Happy Birthday Lover Boy!

Happy 33 Danny Boy!

Erg...I mean 27...again.

We love you!!

Hope you loved your hugemongous carrot cake, dinner at the Mandarin and your new grill!

30!

Ok, so it's come and gone... I'm officially 30!

And I'll have to say, It's not quite as bad as I thought. Then again, I've been a little preoccupied with a few other things lately.

30 is different than I exptected. It's not at all what my expectations were. I'm definately not where I thought I'd be at 30. But, maybe that's a good thing! I'm a very different person than I was five years ago and I'm very content with where my life is right now. I've settled a lot these past few years.

30 seems a right age to be getting married. It's funny, Dan met me when I was 18 years old. He's known (and loved!) me in my teens, twenties and now in my thirties I know I will be spending eternity with him. It just seems fitting. This past weekend his great aunt said to me that we looked like we were made for eachother. I happen to agree! He is my soul mate. My best friend. He's patiently waited almost 12 years for me.

So, happy birthday me!

This year I have a lot to celebrate!!

The big number 4!

After much anticipation, today is finally the day... my baby turns 4! If she could read this she would say, "Mommy, I'm not a baby! I'm a big girl!" That she is! Someday when she's a mom she'll understand my reluctance to let her grown up. She is 4 going on 16 already. (big sigh)
These four precious years have just flown! Celia is such a joy to me and all others she comes in contact with. She is spunky and smart and always the center of attention and life of the room. She has a tender heart and an innate sense of spirituality. I love that she has such a strong testimony already. She 'practices' sharing it with me and I can't help but feel the love she has for our Savior and the knowledge that he loves her too. I love that she knows she's special. I love that she makes friends so easily. I am so grateful for her. I am still so amazed that I am allowed to be her mother.
Happy Birthday Celia! I love you so much! I hope this year is special for you! I can't wait to share new adventures with you and watch you grown and learn!

Busy, Busy Weekend!

This past weekend we literally took everything at full speed. But, we had a lot of good things happen. First, Dan began to his move to Utah!! So, if you heard a very loud shout Friday night, that was me celebrating! He brought a car full of things and started getting his condo set up. He's renting a condo near where I live. So, we're officially in the same ward! And we could walk to his house! Yep, I'm thrilled!

Saturday Celia had her dance recital. She's been practicing her little dance for months and just love her class. Her dance was the 'Tikki, Tikki Room' from Disneyland. They're costumes we so bright and girly, girl and the dance was adorable! Now, I know she's my daughter and I'm slightly partial, but she did such a great job! In fact the other girls were following her lead since she was right on the music. What's more, she just loves being on stage. She's not at all intimidated and just eats up the attention. I was fortunate enough to be a parent volunteer so I could stay back stage with her class and help them get on and off the stage for the performance. That was fun! She had the cutest girls in her class. It was so funny though, I ended up mothering several of them since they were nervous. I felt like a bad mom, because here I am holding another little girl that was crying and my little one in first of the line just itching to get on stage. That girl has nothing but confidence! It was a long day for her though. She crashed in the car ride home just clutching her little trophy. So, I did what any good mom would do- I took a picture! I couldn't resist! (I'll post the pictures soon...)

After the recital, Dan and I rushed to make plans for a little date night. We called our neighbor Tannah to baby-sit and she so graciously said yes. I just love that girl! Dan and I had a fun dinner at Rickenbackers. If you haven't been there, it's in the Ogden Hinckley Airport. I'd been wanting to try it and had a gift certificate. Talk about a good, cheap date! And I just love my alone time with Dan. Just being together and talking is my absolute favorite thing. And we even got to watch a few planes doing touch and go's.

Sunday was another busy day. I woke up supper early to finish the desert for Celia's birthday celebration. I made these yummy little icecream cupcakes. Then I had to sub for my mom in Primary. So fun! After church Dan and I cooked Mexican food for a few of my family members then rushed to get Celia's party ready. Now, here's where I really feel like a bad mom. I just did cake and icecream this year. You have to understand that in the past I've done a full meal, decorated to the nines, made invitations and invited a ton of people. Being that I'm on a very tight budget this year, I really cut back. I emailed and called invitations to my family and cut back to only doing cake and icecream, immediate family and a piñata and Celia only got one big present from me. Call me neurotic, but I felt guilty. In fact I still fell guilty. Celia had a blast though. She was just so excited that everyone came for her special day. The kids demolished the piñata. Well, mostly Celia took a baseball bat and went all crazy on the poor little piñata pieces. Pent up aggression maybe?? I video taped it. She'll be completely embarrassed by it one day. That and it just made me laugh. Then she kicked back with about 5 pixie sticks one right after another. No wonder she had so much energy that night! Dan and I bought her a little play tent and tunnel. She really loved it. Josh has the same tent and tunnel, so they hooked them together and made a little kid habitrail. It was so hilarious just to watch them all!

After the party, I asked Celia if she liked her presents. She ever so sweetly replied, "Yes. But I wanted a pony." I kindly explained that Joshy gave her a pony. "No" she replied, "A real pony!" Oh great! I didn't know we were to the "I want a pony" stage yet. She even explained that she'd "been thinking about it" and that we could make a cage and keep the pony at Grandma's house. Um, I don't think that's going to work. Fortunately, she opened the pony from Joshy and that cured the "I want a pony" nonsense. Thank you Josh!

So, all in all. A busy weekend! And those were just the big highlights. Dan drove back to California early Monday for another load of stuff. His aunt has given us a ton of furniture. Two couch sets, end tables, a dinning room table and chairs, entertainment center and probably a few other things I don't know about yet. Wow! I'm so grateful! We now have so much nice furniture. Now, we just need a house to put it all in. Dan will be here late Wednesday with his big moving van and we'll put most of it in storage until we get a house. You know, it just about seems real now. Pretty soon this back and forth long distance relationship will be over. We will actually live close enough to walk to Dan's house! I'm so excited! And just as soon as he gets here and gets settled in a job, we'll start our next big adventure- house hunting and planning a wedding!

I am the birthday girl

So, the dreaded 29 has come and gone. And it was actually great! I got to work and my little office was all decked out with balloons and signs. Then we had an all day junk food fest. (per my request) We had caramel corn, pizza, salsa and chips, little smokies, cheese and crackers, veggies and dips and pumpkin squares. Yumm-o! I think I consumed about 3 gazillion calories! Everyone was so nice. I think I got sung to about 10 times. And my dad sent me flowers! That never happens. And they're gorgeous. Lots of green! My favorite!
When I got home, my family and I had plans to attend the Monet to Picasso exhibit at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts. What none of us realized was that it's closing weekend and it's completely sold out. Oh well! So we went to Trolley Square and had dinner instead. I think my mom was a little disappointed that we couldn't do the exhibit. But, we had so much fun! Including the car breaking down. It really was a great night though! I really just wanted a night with my family. And that's what I got. I couldn't have been better!

Warning....Extreme Pity Party!

I really hate being sick! Coughing, blowing my nose, and aching all over. And it's not like I could stay home today. Princess Amy has taken the week of. And she was so kind to leave me stacks and stacks of jobs three weeks overdue on payment. I'm working my tail off just to get caught up so people don't keep screaming. Oh, and did I mention that she's never trained me? What little I know I've had to either figure out for myself of find someone else to train me. So, I've fumbled my way through all week, just getting sicker and sicker. And it's only Thursday. I'm tired and should really just be home in bed coughing up a lung... Ok, that's it for my pity party. Tomorrow's my birthday. The big 2-9. Which is pretty much 30 and that's pretty much old. Happy Birthday me.