30th Birthday Surprise

Dreading the 30 year mark as my Birthday approaches
Wondering what Darin has up his sleeve knowing that he had talk to my sister
Heard a sound that can only come from Melanie my younger, goofy sister
Knew instantly that she was at my house, somewhere, somehow
Ran outside to find her...found her car and some giggles but no Melanie
Saw a blur of another image. Could it be Kim too?
Almost wetting my pants with excitement, we hugged and laughed at the thrill of the surprise!

Three sisters reunite for a celebration for my 30 year birthday

We accomplished a lot!

-a complete makeover to my master bedroom (goodbye rose pink walls)
-a trip to IKEA, fun but exhausting
-Bento Time Teriyaki
-Baja Fresh
-1 hour massage courtesy of my awesome sister





I love, love, love my new bedroom! Now I'm on the prowl for something to go above my bed and dresser. Thanks you guys for a awesome weekend filled with laughing, McDonalds jokes, Greek Mediterrean Pizza and crazy fun pictures! I love you guys, I honestly don't know what I would do without you to keep me sane. We may not have Mom with us anymore but we have eachother to keep us going.

Thank you again for EVERYTHING!

Just for Laughs!

FYI**Don't try to pick up a 30 yr old!

Inspiring Hope 5K FINISHER!

The 8th day of May was a clear, gorgeous day in Mukilteo. I felt the warm sun beat down on me instead of the misty rain as early as 8:00 am that morning. That is rare around these parts! It was a perfect day for my first 5K race! I was nervous, anxious, worried, pretty much a case now that I'm looking back at myself. I didn't know if I should wear my lucky, red fleece that I'm used to training in or not. The sun was great but because its never around I'm used to dressing warmer in the early hours of the day.

After some stretching exercises and getting rid of the fleece I was set to go. I wasn't really worried too much about my time but still wanted to run it in less than 30 minutes although my main goal was just doing it and finishing without stopping that mattered the most. Running 3 miles to me without stopping is HUGE in my little mind!

As we set off I was actually surprised at the people I was slowly passing. I figured people would be passing me up left and right. Wow, I was better that I thought! I kept looking for my family at about the 2nd mile hoping they would be there with their sign that said "You've Conquered Your Fear, Go Mom!" But I didn't see them but thought of the words on the sign to keep me going. As I got closer to the finish line I thought of my mother and how proud she would've been and I thought of the hard work that I put in and that I accomplished a HUGE goal. As I sprinted around the last corner and saw my husband and my 3 kids cheering me on I got quite emotional as I saw myself a 5K finisher. It felt great to do something that I never believed I could do.

The only thing that was stopping me was me. It was my confidence that was lacking and so instead of making excuses for not being able to run I faced it head on and learned a lot about myself. I can do anything that I really want to do!

Later after looking at my time I found an amazing 30:08 staring back at me. I was proud of that. I was 37th out of 85ish. I did exactly how I wanted to. Not first and the best, but not last either.

Now what, another race? Maybe a 10K perhaps? Or a triathlon. Maybe someday!

Tulip Festival

Going Back in Time to April 1st

We had heard so much about the Tulip Festival that goes on every year from April 1st-April 30th in Mt. Vernon that we had to pay a visit! Its a short 40-45 min drive north but well worth it! I was obsessed about tulips when I got home and couldn't quit dreaming about my 1/2 acre and which types of tulips I wanted to order. It was a bit cold (a lot cold)that day but so beautiful. Next year we will hit it when there are blue skies and some sunshine! The kids absolutely loved it! Especially after we spoiled them with some Kettle Korn!