Drinking from the hose...

...two of AR's favorite things: being outside and water. Some evenings, after dinner and before bath, Daddy and AR will go outside to water the flowers.

 



This is usually the scene, Daddy waters while AR sticks her hand in the water stream

Then Daddy took a drink from the hose so AR tried it out...

She got it!

And she was very proud of herself!

I'm Thirty...

...today is my 30th birthday. I am no longer in my 20s. I now have to check the second age group for 30-39. I can no longer call most of my staff "my age" because our age doesn't share the same front number. I think back over the past 10 years and am shocked at all the changes! I've gone from celebrating by a long night of partying to a quiet nice dinner. A run-down of birthday celebration pasts...

2003-I was 20 years old living in my first apartment on my own still in college and working part-time at an awesome hotel. Seriously, best college job ever! I can't remember what I actually did on my birthday but my awesome roommates (the first 2 months of 20, I was still in the dorms) helped me celebrate. Good God, what was I thinking with the tan and hair???

2004-I finally turned 21!!! Although I think I drank more before I turned 21 than after. My niece was born the month before. I moved to SC and said goodbye to college life and amazing friends. Seriously, college was the best years. Got hired into my first full-time job!

2006-I moved back from SC in November 2005. After a very low-key birthday the year before (SC vs Clemson baseball game), I was ready to party with friends of old. I bought my house this year and started dating my now husband. Also, got a new job at work that I held until 2012 when I got promoted; through this new job I met Matt. In 2005, I got 2 promotions at my old job and was loving my job but my grandpa was really sick and I was missing my niece so I moved back to MO and we lost him in 2006.

2007-Huge blowout celebration with my friends but not quite like the years before. We did a brewery tour at Schafly followed by dinner and then a night at the City Museum. This was my first birthday with Mattie and this is the very first picture of us together. We also got engaged this year!

 

 2009-Friday the 13th! Had a great night out with tons of friends. It was an awesome night except some lady stole my coat. For the life of me, I can't remember what I did in 2008 for my birthday but it was the year we got married so maybe we didn't party too hard.

2011-This was a pretty low key birthday. I think this was the transition over to "I'm too old to go out and drink all night to celebrate." We went to the Blue Owl to celebrate with my family. Mattie and I went on my birthday bike ride because that's all I really wanted to do to celebrate. In 2010, it was the night of the actual Fair Dinner Auction so that's how we celebrated. 2010 was the first time we did IVF and it didn't work but 2011 was the year I got pregnant with AR!

Over the past 10 years, I've gained a niece, husband, in-laws, stepdad, stepmom, daughter, furbabies and multiple friends. I've also lost a grandma, grandpa, stepmom, and multiple friends. I've gained weight and lost it and gained it and lost it and gained it...

I've seen email being introduced to the world and take over the world as the major form of communication. When I was in college, I had a cell phone to use when I traveled back and forth from school to home now I don't leave my house without one; in fact, I now carry 2 (one personal and one work). I watched the Real World as the first reality tv show to every channel having their own reality show.

I've graduated college...twice. I got married, had 2 rounds of IVF and delivered a healthy, beautiful baby girl. I bought a brand new car, a house, a furnace, and transmission. I've visited Mexico, Jamaica and Africa. I've had 2 full-time jobs with 4 promotions (2 at each). I've run 3 half-marathons,a full marathon and countless 5ks and 10ks.

As I sit down and think about how much has changed in my life and in the world while I was in my 20s, it just stuns me. Thinking back to when I was 20 and picturing my life at 30, is it what I expected? Well, yes and no. I had hoped by 30 I would be married and have 2 kids with a job that I enjoy and a house I love. I never dreamed I would have gone through fertility treatments or that life would be as hard as it is but this is my life and I'm happy with it.

Today I turn 30 and instead of being upset about leaving my 20s, I am looking forward to what the next 10 years has in store for me, my daughter, my family and the world. It's a crazy roller coaster this thing we call life and this will be my mantra for my 30s:

 

I'm now officially a part of the Dirty Thirty Club!!!

Our Hearts...

...Tuesday night I went to dinner with fellow blogger, Amy at the Fountain on Locust. One-I heart that place and two, the company was great! I'll be seeing her again at our STL Blogger Dinner on August 13 so any STL bloggers interested in joining us, leave me a note and I'll email you. While we were enjoying dinner, somehow I thought of this story and as I was telling Amy, I thought hmm...this might be a good Friday post. So here goes it, my story titled "Our Hearts."

I remember when I was in middle school, we were on vacation in Texas playing in a river. My mom found this heart shaped rock and showed it to David, her husband. They brought the rock home and it's been in their flower bed ever since.

Fast forward to summer 2008...Matt is in the backyard tearing down the pool (so sad but totally worth it in the long run...remind me of that on really hot days though!). I walked out and said, "Matt! Look this looks like a heart!" I gave him strict instructions to keep it and we'd put it in our garden. A couple months go by and I'd totally forgotten about it. Fast forward to our honeymoon and my sweet hubbie had brought me a gift for every day! One day was peanut butter M&Ms (mmm!!!), one day was my honeymoon ring and one day was this:
Yep, Mattie had taken the heart shaped rock we'd found in the backyard and painted it. It sits on our nightstand/dresser in the bedroom. One day we'll move it to our yard...

Sometime after we got married, my mom was in town and Matt and I were showing her around town. We went to Matt's nursery, for trees not babies, where he works at. Matt was explaining something to my mom and I was digging around in the rocks (sometimes I act JUST like a child!). Suddenly I found a rock and exclaimed, "Look Mattie! It's a heart shaped worry rock!" It's nice and flat and, best of all heart shaped!
This past weekend, I stopped by the nursery on my way home from work to pick up some potatoes for dinner. Now anyone that knows me, KNOWS that I'm not just going to pick up a couple "regular" potatoes, right? Nope! I brought home this baby:
I didn't say anything when I got home with it but then the next day we were discussing the potatoes (I actually cooked a different one a little too long in the microwave making it hard as a rock).

I said to Matt, "Did you see that one that was kind of weird looking?"
Matt: "Yeah, it kind of looked like a heart!"
Me: "OMG! I thought so too, that's why I picked it!"

What can I say great minds, or shall we say hearts in this case, think alike! Have a fabulous weekend everyone!

St. Louis Zoo Crossing Bridge...

...Saturday morning I headed to the St. Louis Zoo. Nine years and 4 days ago, a son, brother and child was killed by a drunk driver on a field trip with his class. I am so lucky to have this boy's mother be a part of my life. Angie was with her son, Luke, and his classmates when a drunk driver sped down the street outside the St. Louis Zoo and onto the sidewalk where he took Luke's life. His classmates, his mother, the other parents, and everyone in Angie and Luke's life had their world turned upside down on that May afternoon in 2001.

Almost nine years later, the zoo along with federal grant money and funds from Wachovia have decided to make the zoo a safer place so that no parent would have to take their child to the zoo in fear for their safety. This past Saturday, a wonderful plaque dedication ceremony was put on and I think Luke helped us out with the gorgeous weather that made a surprise appearance after a week of rain, rain, rain.
The weather has put the bridge process a little behind so it's not quite done but its pretty close. Luke's family were the first people to walk across the bridge and his classmates from the field trip were right behind them still showing their love and support. I think this picture pretty much sums up everything. A mother who has endured so much but has never given up the fight. Angie is a member of M.A.D.D. and helped to get the bridge at the zoo. So the next time you see this plaque after you safely cross the bridge and are about to enjoy a fun-filled day at the zoo, take a minute to say a prayer for Luke and Angie and the rest of his family and friends because not a day goes by that he isn't thought about and missed.
Angie, thank you for letting me be a part of this dedication and thank you for all your support and encouragement in my running endeavors. You truly are an inspiration for so many reasons and to so many people.

It's My Birthday!!!

...yes, it's my birthday so don't worry the countdown is officially over! I am the big 27...3 years away from 30. So far my birthday hasn't been TOO bad, actually pretty good with just a couple minor hiccups. Yesterday I was off work all day which was very nice because I woke up with a nasty, horrible sinus-cold-ugh!!! I had a run in with the nurse at my doctor's office which if I ever get to talk to my doctor, I WILL be mentioning but that's a story for another day.

Mattie took me to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory where they forgot to seat us then gave us the most awful, crabby waitress ever! But service aside, the food was oh so good as usual. We split a piece of cake and we are both sharing it again for breakfast this morning. We were supposed to go see a movie but after dinner, I could barely hold my head up so we went home. Like I said in my post on Thursday, Matt tries...really hard but it just doesn't pan out. We had a "plumber" come do the plumbing in our hall bathroom (haven't had a tub since June) so Matt decided he'd run me a bath even though there's no walls or anything else done. So I step in the tub and Matt yells at me from the basement, "Get out! Get out!" Apparently, the "plumber" didn't do that great of a job and it was leaking. So I just put on my pjs and I was in bed by about 7:30...like I said, he tries...really hard. It's the thought that counts though, right?

Before I sign off to start my busy actual birthday (set up for dinner auction this AM then typing the program this PM then actual dinner/auction tonight!), here is our first picture together from my 23rd birthday celebration.
I'm not thrilled in this pic because I don't believe in taking pictures with boyfriends, every time I had before, we broke up and I really didn't want to break up with Matt! Excuse my crazy outfit/hair/earrings...I thought it was cute at the time, now...not so much. But here we are now, 4 years later, still celebrating. Thanks Mattie for celebrating with me!!!

Bye, Bye...

...as I type this, Matt is showing his truck to it's new owner!!! Yes, we FINALLY sold the truck! Just in time because the license plate was due next month. Matt didn't want to sell it but I finally told him that every time we took it to the shop and spent $1,000 then that was $1,000 off a down payment for a new truck. AH! I hear the truck starting up...

...okay, I'm back now. Matt and I sat in the front window watching the new owner get all situated in the truck, checking out the inside and lights and everything then we watched it drive down the street and then it was gone...I know Matt was sad, I got a little teary-eyed too. So many trips in that truck, so many conversations, so many times I'd look back and smile watching the doggies enjoying the ride in the back. We got in the truck after we got engaged, we rode together to our wedding in that truck, we freaked out that we lost our marriage certificate less than 24 hours after we got married in that truck. I remember when we first started dating, we went on a camping trip and I took a picture of the truck all nice and shiny and gorgeous and now its gone. For as many times that I bad mouthed that truck, I should be happy its gone but I do feel a little sad, like one of our family members is gone. Have a good life truck, enjoy your new family!

For the next month, we're going to try to tough it out with one car. We figure that'll give us time to get a small loan paid off, save us some insurance money and a month's worth of car payment. February isn't a crazy, busy time for either of us at work so working the same hours shouldn't be bad. Then in March, we'll get a new truck...that should be a fun time time making that decision! At least I have a month to prepare and work on patience. Thanks for all the positive thoughts and prayers when the truck was in the accident and for getting it sold. It's a good thing I know, its just bittersweet...