Sharing Holidays

Well, as a couple, S and I survived our first holiday together. When we first started going out, I refused to share holidays- I wanted him to go see his family and I would be at mine. I had been in enough relationships, where I would give up Christmas, New Years, or Thanksgiving with my family to be with my boyfriends and their families. So after 5 years of doing this, I was becoming resentful of having to "give up" my family time to be a good and compromising girlfriend. I didn't want to resent S or his family so I just decided that until we were married, we wouldn't share holidays. He disagreed. After a few months of reflection, I realized I was being selfish and for the first time in all my relationships, our families are located in the same city! Thank God! I could go to both family events and not feel like I was missing out on my family or neglecting his. So this Thanksgiving, we started the morning off with a coffee run to Starbucks in the freezing St. Louis temperatures. We then drove to his grandmother's assisted living home in Illinois. I love older people, I am very comfortable and mesh well in the "nursing home" environment. I was perfectly fine until I got there, and a wave of sadness rushed over me. My Poppy (my great-grandfather) recently passed and it's still a little raw for me. But I pushed all the sadness aside, put a smile on my face and powered through. His grandmother is a spit fire. I had met her before and was pleasantly surprised she remembered me. We went through S and his twin P's baby pictures (adorable), she gave me a tour of her place and introduced me to her friends as "S's friend who better become his wife if he's smart." It was cute. After a few unplanned detours, we made it to my boyfriend's parent's home. We had a wonderful lunch filled with family, toasts, laughs, and turkey. When food coma was settling in, we ventured out for another round of Starbucks and to Thanksgiving #2: his extended family. It ended up being a bonding time for his immediate family and I. I had met most of his extended family at a previous wedding but I met the remainder and was promptly invited to Christmas. It was such a fun time with the little ones running around, many twenty-somethings and newlyweds, and the older generations delving into the wine. We had a nice talk with S's mom about our relationship, I think she was genuinely surprised at how solid our relationship is after hearing a few things that we do to strengthen and solidify our commitment. It's always a complement when someone who does pre-cana tells you that you are beyond your years in communication and compatibility. She gave a joint hug at the end told us that she loved us and started tearing up with a smile. There were a few hilarious points of the night- although I don't know if I am allowed to share so maybe another time. We were supposed to head to my aunt's house for dessert but we ended up meeting my family at my parents. They brought us home a big slice of my mom's apple pie. It was the perfect ending to a busy day. We sat by the fire, ate pie, while my sister tried to jump on us. S always rubs my back or my hair. He knows it's my favorite. So as we lay in bed recapping our day, and your's truly started tearing up talking about my Poppy, he pulled me in close, kissed my forehead, and lazily rubbed my back. I can't ask for a better guy.. He's my world.

So in Thanksgiving form, I give thanks for his never-ending support and love, my wonderful family whom I told S's dad- "My parents are the coolest", my new PhD friends, ending some chapters in my life, starting new ones, and that although my Poppy is no longer with us, he is looking down on me, reminding me to smile and not be sad.

Happy Thanksgiving 

Marine Corps Ball: Finding a Dress

I have to be completely honest; dress shopping for a Marine Corps Ball (MCB) is tough. Especially at 24. I didn’t want to wear a “prom” looking dress but on the other hand, I didn’t want to look matronly. I started look at Pinterest and googling “marine corps ball dresses” for ideas months ago. Ok, like six months ago. And I could not find a single thing I liked. The dresses were either very scandalous, revealing, or too old for what I wanted. So I started my own Pinterest board of dresses I liked, some were not “ball appropriate” but I liked them so they were added. I can’t tell you how many ‘follows’ I have received just on that board. Apparently I am not alone. And I have to say after experiencing my first MCB, some of those scandalous dresses I saw online, were definitely worn. Slits were a little too high, breasts were pushed up, together and out for the world to see, and some were a little too tight for comfort. It was entertaining to say the least! But that wasn’t the look I was going for. I am the girlfriend of a Captain, I am in a PhD program, and I was raised to dress appropriately. I wanted to be on a different level.  I enlisted the help of my mom. She knows what looks good on me and I know if a dress or outfit doesn’t work for my body shape, she will steer me in another direction. I also didn’t want to spend an insane amount of money on a dress, I kind of did, but that was with alterations included. So between my mom and I, browsing department stores, etc. we settled on a few Nordstrom dresses. I ended up ordering online from one of my favorite designers, Eliza J. Her dresses fit me perfectly, her box pleats, the cut, the quality, just overall awesome. Below are a few pictures from the ball and a few tips and tricks to other ‘newbies’.

My Eliza J dress from Nordstroms

Tips On Dress Shopping:

1.      Most women at the MCBs wear long formal gowns, you can wear a shorter dress but it is supposed to be past your knees. Not a lot of women can pull off that look, me included, so I would opt for a long gown. Don’t be that girl that was in a micro mini at a formal.

2.       Heels. I stupidly wore my brand new 4 inch nude strappy heels from LuLu’s. Great idea at first, stupid idea by hour 5 of standing. I should have brought strappy flats in my clutch to switch to if/when my feet got tired.

3.       Think before you buy a dress. Do I want my husband or boyfriend’s boss to see me in a thigh high slit? Probably not. You are a representation of your date.

4.       It’s not about you tonight. It’s about your Marine. Make sure that you are supportive, ready to shake hands, smile, and make pleasant conversation.

5.       Be able to have a conversation. Find things in common with those at your table to strike up a conversation so no one will be sitting in awkward silence.

6.       Know the rank system. I can find my way around the rank structure fairly well. But do not call a SGT, “sir”. If you don’t know what their rank is, wait for your date to introduce them. I promise you, the rank will come up.

7.       Shop for a dress earlier rather than later. Because most likely, it will need to be tailored.

8.       Tailoring. I can’t tell you how many dresses I saw that the bodice was not tailored to the girl’s rib cage or chest, leaving a large gap in between the dress and the body. Yikes!

9.       If you have tattoos, (nothing wrong with it), but try not to display too many. Wear your hair down if you have a monster tattoo on your back. Avoid that kind of attention. Unless you’re into that kind of thing.

10.   Have fun, enjoy yourself, maybe dance.

 I do love getting all dressed up, and I love seeing S wear his uniform. We didn’t get a lot of pictures but maybe next year.  

A few OOTDs

A few of my outfits from Vancouver. It was in the 30s and windy which now seems tropical with the single and teen digit temps we are enduring in the midwest. But I was mostly bundled up and in business casual outfits for the week.

Old Navy Peacoat, Forever 21 Buffalo Plaid scarf,

 Banana Republic Sloan Fit pants, Nine west heels, Brahmin cross-body

Old Navy Peacoat, Burberry Scarf, Banana Republic Sweater, Banana Republic Sloan Fit Skinnies, Booties (old)

Lived in my skullcap from Forever 21. It's $2

Ralph Lauren Collection Blazer, Lands End White top, Baublebar statement necklace

Next Post: Marine Corps Ball recap! 

Food in Vancouver- No Shame..

I was in Canada for five days annnnnd I did not buy any souvenirs. No, I spent my money on food. We went to fancy restaurants, hole in the walls, diners, "fast food", etc. I was in love. When sushi is found on every corner, you want to cry happy tears. So without further ado...

Ahi Tuna over a ginger asian salad

Poutine. Dear Lord I have seen the light! Why am I twenty-four years old and just experiencing this for the first time. Fries, gravy, cheese curds... Hell yes! I wish I would have ordered the extra toppings as well. This was to die for! 

Miku restaurant 

A little pricey for a roll but it was definitely up there in best sushi I have ever had. 

This was the Red Wave Roll which was crab and avocado wrapped in red tuna topped with masatake sauce. I will say it was worth the cost.

We went to Tableau, a french restaurant, order some wonderful wines. I had the seafood linguine with clams, mussels, lobster. It was fabulous. Loved the atmosphere!

Poached egg, smoked bacon, hollandaise sauce, arugula, on an english muffin from....

Yolk's!!! They have a restaurant but I went to their food truck daily. It was on my walk down to the convention center from my apartment and they had the most amazing breakfasts! Highly recommended! 

My mecca. Tim Hortons donuts. They are made daily- taste more like a very sweet bread and are dipped in chocolate. I'm not proud to say I ate quite a few of their donuts, but I pretty much tried 3/4s of their display... I discovered this with only two days left so I had to make up for lost time.

Also going to note: I had the best red blend while I was there. They had a lot of oak barreled Chardonnays (I prefer steel barreled Chardonnay) so I was steering towards reds more. I was browsing the menu at Grain, which is on the first floor of the Hyatt (The hotel I stayed at) off Burrad Street. Hands down, best blend I have ever had. I am looking into trying to order it from the vineyard and sent to me. It was that good. And because I believe in sharing the wealth, it is called Kettle Valley Brakeman's Select NV. 

I'm off to dinner with my cohort from my PhD program, Italian night with our professor. 

XOXO

Playing Tourist in Vancouver

As many of you know, I traveled to Vancouver this past weekend for a five day conference. The conference: North American SETAC (Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry) gets together every year or every other depending. The conference was fabulous, my research was extremely well received, and it was nice to be on the leading edge of microplastic research. I met quite a few other scientists, made a few possible collaborations and post-doc opportunities, learned so much, and feel re energized and motivated. I will be breaking up my trip(s) with posts so without further ado- my touristy pictures of Vancouver.

View from the Conference Center

Vancouver hosted the Olympics a few years ago. They lit the torch on Remembrance Day and it was extinguished after the moment of silenc at 11 a.m. 

Stanley Park (#1 city park in the world)

trying to use Canadian currency- made me look like a typical American

View from my hotel room

Note the mountains in the background

Walking around Southern Vancouver... (overlooking the northern side)

Canada Place street-ran along the water way to Gas Town area

Northern Vancouver

Smaller stone building- Anglican Cathedral

my view from my room at night

Other half of the convention center/ visitors center

Just outside my convention center was the giant lego- whale

Stay tuned for more to come from my travels

Next stop..

    After my weekend on the east coast, a week back in Columbia MO and an exam this morning (hence why I have been M.I.A.), I am heading out to Vancouver, Canada this weekend. I am speaking at the North American SETAC conference (society of environmental toxicology and chemistry). This is a five day conference with over 1800 platform presentations. I am so excited to network and get around my fellow tox people. I have also never been to Vancouver so I am very excited to explore the city. Thursday night, I will be getting on my next flight to San Diego. I have the Marine Corps Ball with the Captain and a nice weekend in warmer weather.
      I love flying. I have such a great time on layovers and the thrill of traveling. I tend to always have a go-to outfit for traveling depending on the mode of transportation. With flying, I tend to wear flats or boots that are easy to come off during security and always bring a scarf or wrap jacket in case of chilly temps on the plane. And if it's not too cold, I can ball it up and rest my head against the window with it as a pillow. Most of my flights as of late have been 6 a.m. flights so I have been sleeping through the flights. So I have been trying to dress comfortable and warm with my Starbucks in hand. Here are a few outfit inspirations for flying..

Happy Travels, keep up with my trip on my instagram!! 

http://instagram.com/rachelleriegerix

Weekend Recap

Whoo… It’s a bittersweet traveling season. I flew out to South Carolina early Wednesday morning. A 6 a.m. flight, with Starbucks in hand, I didn’t even drink that cup. I fell asleep holding it for the first leg of my trip. I landed in Charleston at 11 a.m. and went straight to the Citadel for meetings.  Three and a half hours later, lots of paper work shoved in my bag, etc. and exhausted, I stopped by the barracks to see my old tactical officers. Retired Cols, and like my second dads, I was greeted with bear hugs and knobs to mess with. I ended up staying a little longer than planned due to a few quick counseling sessions that were forced upon me. Apparently I know all the answers now. Finally making my way to my house on John’s Island, I convinced my mom, who had been baking up a storm all day, to go to sushi with me. My dad and sister HATE sushi. My mom, brother, and I love sushi. Since they were not in town until the next day, it was an easy sell. Then next morning, bright and early at 6 a.m., my mom and I departed for Charlotte, NC to pick up my dad, sister, and her best friend.

(Folly Beach, SC)

We then drove from Charlotte to Pinehurst to see my great grandfather. He and I are very close. I sadly haven’t been able to see him since his 102^nd birthday in July. Well, he fell last week and hit his head. He was in the hospital for stitches and a CT scan. Turns out he had broken his hip years ago and didn’t tell anyone, he has multiple blood clots in his legs, and his heart rate was 36. Needless to say, he decided to start hospice. I went to see him, to say goodbye. Because as much as it breaks my heart, I won’t be there to hold his hand when he takes his last breath. God, I hope someone is there though. His breathing was shallow but he told me the story of how he met my great-grandmother (he knows it is my favorite). I cried, a lot. I hate seeing him in pain and struggling. He asked me to smile when I was saying goodbye, it took three goodbyes for me to finally walk out the door. It is and will be a rough next few weeks.

After leaving Poppy and returning to SC, I was exhausted and went straight to bed. The next day, Friday, was another busy day and Halloween. I had a OB/GYN appointment in the morning and spent the rest of the morning helping my mom and dad around the house. Until my brother came in. He has been having debilitating headaches for almost a month. This one was extremely bad. So I grabbed his keys and took him to the E.R. where we spent the afternoon with doctors. Did I mention that he was getting married the next day? He and my sister in law got married last spring but had a reception party at Folly Beach (hence why I was in Charleston). Once he was discharged, I rushed to get to Retreat Parade at the Citadel. I had told the President’s wife I was in town and promised to meet up with a few Cols and a General. Thankfully, I made it just in time to say hi, give a few hugs, shake some hands, meet the new Commandant, and get out of there. I did my Halloween makeup in the car (a deer again) and made it to the bar with my grandpa before the rest of the group showed up. We had to pregame. After seeing my aunts and uncle and catching up over shrimp and grits and beer, we headed over to a comedy horror theatre. Probably the funniest experience! It was an interactive theatre and thankfully I had a lot of liquid courage (wine) to help me through my speaking parts… The rest of the night is a little blurry.

(Left to Right; me, my sister, my cousin, and my sister's best friend)

The morning of my brother’s wedding was ironic. We woke up to rainy, freezing cold, and windy temperatures, very much like the day my brother got engaged. We meandered to downtown Charleston to the farmers market- which was, of course, closed due to weather. Fast forward to my brother’s wedding ceremony and reception. It was so nice to see old friends and my family in one place. A lot of laughs and another night of blurry endings…  I caught my flight out the next morning with a 2 hour layover in NYC. I missed the city, and because of high winds we circled Manhattan twice. I have a lot of very fond memories there and hope to be back again soon. I made it back to St. Louis and drove straight to Columbia, MO. It was a crazy few days… And it will be for a few weeks. I am flying to Vancouver on Sunday, the 8^th to speak at the North American SETAC conference for a week. Stay tuned for those pictures! And of course after the conference, I am flying straight to San Diego for the Marine Corps Ball with a certain Captain. Can’t wait to show y’all my dress.

(Andy and Macy exchanging vows)

(It wouldn't be a Citadel wedding without a ring picture #ringknockers) 

PS. I was in the south for four days, my southern accent is back. Good Lawd…