The Birthday...

Ok, I realize that I have promised pictures of our apartment, but it's still not all decorated how I want it.  I might have to break down and post pics anyway.  Also, I recently realized that I was supposed to do a post about our spring break trip to Savannah, and I never did.  That was in March.  Also never posted about the end of school.  So, apparently I'm behind on posting, but it's OK.  Pretty sure my mom is the only one who is keeping up with the things I'm supposed to post.  She has seen the apartment, was with me in Savannah, and heard all about the end of school already.  So, if no one else is dying to hear about those things, I'll move on!

My 30th birthday turned out to be great!  I started the day by sleeping late, and when I woke up Matt told me he had decided to work from home since it was my birthday.  So, although he had to work, we still got to hang out together & we went to lunch at Red Robin.  Yum!  When we got back from lunch, I had a flower delivery from Mom, Dad, and Bubba.  The flowers were beautiful...love them!

Since Matt had several conference calls in the afternoon, I decided to treat myself to a little shopping trip.  My brother said I should go on a shopping spree, but we all know that I'm too cheap to do that.  So, I went shopping but didn't buy too much.  Still, I got to go to 2 of my favorite stores so I was so happy!  First, I went here:




And I bought these:

Ok, ok, I know most people wouldn't buy hangers on their 30th birthday.  But these are wooden hangers, and they look oh so pretty hanging in my closet!  They make the closet look so organized...and we all know I love organization.






Next stop was H & M.  Love that store.  I didn't buy anything, but I did exchange a couple of things!  After that, I headed back home.  Matt said he wanted to take me to dinner.  We went to Half Moon Bay, which is about 30 minutes from where we live.  We had dinner at a cute little place called Ketch Joanne's.  If you come visit me, I'll take you there!  It was delicious!  After dinner, we drove over to a little beach just in time to catch the sunset & have some sparkling grape juice.  It was beautiful, and the beach was perfect.  It was a small beach, and it was just us and a few surfers. 

We sat and watched the sunset, and then it was time for my surprise!  Matt had told me that he had planned a surprise trip for our 5th anniversary, and he decided to go ahead and tell me where we were going.  So, as the sun was setting, he gave me a card & an envelope.  When I opened the envelope, I found out that we're going back to Puerto Vallarta to the Riu Jalisco, which is where we went for our honeymoon!

 I was so excited!  I have always wanted to go back there for our 5th anniversary.  We leave on June 30 (next Wednesday) and come back on the July 5th.  I can't wait! 

30 Years of Living...

Well, today is my 30th birthday.  I'll post more later regarding birthday festivities, but I've had this song in my head today so I thought I'd share.  I think Tim McGraw said it well (or Phil Vassar wrote the song apparently, so I guess he's the one that said it well)...


I think I’ll take a moment, celebrate my age
The ending of an era and the turning of a page
Now it’s time to focus in on where I go from here
Lord have mercy on my next thirty years

Hey my next thirty years I’m gonna have some fun
Try to forget about all the crazy things I’ve done
Maybe now I’ve conquered all my adolescent fears
And I’ll do it better in my next thirty years

My next thirty years I’m gonna settle all the scores
Cry a little less, laugh a little more
Find a world of happiness without the hate and fear
Figure out just what I’m doing here
In my next thirty years

Oh my next thirty years, I’m gonna watch my weight
Eat a few more salads and not stay up so late
Drink a little lemonade and not so many beers (*shouldn't be a problem, since I don't drink beer!)
Maybe I’ll remember my next thirty years

My next thirty years will be the best years of my life
Raise a little family and hang out with my wife
Spend precious moments with the ones that I hold dear
Make up for lost time here, in my next thirty years
In my next thirty year.

I like this song, and I think it's a good look at life, especially on my 30th birthday!

Yesterday was...

our 5th anniversary!  I can't believe that it has been 5 years since we got married.  In some ways, it seems like it was just yesterday that we said "I do", but we have definitely been busy!  Here's a quick recap of some of the things that have happened.  An overview in numbers, if you will.

In the last 5 years we have...
Acquired 1 dog
Bought 1 house
Lost 2 grandparents
Been stranded in 2 ice storms
Completed 3 graduate degrees
Lived in 4 states
Owned 5 cars
Moved 6 times
Had 7 roommates
Lived apart for 7 months
Gained 1 niece and 6 cousins
Been part of 7 weddings
Had 12 jobs
Experienced -30 degree wind chills
and spent countless hours in the car on road trips

Wow!  Like I said, it has been a busy 5 years, but it was a great 5 years!  Matt has blessed my life in more ways than I can count over the past 5 years.  He continues to spoil me and surprise me and make me feel like the most beautiful girl in the world!  I thank God for bringing Matt in to my life, and helping us make it through the challenges that we have faced over the last 5 years.  Although many wonderful things have happened, we have also faced the difficulties of law school, job hunting (in a terrible economy), losing loved ones, living many hours away from our families, and living apart (twice) for several months. 

On our anniversary, I can't help but think about our wedding day and all the wonderful people that helped to make that day absolutely perfect.  From our bridesmaids and groomsmen that helped us to relax and have fun, our moms who worked countless hours to make things beautiful, our family friends that also worked countless hours on our rehearsal dinner, reception, decorations, etc., my aunt Robbie who made all of the flower arrangements, to that special bridesmaid & her husband who packed up all the decorations at the chapel (without being asked) so that my parents wouldn't have to do it (thanks Kelly!) and so many others, we were truly blessed.   Everytime that I think about that day, I feel the need to thank all of those people all over again, but a simple "thank you" does not seem to accurately convey how important each of them is in our lives.  Not only did they make our wedding day special, but they have continued to love and support us throughout our marriage.  So to all of you who have loved us, encouraged us, and supported us, thank you!  God has blessed us in so many ways and I can't wait to see where the next 5 years will take us!