I'm 30! Yikes! (May 9, 2008)

So, my 30th birthday was May 9, 2008. I was a little freaked out about turning the big 3-0! I was not really looking forward to it. But, my husband and wonderful friend conspired to make it a good one. ;)

On May 8th, Doug called from work and told me he wanted to eat out. I thought that was wierd because we were going out for my birthday the next night, but I never argue with an invitation to eat out.

When we arrived at the restaurant, Doug said we should eat at a corner table. I didn't have my glasses on, but I told him we couldn't sit at that table...there was already a girl there. Doug looked at me in total amusement and said, "Look at the table again." When I did, I realized that the "girl" already sitting at the table was my dear friend Kara all the way from Dallas Texas! I was so shocked I started crying right on the spot! Kara stayed all weekend and celebrated with us. It was great.





Since it was a "surprise" visit, Kara got to go to work with me on Friday and we had a great time eating at my FAVORITE restaurant for lunch, and then all three of us went out to dinner and line dancing on Friday night. :) Kara and I had a blast dancing...Doug patiently counted down the minutes until we allowed him to leave. :)

Saturday, Kara and I planned her July wedding in 3 hours. I am not kidding...we were awesome. :) We went to a bridal store here in Erie and she did tons of research online, and we managed to get all the big stuff squared away in one afternoon. It was awesome.

Saturday night we celebrated my birthday with my parents & sister.


Sunday was Mother's Day. Our Church decided to have Baby Dedication that day, so we invited our family to come to the service and then to come back to our house for lunch. The service was great, but Danika was the most unruly, loud, wiggly, and attention seeking child up there. It was really hard not to laugh out loud, except half the time I was so embarrassed I didn't know what to do. For the most part, I guess it was pretty funny now that I am looking back. But it was quite a handful up on the stage!

For those that aren't familiar with "Baby Dedication" it is a ceremony where the parents of a young child formally declare thier desire to raise this child in a home that loves and worships God and to love and instruct this child about Jesus Christ. It is an opportunity for the church as a whole to pray for the family and to declare thier commitment to be a resource to the family and to assist as a community the commitment made by these parents. Doug and I got to be a part of this, declaring that we have received this incredible gift from God and we want to dedicate her back to Him. It was an awesome thing to be a part of.

After church, our family came back to our house. We celebrated the Mom's...and my incredible amazing husband was not done with surprises yet. For Mother's Day, he beat all previous gifts with a special gift that was truly from the heart and very thoughtful. :) I have Celiac Disease and can't eat anything with gluten (wheat, barley, rye), so I normally miss out on desserts. I don't mind most of the time, but there are moments when I really miss certain foods. Doug knows this, and for my Mother's Day gift, he conspired with a wonderful woman we know who is an AMAZING cook, and he had her make me a cocunut cream pie- GLUTEN FREE! :) It was AMAZING! I can't tell you how awesome that wasy and how much it meant to me. That is something that money can't buy...it was just the best treat to end a wonderful weekend.

It was one really busy weekend, but it was GREAT. No doubt about it...30 was my best birthday so far!

I'm so behind.

Well...as you all have figured out by now, I fell behind on my blogging.

I am going to work my way towards catching up. Please forgive me as I get up to speed again... ;)

love,
andrea

Five Years - April 25th

Can it be possible? I just almost can't believe it has been five years since I married this wonderful man. Our 5-year Anniversary was on April 25, 2008. To celebrate, we left Danika with Mimi and Papa and went to a wonderful Bed and Breakfast in NY.

We had a wonderful time and the food was AMAZING. I feel so blessed to be married to someone I love this much. And...just to make sure he completely keeps me guessing, my incredible husband bought me a wonderful gift.

The night we were going out to dinner to celebrate, Doug surprised me with this gorgeous watch. I absolutely LOVE jewelry, and I couldn't believe what a perfect gift he picked for me. It has sparkle, but not too much, and it is something I couldn't have chosen better if I had been in the store with him. How fun that he did it all on his own and surprised me. :) I was so shocked I cried. :)

Have I mentioned I love him? We had a wonderful time getting away just the two of us, and we appreciate Doug's parents taking care of Danika so it could happen.

I love you, honey!

First Date: 2002 with Chuck and Emily

Engaged: October 18, 2002
Married: April 25, 2003
Did I mention he always makes me laugh?
With Danika: January 2007


Happy Anniversary, Doug! I love you!

The Purple Dress Meltdown.

Okay....this is just for humor.

I put Danika in the cutest purple dress last Sunday for church. So...naturally, I wanted to take her picture. But...that was NOT what she wanted to do. Check out the progression of pics.

I started out sitting on the floor with the camera trying to get a good shot....she wasn't happy. Doug tried to help her stand up...that was what started the crying fit. Then she just started stomping towards me while crying...she kept coming until she got to me and flopped in my lap as if her life is so hard! :) Doug grabbed the camera and snapped a few more. As you can see...she is such a drama queen. The tears instantly dried up and she started to laugh and smile.

Wow...I'm going to have my hands full with this one. :)

Julie turns 5!

My niece Julie recently turned 5, so we celebrated with her while she was in town. Thought you would like to see some pictures from the party!


Dana & Susan with all three grandkids. :)

Julie, the Birthday Girl!

Alayna and her blue eyes.

Danika trying to figure Grandpa Hoddy out. :) Good luck! :)
The Miles Family.

Julie and her cake.

Happy Birthday, Julie!

Good for my heart...

God knew that I needed this weekend. My heart needed encouragement. He knew what I would need and planned it six months ago.

My last month has been very, very bad....all sorts of things from work, to personal, to sickness, to unexpected sadness....it's been a bad month. Normally I can honestly say that life is good. This month, I was having a really hard time.

This weekend, I went to see some precious women whom I love dearly. It has been ten years since 1998 when I went to Australia on a singing and drama team. We spent 6 weeks there and we spent the better part of a year practicing and preparing for the trip. I formed life-long bonds with these girls that I can't even fully explain. Five of us met in Columbus Ohio for a weekend of catching up and encouraging one another. It was wonderful.

Girls...I love you all! Thank you for making me smile from the inside out. It was wonderful to catch up and spend time with you!

Chuck E Cheese healed her.

My little girl is walking again.

Cousin Julie and Aunt Kristen are in town...so we rounded up Trinity, Danika, and Julie and all headed off to Chuck E Cheese. All the kids had a great time...Danika wolfed down TWO entire pieces of pizza...and then wanted down to walk around. It is the first time since Sunday she has put weight on her ankle. But, apparently the excitement was too much for her and she had to join in. I am so relieve to see her using it. :)