Friends

There are so many different kinds of friends. Friends you have had since elementary school like these girls. Who have seen you through puberty, high school graduations, college, etc. And then friends you meet in college and instantly bond with and that bond stays strong long after you have left Blacksburg and Virginia Tech.

Both sets of friends are special and unique and unfortunately most live far away from us. We try and get together when we can, for weddings, baby showers, new babies and girls weekends.

And then there are friends that you meet just by chance. You just happen to all live in the same neighborhood, have kids around the same age and even though we have only known each other for a much shorter amount of time than my other friends, they still become like your family away from your family. This group of friends did a really cool for me for my 30th birthday. When we returned from Puerto Rico, we arrived to this sign!

And I laughed and thought it ended there but no, not these girls, they took it to a whole new level! They decorated the entire house with black streamers and balloons.

From the banister and fireplace and really any open space. They placed 30 mints all over the house, in cabinets, drawers, on top of picture frames, you name it, there is probably a mint there.

And they even put these quotes all over the house to make me feel oh so much better about being thirty. My favorite one is "Thirty is the new twenty, unless you are twenty and then it's the new forty." They even thought I needed to add a new beverage to my diet since I am older now.

And finally, a little "bling" to complete my birthday!

And I had the perfect place to wear that bling to on Saturday night when Mike organized a small get together at a wine bar for my birthday with some of our closest friends in Charlotte. Most of the group is below.

It turned out to be such a fun night with everyone gathering without kids which is rare for all of us. Just hang out, drink some great wine and toast to our 20's.

And if you are really lucky, some of your best college friends will even move close to you in Charlotte so you can see them more often. The Virginia Tech crew below.

And let's just say, I think for a fleeting moment we all thought we were back in college and could party like it was 1999 again. Tracey even thought it would be a good idea to have some Irish Car Bomb drinks and I think this is where the night took a turn for the worst!

We quickly learned that we are a little bit older now and don't party like we used to but you know, I happen to love where I am in my life right now. A lot less nights downtown and partying but more time spent with our little munchkin and fires out back with our neighbors and Charlotte family. So, I successfully gave my twenties a proper send off and now I can't wait to see what this next decade has in store. Cheers!

Fun with DeeDee and Papa

While Mike and I were basking in the Puerto Rican sunshine, Ella was back in Atlanta getting spoiled rotten by DeeDee and Papa. Ella was been really attached to me lately, not sure if its just the age or what but we were a little worried how she would do. But, she had a blast and had so much fun laying with Papa 1 and Papa 2 (since she calls them both Papa). She said DeeDee once while we were away but most times when you say, "Where is DeeDee?", she looks right at my Mom and says "Papa!" She must really like that word since now they are both Papa! And she was very happy that her best buddy, Dakota was also in Atlanta with her. To say Ella loves her doggie is an understatement. This girl is obsessed with all dogs and especially her own. She leans down and hugs and kisses Dakota about 20 times a day. We are still working on being nice and gentle to the doggie since sometimes she likes to grab her fur and ears. She just loves her too much!

You looking at me??? Who needs toys at DeeDee and Papa's house when you have their reading glasses!

Finally, DeeDee and Papa had to also endure a lot of Yo Gabba Gabba watching. Her obsession is getting worse and worse and she just loves that show too much! It will drive you crazy after awhile but she could sit there in her princess chair and watch it all day. Luckily, it made the drive to and from Atlanta a lot easier with our new DVD player and the Gabba dvds.

Ella had a great time and only came back with one ruined shirt when Papa thought it would be a good idea to let Ella color with a blue Sharpie marker! In his defense he said, "but she was having so much fun." I guess that's what grandparents are for, spoiling them rotten and breaking all the rules! Thanks DeeDee and Papa for taking such good care of both our girls while we were away.

Not sure how I got so lucky...

to be able to spend 4 glorious days at this amazing place! to have such a great husband who planned this great trip for my birthday? I am definitely one lucky girl and we had the best time in Puerto Rico.

I mean, look at these pictures? If you aren't having fun, something is wrong with you!

After last week, we weren't sure we would actually make it. With the snow and ice and cancelled flights, we were definitely nervous that we weren't going to make it. But, the stars aligned and we made it down to Atlanta Wednesday night; however, the roads were pretty bad in Atlanta, much worse than Charlotte but we made it. We said our goodbyes to Ella and Dakota that night because we had an early flight the next day. When we left Atlanta, the temperature was in the low 20's and we arrived 3 hours later to 80's and this heavenly weather!

The resort was amazing, pool was perfect, crystal blue ocean water, first class all the way. There aren't enough words and after awhile, amazing and breathtaking just don't do it justice.

Night one at dinner, we were still pale but just wait, it gets better!

We quickly found some favorite new drinks, Medalla Light. It is the local Puerto Rican beer and it was really good!

Mike looking very relaxed and warm enjoying this new found drink!

We found some great spots near the hotel also and of course even when you are in PR, you still need your caffeine fix and luckily, we found a Starbucks down the road. Is there any better way to enjoy your morning coffee than poolside?

Well, maybe there is a better drink to enjoy poolside, a pineapple mojito! Mojitos are the drink of choice in Puerto Rico because of all the rum and these were my favorite!

Another favorite spot we found was this rooftop BBQ joint. Second night, looking a little more tan!

We had no idea when we went but this was actually the second location, the first one is in New York City and was actually started by a Duke University alumni and it has tons of references to North Carolina, the South, ACC, you get the idea.

We felt so at home with all the VT references also! Blacksburg did feel like 1500 miles away!

Hokies are everywhere! Can you tell we were a little excited about all the VT paraphernalia:)

Yummy, more pineapple mojitos and Medalla Light!

With a 17th month old, our life is busy and we are always on a schedule. Wake up early, have breakfast, naptime, bedtime. But on this vacation, we had no schedule, wake up whenever we wanted, eat lunch by the pool, read a book, take a nap. We didn't do a lot on the trip and it was great! We did do a lot of this though, relaxing!! Don't get me wrong, we love our life and the fun and craziness that comes along with it but for 4 days, it was great to get away from everything.

On Saturday night, we decided to be adventurous and venture into Old San Juan. Little did we know, it was the weekend of the San Sebastian festival. Turns out, it is the largest festival of the year, kind of like their Mardi Gras and it was craziness.

There were tons and tons of people in the streets. We walked around for a little bit but the crowds and people were a little too much for us after awhile.

So, we came back to this! The opposite of people crammed in the streets. Just a beautiful view of the pool and resort at night.

The lobby

On our final day, we tried soaking in as much sun as possible and just relaxing. See, we really did get a tan in 4 days! Too bad we are back to wearing sweaters and jeans but oh well, we know we got a tan. A tan in January!! On the final night, my birthday night, we went to dinner at the Italian restaurant in the hotel and it was so delicious! Plus, Mike got me this adorable new Lilly dress so of course I had to wear it to dinner. Oh and in case you were counting, yes, this was my fourth Lilly dress of the trip. Where else can I wear all my cute Lilly dresses in the winter? And the bright colors make you look even more tan:) Can you tell my goal of the trip? Score a good tan...check.

So, now I am officially a 30 year old (ouch, that sounds old) but I am definitely one lucky 30 year old! I have a great husband who took me on such a fun trip, an amazing little girl who after 4 days away, we couldn't wait to get back to see her. We missed her adorable smile, belly laughs and dance moves so much. I am lucky to have such a great parents that babysat so we could go away and we didn't have to worry because we knew she was in a great hands. I have tons of great friends and family that called and sent such sweet birthday messages that made my day and great friends and neighbors that left me a great surprise to come home to on Monday. (more to come on that later this week!)

For now, I am just going to close my eyes and dream of being back in the warm warm sunshine, did I meantion it was in the 80's everyday and remember the great birthday trip!

Snow?? In the South??

And not just a little bit of snow, lots of snow! This is what we woke up to Monday morning, our back deck filled with snow. It ended up snowing about 5-6 inches and then Monday night, the ice came which has made things even worse and more dangerous. So, we have all been snowed in, literally, and even Mike has stayed and worked from home because you can't get out of the driveway. We go outside Monday morning and enjoy the fresh powder but boy was it cold and wow, we don't have the right snow gear!

Ella actually had fun at first running around in it but then got cold very quickly.

Of course, she thought this was a much better way to travel in snow and I have to agree!

Everyone bundled up and ready to play on the snow day! Can you tell they are from NJ and they have the full snow suits and boots. If the weather keeps up like this, we may need to get Ella a snow suit.

Since no one can get out, we have been trading houses to play and eat and combining all the food we have. These two look so big eating at the big kids table.

Before the snow storm hit, we went to Monkey Joe's. It is one of those play areas where they have tons of inflatable slides and bouncey areas. Ella, as usual was very hesitant at first but then loved going down the big slides with Mom and Dad and we certainly got our workout climbing up each time! We will definitely be back soon.

Just in time for the snow, Ella got a special present from Grandma. She knitted her a new pink hat and it fits perfect and worked great in the snow. Thanks Grandma!

So, things definitely have not slowed down in 2011 as we are still busy and finding lots of fun new things to do and explore in the cold weather. Last week, we went with our neighbors to a new kids museum, Discovery Place Kids. It is geared for younger kids, under the age of 7 and it was so much fun. We were there for 3 hours and could have stayed all day. Ella loved exploring all the fun things! Future chef?

Do you think she might be a gymnist??

Or maybe a pilot?

What about a baggage handler at the airport?? Well, as you can see, we all had fun and we actually got a year long membership so we will be back a lot this year. There were so many more things we didn't even get to explore this time.

Finally (if you are still reading), Mike gave me an amazing surprise this week! We leave Thursday, as in 2 days for Puerto Rico for 4 days for my 30th birthday. He has had it planned for awhile and did such a great job keeping it a surprise. We are hopefully, weather cooperating, will leave Thursday morning out of Atlanta. DeeDee and Papa will be babysitting Ella and Dakota while we are away. I can't wait, the weather looks warm and after all this snow and ice, that sounds great!