Meet the Iffts

Hello Friends! I have returned to the blog for a moment before moving to introduce you to my new family.

Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Andrew Ifft

(My new name is Rachel Marie Ifft)

On our honeymoon in Antigua, Pina Coladas in hand

The wedding was beyond wonderful for us. We are so happy that our friends and family came to celebrate even during a heat wave! I will have to give more details later when the pictures come in.

I am not entirely sure yet which direction this blog will go in once we are moved in. I am sure there will be many stories to tell of the trip up to Ohio and settling into military life, but as to what EXCATLY I will be doing once we move ... not entirely sure. This is a grand adventure that I am so ready to begin! Right now we are living at home with our parents before we can move ... one can live in limbo only for so long and with two its even harder. Much love to everyone!

I've Got to Shake Shake Shake My Sillies Out

I don't know if we are all familiar with children's songs, but I believe they pretty much have the best advice:

I've gotta shake, shake, shake my sillies out,

Shake, shake, shake my sillies out,

Shake, shake, shake my sillies out,

And wiggle my waggles away!

I've gotta clap, clap, clap my crazies out,

Clap, clap, clap my crazies out,

Clap, clap, clap my crazies out,

And wiggle my waggles away!

I've gotta jump, jump, jump my jiggles out,

Jump, jump, jump my jiggles out,

Jump, jump, jump my jiggles out,

And wiggle my waggles away!

I've gotta yawn, yawn, yawn my sleepies out,

Yawn, yawn, yawn my sleepies out,

Yawn, yawn, yawn my sleepies out,

And wiggle my waggles away!

I've gotta shake, shake, shake my sillies out,

Shake, shake, shake my sillies out,

Shake, shake, shake my sillies out,

And wiggle my waggles away,

And wiggle my waggles away!

AH! Why am I feeling so silly!? oh yes it may have something to do with our wedding in ... 15 days ... along with seeing all of my lovely ladies and family, the honeymoon trip, and don't forget move to the midwest and military life.

Busy times my friends. I suppose we are always in some state of transition, but this one takes the cake for me (or cupcake since they have been on my mind lately). Its amazing to remember past transitions and how I felt then. I still remember my last day of elementary school and the fantastic fear of transitioning to New York City for college.

Thank you for your patience, support, and smiles. I am very blessed to have so many outstanding people in my life. I hope that we can all make the best of what we have while always striving to make things better for others. The next few weeks are going to be quite a ride! Please join me by putting your arms up in the air and wiggling your waggles away!

I have always liked 2%

Chris' Graduation from the United States Air Force Academy was truly awesome. The weeks activities were fantastic and I am so proud of all of his hard work!

At the Academy they claim that only 2% of Cadets who enter with a girlfriend will make it all the way to graduation with the same girl. We are proud to be part of the 2% and are enjoying this time with each other and our friends and family before we marry on the 27th!

He is going to be quite an honorable officer =)

With Love

Our Mothers Day card to our mommies from Rachel and Chris:

Know how I mentioned before about my favorite picture of me and my mommy? Well going through Chris' baby album I found a similiar one with him and his mom (same age!). I made this card for both of our mothers and it was a big hit. I think adding photos to anything makes for a better gift.

She Always Comes Back

In honor of Mothers Day:

I love this photo of me and my mommy!

In the Monks house we grew up watching/listening to Baby Songs. Here is one of our favorites. I still sing this song whenever I miss my mommy =)

I couldn't get a copy of the song without the intro and the song "sharing" before it, but thats ok because sharing is pretty wonderful as well. enjoy.

Sweet Inspiration

I don't know about you, but every time I turn around my room is a MESS! Living in a small space is nice because I know where everything is, but I take one thing out to do a project and WOAH it's like a tornado hit.

No, I am not going to embarrass myself by posting a photo of my messy room, but I will tell you my cleaning secret. Since I can't seem to keep my thoughts organized when everything is a mess and I have a hard time making myself clean up I really needed to come up with some motivation.

Fortunately I now have some sweet inspiration.

About two months ago Chris was in town and we went out for a long day of wedding planning. I will spare you the details, but basically 7 hours into our trip and nothing decided on Chris turned the car around and took me to Anthropologie. He bought me a candle so that I wouldn't have to go home empty handed (obviously he's amazing).

Now, when my room is a mess I set a timer for either 15 or 30 minutes (depending on the clutter) and light the candle. The aroma from the candle reminds me to stay calm and fills my room with a fresh clean scent. When the candle is lit I know it is time to get to work. Setting a timer really helps because it gives me a challenge to see how much I can get done in such little time. It also keeps me from slacking off or getting distracted when it is time to clean.

If you find yourself surrounded by clutter and can't seem to find any motivation to clean things up start your own cleaning ritual. I am only writing about mine because it helped me a lot!

Bridal Tea

Recently a mutual friend of my mom and mother-in-law threw me a bridal shower that was nothing short of perfection. The tables all had a beautiful spread. Even Isabel enjoyed the fun (she got to help me open gifts).

Take a peek at this lovely Tea!





Mimi Rachel and Kathy

Thank you Sharon and ladies for such a wonderful afternoon!