It’s my party…

So, yesterday was my 26th birthday. I’m officially on the fast track to 30 but, in the whole scheme of things, the 30’s are the new 20’s, so really, it’s like I’m only 16. But without all the worrying of who’s going to take me on my first date to see Titanic…for the 5th time. Don’t lie; I know that you all spent a good portion of your paycheck watching this movie 12 times in the theater. ‘Cause there is nothing like watching Leonardo DiCaprio win over Kate Winslet’s heart on a sinking ship!

I was feeling pretty good about my 26th birthday until my little niece called to give me birthday wishes. When I told her how old I was she said, “Whoa…that’s old.” To make it worse the next question she asked was what I was going to do for my birthday. I said that I was going to go out for dinner with Spencer. When she didn’t say anything in return I asked her if that sounded fun. She responded, “Not really.” Maddie, next birthday I expect you to decorate my front room, bake me a cake, and jump out from behind the couch and scream happy birthday. Then we will really party!

I really did have a good birthday though.

Brynlee and I meet Spencer for lunch at Bouillon Soup. Bouillon Soup is the Seinfeld Soup Nazi of my town. It is my favorite lunch time restaurant. If you have never eaten at Bouillon Soup I suggest you make plans to come visit me and eat lunch there. My favorite is the grilled pesto veggie sandwich with Hungarian mushroom soup. Delicious! Although, yesterday I ventured out and tried a different soup.

That night I got to open up the presents that Spencer had beautifully wrapped in that mornings newspaper. I tried to rip the paper carefully since I was deprived of my morning reading of Dear Abby, but Brynlee was too excited and had them all opened before I had a chance to save my daily reading. Spence spoiled me rotten with gifts and due to my new picture printer I now have no excuse for not printing off my pictures!
 My little sister volunteered to watch Brynlee for the evening, and we of course couldn’t turn her down. But don’t feel bad for Brynlee, Katie spoiled her rotten taking her to the park, the swings and over to the gas station to get a treat. Thanks Kate, you’re the best! And in the mean time Spence and I got to have a enjoyable meal at Red Lobster, without anyone climbing on our laps, spilling water down the front of us, or throwing a fit because she had changed her mind and no longer wanted chicken nuggets, but a corndog.

After Red Lobster we spent the rest of our babysitting time looking for a swing set for Brynlee because we live on the edge. Washing towels, taking out the trash, heating up mac-and-cheese, playing dolls, and searching out the perfect swing set for our two year old on my 26th birthday. It’s really just a matter of time before I have my own MTV reality show.

I have to thank all the friends and family that called, emailed and sent cards wishing me a happy birthday. It really did make my day that so many people remembered. Plus, you can never hear Happy Birthday sung over the phone to many times. I have some seriously talented friends and family! Let me just say, so far, 26 totally rocks.

BBQ’s, a Picnic and Demolition

What a beautiful weekend we had! And it was a good thing that the weather was nice, because we have started to do some construction on the kitchen. This means that all of my dishes, pots and pans, and other kitchen item are neatly organized in heaping piles on the Dining Room table and floor (okay, so maybe not that neatly organized but I was being honest about the heaping piles part). If it wasn’t for the beautiful weather outside I have to admit that my family would have gone without dinner for the entire weekend. However, we were saved by the sun an able to fire up the barbie for some grilled steaks and hamburgers. YUM!

On Sunday we decided it was perfect weather for a picnic so we spent the afternoon over at the park. Brynlee loved that we got to spend all day outside, and bawled the entire way home because the two hours that she spent on the swing wasn’t near enough.

After the picnic adventure I snuck upstairs for a short nap. (Watching Spencer push Brynlee back and forth on the swing for that amount of time would make anybody tired). When I woke up I found Brynlee outside sunbathing in her diaper. Don’t worry though, she did have her winter hat on so the beaming sun wouldn’t fry her hair. That little girl of mine, always a thinker!

Woody NOT Welcome!

Aaahhh the beautiful and peaceful sounds of nature. The chirping of a bird, the whistle of the wind, the serene sound of pristine water as it flows down the river, the ANNOYING sawing of a STUPID woodpecker as it hastily chisels away at the side of our house morning after morning. Please Mister Woodpecker we beg of you to find a different location to get your morning grub. Seeing how you keep returning, we have come to the assumption that threatening you with sticks and rocks has not successfully gotten our point across. First let me explain a little bit about property rights and ownership. The wood that makes up the exterior of our house has been purchased by us and therefore, IS NOT free for the taking. Also, by entering the premises of our property without our permission you are trespassing. Oh just wait until neighborhood watch hears about this. In addition, 5:00 a.m., really! Is that the latest you can wait for breakfast? For your convenience let me point out the acres and acres of trees that sit uninhabited directly in front of our house. What’s wrong with their bark? I reassure you that these trees contain many delicious insects for you to indulge on. Please Mister Woodpecker LEAVE US ALONE!!

Trust Me I Do This All the Time

A few weeks ago (okay, really about 7 years ago, but it makes me sick to think how fast time goes) I was making a big move from my first college apartment into a duplex with my friend Kali Jo. Spencer volunteered to come and help me do the heavy lifting, plus he had a truck so I couldn’t help but accept. In the middle of our packing I looked over and saw that like a true man, Spencer had stacked my stereo and all of my speakers into on huge pile so he wouldn’t have to take any unnecessary trips to the truck. As he carefully made his way down the stairs I volunteered to take half his load in an attempt to save my stereo from any major damage. Spencer gave me a quick smirk and replied, “Trust me I do this all the time.” Within seconds my speakers were on the sidewalk and Spencer was trying to balance what was left of his load. From that moment on that became Spencer’s slogan, and if you ask me it fits him well.

Years later we saw a shirt with Spencer’s motto on it and because of the irony we were forced to buy it. Whenever he wears it, it’s guaranteed that somebody will say, “That is such a Spencer shirt” or “Where did you get that? That shirt was made for Spencer.”


The other day Spencer and Brynlee were playing outside and I was inside trying to work my magic and mix up something for dinner. I heard a lot of noise from the backyard area, so like any mother would I dropped everything I was doing, grabbed my camera, and headed out to see what was going on. This is what I captured…you can’t tell me that Spencer doesn’t have that “trust me I do this all the time” twinkle in his eyes!!