it's the first day of school. senior year redux.

It's that time of year again, people.

As summer the season lingers with a few more weeks of heat and humidity, in all practicality, summer is over.
Vacations are over, bathing suits have been retired and the smell of number 2 pencils and notebook paper is in the air.

As much as I actually love school, this fall I'm a little impatient with the fact that I'm still in college. A lot of my friends have graduated and I have that left behind feeling and, I'll tell ya, I'm not a fan. But rather than give in to the self-pity (I mean, I got an adorable child and the chance to try out a few majors out of the deal!) I've decided to look at this second senior year in the positive light that many of my classmates have:

I'm taking a victory lap.

  Now that we're past all the pessimism, here are the things i really love about school:

I love my planner for school. I like having my day, my schedule planned out so nicely.

Writing papers. It may sound crazy but I much prefer a nice essay or research paper over taking a test.

Being back on campus. As much as I love talking to reed,
sometimes it's very very nice to talk about something other than Thomas, how he absolutely
has to have his shoes on and the benefits of being upside down.

Now speaking of school, I have another class soon. Adios.

Who loves the 90's?

Hello all.

I'm aware that it's been a full week since my last post but Adam has hijacked the laptop almost every night as school starts next week (4 days) and he'll never get the laptop again, apparently. 

Alas, this weeks post.

As I plan this wedding and sweet baby reed grows up quicker every day, I've recently become pretty nostalgic for the past.

OR it could be the access to television shows and movies from the nineties on Netflix since Adam has been playing so many computer games and folding laundry without watching television is uber boring.

but the first option is a much more romantic notion.

So here are a few examples of my nostalgia. Here's hoping it stirs some fond memories for you blog readers.

Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman

For those unfamiliar, Lois & Clark was a 1993 television series that was fabulous, albeit not that consistent with the DC Comics version of the Man of Steel. 

This is one of those shows that, separately, was a love of both mine and Adam's so we've been having fun watching it together. The show was very dramatic, very over the top but, as much as I love Desperate Housewives, it's Teri Hatcher and Dean Cain at their best. 

And Hatcher's Lois Lane gave four-eight year old little Raquel the first dose of wanting to be a journalist.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

If you're surprised by this one, we've clearly never met. 

I loved Buffy, the 1997 show about the teenage vampire slayer from Sunnydale, California (which happened to be on the mouth of hell) and her ass-kicking adventures with Willow, Xander and Giles. 

I feel I'm pretty accurate in saying that Buffy ending at the end of freshman year was one of the reasons high school sucked, particularly on Tuesday nights.

 The love of BTVS also led to a love of all things Sarah Michelle Gellar and Alyson Hannigan.

And yes, I was a Buffy & Angel fan.

Friends

Friends is probably on most peoples lists, provided they've heard of television. 

I remember when my mom got the Rachel Haircut and I haven't stopped wanting Jennifer Aniston's hairstyle since then. The Ross-Rachel storyline was great the first few seasons and the Rachel-Joey storyline was horrible the last few. But I've got three of the ten seasons of DVD and you best believe I watch that on TBS whenever I catch it.

Freaks & Geeks

Freaks and Geeks is one of my all-time favorite shows. 

And yes, you do recognize most of those people. 

Before eating, praying, loving and being BFF's with Peter Parker, James Franco (a man I'd gladly have an affair with) humbly began on this little show. As did a pre-Cougar Town Busy Phillips. Linda Cardellini was also a freak and a geek before she was a sassy nurse on ER and sexually amibigious detective on Scooby Doo. And Judd Appatow lovers (and How I Met Your Mother actor for the first), Jason Segel and Seth Rogen, were also freaks on this amazing show.

If you've never seen it, get on it. It sadly only lasted for one season so it won't take you long to become just a little bit more awesome.

And finally...

Dawson's Creek

Oh the hard times on the creek. I was a Pacey and Joey fan before they even began the storyline and I'd still love to give Joshua Jackson a big ole smooch. I found it a little too convienent that nearly all the characters went to colleges or found jobs in Boston but how else can you keep the gang together? Oddly enough, Dawson was my least favorite character.
But I've got a few seasons on dvd and they've got the rest on Netflix and it's always nice to watch a time when sweet little Katie Holmes wasn't married to a total wackadoodle.

Adam's calling to tell me tales of slaying creatures with his nerdy friends, so I shall bid everyone a good night.

Mama, those are GIRLS. Mama!

Another post about the adventures of Raquel & Reed!

Last night was bittersweet, my dear friend Megan came over for dinner with me & Adam before she leaves town. It was really nice for one of my oldest friends and Adam to get to know each other better, as most of my girlfriends that he knows are my Starbucks ladies (Goodness, I love you girls!) and, to him, it's more his (mostly former) co-workers and less my friends.
But like I said, bittersweet.
I'm getting to see her tomorrow for a last coffee and she'll be back in town for the wedding in less than two months, but it was still a little sad.

 me & megan in 2004. we actually haven't changed that much :)

We were pretty busy today, this morning we went to Otherlands for coffee, milk & zucchini bread with my mother. happy happy joy joy.

After sweet nap time, we went to my OTHER friend Megan's house to play with her sweet bbgurls. be prepared before you scroll down, you might go into shock over adorableness.

Teresa & Liana

when we walked in, reed took one look at them and then looked at me and said "Mama, those are girls! Mama, Mama!" It's pretty clear that he's with buck & theodore all the time and the only girls he's aware of are in their twenties.

reed & bbgurls seemed to have a pretty good time together. they had a train table and TWO Thomas trains (on top of the one reed insisted that we bring) and a few Elmo's so that helped reed settle in. however, he didn't escape being the only boy in girl city.

that's my little man with a fairy princess wand.

 After it cooled down by half a degree we went outside to the swing and the slide which thrilled reed to pieces. actually to the point that he had a meltdown when we needed to leave.

So sorry Megan & Kevin!

we had plans to go to a Memphis Redbird's game but reed seemed a little too tired for that. though he loves Rockey Redbird so he may have perked up had we consulted him before making that decision.

 

 Reed & Rockey at the first redbird's game of the season.

you can tell how excited he is based on how excited Random Crazy Smiling Background Lady seems.

And now reed is asleep, Adam has made me a d&d widow for the evening and there's no Police Women of Memphis on tonight, sadly. it's nights like this when I'm alone, the apartment is clean and I've got nothing to do where I either wish school had started (11 days) or, specifically to Thursdays, that Grey's Anatomy and The Office had started their new seasons (5 weeks).

 But there must be wedding stuff for me to work on! Goodnight all :)

the return of Mama Mondays

That's right, folks, baby reed is back in school again.
Except he's really not a baby anymore. He got moved up to another class again and it's the first class where they don't take naps in cribs. I'm a little sad. I'm also pretty sad that him moving classes means he won't be with one-half of his BFF duo, Theodore.

Thor & Reed :)

But just like all the other milestones, I'll live through this one. I just hope his teachers survive his first nap with no crib.

As for the rest of our weekend after Awful Friday, the three of us went to Kimmie's birthday dinner on Saturday Night and then Adam & I went and saw Scott Pilgrim vs The World yesterday and I'll post a movie review sometime this week but now I'm off to enjoy my Mama Monday.

And by that I mean run all my errands for Adam & Reed :)

It's definitely Friday the 13th

friends and readers of the blog, 

as I've advanced further into my adult life I have made a conscious effort to not whine, complain or generally sweat the small stuff to the public at large. my dearest of girlfriends and Adam have to put up with the whining and ranting of raquel on a fairly regular basis, but generally, I try to keep it to a minimum.

this will not be one of those posts.

however, I'd like to make a note that i have had a decidedly awful day. And as Adam is closing and Ellie is at Sarah (Hi Sarah, Happy Wedding Day tomorrow!) & James' rehearsal dinner, I felt that I had no other recourse than to take to the blog.

For Starters,
I had to work today. Within itself, it's not all that big of a deal but I took the job because I only wanted to work two days a week so I could still be home with my little man.

Alas, jury duty called for a co-worker so I picked up a shift. Or MOST of a shift, as reed's two year checkup was this morning.

Which brings me to my next point: I loathe doctors offices.
Not doctors, doctors offices. If my child's appointment is at 10:15, why are we still sitting in the lobby at 11am?
To make matters worse, reed is having an iffy reaction to one of his shots.

All of that isn't really awful, even all together. It's just not sunshine & roses.

However, tonight I was supposed to go to a friend's lingerie shower. Adam picked up a shift, my parents always ask to babysit reed (it rarely happens) so I gave them a call.

After I didn't go to the shower, I told them they could still come see reed if they wanted. In the words of Dr. Perry Cox "bi-HIG mistake" (complete with the hand gestures).

I don't have the best relationship with my mother but I keep trying for reed. And because she's my mom and it would be all kinds of wonderful if we could have a simple, nice relationship. I'll spare the readers the gory details but the visit was over in under an hour, my mother stormed out angry and I honestly feel done with being shown no respect as a mother, as a daughter, as a person.

And so there's my awful day, minus the deets (i just love that word).

And so blog friends, I sincerely wish that your Friday the thirteenth was better than mine.

(And i hope that wasn't too whiney!)

So Long Sweet Summer

With school rapidly approaching (21 days) and my dear friend Molly updating her facebook status with the imminent arrival of the Pumpkin Spice Latte (that's PSL to the barista crowd), it got me thinking about the Fall season in Memphis.

The Cooper-Young Festival

 local artists, local musicians, amazing food & beer and seeing everyone you've ever met and most of the people you'd forgotten you'd met within one day. A lot of people take issue with Memphis (I'm often one of them) but every September, I love the Cooper Young Festival. So pretty please, don't let it be 100 degrees on September 18th! 

University of Memphis Tigers Football Games

 Alright, I'm not deaf, dumb or blind. I'm well aware of the lack of talent and winning by the Tigers Football team. But I love tailgating, I love the crowd, a sea of blue & gray, in the liberty bowl, I love that feeling of hope at the beginning of the season. And just as much, I love the familiarity of the mid-season where all Tiger fans say "Is it basketball season yet?"

Memphis Botanic Gardens

 I know, the Botanic Gardens are open year round. 

However, as much as spring and summer flowers are all that is pink and pretty, the fall foliage and the leaves changing colors is beautiful. Not to mention that in the last weeks of October and the first weeks of November, the Memphis weather is actually bearable enough to spend more than 30 minutes outdoors.

The River Arts Festival

It's a fairly new festival (I think since 2007) but the River Arts Fest is amazing. Artists have tables along Main Street, galleries are open (& giving away wine) and musicians are playing up and down the streets. It's both a great date night, ladies night out or to push the kiddo's in the stroller around the streets of downtown Memphis.

the Memphis Zoo, Arts in the Park & Zoo Brew are among other things I love about Memphis in the fall.

but this year, my favorite thing about the fall is definitely...

Me & Adam's Wedding

Ah, I LOVE him. October 3rd can't get here fast enough :)

reed's second birthday :)

Okay, I know. I said yesterday (which would have been Monday) and it's definitely Thursday. But before all my blog friends are mad at me, Reed's school has been closed for the last week and will be closed for another week so Mama Mondays came to a halt and left all the chores, errands and coffee/blogging dates to after Reed is sleeping. 

Onwards to Reed's Second Birthday :)

Reed's m&m birthday pancakes. Thanks Daddy :)

 Fireman Reed!

Daddy & Reed on the Police Motorcycle.

Climbing out of the tree trunk. Silly boy :)

Helping Daddy fly the plane :)

Playing with his presents from Aunt Nicole & Uncle Andrew.

Adam reading the leapfrog book to Andrew.

Uncle Andrew helping Reed dunk :)

Reed's Elmo Birthday Cake.

Reed's Memphis Jersey from Uncle Andrew & Aunt Nicole!

So Happy Birthday Reed! Mama loves you so much :)

And for anyone that's interested, here is mine & Adam's wedding website. Check it out, sign the guest book! 

Police Women of Memphis here I come :)

two years of reed bryant hinson

I can barely believe it but little man reed is two years old today. 

He is now fast asleep after a fabulous, yet small and quiet birthday (which I will update about tomorrow).

And now the two years of Reed Bryant Hinson...

the sweetest little sleeper, he pushed his hand up there by himself :)

 

less than two weeks old.

Almost 3 months old, dozing off after a bath.

OK under 4 months, he slept if he wasn't eating!

I love the fat rolls around his wrists and his chunky thighs.

the kid can pull off trucker hats :)
7 Months Old.

it's blurry but it's the first time he pulled up and stood by himself!
8 Months Old.

OMG Mama :) 9 Months Old.

 Reed's One Year Pictures.

 He's a little sad that the vacuuming is over.

15 Months Old.

My Little Fashionista Boy in his Sunglasses.

17 Months Old.

My Little Fireman, 23 Months.

Check back tomorrow for reed's birthday celebrations :)