Surprise Party!

My sweet roommate, friends, and family threw an amazing surprise birthday for my big 3-0!! I cannot tell you how special it was...I think my face was sore from smiling so much! What a great way to start this new decade! I felt so loved... Wow! That number is a big one!

I was SO SURPRISED!!!

Lots of yummy food:

And drinks....

My sweet sister and nephew who surprised me earlier in the day thanks to my dear friend, Rena Carolyn making sure they were there...another post on that later...

Dear friends...

my precious family who means the world to me (we missed you Nathan)!

Wonderful Co-workers...all Child Life Specialists

Poor Maggie cut her finger just before the party, and had to make a quick trip to the ER for some glue... Loving my sweet little buddy... What's a B-day without a birthday hat? :) Sweet hostesses...what an amazing night...Thanks to everyone who helped make it so special! *a special thanks to Kate who took all of these pictures...what a gift to be able to remember the fun!

Coming soon...another b-day post about the beginning of my birthday!

What Happens When.....

...you forget that you volunteered to make something for a bake sale at work until 10 o'clock the night before....

Your kitchen might look a little like this at 1:16 in the morning...

But that's OK, because you end up with a few treats that look like this:

Yumminess!! :)

Happy 1st Birthday!

To this little fella: Who turned ONE on Saturday:

His mommy did a great job decorating for the special day:

The happy birthday family:

The birthday boy:

"Auntie RuRu" getting the birthday boy ready to walk! :)

Auntie RuRu and AuntieKat:

So happy opening up his gifts!

Birthday cake:

So sleepy after a big day! Trying our his new number ONE! I am so thankful for this precious little nephew and all the joy he brings to my life!

Keri's Wedding

Went to a fabulous wedding reception this weekend! The wedding ceremony was just a private, family affair, but the reception was one big PARTY! I am sorry I don't have more pictures, but I was busy chatting it up with friends and dancing the night away! :)
This picture is a little blurry, but just wanted to show you the cute bride with her pillbox hat and veil! So adorably retro! Catching up with my sweet friend, Dorothy:

Hilton Head Island 2011

Happy summer everyone! I just returned from a fabulous week with most of my family (two of my brothers couldn't make it--we missed them!) at Hilton Head Island, SC. We had a wonderful time together relaxing, eating, and making memories! Here are some pictures from the week in random order:

That little speck out in the ocean is the sailboat we rented. I had a blast learning to be captain!
Coming in close for a picture:

One of the highlights of the week is all of the yummy food and good conversation around the table:

My little buddy had such a fun time crawling around the beach and splashing in the water:

More yummy food:

Morning-time with Grandmommy:

All dressed up:

Sitting by the pool in the afternoon after a big lunch:

Happy to be at the beach:

I did a lot of this while I was on vacation! I read 3 books that were all 400-500 pages!

The infamous family photo shoot on the beach! Getting a group to all have their eyes open and smile is difficult enough, but when you add a baby and a gale force wind, it makes it even more challenging! :)

Can't wait to go back next year!

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July! My sister, roommate, and I loaded up a picnic basket full of goodies and headed to the park with thousands of others for a night of music and fireworks. Here we are with some of our friends:

It was a great night!

Mary Elizabeth and I:

Sisters with friends from New Jersey:

We had some yummy food, and while I didn't get pictures of it at the event, here's some of what we had.

Feta Black Bean Dip:

2 cans black beans

1 can shoepeg corn

green onions

bell pepper

feta cheese

Whisk together:

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup vinegar (I only had red wine and rice...I think apple cider would do fine)

1/4 cup sugar

Mix ingredients and add dressing

Artichoke bites:

Pizza crust (store-bought or homemade)

*I was in a hurry, so I just found an easy no-yeast recipe online:

2 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

2/3 cup water

1/4 cup oil

Mix flour, salt, baking powder, and water. Knead about 2 min. until smooth and workable. Spread into pan. Coat with oil.

1 can artichokes (chopped finely)

1 cup cheddar cheese

3/4 cup mayonaise*

1/2 pkg Italian salad dressing mix*

*I substituted just some Italian dressing in the bottle for the mayo and powdered mix

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Mix ingredients and spread onto uncooked pizza crust. Bake at 400 for 15-20 mins. until bubbly.