my birthday

my birthday was a few days ago and usually i'm pretty excited about it - as in, i do a countdown and "remind" close friends and family on a somewhat annoying basis. but this year was a little different. being so far away from home made a big difference. plus, i turned the big 3-0.

i don't even feel grown up enough to be 30. but i suppose i'm doing all of the things grown ups do. refinancing a house, moving halfway around the world, eating real meals instead of mac & cheese every day... and i'm fortunate. lucky even. and i certainly appreciate and am extremely thankful for my life, my hubby, and my family.

this birthday was special for a number of reasons, but a huge one was due to my hubby. he's awesome. he worked all night, came home, decorated the house AND a homemade confetti cake. YUM! he also got a ton of family & friends on skype at the same time & surprised me with my loved ones wishing me happy birthday!

he also bought me a great present - a kindle! i'm looking forward to getting back into reading on a regular basis...and i have to say, buying books on the kindle provides instant gratification (since i bought 5 in the last hour - thank goodness for gift certificates). i tried to pick a few books that would give me some options depending on my mood. here's what i have so far:

- the girl with the dragon tattoo by stieg larsson

- the curious incident of the dog in the night-time by mark haddon

- a million miles in a thousand years by donald miller

- MWF seeking BFF: my yearlong search for a new best friend by rachel bertsche

- an object of beauty: a novel by steve martin

overall, my birthday was wonderful - i had a relaxing day with my pups & hubby. time to get reading!

vito's 3 year anniversary

today is the anniversary of vito's third year with us! he's calmed down a bit (kinda) and is quite a bit bigger than when we first picked him up.

as you can see, some things haven't changed :)

catching up...

is it me or does anyone else get overwhelmed when they don't check up on the blog world for a while and there are literally hundreds of posts in google reader?

lots happened this week -

mother's day was great. hubby & i had my parents over for brunch. we made blueberry pancakes (i actually cooked these - i can do breakfast pretty well), bacon, maple sausage, and these little appetizers that were caprese salads on a stick...SO yummy. i have to say, my fur babies were very well behaved too.

wednesday was hubby's birthday. we went out to eat at a restaurant called ginger, which was SO good. then...we went to BLUE MAN GROUP! i hadn't seen the show before and it was amazing. SO entertaining and creative. interactive and (good) weird. if you ever get a chance to see them, GO!

after the show, i set up a little treasure hunt for hubby's gifts. i hid the gifts with the clues to the next hiding spot all around the house. i even managed to use metallica lyrics in the final clue :) hubby got a pasta machine as his big gift, and i am fully anticipating crazy fresh pasta dinners from here on out.

i have a ton of homework to do and custom art work too...those two things are heavily weighing on my shoulders. i really wish i didn't need to sleep. i'd have so much more time to get things done.

i will try to visit you all in blog world. hope you are well!

p.s. have you heard the new decemberists album "the king is dead"? if not, go listen to it! i've been hooked on a few songs...i can't get enough of them.

happy valentine's day!!

i know it's a little corny, but i always get a bit excited about valentine's day. even as a little kid...the prospect of a happy surprise or two was on the horizon as the day approached. i remember my first "big" valentine's...i was in 4th grade and a boy named kevin gave me a heart shaped box of chocolates and a poem. i was ecstatic!! as i got older (and full of teenage angst), i went through a "wear black on valentine's day because the holiday is dumb" faze. i crack up just thinking about it.

and now that i'm happily married, i think more about how thankful and lucky i am to have such a great husband. i know that regardless of where we go or what we do, it's always more fun to have him by my side.

photo by pobke photography

a friend asked me the other day "what's the point of valentine's day?" (he wasn't in the greatest mood, either) and i got to thinking about it...it's not so much a day for huge, over the top demonstrations of undying love or a promotion for greeting card companies everywhere...it's about appreciating the people you love: family and friends. hope everyone has a happy valentine's day!

one month

oh SNAP people! it's been a month since hubby & i got married. A MONTH!!! where did the time go?? seriously?

since i'm a freaking awesome wife (still sounds weird), i got hubby a little gift (click on pic for credit):
you're thinking "wooow that's soo coo....wait, what is it?" it's a pig tail food flipper, silly. you use these to nab steaks on the grill and flip them over. much better than tongs. they look weird, but i've seen these babies in action and they are pretty cool.

happy one month hubby! :)