Bullets

Every day I have this fabulous post in mind....and I just can't seem to find the time to do anything with it!

So today....you are getting bullet points.  It's all I've got the brain capacity for.

• Lainey landed herself at the emergency vet on Saturday evening.  The incision from her most recent surgery was very infected and needed treatment ASAP.  The specialist office who is handling her surgeries is over 2 hours away, so we opted for a 45 min drive to the nearest emergency vet instead.  She is doing much better now and will go on Monday to the specialist for a check-up and to hopefully have her sutures removed.

• Due to the above....Lainey is going crazy!  She has been on bed rest since May 1st and the amount of pent up energy she has is driving us all a little nuts.  We try to stimulate her mentally, but it seems to only work for a short period of time.  It is killing her to not be able to take walks or run zoomies around the yard.

• My birthday is Saturday and I will be spending the day with family celebrating my nephew turning 4.  I don't feel like celebrating my birthday this year as I realized yesterday how fast I am approaching the big 4-0!  It's hard for me to imagine that I will be 37 in a few days, because in my mind I was in my mid-late 20's only yesterday.

• The mosquitos are HORRIBLE this year.  The other night I tried to apply some weed killer in the backyard and was eaten alive.  Last night I tried to mow the lawn and had to cover my entire body.  It was almost 80 degrees out and I was wearing long pants and a hooded sweatshirt tied tight around my chin.  It is absolutely ridiculous!

• My step-daughter graduates highschool this year and we are hosting our own graduation party for her at our house (there is some bad blood between her mother and my husband so separate parties were a must).  I'm so worried about the mosquito issue since we plan to have everyone outdoors.  Any advice would be much appreciated.

• I have 3 girlfriends who are (were) pregnant and 2 of them recently had their babies. I'm dying to meet these adorable babes, but unfortunately, they both live about 1 1/2 - 2 hours away from me.  Hopefully, in the next couple weeks I will be able to make a trip down for the day and love on these little ones.

That's all I have time for.....Happy Thursday!

Now that takes the Cake!

Hubby's birthday is today, so last night I baked his favorite cake!

Looks like it is Lainey's favorite cake too!!

Happy Birthday Lainey

July 5th was Lainey's First Birthday! Hard to believe my girl is already one.

It was 100+ degrees outside so we took her to the beach and let her do a little swimming.  While there, she made friends with the park ranger and decided that she wanted to drive the John Deere.

After an afternoon of swimming, we came home to rest.  Lainey kept herself busy chewing on her new deer antler.

And after dinner we had dessert.....COOKIES!!

Happy 1st Birthday Lainey Bug!!!  I can't wait to see how you change and grow in the upcoming year!  Love you....

"36"

Today I turn 36 years old!  I can't believe that I am officially closer to 40 than 30!  Ugh....where has the time gone?

It's supposed to be a gorgeous day here in West Michigan (and a gorgeous weekend too)! 

It's been years since my birthday has fallen on a weekend and I think it changes everything.  I normally don't celebrate on my birthday because after a long day at work, I usually just want to go home and cuddle with the dogs and my hubby!  But today is different.....I want to celebrate ME!  I want to grab some girlfriends and have a cold drink.  I want to eat a fancy dinner and not stress over how much it costs.  I want to relax in the sunshine and let the rays rest gently on my face.

It's my birthday yo!  And I'm going to celebrate!

Happy Birthday Zander!

Today is my nephew's 13th birthday.  HE IS A TEENAGER!!!

I can't even put into words how this makes me feel.  I remember the day he was born like it was yesterday.  And although Zander might not remember, I hope he knows that he changed a lot of lives on that day.  Many people, including myself, opened their hearts and found more love than they knew they ever had, and it was all for him.

To watch him grow from a small baby to an intelligent young man has been exhilarating. 

Zander, thank you for being such an amazing person.  But, most of all, thank you for making me an AUNT thirteen years ago today!

I love you!

Have a great time on your birthday, eat some cake and SMILE for the camera!

35

Today is my birthday...35 years old! 

I'm having a god-awful rotten day so far.  My job is just horrible today...pure chaos!  And this girl doesn't do well with chaos!  My OCD doesn't allow chaos in my life.  So today, at this moment, I feel like my head is going to explode.

On a more positive note....The owner of the company is treating me to lunch and my husband and family are taking me out tonight for a Mexican dinner.  I can only assume that the day is going to get better.

And on a more personal note...I feel just awful enjoying my birthday knowing that in 3 days it will be my brothers birthday and he isn't here to enjoy it.  I'm still trying to deal with his death and the past couple weeks have been just awful for me.  I miss him so much!

So here's to a BIG Happy Birthday to me!!

Bullets

I've been neglecting to blog lately because I feel like there is either nothing worthwhile to talk about or so much to talk about that I can't begin to put it into words.  So today I've decided to update life using bullet points.

• This upcoming Saturday I'm having Thanksgiving with my in-laws
• Thanksgiving day will be spent with my sister and her family this year as the rest of our family has other priorities
• That same sister turns the big "4-0" on Black Friday..Happy Early Birthday Rachel!
• My hometown highschool football team is playing in the semi-finals this upcoming weekend and if they win they will be competing in the state finals at Ford Field in Detroit the weekend of Thanksgiving.  I am planning on going so I'm praying they win this Saturday
• This past weekend I attended a baby shower of one of my best friends.  I have mixed feelings about the day.  I've come to realize that my "best" friends are failing me...I don't know if we are growing apart, if we lack things in common or I've been naive in who I thought they were.  Either way, it hurts to know life is not the same as it used to be.
• I've gained 13 lbs since my wedding in July and I'm having a terrible time getting motivated to lose it.  I hate the way I look, how my clothes fit, etc, but I can't seem to want to do anything about it.  And worse, the holidays are fast approaching which means lots of BIG meals and baked goods.
• My step-son will be living with us full-time starting in December.  If you remember, he was supposed to move in with us before the new school year started, but my husbands ex-wife changed her mind at the last minute.  As of yesterday she has once again changed her mind...
• I am so burned out on life...especially work.  I have never been so looking forward to some time off.  I will have a long weekend next week for Thanksgiving and hopefully 7-8 days off for Christmas. 
• The time change sucks.  I hate that it is dark out before I even get home from work.
• I'm so ready to decorate for Christmas.  I think we are going to begin bringing out the Christmas decor this weekend.
• As I've stated before...I LOVE Christmas music!  A local radio station began playing it on Monday so I even listen while at work.

There you have it...my life in bullets! 

Happy Birthday Will

Happy "8th" Birthday to my nephew Will.  I love you!!