Happy Birthday Ada!

Today is Ada's 30th birthday! We have a lot of running around to do before we go to her birthday dinner tonight at Uncle Julio's. I'm going to splurge too! On Monday's visit to the doctor, I discovered I was 2 lbs less than my first pre-natal visit. YAAAAY! Now it is time to kick it in high gear and start firming everything back up. I attempted to do pushups and could only complete 5. Hey, it's a start.


Also, the latest addition to our family, Alyx Renae, was born today. Both Mom and baby girl are doing great! When we were in Kansas, I took Lacey for a photoshoot. Two years ago, I took her twin sister's maternity pics and I promised her that I would capture hers when she was expecting. It was difficult to not want to repeat the same poses I did with Katie. Lacey has a very different personality from her sister and I wanted to capture that. I was able to get several great shots and this one is one of my favorites! Hard to believe that Salina, KS has a wonderfully colored graffiti strewn wall amidst the old downtown mystique. Since we were nestled between two buildings, we didn't feel the 40 degree weather chill (plus the wind).


Like I said, I had some running around to do. I went to Ulta to return my Chi blowdryer. If I hol it at a funky angle, it makes this sound like a table saw grinding wood. Not what you would expect from a $150 blow dryer. They agreed to exchange it as soon as I provided a receipt. So off to home to figure out where I put it. Then to Discount Tire to get a new tire. Well, turns out they couldn't patch it up, so I did indeed have to buy a new tire. I purchased the extended warranty on the rest of the tires and paid the $15 to replace the one that was punctured. There was this shiny piece of metal rebar-like material about 2 inches long shoved smack dab in the middle of the treads. Turns out my other tire had a fairly large screw in the middle of it as well. They were able to patch that one up too, and I felt confident buying the warranty, because I'm quite certain that I may have to replace another tire prior to us getting our next car.

After that, we headed up to Run On McKinney to sign up for a 5K that we'll be running next weekend. I don't think I'm prepared for this, but luckily it is a Run/Walk. The most I've run since giving birth is 2 miles, so I won't feel bad if I have to stop and walk. Heck, this week when I tried to jog, I couldn't go more than half a mile without having to stop and hack up bits of my lung. I guess I still have a bit of lingering "cold" from last week. Then, I went to my chiropractor. FABULOUS! Refreshed, aligned, and relaxed, we headed to Wal-mart to get a gift card for Ada and some plumbing essentials. Ada mentioned that she wanted to buy a bicycle, so I bought her a bell with a compass on it.

Finally, we headed home to get ready for the dinner. We were late and I forgot the camera! Eeeek! Luckily, us being late was actually early by our friend's standards. We arrived just as they were going to seat us. The food was overly salty, but I didn't mind because we were surrounded by really great friends. I can't wait to get some pictures to post. Oh, and I had my first real taste of alcohol since having Mari. Turns out, I wasn't prepared for a tequila shot. I had less than half of it and gave the rest to Don. I ordered their classic margarita and after the first sip, I knew I didn't want to drink it. Again, Don was a trooper and finished it for me. It was like pure Patron on the rocks with a splash of sweet and sour. A year ago I would have loved it, but this time it just tasted like battery acid. I guess I'll stick to my shot of red wine for a while.

Julie tagged me, so here are 10 random facts about me:

1. I really enjoy taking photos and learning about my camera. A few times people have asked me if I do this professionally, but I always reply no. I just really enjoy capturing moments and the emotion conveyed. One of these days I'm going to take a bonafide class to learn more.
2. When I was younger, I really, really wanted to be a fashion designer. I used to design my own clothes and my grandmother would sew them for me. In high school, I continued to draw and color, but somewhere along the line I lost that. I'd like to take a dresssmaking and pattern constructing class, but I've yet to find any that aren't part of a large fashion program. JoAnn's doesn't offer the in-depth classes I'm looking for. If you know of any, give a suggestion.
3. I'm seriously OCD about the most random things. I spent 4 months researching strollers and baby travel systems. I compiled my findings in a PDF and excel spreadsheet. I'm doing the same for the car we are going to purchase next year. WHY??? Why can't I put this much effort into organizing our home?
4. I can stuff over 100 popped kernels of popcorn in my mouth.
5. When I had the chicken pox, I took great care in not having any scabs so I wouldn't get a scar. Down to the last two on my body, it hit me that I wouldn't have any reminders of that experience and for some strange reason that struck me in a melancholy way. I slowly scratched them to create a scab. I did them both in the event that one or the other wouldn't scar over. The scar on the back of my left palm and on the outside of my right thumb are the only remnants of when I had the chicken pox. Cut me some slack, I was 7.
6. I absolutely love listening to people's stories. I look forward to hanging out with my father because he has the best stories. I think this is why I was such a barfly. You hear some really interesting stories, especially when the alcohol is flowing. People are such interesting creatures and it is so great to hear their experiences. Most people dread sitting to strangers on a plane. Most times, I don't. The only stories I don't like hearing are the negative-woe-is-me-life-sucks stories. I don't have time for such negativity.
7. I absolutely love sports, especially college football and baseball. I really hope to share this passion with Mari.
8. I'm in love with my DiorShow mascara. You know you have something that always makes you feel pretty and sexy. Next to my power shoes (which are currently a bit too snug on my feet), my mascara will do the trick.
9. I used to love to play dress-up a lot when I was a kid. Hyper-active imagination and all, but I haven't done that in ages! Several years ago, I set some time aside and went to the mall. I did one of those make-up makeovers and treated myself to a new outfit, complete with undies, shoes, handbag, and sunglasses. Earlier that day, I'd gotten my hair cut and had a mani/pedi. It was definitely one of the best ways to kill an entire day. I don't know if I'd do that again, but it was fun to look at. I usually do these sorts of things with friends, never solo. So this outing was highly uncharacteristic for me, but I do believe having a date with yourself is important.
10. Even though I have no problem meeting strangers, I get serious anxiety when I have to hang out with acquaintances. At the end I will always have a great time getting to know new friends, but I still freak out. Much of this has to do with a party I went to when I was 8. I had a very good friend from my school who was two years older than me. She had a slumber party that actually started out as a co-ed party. At that time, I was uninterested in boys "in that way." They were more mature and thought otherwise. Well, they were playing spin the bottle in the garage (converted to a game room), and whomever the bottle landed on, the couple went to the closet to make-out. I wasn't ready for that sort of thing and I felt very uncomfortable about it. I feigned a stomach ache and went back to the living room to watch movies with her mother. She called for my mom to come get me because I wasn't feeling well. I couldn't admit that I didn't want my first kiss to be with some random boy, let alone when I was only 8. I guess I just knew I wasn't ready to grow up so fast. To this day I get that anxiety feeling because I never know what to expect.

I'm tagging Shannon and El Jefe.

Have a fabulous day!