My Last Year in my 30's....
Yes. Today is my birthday.
And unlike most people, I'm finding that as I am creeping closer and closer to the big 4-0, I don't really find the need to celebrate any longer.

Sure, dinner and a few phone calls are nice. Birthday greetings on facebook are fun too. But I just don't get as excited about my birthday like I used too.

Is that normal?

I think since getting married I've started to look at things a lot differently...especially age. When my mom was 39, I was in high school. She was 40 when I graduated from high school. And ironically, that is the age that I still see my mom. As 40.

Actually, my mom is 60. The age that I still see my grandfather. He's actually in his early 80's. How is that possible?

So, it's hard to think about the fact that I'm getting older.
I can't stop it. The clock just ticked over to a new year on my body and there is no going back.

Does anyone else feel this way?
Am I the only one?

Why I Love my Friend Amy...
In my last post I shared with you the amazing nesting calendar my friend Heather made for the upcoming birth of her babies.

Because this calendar included brightly colored post it notes and sharpie pens, Amy got very excited and had to include her own notes to the fridge.

At the bottom of the fridge are the possible baby names for the twins (by the way...they're having a boy and a girl). These are in no order what-so-ever. Amy, of course, took it upon herself to add her own choice names to the list....





And because the babies are due so close to Amy's birthday, she had to add this too...



Our conversation went like this:
Amy: OH! I forgot to add my birthday to this calendar
(grabs posts it and sharpie pen)
Amy: there! Done!
Kelley: (grabs camera) You know why I'm taking this photo right?
Amy: Well, duh. I know this will end up on your blog.

Well. There you go.

Thankful & Blessed...
Well. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.
Raise your hand if you're hosting Thanksgiving at your house....

*raises hand*

Tomorrow I'll be hosting Thanksgiving for myself, the Big Guy, his parents, and his auntie. We'll have the traditional stuff on the menu...turkey, stuffing, potatoes, dessert and the drunken cranberries.

I don't have a gas oven so I don't have to worry about burning down the kitchen.

Everyone tends to talk about what they are thankful for during this time of year. Honestly, I'm thankful for everything that I have in my life. Good friends, amazing family, great husband, decent health, grateful for a job, a roof over my head....


and cheesecake in the fridge.

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone.

Nesting: A New Dimension....
This weekend, Amy and I headed up north to see our dear friend Heather. Heather is currently pregnant.

With twins.

Amy and I are over the moon with joy that Heather is having a baby (scratch that...TWO BABIES!). Heather and her husband have been trying for so long to have a baby and to be blessed with two babies is amazing.

Myself, Heather & Amy at my reception.

We're holding up 2 fingers for TWO BABIES!

How cute is that photo?

We headed to Heather's neck of the woods to attend her baby shower. We arrived Friday night and immediately, Amy and I saw this:

Heather's calendar of events that need to be completed before babies arrive. Heather used electrical tape to create a horizontal calendar of the weeks until she is to deliver, and the tasks she wants to have completed before they arrive.

She also created the "countdown fish" to remind them how many weeks they have left until the due date.

I always took nesting to mean cleaning out a closet or putting away piles of stuff.

Apparently, I've got a lot to learn should we ever have a baby on the way!

Apparently I Went on a Cruise....
Last night I got home from work I checked the mailbox and as I walked through the door I nearly tripped over an orange Shutterfly box.

I don't recall ordering anything from Shutterfly.

I then thought, "Oh, it's probably from our wedding photographer!" as part of our wedding package was a free Shutterfly book. Excited at the idea of a book with wedding and reception photos, I tore open the package.

And found this.

Clearly either I went on a cruise and don't recall it happening or the Big Guy has a second wife.

*it should be noted that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Shutterfly and have never had an issue with their books, prints or anything that I've ordered from them. I did call customer service to rectify the situation and they are working on the problem. This was not a book that our photographer created in case you're curious.

*it should also be noted that if you want a good laugh, call Shutterfly customer service number and press 6.
You'll have the options read to you by a pirate.
I'm not kidding.

Happy Birthday to....

My dad...

My Aunt Kathy (my dad's twin sister)....
(in case your curious about the 2nd photo...she's sitting on a sit-n-spin that I got for my 3rd birthday!)...

My cousin Savanna (who is now 18, I can't find any kid photos, sadly)....



Three people in my family have this day as a birthday! Makes it pretty easy to remember, thank goodness

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Fun Links From This Week....
As I surfed the internet at work all day During my lunch breaks this week I decided to see where the internet took me. From links on Facebook, to MSN Bing searches, I thought I'd share with you what I found.

--You can all rejoice because the McRib is back at McDonalds.


--One of my new favorite sites, Pocket Your Dollars, had a great article on how the popular bloggers make money--and the rules they should be following (but often don't.). I sometimes feel that popular bloggers feel they are exempt from the "rules" and in turn worry too much about being popular and making money. Just my two cents.


--One super cool bloggy buddy, Jason, is doing the 3-day walk later this month in San Diego. He's taking down names of those who have had to take cancer head on. Know someone who has been or currently is a cancer fighter? Add their name in Jason's comments!


--This post put a big smile on my face and Hula had a great take on married life. Amen!


--This shouldn't be new news, but if you didn't read the post about the overweight cast from the CBS show Mike and Molly you can read about it here. The shows creator fires back and stated in a future episode, Molly cancels her subscription to Marie Claire.


--The Big Guy talks about winning the lotto, quitting his job and moving to a lake cabin in the middle of nowhere. I'm OK with that as long as I have access to a Target & a nice grocery store. But this couple? How can you not smile when you read what they did with their lotto winnings? As my friend Andre' would say, "B...T...H..." (Bless Their Heart!)


Have a good weekend everyone!

Is This Provided by the Gideons?
Anytime I stay at a hotel, I like to look at all the freebies and help myself to those freebies. Pens, shampoo, lotion...I love it all.

Of course, I always look for the bible in the room, too. Not for the taking, of course. But, since watching the movie Mission Impossible, and they talk about the verse Job 3:14 and "the damn Gideons", I check to see if (a) is there a bible and (b) is it placed by the Gideons.

I can't help it.

I started opening the drawers looking for the bible. There was no bible. But there was this:



I will say that this is the first time that I've found a keyboard in a hotel drawer. Clearly, they're concerned about people helping themselves to the keyboard because of this:


Which makes me wonder. How many people thought that the keyboard was a "freebie" like the shampoo and lotion?

The View From Here....
Last week I was on a work sponsored trip to Chicago. The university I work for has a requirement for PhD students to attend residencies throughout their program. It is a great way for us in academic advising to not only meet the students, but to also interact with the faculty.

We stayed at a hotel near the airport.

The Chicago O'Hare Airport. One of the busiest airports in the world.
How do I know?
Every 30 seconds, I got to see planes fly overhead and head to the airport.

Thank goodness for ear plugs at night for sleeping!