Happy 30th Birthday Michael!

Today is my sweet husband's 30th birthday! I have been teasing him all month about turning 30 and he has been a great sport about it. We celebrated a few weeks ago with a party and went out to dinner last night with his parents for an early birthday dinner. I have been so blessed to have this man in my life and can't wait to see him officially become a daddy in a few short days or weeks. I am lucky to be Michael's wife and hope his birthday has been great! I love you punkin!

P.S. I love this picture of Michael in his softball uniform after a messy slide into second base during a game this summer!

Birthday Party Planning

My husband's 30th birthday is coming up on October 24th and we will be celebrating early with a combined birthday party to honor Michael and his mom (her birthday is on October 16th). With extended family far away and everyone's schedule so busy these days, a combined party for the October birthdays is a great way to get everyone together and celebrate these two very special people. I am also relieved that we are celebrating in early October to avoid any possible early delivery surprises towards the end of the month.

With any party, my planning and creative mind goes into overdrive and I start thinking of fabulous ways to craft, create, cook, and bake for a special occasion. All parties should start with a fantastic invite, which I designed using TinyPrints.com. Here it is:

We are going with a soup and chili bar for the menu including four different varieties including all of the fixings, bread bowls, cornbread, veggie trays, and fruit salad. I will be posting the chili and soup recipes next week that I will be making for the party... both are delish!

We are having my best friend Laura's famous cake pops in red velvet and chocolate flavors with matching blue and green icing to coordinate with the party invite colors. These cake pops are sure to be a huge hit with everyone and they are so much easier to serve than trying to slice cake and serving ice cream. And with any party, I hope for leftover cake pops for the hostess to take home :) 

I am looking forward to a great party for my husband and mother in law and lots of great food, plenty of laughs, and spending time with the people we love!

Happy 26th!

Today is my 26th birthday and I can hardly believe how fast the last year has gone by! This time last year I was getting ready to leave on a girls trip to Vegas and was just finishing up my 25 things to do before turning 25. Life has been busy and exciting and I look forward to another amazing year. I am always reminded on my birthday of the incredible blessings in my life and just how lucky I am. I am so incredibly grateful for my family, my amazing husband, my incredible friends, our beautiful home, a successful career, and the ability to enjoy this beautiful life!

Since I am now officially 26 (as of 3:28 this morning), my blog will need to be changed to reflect the next chapter in my life. Over the next few weeks I will either be changing up this blog and making some edits or transitioning to an entirely new blog site. Stay posted as I transition my blog and hope you keep reading! :)

Birthday Wish List

My 26th birthday is just under two weeks away and I have been pondering my wishlist for a few months. These are a few of the things that I would just LOVE to have... they are all wants and not needs, but I would love to have them none the less. 

• iPhone 4S - I would love to have a smart phone that I can use wherever I go and I hear it takes amazing pictures!

• The New Pioneer Woman Cookbook - I adore her blog and Food Network show and have never been disappointed by her recipes!   

• Striped Jersey Dress from Old Navy - This dress is in one of my favorite colors and looks so comfy for Spring and Summer!

I am looking forward to celebrating my birthday with family and friends and just enjoying another great year ahead of me! Bring on the 26!