Sissy's 30th Birthday Gift

This past Saturday, my sister had the misfortune of turning 30.  Not only was this a terrifying event for her, but it was a stark reminder that I will be following in her footsteps in approximately 13 months.  Excuse me while I go get Botox now.

While we spent the better part of Saturday mourning the loss of Brynn's 20s, we kicked off the evening by drinking some vino and opening presents.  Before I get into the details of the evening (that will be a separate post), I figured I would give you some details on the fun gift idea I did to celebrate her 30th.

I struggled with figuring out what the "right" gift was since it is kind of a big-deal birthday, and I am a big believer in celebrating birthdays (I mean, what other day of the year is it all about you??).  I found an awesome gift idea from this blog and tried to tweak it to make it perfect for my sister.

I included a card with my gift that read something to the effect of "Now that you're 30...and a mom, you may be wondering where all the years went!  Here is a little emergency kit for when you need to feel young!"

Along with the card was a gift basket filled with individual gifts to make sis feel like a kid (sort of).

I got a black wicker basket she can re-use along with wrapping and gift tags at Hobby Lobby.

Play at Bath time!  In this box I included a bunch of Bath Bombs from Lush, and a loofah & rubber duckie from Bath & Body Works.

Play Dress Up!  I got her a beautiful necklace from Banana Republic (that I really wanted for myself!).

Have a Slumber Party!  This box had a super cute PJ set from Vicky's Secret :-)

Give Yourself a Makeover! I included a bottle of OPI nail polish, a new lip gloss from Bobbi Brown, and a new cream eye shadow stick also from Bobbi Brown.

When all else fails, have a glass of wine!  Duh - I included a bottle of Conundrum, one of sissy's faves.

I have to admit, it was sort of fun trying to think of things to include and in the end I think it turned out perfect.  Plus, it would be a great gift for a range of budgets since you can scale up or scale back however you like.  Plus, who doesn't want to feel young every now and then!

August in Pictures

Yello lovers!  I have an entire list of things that I have been meaning to blog about, but time seems to have escaped me and now I'm left with all this cool stuff that I haven't told you about!  Okay, maybe not cool stuff...but stuff. 

Stuff like the boy's 30th birthday on August 9th.  Since it fell on a Thursday, we decided to have a low key dinner at an adorable little tapas restaurant in downtown Nicholasville (which we are still both amazed hasn't closed yet since it's our favorite little place).  I surprised him with a new iPad, which he has literally not put down since (no really, he freakin' sleeps with it). 

The following Saturday, we celebrated with family and friends with a get together at our house, followed by a meteor shower in the backyard before bed.

 



The same weekend, we spent time at the farmer's market, eating crepes and buying local goat cheese and pesto.  I love mornings like that where the boy is off work and we get to just spend time together like a normal couple. 

We also spent time at the park, drinking wine, eating farmer's market goat cheese and pesto, and playing catch with our full-grown puppies.

Later in August, we went home to Louisville to celebrate my baby sister's 17th birthday...wow I feel old as shit.  I was just starting 6th grade when she was born. 

 



As you can see, her friends kept it classy with a "Happy f'ing birthday" sign...

This past weekend was the perfect end to the month of August with a visit from my sister and sweet nephews.  I took this video of my little nugget crawling around our bedroom.  I can't believe how big he is getting!!

Seriously...could you just die from cuteness?

That's pretty much all I got for now.  Can we all give it up for just a second for Jenn at Munchkinland Designs for my new blog layout?!  No seriously, she rocks.  Click on her little button to see her gallery and design services...you won't be disappointed!



August 9, 1982

So, I have to take a little break from posting wedding pictures to talk about something huge that's happening today.  You see, on this day in 1982, my dear husband was born.  For those of you who are math geniuses like me, that means today is his 30th birthday.  Let's all take a moment and absorb that.

It's a strange thing for me to comprehend how something so simple as a baby being born, 30 years ago, in a town I'd never heard of to people I had no connection to would drastically alter my life in the most amazing way.  Truth be told, August  has always been a special month for us.  Five years ago in August, I started at my current company where I first met this handsome guy with the goofy smile.  Even though nothing happened between us for many months, that decision to accept this job had already set me on a life altering path that would take me many years to fully understand. 

A year later, I remember meeting the boy out at a bar with his friends on August 8...the day before his 26th birthday and he put his arm around me and said "Are you my birthday present?"  I so desperately wished that was true, but I knew even 3 months into our relationship that I probably wasn't what he wished for.  I clung to it anyways, and the next day woke him up and led him into the kitchen where a cake was waiting and wished him a happy birthday.  Even then I leapt with hope that we would have more days like that together.

And we would...but it would be a very long time...several years actually.  Last year on this day, I sat at the park with the birthday boy, with a picnic spread out around us and the sun setting behind us and lit one tiny candle on a tiny little cake and proudly announced, "This will be your last birthday as a single man!"  It only took us 3 years to get there. 

I will not lie when I say that this past year we were engaged was definitely bumpy.  You try moving in together, taking on about 20 household renovations, trying to save money, working crazy hours at our jobs, and planning a wedding - all at the same time - and let me know how that goes for you.  It is not easy.  I promise you this.  But even through all the stupid argument (and they were VERY stupid, mark my words) I never once thought, I don't want this.  I never once thought, I'm not the luckiest girl in the world.  I never once thought, our life together would be anything less than everything I dreamed of.  And even on those nights that were not perfect, I still slept like a baby knowing I had something that many people only dream of.

I've often said that birthdays are a big deal to me. Not just my birthday, but birthdays in general.  I really believe that we all need one day a year to sit back and appreciate those we love and be grateful that they were born.  When I think about my husband and all he does for me, and all he tries to do for me every single day, I am SO grateful.  Let's get real - I am not an easy person to live with.  I'm moody and bitchy sometimes (okay, a lot), and I have high expectations.  I don't always say the right things, and I definitely don't always say Thank You.  I sometimes don't abide by the golden rule, and sometimes I ask him to give of things that I'm probably not giving enough of myself.  But I'm glad he was born, and I'm glad I get to share that with all of you. 

And lastly, to my dish washing, bourbon drinking, dog drool cleaning, floor sweeping, GA Tech loving, happy-go-lucky, massage-giving, bed making, truck driving, sweet and simple, country boy husband...I love you.  Happy 30th birthday.  One month down...forever to go. 

"I loved you since the very first day...when I caught you lookin' my way.  I smiled and just knew it."