What a full October! Here are some clips from this month's updates!

 10/3/25

Hello everyone,

Some warm fuzzies and lots of good things:

Shared with my chorus about the musical and got so many supportive, kind replies. Here’s to growing and supportive friends!

https://ichabodthemusical.com/

I'm so proud of you! Way cool! Oh my goodness-this is so exciting! Congratulations and enjoy every second! Way to go Rachel I am thrilled for you, Rachel, have a blast! That sounds like fun! You will be amazing way to go Rachel! that’s so cool! Very cool! You’ll be great! So excited for you!! You will be a star in this  You already are a star in SkylineCarry that positive energy with you and you will SHINE Fantastic Rachel! I grew up very close to Sleepy Hollow. Some great spooky memories. How exciting! Have a great adventure! Have a great time exploring another side of yourself! WTG, Rachel!!!! I think this is great, Rachel!

I have a friend who is in this production! She's been posting good things about it! Good for you!!! I love this! That's awesome!!!   Good for you, Rachel!! Proud of you!

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Andrew got this amazing review ❤️

posted 09/30/2025 Andrew was absolutely amazing! We had our wedding ceremony on one day and the reception the next, and he was able to accommodate us for the split days. He was such a joy to work with, and as a scattered bride he kept me on track with remembering what kind of photos we wanted and kept me focused. Our ceremony was out in the mountains, and he picked burrs from my mother's dress and just generally went way above and beyond. I absolutely love both our portraits and the in the moment photos. It's so special to have photos of our loved ones smiling and having a good time! His eye for finding the perfect lighting and spots is truly special for a photographer to have. I've already received several compliments that our photos are some of the best people have ever seen. He really captured us as a couple despite my terrible explanations. During our much bigger reception, I was amazed to see how many photos he had from all over the venue and of so many of our guests. It's like he has special radar to know when a perfect photo moment is happening and would appear there. His assistant at our ceremony was also amazing! Both were kind, professional, and took photos we will cherish forever. Thank you so much, Andrew! - Chelsea and Ryan

Here’s to lots of good things,

Rachel

10/11/25

Hello everyone,

What a packed week! I’m going chronologically.

Glorious time with my bestest bud in Connecticut including visiting the park where Andrew and I got married and lots of exploring our old college haunts and so many games and chats:

We were both around 18 starting college, so I think it’s about thirty years that we’ve been besties

Quiet chat with Andrew’s dad and a delightful evening with his parents.  Mellow morning and a cozy walk with his mom.  Got to pick some of his grandmothers costume jewelry to bring home… lovely connection. 

Yay for Andrew! Review from one of his students:

Oh my gawd! Andrew is the kind of manager and mentor I've BEEN looking for ever since I started my journey. Honestly, I think if I knew him sooner, I would have avoided some of the mistakes—well, not mistakes, but I think I would have been on a clearer path as a software engineer. His patience is a godsend; his understanding and empathy make him a great communicator, listener, educator; and he’s also incredibly knowledgable about being a software engineer, and writing beautifully clean code. It’s so funny—and I don’t mean to be too dramatic—but my experiences thus far as a software engineer in the finance space has definitely left me a bit jaded to the idea of finding a manager who cares about individual growth and development. I wasn’t giving up hope just yet, though, because I really did and still do believe there are engineers who care about individuals as well as care about doing good, interesting work. I mean that’s why formation stood out to me lol. And as someone who has never fit the mold or demographic of the finances spaces I’ve occupied in my career, meeting someone like Andrew who was not only as empathetic as a friend but as a professional, it was such a breath of fresh air to feel seen, understood, and very supported. Even though I’ve been here for just a week, Andrew Miner has stood out as the kind of mentor I hoped to find in a program like Formation.Dev. Thoughtful, engaged, and genuinely invested in our growth, he embodies the qualities I admire in what I have often imagined to be a great manager—and quite frankly he’s very inspiring. Inspiring in the sense that he’s tangible proof that people like him exist in this industry, and that kind of presence reminds me that the mentors and leaders I’ve been hoping to find—ones that lead with integrity and care—are very much still out there.

Yay for my mom:

Day before 22nd birthday, Cameron giving the puppers love and enjoying the brownie bowl (multiple cups of honey milk were enjoyed too)… lots of favorites

 

Birthday morning presents (and a feast of bacon, biscuits, berry smoothies, and brownies)

And an evening of so many games… he crushed me at Hollywood Gin twice and learned how to play Casino

  

I brought him back to college today and I’m catching up.

Here’s to joyful times,

Rachel

10/18/25

Hello everyone,

Sharing loveliness from the week:

“Ichabod” rehearsals twice a week now and moving to daily next week… intensifying toward the home-stretch. (10/31 was canceled, so three performances: https://ichabodthemusical.com/)

Loving fall colors above where I park each day… just looking up into the tree during my 10min morning/afternoon breaks

Chinchillas getting much more snuggly (glad to hang out for half hour now instead of a couple minutes)

Glowing annual review with the 5% raise, max I think for the company 

Loved by students today… kept needing to split my hours as one or another of them needed me (usually we stick with one student for a full hour)

For those who happen to have a few minutes this is an impressive overview of some options of inner work modalities.

(I have never purchased one of this lady’s programs, but I have enjoyed her free content roughly once every month or two for about a decade and I have never found her content inaccurate in relation to the research about cognitive science and behavior change. I can’t say that about many experts. Highly recommend these ten minutes if inner work is of interest.)

Time stamp 1:30min - 12:40min

Lovely chorus singing and connecting for the Komen walk this morning

Hugs,

Rachel

10/24/25

Hello everyone,

Happy birthday to me :)

Quick good things:

Ichabod rehearsals continue and they have up a cast page https://ichabodthemusical.com/cast-crew

Coordinated a chinchilla and snake visit to work which was greatly appreciated by kiddos

So many things down at work for the Amazon Web Services outage but we got through it

So many birthday songs today including from my upper elementary literature students

Sonnet from my boy:

My mother is very hardworking.

Her days consist of determined effort.

Toward tasks she hasn't dreamed of shirking.

And people she would never desert.

She does this in the name of principle.

A considered code of commendable conduct.

With a dedication that is truly unequivocal.

That no obstacle may obstruct.

A dedication that is far from untested.

Many challenges have come before her.

Yet none have left her bested.

In completing the tasks she must incur.

Determined principled acts define this gal

In spite of the challenges to her rationale.

I started my day with opening presents!

Here’s to lovely, special days,

Rachel

P.S. More love from my work:

Happy Birthday, Rachel!

Happy Birthday, Rachel! I hope that your day is full of delicious chocolates, laughter, and family! I hope that you have a birthday that is as full of magic and joy as you bring to this learning center every day. We are all so grateful to work with you! - G

Have a truly happy day, Rachel! -L

Happy birthday to the person who makes us all feel special on OUR birthdays– now it’s your turn!! Rachel, it’s difficult to imagine this place without your sparkle. The way you celebrate and honor the uniqueness of each person who walks through these doors, is such a gift. I hope your day is stuffed full of chocolate, animal cuddles, and all the warm fuzzies you deserve! - L

Happy birthday, Rachel! You take such good care of the students – and everyone else! Thank you for being a welcoming, cheerful presence. I hope you have a great day! - G

Happy Birthday Rachel! Thank you for everything you do for the kids, and for us! I hope you have an amazing and hopefully relaxing day!- I

Happy Birthday Rachel! Thank you for all your mentoring and making everyone happy here! D

Happy birthday, Rachel!! I hope you have a birthday just as awesome as you are! :) 

Happy Birthday Rachel!!!  You are such a ray of sunshine to have around the learning center.  You bring so much fun and positivity everywhere you go and I am glad I get to work with and learn from you. - A

Happy Birthday, Rachel! You are such a wonderful presence in the center. I am so glad I have been able to know and work with you for almost 7 years now! I hope you have a wonderful birthday with sweets and lots of relaxing fun. -E

P.P.S. Cameron is thoroughly enjoying his auditing class and shared an essay he wrote about a scandal that changed the field.  He’s considering continuing for a Master’s degree and will be meeting with the advisor next week to discuss options.

11/1/25

Hello everyone,

Tired and successful with so much thoughtful self-care during this intense week of: work, musical-participation, sleep… repeated all week with almost zero downtime.

Tracker had a tough week. He had a tiny seizure at the groomer's which is apparently common with older dogs and indicates that they can’t tolerate the dryer any more. It took a few days and some GI distress, but he seems like he’s back to old dog comfiness:

One rehearsal photo from me and a few of Andrew’s amazing photos of the first performance 

  

Great new Renaissance class online and Andrew is loving it too. We’re doing it as a date each Sunday morning:

Wow, October 28th memories over ten years… video conferences used to be a surprising thing (one way for me to get education when Cameron was seven years old):

     

Here’s to joyful living,

Rachel

P.S. Some sweet notes from that work review:

Rachel is a thorough, thoughtful, productive, and professional Principal Consultant for the Denver Learning Center. Her strong work ethic and drive to learn and succeed serve her well in her daily role. 

Despite now having additional center-wide responsibilities on her plate as a Principal Consultant (some assigned and others identified independently), Rachel's time management skills, her honed ability to prioritize, and refined efficiency within other areas of
her role allows her to consistently produce thoughtful and strong work.

Rachel is an excellent team player and has fallen into the duties and responsibilities of the Principal Consultant role naturally. Her expertise with behavior management and program pacing is respected and recognized across our whole team.

Precious Days

 I have this quote next to my desk and today was a perfect match:

It was a typical Thursday at work with joys and challenges.

In the morning:

    - I helped a parent see how their child had grown.

    - I jumped in with a student refusing to work and helped him show off his skills for a visitor.

    - I took a morning break and enjoyed resting/meditating on the mattress in my car while seeing the sun dapple through the leaves above.

    - I started preparing for three new students coming after the weekend.

I walked home for lunch and enjoyed some extra cocoa. I connected with our cleaner-friend and gave her a supportive ear... her friend has "failed" chemo and is getting worse. I walked back to work listening to some mantras with exercise music.

In the afternoon:

    - I did a student celebration as planned even though she arrived very late (short on time) and we showed her mom five minutes of the growth. This sweet girl didn't want to let her mom take the celebration certificate home; she wanted to hold it close.

    - I made more progress preparing for those three new students.

    - I supported many new hires and adjusted the Star Service Fanatic challenge for spreading office joy.

In the evening:

    - I had leftovers and took a call from a friend who wanted more of my time. But, he hadn't honored the original agreement... ah, boundary setting.

    - I processed email and wrote this blog post and noted some of the warm fuzzies that I received today.

    - I got in pjs and did chores while listening to this bit of a free webinar (I don't agree with all her health advice but I love her free content focused on self-care.)

What a lovely pearl slipping off the string 💖

Love from Skyline

I received the Open Arms Award this weekend which is one of four special, annual awards given by the chorus. It was such a lovely moment and then members kept giving me hugs and congratulations throughout the weekend.  I'm feeling so loved!

And it reminded me to note this other instance of Skyline love from a couple years ago when I felt so touched.

I received this note from my chorus director regarding the Joy award:

The Joy award is given from me to the singer in Skyline who exhibits Joy, and shares Joy.  

This year's recipient manifests joy all the time.  She leads from the risers, and always has a joyful smile and greeting.  She sings with joy and seeks harmony while always looking for the good in others.  Her positive and gentle spirit wraps the chorus in love.  She is keenly observant of the many often unseen contributions that make our Skyline village successful, and is quick to express sincere gratitude for these efforts.  This years award goes to Rachel Miner.

Vickie M

International Speaker, Coach, & Author

Master Director 700, Skyline Chorus

Sweet Adelines International Board of Directors

Judge Specialist, Expression Category

Certified Expression Judge

Certified International Faculty

Now these warm fuzzies hang out next to each other ready to bring me a smile each morning 💖

Typical Update... it's been awhile since I've put one on the blog :)

 7/26/25

Hello everyone,

Good things:

Humming bird visit

Chinchillas still cute

Looks like Cameron will be able to get back into his old single (bath-capable, which he loves) and take a single class to improve his auditing skills (while continuing to do the CPA test review courses and search for a job)

I had a good tele-health visit with my functional medicine doc… sounds like the current answer is that we’ve done all the due diligence and not much else to do for digging at root migraine causes at the moment

Andrew has had an intense weekend with four photo-shoots! Very satisfying and fun… one of them was even from horseback!

I had a little party here for my work friends and we had lots of fun for two hours putting together a puzzle and visiting with all the animals

Andrew got me a surprise and I couldn’t figure out the hints but had fun trying!

Andrew Miner:
I have a present for you

Mrs. Rachel Miner:
Hints!!!!

Andrew Miner:
You can't touch it, but it can touch you

Mrs. Rachel Miner:
Is it words of some sort?

Andrew Miner:
No speaking involved

Mrs. Rachel Miner:
Writing? Size?

Andrew Miner:
There's no writing it's about a meter and a half tall

Mrs. Rachel Miner:
Does it go on a wall? Colors?

Andrew Miner:
It does not go to wall
Colors are variable

Mrs. Rachel Miner:
Is there rainbow light projection involved?

Andrew Miner:
No projections at all
It hangs from the ceiling

Mrs. Rachel Miner:
Ooo, prism? But 1.5metets?!?

Andrew Miner:
Not a prism

Mrs. Rachel Miner:
Do I get it when you get home?

Andrew Miner:
Yes, and I'll be home in about two minutes.

And the answer was….

He traded photography for a massage for me. (The massage therapist is 1.5 meters tall and it’s one of those where she has bars on the ceiling that she holds on to which I’ve never experienced.) 

I’m thrilled!

Massagearvadamassageandstretch.com

Here’s to fun surprises,

Rachel

25th Wedding Anniversary

My favorite part of the trip was the waterfalls. Sometimes it was just vibrant green and then you'd see a shock of bright white and gradually more and more of a stunning waterfall would appear!  This is just some quick captions and lots of lots of photos of this celebratory vacation.

Beauty from the boat:

Boat (small as far as cruise ships go but we found out it's also a ferry which meant lots of ports of call including throughout the night... neither of us returned as rested/relaxed as we'd expected although the beauty was ever-present):

Anniversary day:

Excursions:

Video clips:

Andrew won the ship's photo contest 

Elke and Gerd (German couple we had fun meeting... using Google translate as our primary means of communication)

Waiter and friend, Chris from Sweden

Leaving Norway

Tracker having fun with Husky Nora while we were away (chinchillas and snakes stayed at the exotic pet store, the staff have become friends)