Introducing Rachel!
:: Down With Detroit ::
Being raised in Garden City by my Mexican grandparents, Detroit was my second hometown. We worshiped, shopped, ate and visited all of our family friends in the heart of Mexican Town. My husband was always near, and I never knew it. He is a Westland native who is also Mexican. He spent most of his summers at his grandmother’s, who happened to live across the street from The Holy Redeemer Church on Junction. We frequented the same restaurants, bakeries, grocery stores and parks.
We absolutely adore the city and all it has to offer. Our favorite spots are Joe Louis Arena, Greektown, Lafayette Coney Island, The Fox Theatre, Hockeytown Café, Comerica Park, Los Galanes, Evies Tamales, Mexican Village, and El Rancho, just to name just a few. Whenever we go to games or have family in town, we try to make it a point to try a new hot (or hole in the wall) spot.
:: My Life ::
My husband Jay and I met when I was 23. We met through mutual friends at his Godson’s baptism. I laid eyes on him and couldn’t look away. Our friends thought they had it all figured out and that we were a match made in heaven. Their theory was that since he was half Mexican and I was half Mexican, we made a whole Mexican. Right, makes perfect sense.
Our marriage took place 10 years ago at the courthouse, downtown. My marriage to Jay was more important than a fairytale day would ever be. Our union is where I wanted to place my focus and energy. I’m actually not even sure if our marriage is legal considering the officiator called me Rachelle the whole time. Fingers crossed because I really don’t want to start over and do another “first 10 years of marriage.”
Helping women in their birth journey is my passion. Because of that, I got my DONA International Doula certification. I also received my certification as an aromatherapist for pregnancy, birth and postpartum. With that, I’ve created a small line of apothecary items for mama’s and babies and support them while they labor. Placenta encapsulation is also a specialty of mine in my work.
:: Babies & Beyond ::
Four years. That’s how long it took until we became parents. Since we always talked about adoption and foster care, we decided to go down that road because pregnancy didn’t look like an option. So we got licensed, I got pregnant, we got a call for our oldest boys and we instantly had 3 sons. Murphys Law, right? When my baby was 7 months old, I became pregnant again (yes, I know how that happens). It took so long the first time around, so we threw caution to the wind. Going from a family of 2 to a family of 6 in just under two years has not been easy, to say the least. However, like the beloved Glennon Doyle Melton says, “We can do hard things.” Being part of this group of genuine and compassionate women is something I’m looking forward.
