29.

Today is my 29th birthday. Crazy ... the last year before a decade change. It has been a good birthday - I went to work (blah), came home (yay!), relaxed for awhile and opened presents (got some cash and a Sephora gift card from my man - finally ordering my Clarisonic!!!), and then went out for sushi dinner. Here is a semi-okay photo of us with our sushi. Mmmmm!

Birthday birthday birthday!

In just shy of a month, on February 9, I will be turning 29. 29! The last year in my 20s. How fun! I have never dreaded birthdays or aging - I say, bring it on. I hope there is never a time in my life that involves me dreading a birthday.

You know what's REALLY fun about birthdays? Making a fun birthday list! This year, I have two main things on my birthday list. First and foremost, I am DYING for a Clarisonic Mia. I switched up my birth control a few months ago, and ever since, my hormones have been out of whack. As in ... my skin has been an absolute nightmare.

I went for a facial last night (pure bliss!) at Aveda, and I was so excited when she used a Clarisonic on my face! I have been obsessing over the Mia for a couple of months now, and it MUST be mine. I have even gone so far as to read every single review on the Sephora website. What ... you don't do that? Hmmm. I am convinced this thing is a miracle worker, and will cure all of my skin ailments.

I probably won't receive this as an actual gift, but I am working on a small collection of Sephora gift cards. I will probably be asking for MORE Sephora gift cards so that I can purchase this bad boy. I really, really, really, really, really want one.

The other gift on my list? A pair of these super awesome Hunter wellies in violet. Aren't they just so fabulous and happy?

My old wellies split up the back (thanks, J. Crew) and I have been wellie-less for quite awhile now. Here's to hoping that they might someday soon be mine!

Happy Birthday, Matt!

Today is a very special day!!! It's Matt's 28th birthday. Matt really isn't a birthday person, and yesterday when I said something about today being "the big day," he admitted that he forgot and didn't know what I was talking about. That being said ... I thought it would be fun for the blogland to wish Matt a happy birthday!!! I made this special birthday picture of him specifically for this special occasion.

He's wearing a birthday crown, in case you're wondering. Also, I would have had to pay money to get a birthday hat. The crown was free. Thanks, Picnik! :)

I sent Matt a Very Special Birthday Box (VSBB) earlier this week, and being the Worst Wife Ever (WWE?), I did not mail it in time to actually get there by today. Sadness. Hopefully, I will regain Best Wife Ever (BWE) status when the box arrives, though. We shall see! In the meantime ... happy birthday, babe! I hope you have a great one. We will do lots of celebrating when you get home!!!

Birthday Present

I wanted to take quick moment to share with you the birthday present my SIL Micah made for me! I took a few photos of it to send to Matt, and I thought I would post it here. I was so touched that she made something like this for me! I am really looking forward to putting it up somewhere in the apartment - still looking for just the right place.

Here's one with flash:

One without - you can see it a bit better here:
Aaaaaaand one with Awful Mad Kitty looking on with interest. Or is it anger? It's so hard to tell.
I am so lucky to have (so many) wonderful sister-in-laws - and they are just down the street!

The Big 2-8

Well friends, today is my 28th birthday! So far, it's been a great day (even though it's only 9:50am) - because I got a snow day! Yes, the storm that is hitting half the country hit here, and pretty pretty snowflakes are falling everywhere. Can you think of a better birthday present than a day home from work? Because I can't! Well, yes I can. The only thing that would top a snow day is being able to celebrate with Matt. Sad face! But what can you do.

I have a whole week of festivities planned ... starting tonight! I am going to my MIL's house to celebrate the big 2-8 with all of Matt's family, which will be lovely. Tomorrow, I'm going out to dinner with my friends Becky and Patty. Thursday, my office is having a little birthday party for me after school. And on FRIDAY ... I leave to spend my weekend in Chicago! I will be spending the weekend with Lisa, Jenn and Jenny and I am unbelievably excited. So, yay!

No matter how old I get, I still love celebrating my birthday. As my mom always says, getting a year older is better than the alternative!

Birthday Wish List!

Sorry I haven't gotten back into the swing of blogging yet. Don't worry, it will happen soon. I am almost positive. In the meantime...let's look at fun pretty shiny things! My 28th birthday is coming up soon, on February 9. Yay birthday! I thought I would post a fun birthday wish list. And yes, part of it is a fantasy wish list. But part of it is real. :)

Okay, this picture didn't work out exactly how I was hoping, but ... I'd really love to have a month of yoga classes at Bloomington Power Yoga. I've been wanting to start yoga classes since LAST January, and I think it's finally time. Plus it's a good way to round out my running, pilates, and Zumba! :)

Sephora gift card! Who can't use one of those? I heart makeup. :)

Okay, can't find a good photo - or item - online, but I really want a covered casserole dish. Large-ish and small-ish. I don't have anything oven-safe with a cover. And I need one!

Yes, these were on my Christmas list. Still love them, still want them.

I AM IN LOVE WITH THESE SHOES. They are soooooo gorgeous. And also sooooo above my price range. Sigh. Tory, can you please make cheaper shoes???? (size 9, by the way!)

When Matt left, he took his camera. Which also happened to be OUR camera. Which means I am camera-less. Which is bad. I really really really want a DSLR...but I don't really know much about them. So I picked this one because it's Nikon and it's expensive, you I mean...it must be good, right?!

But that's not really a realistic birthday wish list item. So since the DSLR is mostly on my fantasy list, I'd love to have this cute little point and shoot. Plus, it's PINK! How fun is that??! I loooooooooove it!

Well, that's about it. I especially want that fun pink camera! Isn't it pretty? FYI ... I received my birthday present from Matt before he left. I am now the proud and happy owner of a beautiful "new" (to me) antique dresser. Our old dresser was in pretty bad shape, and this one is beautiful and perfect! Sad to say I don't have a photo. Because, you know, ... no camera.

Tuesday blues

Wow, I'm tired today. I could have happily curled up in bed for several additional hours this morning! I have really noticed lately that it's starting to get darker and darker in the mornings. What a bummer. It will be winter before we know it, and soon I'll be driving to work every morning in the dark. Boo.

Last night, I made some tasty salmon marinaded in Paula Deen's peach vidalia sauce (yummmmy!) along with some brown rice and lots and lots of brussels sprouts! Up until March, I'm not sure if I had ever really had brussels sprouts before. But then, I read Lisa's post about much she loves them, complete with a yummy and simple recipe, and I thought it was time to give them a chance.

When I brought them home from the store that day, Matt visibly shuddered. He had some bad childhood memories of icky, soggy, tasteless brussels sprouts. I told him that this recipe looked tasty, but if he didn't like them, no big deal - we didn't have to have them again. I made them according to Lisa's recipe and...we both fell in love. They were incredibly tasty. Even Matt (who isn't a huge fan of any veggies or fruit) now loves them and gobbles them up whenever I make them. YUM!

So, there's that. Thanks so much for everyone's stories yesterday...and keep them coming! Becky and I are absolutely loving reading all of them. And for those of you who asked for my broccoli salad recipe...it was store-bought, not homemade. Store-bought and delicious. I'm pretty sure it can be easily duplicated, though...it involves broccoli florets, cranberries, raisins, bacon, and poppyseed salad dressing. Delish.

Last but not least...today is my fabulous friend Lisa's 28th birthday!!! If you don't already follow her over at Like a Valentine, you should. And, even more importantly, check out her other blog, Fantabulously Frugal. She's having a birthday party online from 11-3 CST, so go check it out! And make sure to tell her HAPPY BIRTHDAY! :)

U-G-H

Well, lovely friends...what can I say. I am in a total funk. Remember my little trip to the emergency room last week? I have apparently hopped on a one way flight to Migraineville without a return ticket.

Sunday night? Huge migraine = bed at 9pm. Monday night? Huge migraine = bed at 9pm. Yeah, I'm pretty sure I haven't talked to my husband since last Thursday. Yesterday, I tried to make an appointment with the neurologist that was recommended to me by the ER person - but I was told that their office needed to call the ER to get my ER records, and then they'd have to see when they could fit me in, and then they would call me back. No call back yet, of course, and I managed to offend the receptionist by calling the doctor "he" when the doctor is actually a "she." Her first name is Jamie. Who's to know??!!! It is a gender ambiguous name!

Other than that...today is my fabulous coworker (and only friend in Bloomington) Becky's birthday! Happy birthday, Becky!

And in other news...after several rescheduling issues, I am finally meeting my Little Sister today after work! We were supposed to meet last week on two different days, but had to reschedule a few different times. I am thrilled that the day is finally here! I am actually a little bit nervous...what should I do/say today? Any suggestions?

Also...Mr. Smith and I have picked our 5k! We will be running the Coach Hep Cancer Challenge on May 16th. I'm so excited to have a goal date for our first race! I ran a hard 2 miles outdoors yesterday in the rain...my first outdoor run without Mr. Smith to help with pacing. It took about 4-5 minutes to find my rhythm, but then I settled in and ran hard. I finished my two miles in 19:34...my fastest time yet! And yes, I know this is still pretty slow. But for me, it was fast!

I have made some pretty serious running goals for myself....but I'm going to save that post for another day. Happy Tuesday!

My 27th year

Today is the day - my birthday. I am now 27! Each year, my new age seems SO OLD...and then looking back on past birthdays, I realize how silly that is. I remember when I thought that being 25 was SO OLD...and now it just seems so young.

I don't really have a problem with aging. Each year of my life seems to bring more and more joy...and I can only guess what the future years will bring!

So, on to the good stuff. I am celebrating my birthday at home today, with a cold. Yes, I'm still sick. Boo. Mr. Smith and I had a good time in Michigan with my parents this past weekend - we did manage to make it to the art museum despite the fact that I could barely breathe through my nose. So, that was fun.

Saturday night we had cake (yummmmmmmy!) and I opened presents from my parents yesterday. I received - yay!! - the rest of my everyday dishes from my registry. I cannot get a good photo off the Crate and Barrel website, but the dishes are stoneware in the Atoll Perle pattern. They are gorgeous, and sadly the pattern is discontinued. I have been a little stressed out thinking about getting everything now, because the dishes are expensive!!! So, that was exciting. Mom and Dad also gave me a framed wedding photograph and some tasty food items.

Mr. Smith gave me his present this morning:

Yippee! I have been wanting this on DVD for forever. Guess what Mr. Smith has to watch with me now tonight??? I'm sure he will be thrilled!!!

That's about it. We went out and got bagels for breakfast - delish treat! - and now he is studying for a test he has tomorrow. I am going through my google reader and then have to do some cleaning, which should be enjoyable. Mr. Smith is taking me out to dinner tonight at our new sushi spot, Japanee. I can't wait!

I hope that everyone had a great weekend!

Headed out of town soon...

Happy Friday, everyone!  Am I the only one who is absolutely thrilled that the weekend is quickly approaching?  I think not.

I'm headed into my main office in a few to celebrate my birthday with my coworkers.  Should be fun!  Then, I'm hightailing it back to the apartment, and Mr. Smith and I will head out to my parents' house in Michigan.  It always takes us exactly 6 hours, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that today will be no exception.  Tomorrow, the parents, the husband and I will be checking out the DIA (Detroit Institute of Arts), which has recently been renovated.  I love the DIA - especially those amazing Diego Rivera murals! - and I haven't been in awhile.  Looking forward to it.

Tomorrow night, we'll be going to my dad's concert downtown, which should also be nice.  Oh, and in between our busy day of cultural activities, we'll be celebrating my birthday with the parents for the first time in several years, complete with one of my favorite Dad meals (shrimp etouffe, yum!) and Dad's famous, award winning chocolate cake.  YUM!!!!

On Sunday...we'll head back to Bloomington.  My actual birthday is Monday, the 9th (I'll be 27!) and don't THINK I won't blog about that!

Oh, and in other frustrating news - I didn't lose any weight this past week at my weigh-in last night.  I GAINED 0.8 pounds.  SO FRUSTRATING!  Grrrrr.

Have a splendid weekend, everyone!