It's Dangerous To Go Alone...Take This

Hubby's 33rd birthday came through here with a force.  Or maybe that was a Triforce.  bad-dum-tish!  We picked a theme three days before the party.  Then it was go time!  I had one day to run errands, a day to clean and a morning to pull it all together.

We went with a classic Zelda theme.  It's funny when you tell adults that you are going with a themed party.  At first they sort of look at you sideways like they are way to cool for some party with a kids theme.  Then about three minutes later they are sitting with you helping you brainstorming.  It happens every year and five minutes after they get here they are sporting a pirate hat or whatever theme we went with that year.

So once the theme was picked there was an intensive internet search for things that were doable in my three day period.  I also had to pick aspects from the video game that could be translated into party fodder.  For the entry way Hubby had the great idea to cover the door in something black to make it look like you were entering through a door from the game.  So that is what we did.  It turned out so cute but for some reason I forgot to take a picture.  Here are a few pictures I did manage to take.

Zelda map cake.  Sort of.  

 
Hubby likes yellow cake with chocolate frosting or else I would have used the tan color for the map but he wanted chocolate.  He loves it baked in a glass pan.  I think it's because that's how his aunt made it.  He's the birthday boy so he got exactly what he wanted.  I did add a box of pudding to the mix and it was sooooo yummy!  The design cane from snack or die.  

I printed out pictures from a quote website and hung them around.  This one was on the bathroom door.

I whipped this up the morning of with some clipart and some printable shrinky dink paper.  I used my last sheet!  I love this stuff.  I did run into a small problem where I didn't punch out the hole big enough.  I used the small hole punch and it wasn't large enough after it shrunk and there is no way you can make that hole bigger after you shrink it.  

My cute and very simple hats! 

The hats came from The Night Garden blog.  They are as simple as she makes it look!  One square and one seam!  Sixteen hats and two prototypes where completed in two Phineas and Ferb episodes and one Sesame Street.  So about two hours.

It felt great to be surrounded by great friends.  I will admit that I didn't think that everyone I invited was going to be able to make but at one point we had way more people here than we had seats for them.  Yeah, I felt kinda bad about that.

All together the party was a big hit.  

What Do I Do Now?

Both of my lovelies are asleep already.  The house is quiet and once again I am left with one of those quiet contemplate-able (<--spell checker just told me thats not a word) moments.  So what am I doing with my free time?

Sitting here.

I would be all about the thinking except that the cold medicine I am currently on seems to be turning my brain to mush.  I feel better today than I did yesterday and I felt better yesterday than I did on Tuesday.  Everything in my head was swollen on Tuesday and I didn't feel like doing much of anything.  I still did the usual Laundry and Dishes routine.  But I was a mess.  At first I was convinced that it was allergies but since it has gotten worse and everyone in the house seems to have it, I am going with cold.  Colds in the Summer suck!  Not like they are a picnic during any other season but it's more comforting drinking hot tea when it's not in the 90's outside.

It has seemed to knock poor Hubby out too.  He was up in the early hours this morning because the cold had woken him up so tonight he headed to bed at 8!  Clover was in bed at 9 which is late for her but she had a nap in the car (the ONLY place she naps) on the way home from the splash park today.  She is a bit sniffly but doesn't seem to be as bad as Hubby and I.  The rest will do them both some good.

Since Hubby is out in dreamland that frees up the airwaves in the house so I can listen to whatever I want.  I don't really feel like listening to anything though.  It's on as background noise for now.  That and the drippy bathtub which I should really get fixed.

So I could go and clean something although I don't want to make too much noise, and I'm tired so I don't really feel like cleaning although it might be easier without someone walking behind you messing it up again.  I could browse the internet although when I do that I just find projects I want to add on the never ending list!  Speaking of the list, I knocked off some projects while Hubby was out of town the other day.  When he is gone I get restless...so I craft.  Some projects came out of no where and turned out great and some didn't turn out so I scrapped them.

This is what my kitchen counter looked like.

I don't know why he hasn't left me either?

I know you all feel bad for my poor Hubby now huh?  I had every intention of cleaning it all up before he got home but I just didn't get to it.  Part of it was that I was in the zone and the other part was that I was to sick to care.  

I was amazed that he didn't say anything when he got home.  I think he realized that it's just better not to hassle me while I'm in the zone.  Kind of like how you shouldn't take a bone from a dog.  I think he might have been afraid that I was going to bite him.  

Still sitting here.  The cursor blinking at me.  I think that it would probably be a good idea to call it a night and get some shut eye.  Or possibly browse the web some more.  Who knows.    

        

Differing Opinions

Both conversations took place today...

Me:  Patience is a virtue.

Hubby:  Patience is YOUR virtue.  I am instant gratification, YOU are infinite patience.  That is why this marriage works.

Me:  Oh really?  Is that why?

Hubby:  Yes.  Yes it is.

Later that evening...

Hubby:  Your a hypocrite.

Me:  *blink*looks bewildered*blink*

Hubby:  You are a hypocrite

Me:  What?!?

Hubby:  You will watch CSI:New York before bed but you won't watch Transformers 3?!?  That makes you a hypocrite.

Me:  *Thought* Gary Sinise vs. Shia Lebouf?  Really? */end thought*

Me:  I never said I wasn't.

Hubby throws side eye.

Ahhh the joys of marriage.

Juju's Whirlwind Tour

When Hubs asked us if we wanted to go I thought it would be a good idea.  Hubs had two days of meetings and I figured Clover and I could have a mini vacation.

And then I remembered that big cities are on the short list of things Juju Doesn't Do.  You see, I grew up in a farm town and surrounding small cities.  You can go ahead and insert jokes about me being a hick here.  You wouldn't be the first clever person to come up with those all on your own.  We moved to the "big city" when I was in the 6th grade.  Then I got older and realized that my big city is small compared to the rest of the world.

I am always in awe when I travel because I can't wrap my head around big city living.  There are plenty of things for us to do as a tourist but I can't wrap my head around how they do normal things like grocery shopping.  I didn't spot one single grocery store while we were there and to go to the office depot you had to park in a four story parking garage.  Navigating through San Francisco traffic left me on the verge of tears.  I can see why everyone walks everywhere.  We parked the car at the hotel and left it there for two and half days.  On the first day Clover and I borrowed a stroller from the hotel.  Which I didn't know they had until I read the hotel guide.  We walked around the neighborhood and checked out the sights.  We found a park and a free concert.

Waiting for Yerba Buena Concert Series

I wish I had taken a camera.  After packing for three people including work clothes for the hubby I forgot the touristy stuff like a camera.  All the pictures I took were on my cell phone.  All that walking and dancing left us starving.  So we walked around to find something suitable for lunch and found Mo's Grill.  My hamburger was awesome!    

Plain Cheeseburger with literally a mountain of garlic fries.

Clover demolished hers and started to attack her plain fries with a lake full of catsup.

We found a playground and played and explored for a bit.  Then we headed over to Zeum.  A local children's museum.  

Zeum is undergoing some construction and looks as if they are reopening under a different name.  They had some cool stuff for older kids to do and a few things for littler ones but not a whole lot to do for the in-between.  Clover enjoyed herself.  She especially loved the Special Effects slide.  It was a green slide and as they went down it you could choose a digital background and it shows you on a tv screen.  I think Clovers favorite was the fish tank.  She really seemed to like it so I don't want to bash the place but they seem a bit over priced to me for what they offer.  Maybe if Clover was older we could have taken advantage of all of the booths.  We did take full advantage of the music video booth.  

After the Zeum we went back to the room for a brief visit with the hubs before he headed back out.  We ordered dinner and dessert.  After we watched some terrible hotel tv, we crashed.  There was a few meltdowns while watching hotel tv.  My darling daughter is used to netflix.  We can watch whatever we want, whenever we want.  She had a hard time understanding that while traveling I can't control what we watch.  

On Day two we hung out and got breakfast.  We had three hours to kill in-between checking out and Hubby getting out of his meeting.  After browsing some guide books we narrowed it down to catching a movie or catching a bus.  I let Clover pick.  She picked the bus.

We jumped on the double decker downtown loop bus.

A display of vintage sewing machines.  

Union Square

Bay Bridge.

The tour guide was pretty nice.  You pay for the tour but the pass is valid for 48 hours and you can hop on or off at any of their stops.  So you could buy a pass and just take the bus all over San Francisco for two days.  You would never have to drive.  Had I known this I would have taken it the day before.  If we ever go back I will have to keep that in mind.  I'm not in a rush to go back after dealing with all the traffic.  It was gnarly.  

Over all I had a great time with my daughter jaunting all around town.  She tells me all the time now that she LOOOOVES San Francisco.  I'm so glad she is adventurous!  I regret not walking down Market and hitting up some shops.  I will put that on the list for next time.      

Fuzzy Early Morning, Mid Cup of Coffee Thinking

What do you do when you realize that the man you married has more than a few similarities to your first television crush?  Of course that would force me to remember my first television crush.  So maybe not THE first but one of the first few that I remember having.

So what sparked all of this fuzzy early morning, mid cup of coffee thinking?

Hubby stayed up last night sending packets to space on his radio.  To tell you the truth I only understand a fraction of it all but it's so cute when he gets excited and passionate about his hobbies.  Lately, he has been on another space kick and I have been falling asleep to space documentaries while hubby watches them on Netflix.  

So maybe I didn't grow up to join Star Fleet and marry Wesley Crusher, but the more I think about it the more it seems like I got pretty close.

I guess I should have seen the early signs that I like em smart and nerdy.

Copyrighted

Honey, can I use your pictures for my blog?

No.  They are copyrighted.  You have to go to my website and fill out a consent form.

Since we are married I own half of them right?  I only used a couple so I should be good right?

I need a friend that is a lawyer.  

All pictures in this post are courtesy of the Hubs.   

The Power of the Blog

I guess the Hubs really reads my run on sentences.  This little lovely came in the mail!

When I said I "hint, hint" I figured he would just file away under things to someday buy the wifey.  I didn't know he would rush right out and buy it.  Now I have to be careful what I write since I have discovered my new found powers!

See Us

Hubby is off doing his thing.  While I am at home I decided to show him some love and sport my "I love Nerds" Hello Kitty socks!

Thunderstorms and Deep Fried Snickers

So somebody bought the Hubs a mini deep fryer for his birthday.

So what would be a perfect accompaniment to the three thunderstorms that blew over our house?

Deep Fried Snickers!

Clover hung out with her Aunts and Uncles and watched the lightning shows.  Then everyone crowded in the kitchen and ate every batch as soon as they came out of the fryer.

What a way to spend and evening in June.  Especially considering it's usually on the way to triple digits by now.  I'm not complaining in any way shape of form.  I love it!  Now would probably be a good time to start getting back up on the elliptical.  Or maybe tomorrow!

Hubby

Since this is Hubby's birthday I feel that it is appropriate that todays post be about him.

I am a fan of my Hubby.

Awwwww aren't you all grossed out by the warm fuzzy vibe?  You should be.  It gets better.  I wanted to do something for him that showed him how much I loved him.  He already bought his own birthday presents so I don't really have to worry about that part.

So I wrote down 32 reasons I love him on his 32nd birthday.  I covered the entry way hall with them.

Some of them get a little personal so I wont share all of them but there are a few pictures.  So half way through Hubby decided to come in and in my effort to cover up the wall I scared him.  He jumped like five feet.  I guess cuz I was in a dark hallway trying to be sneaky and he didn't see me standing there and then I jumped to hide the wall and yelled "You can't looook yet!"

He was a good boy and didn't read them til this morning.

Two-thirds of the way through I ran out of post-its.  So then I raided my paper stash and found some non post it sticky notes.  They sucked!  I had to reinforce them with stickers.  It's a good thing Hubby likes cats.

Happy Birthday Babe!  I Love You!

8 hours

In 8 more work hours, The hubs will officially be on vacation!  Since we haven't had a vacation since early October, I am very excited.  In a few short days I will be chillin with my toes in some real beach sand.  Even if it's only for a day or two at this point I don't care.  We just need to get away!

I am going to jump on the weather bandwagon since I am sure that everyone is blogging about it's crazy make no sensish ways!  Last night we enjoyed a nice night on the yard.  It was nice and cool.  We played tag and had a popsicle.  Today we have been held up inside due to thunderstorms and even a bit of hail.  I brought Clover outside to watch the "ice balls" bounce off the freshly mowed lawn.  She really enjoyed eating one or two or five.

I think that I might spend this weekend looking for a nice spring dress to accompany me on my beach trip.  I am loyal to my jeans and tees but for some reason feel the need to wear a nice breezy dress to sit on the beach.  Or maybe I just want to look cute in the pictures.  The sunscreen is already packed.  Okay, it's not packed.  It's in my purse since I pretty much should use it all the time.

On another note, I have broken down and bought Easter candy.  I am proud of myself for not buying the super huge bag of those evil lil Cadbury Mini Eggs.  They were too tempting in their sugar coated chocolaty goodness!  I bought the medium bag.  But we as a family finished those off already and now I wish that I had bought the huge bag.  Evil lil suckers!

Just Another Chapter In Our Never-Ending Story

3 years ago...

We really had no idea.  When asked, we confidently responded that we were prepared.  We really believed that we were.  The onsies were folded neatly in the dresser.  Diapers and wipes were stacked on the diaper changing table.  Powder and cream placed in the bins.  Phone numbers listed in order on the sheet for when the time came to make the calls of the joyous news.

I didn't worry about having a newborn.  I had years under my belt of taking care of kids.  It is of course what I have studied since I was 14.  Of course I was ready to have my own.  I laugh now about how much I didn't know.  

We patiently waited as the due date drew near.  All the fantasies of those TLC baby shows played in my head.  The perfect birth scenario was quickly changed by the recommendation of a C-section.  Hours later we came face to face with just how much we didn't know.

Our daughter was born with a tumor.  She was whisked off to the local Children's hospital.  While there she was taken care of by a great surgical team and lots of very caring nurses.  She was 9 lbs 1oz when she was born and 6 lbs 10 oz after surgery.      

She was born with a Sacrococcygeal teratoma.  Roughly translated a "monster tumor of the coccyx aka tailbone".  

My darling husband spent his time in two different cities at different hospitals visiting his girls and went home to an empty house at the end of the night.  I still to this day cant imagine the magnitude of how hard that was for him.  

We waited for the parade of visitors we had originally prepared ourselves for.  Even though what we were going through was hard we greeted the brave few with a smile.  I hold those who visited very dear to my heart.  

For three days I focused on getting out of the hospital and seeing my daughter.  That and the Carmel Delites that were in my gift basket that the hospital gave us.  Every year I buy a box specifically to have on her birthday.

Even though I was in mental shock there was one thing I was sure of.   I knew in my heart that my daughter was going to be fine.  After all she had been growing inside of me for months.  She had a power kick that would make any ninja action star jealous.  I knew that she was stronger than anyone gave her credit for.  Now days when she ends up sleeping next to me, I get bruises thanks to the power kicks.  Which is why the co-sleeping didn't work out.      

Thankfully, she was only in the hospital for six days.  The day that we took her home was one of the happiest days of my life.  Little did I know, our adventure was just about to begin.  As cliche as it sounds, adventure is pretty darn accurate.

Being a new parent is exciting, thrilling, scary and rough all at the same time.  We had so much to learn and in such a short time to soak it all in.  Everything that we bought sat on the shelf for a month.  Every time we had to change her we had to wash her down with soap and water until her little butt-butt had healed.  

We patiently sat in waiting rooms and waited to be called.  Preoccupied on the outside, fearful and scared on the inside.  Scared by each article we read online.  We believed that if we could knew more about SCT that maybe we wouldn't feel so helpless.  We endlessly searched for any piece of information that might help us understand what was happening.  Each Dr's visit went better than the last and we always left feeling better than when we entered.  

Between the diaper washing and the juggling our new rolls there were lots of sleepless hours spent wondering why?  It was my own personal internal struggle.  It took me a little while to figure out that sometimes there is no why.  

There just is.  

We leaned on each other, our family and a few friends.  We eventually learned how to stand on our own.  During a lot of dark moments, we held on to each other, a bit of faith and a spark of hope.  Until eventually that spark grew brighter and brighter until we could once again see the future.  

Three years later, I have learned that we truly are stronger than we ever thought possible.  We have learned how to pull together and face whatever life hands us.  

Not only have we survived, but we have thrived.              

As her birthday approaches this year I noticed that it seems a bit different.  I seem more reminiscent than apprehensive.  Time has seemed to take a little more of the sting out of the memories.  Her birthday is such a joyous occasion for us.  But it also happens to be the anniversary of her surgery and the start of this adventure.  

Things have calmed down a bit since that day three years ago. Now we find ourselves worrying about regular kids stuff.  Bumped heads, skinned knees, her fear of dogs all fit into this category.  At times it's nerve wracking but at the same time we take comfort in the fact that it's all normal.  Every three months we worry about her routine blood test but then after we get the results, everything goes back to the somewhat crazy routine.  

I have to say that I find myself just as amazed by my daughter now as I was three years ago.  Most parents gush about their children…but I am truly in awe of her.  Her strength continues to astonish me.  Her emerging personality surprises me at times and leaves me bewildered.  We are constantly impressed by her ability to go with the flow.  She is always up for another adventure.  

We never thought we would find ourselves so preoccupied by something so little.  

I never thought I would find myself so preoccupied by poop.  

We never thought we would find ourselves so wrapped around the little finger of that amazing curly red haired cutie! 

Like I said before…

We really had no idea! 

Nerdy

Day 2:  Nerdy

Every now and then I like to surprise the Hubs.  Today I worked on a project just for him.  I was able to get my Crafty on and my Nerdy on all in the same day.  Hubs got a tablet.  It needed a cover.  I made him one.  But not just any...a personalized one.

Okay so it's an Android.

I followed the basic tutorial  from the Cottage Home.  I just made a few adjustments.  For the android cover I cut out fabric that was 11x8 but if I make any more I might add on half an inch more on the length and height so it's not as snug a fit.

I used some heavy duty denim that I bought some time back.  It felt good to use up some of my stock I already had.  I used bright green broadcloth for the android applique.  The lining is neon green fleece.  I used a simple button and elastic loop closure.

I already have several projects that I have lined up that I want to work on but for some reason I really wanted to work on this today.  I wanted to make something for the Hubs and he is all about gifts that he can use.  It's not every day that I am able to surprise him.  If he doesn't like it...I'll just sell it on Etsy.  Kidding of course.  He loves it.  I love that he loves it.

I Have Left My Confusion to a Cynical World

I have left my confusion to a cynical world
I am throwing myself at things I don't understand
Discover enlightenment holding your hand

You are..
So Beautiful
(From So Beautiful by Darren Hayes)


That was the song I was listening too when I got so caught up in the song that I drove right past my house.  I realized I drove past my house, waved, and then drove around the block listening and singing along to the rest.


I was lost in my own thoughts.  Somewhere between brainstorming and singing.  It's a good thing no one was around to hear me because my voice is normally terrible but add the lovely cold that I have and it's pretty awful!  But lucky, I have the ability to laugh at myself and sing anyways.


It's that time of year again.  Pink and Red everywhere you turn.  Lots of advertisements telling boys to buy girls shiny things.  And lots of billboards showing you where to buy flowers.  Shortly after New Years, all of the lovely red and pink hearts start coming out.  A lot of people gripe that they are out early and that Valentine's day isn't until February.  Not me.  I doddle through all of the isles, gazing at it all.  What?  Like I said, it's pretty.  


I know that some of you out there in the world believe that Valentine's Day is a "commercial holiday" generated by the greeting card company.  So to you I say...so what?  You don't have to buy in.  You don't have to buy Valentines or anything remotely pink or red if you do not wish to do so.  "We should celebrate love every day!" and "I don't like to be told when to tell someone I love them" are two other arguments I have heard.  You are right.  We should tell the people we love that we love them.  And it would be great if we did every day.  But sometimes that pesky life thing gets in the way.  Sometimes we get so caught up in keeping up that things we should do ends up being things that I should have done.  


Sometimes.


So here comes this nice little holiday to remind you.  It can be as simple as that.  A reminder.  You don't have to buy big huge rocks or hundreds of red roses.  I start brainstorming in the beginning of February.  I was busy brainstorming tonight and drove right past my house, so I can't put all the blame on my CD.  I like to do little things to remind the hubs that I still love him.  Drawing hearts on the bathroom mirror or making his cup of coffee before mine.  I love buying a box of Valentines and sending them out.  It reminds me of being a kid again.  And now that I have my very own Clover, I let her pick out the Valentines.  She went with Olivia just in case you were wondering.  We make our own Valentines as well.  Red paint and glitter flying everywhere!  


The hubs and I have spent every Valentine's day the same.  A home made dinner and a rental.  Usually a steak and potato dinner for the hubs and a girlie movie for me.  After Clover's eyes close and she is snug in her bed, the hubs and I get time to ourselves.  Picking the movie takes longer than anything else.  Last year we watched Outsourced.  Which was very cute.  It's a night that we know we get to spend time with each other without any distractions.  No computers or cell phones.  Just us.  


Yes, we should be spending quality time like that all of the time, but ya know...sometimes...life.  So what's wrong with using the holiday as a reminder?  I guess I am a little confused to why that's a bad thing.  

The Oscar for Supportive Wifey Goes To...

December 10 – Wisdom Wisdom. What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out?

At the same time last year, we were stressed.  My Hubs was unhappy with his job.  He had already survived more than five rounds of layoffs.  Honestly, I couldn't tell you how many there were because I stopped counting after five.  He decided to make a lateral move in the company.  New boss, new position.  He was excited at first.  He would be doing something that was in the same field that he wanted.  But we both quickly realized that the grass is not always greener on the other side of the hill.  I think that the last straw was when his boss called and wanted him to fly to New York two days before Christmas.  He knew he wasn't happy, and although he didn't say anything for awhile, I knew he wasn't happy.  So what do you do?  He stuck through it because he wanted to provide for his family. 

Soon after that, wheels started turning.  Things were put in motion and a position opened up with another company.  A company that he had dreamed about working for.  There was some politics involved.  The company he was at didn't want to let him go.  So there was some stress about that as well. 

Supporting him never seemed like a choice.  It was just a given.  We discussed it, and waited.  I told him to do whatever it takes.  I just wanted him to be happy.  At the time the risks were worth it.  Whatever happened we had each other, we had our daughter.  He has always been a great provider, that's just the sort of man he is.  I have no doubt that he will continue to be.  At the same time I don't want him to be miserable while doing so.  So, I stood by him while he took a giant leap.

The adjustments in the beginning where a challenge.  Some took longer to get used to than others.  I think that nine months later we have done a good job of settling in.  The mood this year definitely seems different.  We seem to be focusing more on the holiday, the decorations and the Peppermint Mochas.  We don't feel as stressed as last year.  At least I don't. 

Although, right now the Hubs is sick.  So if you ask him if this year is better I'm not sure he will give you a positive answer.  But that has more to do with the fact that he is grumpy when he is sick.  But don't worry, I will have a nice hot cup of tea and a bowl of soup waiting for him when he gets home  . 

Party On Wayne, Party On Juju

December 9 – Party. What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans.

We've had a few fun gatherings in 2010.  This year was the first year that we have actively made the kid's birthday party circuit.  Clover is now old enough to be invited to her friend's birthday parties.  So this year we made the rounds.  She even got in a bounce house for the first time.  She needed help at first but by the end of the afternoon she had such a sense of accomplishment because she could do it herself.  I was a proud momma that day.  An added bonus I got to catch up with a bunch of girls from high school, and we got cake, so really it was a triple bonus.  At one party Clover got to watch a clown do magic tricks.  She went home screaming ABRACADABRA all afternoon!  We went to two swim parties, one which she jumped in the pool fully clothed while I was walking her shoes to the backpack.  I was conflicted, part of me wanted to be mad but I really couldn't help but laugh.  In her mind there was nothing wrong with getting in the kiddie pool fully clothed.  The five seconds it would have taken to change would have been too much for her little two year old body to handle.  I got lots of comments about how much of a "free spirit" she was that afternoon.    

Family gatherings are new for us as well.  We came from point in our lives where it was just the two of us, Hubs and I.  We went out whenever we wanted.  We hosted a ton of get togethers.  I can't tell you the amount of gaming parties we had, or how many times I woke up to the occasional friend on the couch.  Once we had Clover things slowed down a bit.  Actually they came to a screeching halt.  Guess what?  Most single guys are scared by babies.  I say that because in our experience most of them disappeared when Clover came home.  That first year we tried to host a few parties thinking that nothing had changed.  Crickets.  We have a few loyal buddies that we keep in touch with. 

I have to say that there has been a shift in our social calendar.  We have lots more family events to attend, which is new to us.  It's been a blast.  We were invited to a family camping event with multiple families with kids.  We got to camp out with great friends, made some new friends and watched Clover have a blast running through the forest with the other kids.  We also went to a very lovely Thanksgiving dinner hosted by a friend of mine.  We had great food, great conversation and once again got to watch Clover play with her friends. 

I think my favorite of 2010 was the Carnival Party!  I might be slightly biased because it was the party I threw for my 30th birthday and Hubs 31st!  I decided that I wanted to throw myself a party.  I love throwing parties and love the details.  I printed ticket invitations.  We had carnival games and prizes.  We got to borrow a rockin popcorn machine to make popcorn.  There where so many details that pulled the party together.  We invited lots of friends.  We had one moment where we thought we may have invited too many people because it seemed like we just couldn't get around to talk to everyone.  And I can't forget the cotton candy machine.  Best idea ever!  I was a little shocked to find out that some people don't like cotton candy.  What?  Are you serious?  Of course having my birthday the beginning of June, it happened to be triple digits.  So hopping in and out of the pool was a given.  A friend made me a carnival popcorn bucket cake to pull it all together.  It was a nice way to end the party. 

We've had a lot of great gatherings, fire pit night and Friday hang out nights.  The year isn't over yet.  It will be interesting to see what else we can squeeze into the next 22 days!