The Merry Month of May

Ahhhh, May.  It's always been my favorite month...ya know, because it's my birthday month!  But little did I know, it would just keep getting better and better!!

Two years ago I became a Mrs.  What a day that was!  Some people might say that the wedding of the century was William and Kate's (and I admit, theirs was pretty spectacular...they brought trees inside Westminster Abbey!)...but I say the one that will go down in the history books took place 3 short days later :}  I couldn't have imagined a more perfect wedding day.  Looking back, I wouldn't change a thing.  The morning of the wedding, my bridesmaids, my mom, and I spent a few luxurious hours at the salon...complete with Mimosas.  We all had manis, pedis, and our hair and makeup done...and I must say, we all looked stunning!  After that, being the coffee adicts that we are, we stopped at McDonald's (yes, this was 2010...pre-Starbucks in my hometown) for iced coffees, then headed to Wolf Mountain Vineyard's to get dressed and ready for the big moment.  In my dressing area they had glasses of wine for everyone and a cheese and cracker platter- amazing!  Then, time seemed to fly by; the next thing I knew they were telling me to go stand my my dad because we were about to go down the aisle!  Whew...I was so nervous.  But everything during the ceremony went great, except for a brief awkward moment when we weren't sure if it was time to kiss or not (it was :} )!  After the ceremony and pictures were done, we went up to party and have dinner.  What a great time.  It was so much fun to see friends I hadn't seen in a while, celebrate with our families, and dance and have some great food and local wine (yes, we got to eat...we made sure it was a priority!).  Here are some pics:

It's been two of the most eventful years of my life!  We moved three times; once three hours away from home, once across the country, and once across town!  We went through a pregnancy and the birth of our first child.  We went through a miscarriage.  Josh got promoted from Second Leiutenant to First, and from a Platoon Leader to an XO.  We've been through many days and nights apart.  Every experience we've had in the past two years has done nothing but strengthen our marriage.  Would I do it all again?  In a heartbeat.

Sunday, the 6th is my 27th birthday.  Yikes!  How did this happen?!  Why can't we all just stay 25?  Oh well...at least getting older is an excuse to get presents.  I'm all about the presents.  Just kidding!  Not really.  I'm really looking forward to my party this year...it's going to be Kentucky Derby themed.  We'll be eating lots of Southern food while we're watching the race.  Super exciting!  While planning my party this year, I've been thinking about my birthday parties.  Two stick out in my mind.  The first one is my 7th birthday.  It was my first and only surprise party.  It was a Hawaiian Luau theme.  My family pulled it off without a hitch.  I started asking my family what we were going to be doing for my birthday and, mysteriously, my grandma (who was catering at the time) said she and my granddad had to cater a party that night and wouldn't be able to celebrate with me.  I was crushed...as I proceeded to help chop some fruit and veggies (yes, I helped cater my OWN party!), still not catching on.  I don't remember exactly what my parents told me we were doing that night, but I was told that I would be spending the afternoon with my aunt.  She picked me up and said we'd go do whatever I wanted (or something to that effect), but she had to stop by to see a friend first.  Well, great!  My fun birthday afternoon with my aunt was going to be put on hold by a boring trip to see some lady I didn't even know!  So we pulled up to a building, opened the door, and there were my family and friends yelling "Surprise!" and throwing confetti!  I was so stunned I was speechless for pretty much the entire party!  Wow.  Such a great memory.  The party totally made up for all the lies ;} 

The second favorite birthday was my 25th.  Josh and I were on our honeymoon and I got to go horseback riding through the jungle in Mexico!  I know!  That morning I woke up to a beautiful bouquet of flowers, room service breakfast and a Champagne cocktail.  Then we went on our horseback riding excursion.  We finished the day off with probably the most amazing meal I have ever eaten at a restaurant on the ship.  Each of seven courses was served with a wine pairing.  We at foie gras, risotto, and lamb.  Amazing!  What an experience.  Here are pictures of my flowers, me riding my horse (the long sleeves were to avoid sunburn and the bird-sized mosquitoes!), and the beautiful cantina where we were treated to ice cold cervezas!  I've been so blessed to enjoy so many happy birthdays.

Finally, the 13th will be my first Mother's Day.  There is no way to describe the feeling of being a mother.  It's crazy.  Sometimes it doesn't even feel real.  I look at Cameron and think, "This is my son."  He's part me and part Josh...but he's him!  He's a person.  It blows my mind to think about it too much!  But he's such a blessing and I can't imagine life without him. 

Since I've only had seven months of experience being a mother myself, I thought I'd talk about my mom a little.  I'm not a fan of getting too sappy.  But I just want to brag on her a little.  This Saturday she's going to graduate with her Specialist degree in teaching (she's already a great teacher, I don't know why she thought she had to learn how to be a better one ;} ).  She's been working on this for a year and a half, and she already has her Bachelor's and Master's degrees.  She's way smarter than me!  But, I'm really proud of her...I admire people who go to school on top of having full time jobs.  Not to mention, while she was getting her Master's, she had a full time job, was going to school, AND taking care of me when I was a baby (which apparently was no easy task)!!  Mom's incredible!  She has always been my best friend.  She's pretty much the only person who would go see first Lord of the Rings movie 13 a few times in theatres.  We spent nine years together, day in and day out while I was being homeschooled, and still managed to remain on speaking terms!  She's always supported and encouraged any endeavour I've decided to pursue.  I know that couldn't have always been easy, but it is definitely appreciated.  She's my movie buddy, travel buddy, and just sit-and-chat while having coffee buddy.  warning: sappy part coming  I don't tell her enough, but I love her very much :}

So, that's why May is my favorite month!