Birthday Weekend

For pretty much the entire month of August I was dreading my birthday.  40.  Ugh.  That's just so old!!  In general, I like my birthday.  I like cake.  I like presents.  I like going out to dinner.  But this year I was just not looking forward to any of it.  At.  All.  But then I had the best weekend ever!

Tom showed up around 11am on Friday with a cake from Cakes on Board.  They did our wedding cake and, seriously, they make the best cakes!  I ate cake all weekend and my mouth still waters thinking about that cake!  I was so happy and surprised that I didn't even (hardly) notice that the cake has my age right there on it for everyone to see.

But then I got the best surprise ever!  My bff, Lori, surprised me by flying in for the weekend!  My mom picked her up at the airport on Friday and brought her to my house just in time to go out to lunch.  I like to think that I'm pretty tough to surprise.  Mostly because I'm sneaky and nosy.  Yes, I'm the one who goes searching for presents in closets.  Always have, and probably always will.  But this time I think that nearly everyone around me was in on it and no one told!  Not a single solitary person!

On Friday, my mom took me and Lori to lunch at Ted's Montana Grill (love their chopped salad).   My mom also gave me a quilt that has been in our family since 1890 that I've always loved.  Wowza!  Friday night was book club, which is always fun.  I tried out a new fall sangria recipe (fabulous) and we had a great time talking about everything but books (as usual).

Tom had to work on Saturday (drill weekend), so Lori and I had the day to ourselves.  I received some gorgeous flowers in the morning, then Lori and I spent the afternoon shopping and lunching.  (Two of our favorite things to do!) 

Isn't my husband awesome?  We went to dinner at Blue Ginger Saturday night.  We sat outside and ate sushi.  Yum.

On Sunday, I dropped Lori off at the airport after lunch and a little more shopping.  It's always so sad when I have to say goodbye to her, but we'll be seeing the entire Potter family in 10 days when we go on vacation, so it wasn't so bad this time.   My parents took us to dinner Sunday night at Columbus Fish Market.  It was awesome!

By now, I think I've recovered from my weekend of eating too much sugar and drinking too much wine!  I had a full 3 days of celebration.  Reminds me of the time that I went to Disney w/ the above-mentioned BFF and her family a few years ago.  We happned to go during Emma's birthday week.  She spent the entire week pointing at her birthday button whenever she met a character and having cake at every meal.  Spending time w/ my best friends and family is my version of Disney.  It was a truly magical birthday.  :)

Cutest. Baby. Ever

I am tired. Exhausted with a capital E. Spent. There is nothing left. My feet are killing me and I'm a shell of my former self. Yes, I work retail. There is nothing like dealing with the throngs of last minute shoppers to suck the Christmas spirit right out of you. This week started off well enough. Santa waved at me yesterday on my way to work. Well, it was the Santa advertising for Eastpointe Apartments on Broad St., but still....Santa waved at me. Then, I got a free Salted Carmel Hot Chocolate at Starbucks! Things were definitely looking up. I even tuned my radio to Christmas music. Then I got to work. That's where things turned ugly. A woman called me a "stupid fat bitch" because we didn't have the Nerf Vulcan that she wanted for her kid. Seriously? It's 3 days before Christmas and you have the audacity to ask me, "What am I going to tell my son on Christmas Day?" SERIOUSLY??? Now, I'll give her fat. And I admit, I can be a bit of a bitch at times (even though I was being so nice to her). But I am NOT stupid!! Unbelievable. But when I checked my BFF's blog today, she had posted pics of her new baby, Jacob. Isn't he the sweetest?? So cute it just about killed me! If that doesn't get you in the Christmas spirit, I don't know what will!

What I Learned on Vacation

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  I just got back from visiting my BFF, Lori, in North Carolina. She and her hubby just had their 4th child, so I went to help her for a few days. I don't know how much "help" I was, but at least I was a diversion for the girls - Emma, Lily (shown here) and Julia. Lori is Superwoman! I always knew she was a good homemaker, but whenever I spend time with her I have more respect for her! She is absolutely amazing -- and makes it all look so easy! Here are some takeaways from my vacation:
  

1. Don't show kids pictures on your cell phone. They will want to look at them again. And again. And again.... You get the idea.

2. Newborns are very high maintenance.

3. If a 4 year old doesn't like your lipstick, she will let you know.

4. Newborns are a lot of work.

5. Kids are CRANKY when they get home from school. Really cranky! Seriously. It's kindergarten....how bad could it be??

6. It is NOT easy to get 3 children ready for bed at the same time! Baths, PJs, book reading, tooth brushing.... I'm pretty sure I skipped a step at least one of the nights!

7. You quickly realize how inappropriate your music selection is when take a 4 year old to preschool and decide not to turn on Radio Disney. I am keeping my fingers crossed that Lily doesn't decide to break out singing "In the Ayer" ("Oh hot damn...this is my jam.....")!

8. Have I mentioned that newborns are a lot of work? My interactions with baby Jacob were minimal, but he requires constant vigilance!

9. Getting woken up before 7am every day by 2 kids is not all that much fun....even if they're as adorable as Lily and Emma. It's especially great on those days when they announce, "Auntie, your hair is a hot mess".

10. I am very lucky to have such great friends in my life! Thank you, Lori & Paul, for welcoming me into your home!