June 14, 2011 - Oh Happy Daze

Baxter learns to swim

Memorial day weekend we went to a good friend’s house to hang out and swim in their pool. They have a little Maltese, Buster, who is basically Baxter’s best friend (aside from Chris – he is always at Chris’ heels). Anyway, we get Buster and Baxter together for a little play-date whenever we can.

Baxter is an instigator and rarely gives Buster a break while we are over there. During one of their ten-thousand laps around the pool Buster seemed to zig right while Baxter, who was doing the chasing, zigged left…straight into the pool. He tried his hardest to come to a halt before he went over the edge, but it was futile and he plunged in head first. I screamed and ran over, almost jumping in to save him (with my camera around my neck).

Then I remembered he’s a dog. and that he can swim. crisis averted.

As it turns out, he’s a pro swimmer.

Sort of looks like an otter when he’s wet though.

My little otterdog.

Chris thought he might like a frolic in the little boat as well.

He endured the boat ride for .3 seconds, then did an otterdog dive back into the water.

Good dog.

June 10, 2011 - Oh Happy Daze

An anniversary party…

So my parents have been married for a measly 30 years and my siblings and I thought that was sort of something worth celebrating.

just kidding…. my parents have been married for THIRTY years.

and that is AWESOME. and that should be CELEBRATED!

So that’s what we did. I thought about having the celebration be a surprise party, but I could definitely see my mom (you remember, the new kidney wielding momma?) calling me the day-of the party to say that she wasn’t feeling her best so they wouldn’t be coming to whatever fake-distraction-event I had presented to them as a ploy. It was actually the best decision to not surprise my parents, because in the end we decided to have it at their house.

I made the banner using scrap fabric I uncovered in my newly organized craft room (more on that later)

Cornhole is a must for added entertainment.

The umbrellas and tablecloths are the same ones from our wedding (which I am still attempting to post about….it’s very overwhelming, I’m not sure where to start).

The favors.

Photos of my parents through the years.

I love this series of photos – the same angle of my dad holding my sister, myself, and my brother as babies, then holding my sister’s two boys the same way.

I think he might actually be wearing the same shirt in several of them.

I love my parent’s wedding photos.

It’s a good feeling to have parents who truly love each other

A memory book.

The dessert table.

It was great to see all of the friends and family who have supported my parents throughout their lives so far.

Like father Like daughter.

As each year passes I find myself becoming more and more like him.

Which I think is awesome.

On a separate note, I just want to take a moment right now to give a shout-out to my hubby. He (and my baby brother too, now that I come to think of it) put in so much work the day of the party and I was just a teeny bit stressed out, which I feel badly about because I’m sure I didn’t make it easy on them. They handled it like pros though.

My mom with Cathy (the awesome Kidney donor) and her husband.

Our family, minus my brother-in-law and two nephews.

The girls.

My sister and I have very different personalities and we aren’t often on the same page when it comes to most things– which I think is fairly common in siblings – but I love that somehow we managed to coordinate wardrobes for the party without even trying!

I never realized how much my brother and I look a like.

On a side note, he is about to ship off for basic training and will join the marine reserves. I’m glad he was able to be here for the party.

I love the twinkle lights.

All of the decor and the location made for a very romantic and relaxed party atmosphere.

It was a great night. My parents are totally worth it.

My only regret…I didn’t get a photo of the happy couple!!! grrr.

May 23, 2011 - Oh Happy Daze

recap of a good day

I had lunch with my dear bf Tiffany and her cutie-pie son.

He allowed me to snap some of these shots in between bites.

just precious

I’m so glad I get to be a part of his life

and I hope he keeps those Michelin-man fingers forever.

After my lunch date Chris and I headed down to our favorite nearby park (shared in this post) for the Chesapeake Jubilee, an annual event in these here parts. We decided to walk the 2 miles to the park because we knew traffic would be ridiculous. Sorry for so many photos – I brought my camera along for the fun…and also for something to do, because you won’t ever ever find me standing in line for one of those rides. gives me the heebie-jeebies.

If you’ve never had a deep-fried oreo (or twinky, snickers, pickle, cheese, or butter – yes, deep fried butter was on one menu) then you’ ve never been properly welcomed to the south!

Amazing local BBQ, Wood Chicks, which beat Bobby Flay on his own show!

Yummy food everywhere you turn.

Caramel apple…one of my most favorite things.

hog calling

After we had endured enough of the festivities (and my hair had expanded to its usual unruly lion’s mane) we headed back to our place to get settled before the fireworks. We were too tired of the crowd to watch the fireworks from the Jubilee, so we hatched this grand plan that involved climbing on our roof from our second story window. We knew we were close enough that we would be able to see them. There was only one small detail of this plan that I didn’t account for….a GIANT tree directly between the fireworks and our rooftop. Dagger!

It was still a fun adventure. and pretty romantic. I loved sitting up above the world.

I also had a really difficult time trying to get good shots of fireworks (which require a long shutter speed) because I don’t have a tripod.

It was fun, but Baxter did not like us being out on the roof. He was very anxious the whole time we were on the roof and was very happy to see us climb back in the window.

May 21, 2011 - Oh Happy Daze

Birthday Schmirthday

So my birthday snuck up on me this year. I guess after 26 of them, they begin to become not so special. For some reason this one made me a little panicky.

Now, I’m sure a billion of you out there (I have a billion followers, right?) are rolling your eyes at me right now, but this is my blog so I can vent if I want to. and it’s my birthday, so I can cry if I want to, as well.

I liked 25. It still felt ‘young’. I think that has to do with the fact that I was still a ‘college’ student. In graduate school there was no husband, no mortgage, no career…but I didn’t feel rushed and things really didn’t feel much different from any of my other 20’s years.

Then 26 came along. I’m not sure why but ‘almost 30, almost 30, almost 30’ was streaming through my head the entire week. What?! How did that happen? I swear I was just 21 last year?! I blame it on the eternity of schooling that I subjected myself to. Maybe it was the fact that a whole plethora of ‘life-changing’ events took place between 25 and 26? I graduated with my masters, started my career as a speech therapist, planned and executed an almost completely DIY wedding (with the aid of awesome family and friends), bought a house, and moved….all within 6 months.

The day of my birthday, I’ll be honest, I was bummed. My perspective on that day was that the only thing I had really accomplished in life at that point was completing 20 years of school. Yowza. But even now, just listing the big events that happened last year, I know I have accomplished way more than just 20 years of school.

Sometimes I feel like God probably laughs at my narrow minded, ‘blinders-on’ way of looking at things with my simple ‘human’ perspective, and He is probably saddened when my worrying begins to consume me and my plans for myself interfere with His plans for me.

How could I ever think that my plans are or could ever be more perfect and awesome than God’s plans for me?

silly.

I thought I had familiarized myself all of the ‘anit-worrying’ verses in the bible (can you tell this is an issue I typically face?), but a little while ago I came across this one in Jeremiah. God said:

“Cursed is the strong one
   who depends on mere humans,
Who thinks he can make it on muscle alone
   and sets God aside as dead weight.
He’s like a tumbleweed on the prairie,
   out of touch with the good earth.
He lives rootless and aimless
   in a land where nothing grows.

But blessed is the man who trusts me, God,
   and the woman who sticks with God.
They’re like trees replanted in Eden,
   putting down roots near the rivers—
Never a worry through the hottest of summers,
   never dropping a leaf,
Serene and calm through droughts,
   bearing fresh fruit every season”.

– Jeremiah 17:5-8 –

Wow. I feel like that was absolutely written for me. How silly are we to think that we can do things, and hope to do even greater things, on our own and without God. All we have is from God. All we are is from God. My worrying is pointless, though I don’t think God ignores my worries. God does care about them, but what my hopes are for my future pale in comparison to what God can provide me with. Instead of trying to make it on ‘muscle alone…’ by setting “…God aside as a dead weight…’, why not trust him?! Simple, no?

Whew…it felt good to get all of that out.

Now, moving on. Let’s review the birthday festivities in photos, because that’s way more fun than a bunch of words.

Chris took me to get sushi the day before my birthday because I was craving it…and also we both had rough days at work so felt that somehow we deserved uncooked sea creatures.

I’m not sure what face I’m making here…I don’t remember tasting anything bad. Maybe this is a ‘please don’t take that picture’ face? not sure.

Then we went to dinner with a few friends. Again, we had sushi. I don’t know if it is unhealthy to have it 2x in a week, but I figure some people in other countries eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day of their life….so it can’t be too detrimental.

Chris tried to get a photo of my friend Kari (1st time sushi adventurer) and myself…and, as you can see below, he will never again be the one asked to take the pictures.

finally, a sort-of acceptable one…except the lighting in the restaurant was very dim and…um, red-ish.

Some sweet girls from a small group that I help lead made me these amazing cupcakes.

My mom hosted a birthday dinner at she and my dad’s house on Saturday. It turned into a birthday/mother’s day celebration combined because Chris and I had a ministry event schedule for mother’s day (sorry mom, that was not my plan at all!). I tried to contribute, but my mom wouldn’t let me do much. She went out of her way to make it very special and it really helped me come out of my funk. I felt very loved, especially considering the fact that my mom recently underwent a life-altering surgery less than a month prior.