Birthday Weekend

I had an absolutely fabulous birthday and Superbowl weekend so I thought I'd share some of the details. I woke up Saturday morning alone in bed. Sounds odd I know but it's great when J gets up with Ollie to take him out and doesn't wake me up. It's nice to be able to sleep in a little when I can.

Once they finally got back to the apartment, I was greeted with awesome balloons and a gorgeous bouquet of flowers. My mom used to get my sister and I the same number of balloons as the age we were turning up until the end of high school. She used to sneak into the school even and leave them tied in our lockers or chairs in class so it's sort of tradition for me to get balloons. I am so happy J has picked up the tradition now too. However, now that I'm older, it doesn't make sense to get that many balloons so I got these babies instead.

Ollie thinks they're pretty odd... and we do torment him a little with them.

I love my flowers, they make it feel like spring in our apartment. I'm a big fan of mixed bouquets because that way you get a little bit of everything.
These green ones are my favorites. I don't know what kind of flower they are though, so if you know, please tell me. :-)
I have such a generous family and BF that I had got lots of awesome things on my birthday. My mom sent a box filled with Starbucks gift cards, some new work out clothes (which help motivate me to actually go to the gym) and a few new pieces for my Brighton Charm Necklace.

She gave me the purple birthstone charm and the "cage" bead (2nd from the right). My sister also got me new pieces too so that was a great surprise. She picked the thin black & white stripe bead and the spacer that looks like a braid (to the right of the birthstone). I love how lots of jewelers are coming out with lines like this now.
My biggest present (and the one I love slightly more than the others) is my new HP printer. I had asked J for a photo album and a gift card to Costco or somewhere so I could get prints made of all the photos I have in my iPhoto. Instead, he decided to get me an awesome printer for home so I could print them whenever I want!

She's just gorgeous isn't she? Okay, I'm weird I know. But really, this printer is so neat. Touch screen, web capabilities, wireless printing and I can even print from it when I'm not home. Just send a quick email to it and it'll be printed by the time I get home.

He also picked out a gorgeous photo book that I spent a good portion of the day trying to fill. I love the subtle colors and the photo-viwere on the front.

I know I can always open my computer and look at any picture whenever I want but there's something different about having physical prints that I absolutely love. I decided to starting filling it with the beginning of 2010 (New Year's Eve 2009) and go from there. I'm also not including big vacations like Hawaii because I want to have a whole separate album for those things.

I love looking back at older pictures and thinking about all the fun memories. Like my 21st birthday last year....

Or catching frogs and drinking beers in the water at the lake....

I also got new pillows for the bed (that I have been asking for/complaining about for soo long), a new regular size and mini muffin pan and a giant cooling rack for all my baked goods. See, I told you I was spoiled.... and extremely grateful for the people in my life that I love.

We went on a walk around the lake in the afternoon and enjoyed the 70 degree weather we've been having here lately. (I'm sorry if your stuck in a blizzard right now and want to punch me for bragging about our weather.) We stopped by Starbucks on the way home for an afternoon treat and picked up the apartment a little for the following day.

Then J and I got all dressed up to go out for the night. We went to see Country Strong and it was a fabulous movie. If you're a country music fan (and you probably need to be to enjoy the movie to the fullest) then I highly recommend seeing it. There were so many great songs, I need to buy the soundtrack one of these days. We ended the night with dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. Yum-o! We ate way too much delicious food, had some great drinks and headed home to eat Red Velvet Cake instead of ordering cheesecake. J knows how much I love RV and surprised me with it.

And how do I feel now that I'm 22? Older.... not really. Happy.... definitely.

The Christmas Spirit

via WeHeartIt

When I woke up this morning I had to run Christmas presents by J's house for his family to open before my family came over for the celebrations. On the way home I decided,

"you know what, I'm going to get my mom and I a Starbucks drink treat because well... it's Christmas"

I pull up to the drive-thru (which was at least 10 cars long and growing, surprising to me for the holiday but whatever) order two Grande, Nonfat, Extra Hot, Caramel Brulee Lattes (yum) and am prepared to pay $8+ for coffee that neither of us really needed and I didn't really have the money to spend on.

I get to the window, stick my arm out of the car with my credit card in hand and the barista-lady says to me...

"the person in front of you paid for your order. Merry Christmas"

Made. My. Day!

That is what the Christmas spirit is truly about. It never ceases to amaze me how something so little from a complete stranger can mean so much and how there will always be people out there with warmth, kindness and giving in their hearts. I hope everyone was able to be blessed with an amazing celebration today filled with great company, joy and a little rejuvenation.

PS- I will be MIA from blog land until after the New Year. Tomorrow is going to be spent packing and running last minute errands before J and I leave on our amazingly perfect trip to Hawaii that I'm jumping out of my skin in excitement for! Eeeee! I will be enjoying Mai Tais on the beach, sight-seeing and spending some much needed quality time with the man in my life. Please have a happy (and safe) New Years and I'll be back in 2011 with lots to post about some homemade gifts I made for the holiday season I couldn't share until now.

via WeHeartIt

Merry Christmas and Happy New Years!

Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder

If you haven't heard of Operation Beautiful then please, please PLEASE head over to the site right now and check it out.

The main goal of OB, according to their website, "is to end negative self-talk."

I'm sure all of us at one point or another has stood in front of that mirror... the mirror in the privacy of our own homes, in a bathroom at school or in a restaurant, while standing at a make-up counter, or anywhere else you can think of... and talked down to ourselves either out loud or in our head.

"I want to look better than I do"

"I'll never be as pretty as I want to be"

"I wish I could lose 10 lbs"

"I just want him to think I'm beautiful"

"I hate myself"

What OB is trying to do is prevent the harmful effects that this "negative self talk" can have on the women of our world. They recognize that it's damage can affect you emotionally, spiritually, and physically.

They encourage anyone and everyone to start leaving their signature post-it's that started the whole effort. You post a note in a public place with a kind, thoughtful, inspiring saying on it in order for other women to see it. There is a daily "Post it Phrase" listed on their site if you can't think of something to write down. Caitlin, the editor of OB, encourages you to leave as many notes as you possibly can.

An anonymous note from a stranger can touch so many. It's a free way to change someone's day. So throw a spare pad of post-it's in your bag and start making a difference.

I have.... will you?