Birthday Rules:

Stay Cute. Wish Big. Never Let Anybody Count Your Candles!

Today is my 32nd birthday! It feels quite good to be a woman in her 30’s. I think that something happens when you reach 30 and the more into this self-assured decade I get, the more clear I become on what I am after in my world, and perhaps even more importantly, what is no longer worth putting energy into.

I found this quote a while ago, that really rang true to me..."There comes a time in life when you have to let go of all the pointless drama & the people who create it & surround yourself with people who make you laugh so hard you forget the bad and focus solely on the good. After all, life is too short to be anything but happy"

On that note - I had a wonderful birthday weekend "surrounded with people who make me laugh so hard (("La-who-ness..WHO?")) - my wonderful friends and family made this birthday weekend super special.

Friday night, I hosted a Stella & Dot Trunk show. It was so much fun - 17 ladies came over and were able to try on Stella & Dot's beautiful jewellery...and enjoy some snacks and drinks. I had such a great time with some truly awesome ladies....and my children, who were so wired by the activity that they partied til 11 with us.

Saturday was filled with family activities - dance classes for HoneyPie, a 1st birthday party for my adorable cousin "N", some shopping...and a surprise sleepover for my kiddies at my in-laws. We dropped them off at about 530, quickly grabbed a bite to eat, snuggled up on the couch and caught up on some of our PVR'ed shows - Later we went over to our neighbours (K & D's) and had a hilarious night (we sure missed you, G & P) We drank way too much, ate too many salty snacks, played Rummoli (which I'd never played before...but LOVED, you were right, MOM...it's sooo fun!) and laughed til the wee hours of the morning...

DH and I were so excited to sleep in...even if it was only til 930 - it was far better than 6:30/7. We chilled for a while and then did some shopping - some new Christmas decorations from Pier 1...a new scrapbooking desk for me...I am so excited! DH surprised me with a Cricut Expression for my birthday and I CANNOT wait to start scrappin' again! It's been ages and I have so much to do! We picked up the kids around 4 and headed to our friends (D & K) for dinner. Was a fun night, even though I think I experienced my first mild migraine while on the way there...it was so awful!

And so....we come to my actual birthday! 32! OH MY! Overall, it was a pretty awesome day - my kids and the daycare kids were pretty well behaved today, maybe knowing to let me have one stress free day (LOL) After the kids left, DH, HoneyPie, Buddaroo and I met my parents, my sister and her boyfriend, my in-laws, my brother-in-law and his girlfriend and DH's grandpa for dinner at East Side Mario's. Definitely not a fancy restaurant but one of my favourites...had a great dinner and then headed back here for some yummy cupcakes made by my sister.
Boy, were those cupcakes delish! I'm not really sure if I even got to make a wish - the kids were so fast to help blow out the candles. They were so excited to help.

And as I leave this post, which has turned into a short novel...I leave you with this:

Each birthday is a new beginning, full of promise and opportunity and the chance to make dreams come true.

HAPPY HALLOWE'EN

It's been about 10+ years since I've dressed up for a Hallowe'en party...DH and I went to a rockin party on Saturday night as:



And here are our little trick-or-treaters...Woody and Rapunzel



Was a fantastic Hallowe'en weekend.

Good Friends Are Like Stars....

You don't always see them, but you always know they're there.

They are there at a moment's notice. They know that they can be brutally honest with me and I will love them just the same. They are my support, my strength, my sisters, my sanity. They are my BFFs.

My husband is my best friend in the world, but there is something girlfriends can give you that even your husband can't.

In our many years as friends, we have shared in some of the happiest days of our lives, celebrated births, mourned the death of friends and family. We have shopped our asses off and spent way too much money. We have told many secrets and laughed until we peed.

These women are better than therapy. I couldn't live without them!

No, I won't loan them out. They are mine. But if you don't have your own BFFs, you need to find some!

If This Doesn't Make You Teary....

Tonight, while DH was looking at digg.com, he came across a real feel-good story linked to www.asylum.com:

Ike Ditzenberger is a 17-year-old high school student with Down syndrome and a player on Snohomish Panthers football team in Seattle.

Ditzenberger made the news recently with what his teammates call "The Ike Special," an touchdown run designed especially for him.

The Vikings were up 35–0 with seconds to go, when the Panthers quarterback made the hand-off to Ditzenberger. The Vikings sluggishly allowed the Panthers' offensive line to shove them aside, as Ditzenberger sprinted 51 yards to the end zone.

The score now 35-6 as time expired, Ditzenberger performed a touchdown dance with his adoring teammates. Check below for the newly released video of the whole thing, including the tear-jerking screams of excitement from the crowd as soon as they realize what's happening.



One last bit from this story, in case you aren't already bawling (in a manly way, of course). Ike's mother, Kay Ditzenberger, told the media that she couldn't have been prouder of the other players: "They redefined worth. Players often are defined by their scores on the board, but they showed he was worth their effort and time." by: Brian Fairbanks www.asylum.com

As we watched, I sat there and cried. I have a very special place in my heart for children with special needs/disabilities. This story really warmed my heart. There ARE some really great kids out there...I don't even really know what to say...the story was just so sweet...just....amazing!

8 Years Ago Today

T: I love you for your thoughtfulness ~ Your understanding way ~ And for the countless little things you do for me each day ~ I love you for the hopes and dreams You've helped to make come true ~ But most of all I love you, just for being you! Happy Anniversary to the love of my life!!!!

One Happy Girl

My awesome DH bought me an iPhone4 - Wow, what a huge surprise. Was so excited and have been playing on it all weekend. And now...I am no longer envious. Thank you, hun for the wonderful surprise.

First Time Lulu Shopper Is Now Addicted

Christmas 2006 - my brother-in-law, Dennis and his then girlfriend (now wife), Cassandra, gave me a gift card for Lululemon. I was always intrigued by the store as they had both made some pretty great purchases from there. So, I decided I would put the card away as I was still trying to lose the last of my HoneyPie-weight....and then I got pregnant with Buddaroo, and have been working at the weight loss since then....so the gift card was safely tucked away..and was finally used last Thursday. I thought - enough is enough, it is silly to save it for any longer...so...

I had a shopping and dinner date with some great friends and off we headed to Lululemon. I must admit, when I first walked in, I was a little overwhelmed - so much selection, so many different and vibrant colours.

I had no idea where to start. I knew I wanted to get a pair of pants - but man, there are so many choices. I tried on a whole whack of them...Astro...Still...and the ones I decided on ~ Groove. I loved the way they looked and had heard about how great Lulu pants make your bum look ;) (no complaints in that department from DH) I got them hemmed and couldn't wait to pick them 5 days later. They are so incredibly comfortable - I LOVE THEM!

Next - I looked at tank tops. Wow, did they ever have a massive selection. The colours were amazing - so many different choices. I wanted something light and airy for when I am on the treadmill. So I grabbed a Cool Racerback Tank in a beautiful green...and loved it. It was light and super comfy (and perfect for hot yoga, I tried it out on Monday and it was GREAT!)

So, I figured I was just about done - I had tried on a couple little jackets/hoodies and wasn't sold on any of them. I liked them, but didn't love them...My friend Deb, suggested I try on this Sevasna Wrap OMG! I loved it. I thought it looked so cute and trendy with a pair of jeans. I was SOLD! It's comfortable and adorable! I tried it on last night with my Groove Pants and didn't love the look as much - with jeans, I think it looks much better.

So, I walked in with a $75 gift card and walked out with $288 worth of clothes....and a new love for comfy, colourful athletic wear....and guess where I'm going again tonight? My friend and I are heading back to grab a couple more tanks...and who knows...maybe another pair of pants to please my butt-loving husband - I'm sure he won't mind ;)

ENVY!

Envy is best defined as an emotion that occurs when a person lacks another's (perceived) superior quality, achievement, or possession and either desires it or wishes that the other lacked it.

When I was pregnant with HoneyPie, DH surprised me with a Graco Quatro Travel System from Toys R Us. At the time, I LOVED it - I was so excited to bring home my baby in the cozy infant car seat and push the stroller around the neighbourhood. Even once HoneyPie was born, I "thought" it was the perfect travel system for us. And then I began to see other strollers...and developed STROLLER ENVY!
Peg Peregos - - Buggaboos - - Quinnys

Everyone had nicer strollers than I did - everyone pushing a baby looked better than I did...man, I was envious. It was ridiculous though, our stroller was great for us, even Buddaroo got good use out of it. That silly envy!

But now...my envy has moved on from strollers....to....CELL PHONES!

In 2006, DH surprised me with a new phone for Christmas. Samsung A640. I was super excited about it as it was cute and the pay-as-you-go rate was perfect for me. So cheap for how little I used it. But now...with all of these exciting new phones that do just about everything...I am growing tired of my boring little flip phone. I was sitting with my neighbours on Friday night, everyone playing with their phones, so I took mine out to show them just how boring mine was...man, was I teased! Just about everyone has one of these fun new phones.
iPhones - - Blackberrys - - Smart Phones in general



It's about time for me to get something fun. Something I can check e-mail on, something I can access Facebook on, something that has better texting options. I'm the green eyed monster when it comes to cell phones.

My dear sister-in-law has this quote on her facebook page:
So often we look at others, wanting what they have - not realizing that someone is wishing they had what you have.
I am pretty much guaranteeing that someone out there does not wish for my Samsung A640...but I sure as hell want your iPhone!!!!!

Cheers =D

A Night with the Ladies...and One Smokin Hot Cowboy

Last night, my Mom, my Mother-in-Law and my great friend, Kelly boarded the Go Train and headed into Toronto...we had a date with a super hot cowboy...Tim McGraw! Kelly, Mom and I have seen Tim perform once before - when he was here with Faith Hill in June 2007 - we were so excited to see his Southern Voice tour.

When we got there, they weren't letting anyone in to The Molson Amphitheatre so we had a bite to eat at the Voodoo Garden in Ontario Place where we found out why they weren't admitting concert-goers yet...Tim McGraw was hosting a private performace right next to our patio - we could hear him singing and talking to the guests...and then saw him scoot away on a golf car (I was surprised by his attire...jeans and a striped polo shirt...Tim McGraw wears striped polo shirts? I didn't expect that)

We came in during the opening act Love And Theft - I had never heard of them, but they were pretty good. I didn't get any pictures of them, but you can kind of see them on stage behind Kelly and I. At this time, we were just excited to have box seats with our own waitress - and excited to spend such a fun evening together.

Next up, Lady Antebellum - I really like them and was excited to see them perform live. They were fantastic...and so easy to look at - Charles Kelley is pretty hot himself. It was fun to see one of my favourite songs, Need You Now, sung live. At one point, Tim McGraw and his crew came out on stage during their set in their underwear and started exercising on stage - Charles Kelly said " I think we've been punked" - it was pretty funny.

And now for our main squeeze, Tim McGraw. Man, he was fantastic...he put on an amazing show. He sung many of his older hits as well as a lot of new songs from his Southern Voice CD - he sure didn't disappoint his fans. We had such an amazing time - it was so great to get out my my Mama's and best gal - we laughed a ton and really enjoyed our time together. So glad you all could join me =D And the funny line from the night, walking towards the bridge that takes us back to the Ex, a lady says to us "Tonight everyone's husband is Tim McGraw" LOL And I replied "At least I won't have any issues when I scream out his name" Maybe too much to say in front of my Mom and DH's Mom - but man, it was hilarious!

An amazing night with some amazing ladies...and one SMOKIN HOT cowboy!

Nothing Better Than A Week By The Lake

Yesterday we got home from our yearly vacation to Shady Nook Cottages in Sundridge, Ontario. We had THE BEST week...the sun was shining, the lake was warm, the company was great, there was an abundance of smiles & laughter, my family was happy - it was a fantastic week.

We have been going to Shady Nook since 1986. My Dad's boss, Carl owned it at that time...back when Jenn and I were kids, the 6 cottages on the resort were filled with families with children. We always went the same week(s) in the summer, so we were always with the same people every year. Some of the same families are still going - it's so great that I can share this wonderful place with my children, but wish there were more kids for them to play with. But, with them being 1 year older, the kids had a great time playing together on the beach. I still had my eagle-eyes on at all times, but was actually able to sit and relax a bit this year and actually read 2 books this week. (Salem Falls by Jodie Picoult and Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin - both great books, btw)

The kids had such a great time - lots of playing on the beach and in the lake. We were so proud of HoneyPie and Buddaroo, they loved being in the lake, much more confident than last year. HoneyPie's favourite thing we did at the cottage was visiting the Craft Cabin run by the owners daughter - once a week she hosts a craft time for the kids - they both painted really cute canvas bags - they were so proud of their creations.

We can't wait til we go back next year. Now to start the unpacking and massive amount of dirty laundry...so I leave you with a few pictures.