As I was pondering on this quote, I realized that I myself hadn't been thinking this way. As happy as I was, I tend to have a pessimistic mindset, doubting myself and seeing the worst out of situations. I will admit it is something that I still struggle with, but with time, I will improve. Being the pessimist myself, it's been a struggle at times to think positively. With all the tragedies and difficulties of life, it's hard not to think of all the horrible things going on around us. It's sad to think that the world isn't always a happy place.
It is very difficult for me to succumb to change; In fact, I don't think many people like change. In order for me to move forward, I have to change my mindset, and the way that I have been thinking. It's not easy to forget the pain and all the horrible things that have happened to me, but it's made me a stronger person. Life is full of lessons to teach and there's so much to look forward to. Being positive is just a stepping stone.

Honestly, I don't like sharing things that are very personal on the Internet, but I felt like this is something that I had to get out there. I don't know how many people I can influence or help, but I want to try to change myself and push myself to become better than the person I was yesterday. I'm striving to improve my lifestyle. It's scary, but like MLK Jr. says, "Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase."

-Rachel