Spring Weekending Snaps

Happy Spring! I hope it actually feels like Spring where you are, unlike here in NoVa where the first day of Spring had a high of 45 for the day, was overcast and snow flurries in the forecast! #gohomespringyouredrunk

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This weekend was pretty low key for me since MG was out of town at a Bachelor party, and lots of friends started their trips and vacations for Spring Break. The restful weekend was actually really nice, and gave me some time to just relax and be by myself.

My weekend highlights included:

~Celebrating the start of Spring Break with a little personal sized champs and pretty weather

~These yummy treats that my coworker brought in to work for me on Friday (they were so pretty I felt bad eating them....but that didn't stop me haha). I haven't eaten them all....yet.

~A relaxing night in catching up on all of my DVR shows, including RHOBH which I'd fallen asleep during last week (oops), and a super long, highly entertaining text convo with Brittany

~Saturday morning coffee date with my friend Lisa

~Watched The Best of Me with hottie James Marsden. It was good, but I wasn't expecting the ending. I also didn't mind all of the shots of James Marden in his tank tops #drool

~Lots of puppy cuddles

~An hour long phone convo/catch up with my bestie. Love that I get to see her next weekend!

~Watched our wedding video because I just wanted to see my dad, and I kind of wanted to do it while I was home alone

~Pizza and cheesy bread for dinner because it was mega rainy gross out and super cold and I didn't want to leave the house. And just because pizza:)

~Watched How to Train Your Dragon 2 which was still just as cute as the first one. I love Toothless!

~More puppy snuggles. Love me some Coop.

is there anything better??

~Funny texts from my husband. One of which included a text that they caught a "cab" on the way back from the casinos which ended up being a limo...only cost them $30 haha

~Seeing this incredibly beautiful painting that our friend painted. I told him we want one! :)

I'm so in awe of how talented he is and I'm obsessed with this painting!

~Waking up Sunday to 30 degree weather but thankfully no snow on the ground. I wouldn't be surprised if this was our forecast (saw this on Facebook):

~Did some laundry, and cleaned around the house, then ran errands for the week once MG got back home to kisses and tail wags (Ill let you figure out which ones I gave and which ones Coop gave :)

~Did some meditation with a new app I discovered, which was really calming and pretty incredible

~Started reading a new book thanks to Stephanie's recommendation the other week on her Show Us Your Books post (thanks, Steph!)

~Had a little sushi dinner with MG followed by finishing House of Cards before heading to bed. Oh my word, did the season end well!

And today I have a day date with my friend--lunch and shopping are on the docket and I can't wait! 

Hope your weekend was just what you needed!

Friday Faves

Happy happy Friday!!! We survived another week, and this one is awesome for me because it's the last day before my Spring Break next week! Praise!!!

Friday Favorites // Friday Favorites // Oh Hey Friday// 5 on Friday

For my 5 faves this week, I thought I'd share some of my favorite ways that my friends and family have been showing me love and support through the last couple of weeks. I think you'll understand why it's been so overwhelming.

{1} Flowers

We've gotten so many pretty bouquets and arrangements of flowers! Our house smells LOVELY when you walk in because of it. Biana sent me some birthday flowers last Friday, Lynn sent me some this week, and earlier this week I got an early evening delivery of flowers from some blog friends which was incredibly sweet and totally unexpected! You girls really brightened up my day with your thoughtfulness!

{2} Small gestures

My friends at work have sent flowers, and also set up a google doc where people at work have signed up to bring in little goodies and things to brighten up my day....for the next 4 weeks! My friend brought in coffee and a chocolate croissant (that was the size of my head!) on Monday and my assistant principal bought me lunch on Wednesday (you can read about that slight debacle in my post yesterday haha). I feel SO loved by my work family. I still can't believe the generosity.

{3} Cards/Emails/Phone Calls/Texts

Some of my friends (blog and IRL) have sent me some incredibly sweet emails and cards. I always love getting real mail, and the cards have been so sweet and thoughtful. Owen's card definitely was my kind of humor: 

The phone calls and texts from friends just checking in on me have been so kind, too. You never think that you're that important in someone else's life (well, I didn't anyway), and then you realize how many people keep you in their minds and their hearts when you don't even know it.

{4} Bracelet

Three of my friends at work also sent me a surprise over the weekend (they really are amazing friends). This Alex and Ani Paths of Life bracelet showed up on my doorstep and I've worn it just about every day since. 

{5} Hugs

These are probably my favorite thing thus far. I'm a hugger through and through, and the hugs I've gotten from family and friends are the things that make me feel the most cared for and loved. Items and things are wonderful and incredibly thoughtful, but a hug is at the top of my list! I'm thankful for all of the huggers out there, and the people whose hugs have given me comfort, MG being at the top of the list of great huggers! :)

I'm really not sure how I'd be making it through everything without my tribe of friends and family. You always think that in a hard time, people will show up, but I honestly never could have imagined this. Even without all of the things, I know just how much people care and I feel so blessed to have so much support and love.
Thank you to each of you who have commented, emailed, texted, called, sent a card or flowers. Please know that it has all helped my heart.

I hope you have a great weekend, surrounded by those you love and care about. 

Confession Session

Hey friends! It's Thursday for real (which is good because on Tuesday I swore it was Thursday...I think DST is getting to me!) and it's St. Patrick's Day. Are you wearing your green so that no one pinches you?

I'm linking up with Jess for some confessions this week!

I confess that....

.....whenever my gas light comes on and tells me the range I have left to drive, I start getting stressed, especially because it flashes at me the whole time I'm driving!

.....pretty morning skies make the morning drive so much happier and enjoyable. I'm not sure why, but lately, they've reminded me of my dad.

.....blog friends are the best!

.......my heart broke a little bit on Monday when I had to say good bye to my favorite little guy at work before he and his family move. He brought me a Tervis tumbler which I adore (and needed since I broke mine the day before). Gonna miss him so much!

.....I have a coworker who is incredibly sweet, super kind and friendly.....but she smells. Like, reeeeeeally bad. I'm not the only person who notices it, either. #P.U.

......I'm not planning on partaking in any St. Patty's day drinking tonight. At least not in the form of green beer. Perhaps Ill celebrate with some white wine instead :)

{via} Well, maybe not ALL cheap white wine :)

.......yesterday morning I drove to the doctor for a blood draw. I left the house at 630 and left the doc's at 7. I made it about 5 minutes from work (after driving right past my house) before I realized that I forgot my work laptop at home. So, back I went, 20 minutes, and then another 20 minutes BACK to work. By the time I got there, I'd been in the car for 2 hours. Doh!

......when you live in a city where public transit is a big deal, and they decide to shut down the entire Metro system for 24+ hours, it wreaks havoc on traffic.  This is also not a good day to forget your laptop at home (ask me how I know this).

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.....my sweet work friends set up a Google doc for our coworkers to bring in little treats for me throughout the next few weeks, to help brighten my days. SUPER sweet! My assistant principal was supposed to bring me lunch yesterday and I was nervous she'd forget, so I brought leftovers, but in the morning she said she was getting me lunch, asked what I wanted (wrote it down), and asked what time I ate lunch and I said "12:30". Well, 1 pm rolls around and no lunch (I get 30 minutes for lunch). Three separate people track her down, she calls my room and asks me what I ordered, then tells me she didn't order what I asked for and I guess brought me whatever was leftover from what she ordered, which wasn't great. Sigh...I guess it's still the thought that counts, right? (Not trying to be ungrateful...it was just disappointing to wait that long, be starving, and then not get what you'd been dreaming of)

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What are you confessing this week?

What's Hap-"Pinning" Wednesday {#32}

It's Wednesday which means it's time for another round of What's Hap-"Pinning" with Jessi and myself! You can link up and share about anything that's going on with you!

Today I'm gonna do a Currently post because it's been a bit since I did one and I felt like it, so there :)

Reading ...
I just finished a book called The Fall Up. It was cute, and had some really good steamy descriptions. I'd say it's a good beach read.

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Listening to...
Spotify since apple music decided to start charging to access their radio station. No thanks, Apple. You already get too much of my money. 

Watching ...
I watched the Bachelor finale--I thought all along he was going to choose Lauren, and then the last episode I was thinking he had better interactions with Jojo. So, I was totally up in the air the whole time. I think Jojo would make a good Bachelorette so I'm glad that they picked her--way better than Caila.
I also watched the Vanderpump finale--James makes me ill. He's such a pompous jerk.

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Cooking...
After a week of eating out due to hospital stuff/not being in the mood to cook, or because of birthday celebrations, we're back on the healthy eating train this week. Salad, Honey Mustard Salmon and One Pot Mexican Quinoa are all on the menu this week!

Looking forward to ... 

Spring Break next week. It's the first Spring Break we dont have a trip planned, but that's ok. With Zika rampant, and everything else that's been going on, some down time at home, with friends, and doing pampering things (massage, haircut) is just what the doctor ordered.

Wishing...
that I didn't have to hear anymore about these stupid politicians we have running right now to be President. They pretty much all suck.  Can we start over from scratch?

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Enjoying ...
the massive tub of Jelly Bellys that my SIL got me as part of my birthday gift. There's about 8 pounds of them so I think I'll be stocked for quite some time. Don't tell my dentist!

Loving....
all of the love and support I've gotten from you guys, family and my other friends. It's been overwhelming in the best way possible. I think everything would be a lot harder without this incredible support system of people who I love and love me too.

Wearing ...
All kinds of stuff because the weather just can't seem to decide if it wants to be Spring, or if it wants to keep hanging on to Winter. Within the last week I've worn short sleeves and flip flops, and boots and long sleeves....Make up your mind, Mother Nature! Been wearing my new Kate Spade watch as much as possible tho :)

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Grateful For...
It might be repetitive but my friends and family. And I've realized just how grateful I am for them even more this past week. I'm truly lucky and blessed.

Now it's your turn to link up and share what's hap-"pinning" with you!

Never Have I Ever....

I saw this idea over on Andrea's blog and thought it was a super cute idea, so I jumped in on the fun!

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Never have I ever....

.....flown out of the country alone.

I've always been with someone else. I've flown alone within the US, but never outside of it.

.....loved bananas

I've always disliked them. Something about the consistency just weirds me out and I can't stand eating them. Blech.

.......broken any bones

I've had a couple of bad sprains, but never broken a bone, thank goodness.

.....effectively learned how to drive stick shift

I know the basics, and have done it a handful of times (but not for more than a decade). But I definitely would not be safe out on the roads. I'd be stalled within a few seconds probably.

.....seen some of the "classic" movies like Scarface or Pulp Fiction (in its entirety). And I've never seen Frozen, either.

......gotten food poisoning

At least not that I'm aware of. I've definitely gotten the flu before tho. 

......figured out how to style my hair well

I can pull my hair together for the day-to-day and know what works for everyday, but a fancy 'do done by myself has never been done. Any hair gurus who want to come and be my personal hairstylist, I welcome you!

......speaking of hair, I've never had a perm

And that's probably a good thing.

....been in a fist fight

I've been dragged into girl drama before--usually as an unwilling participant, but never a fist fight where punches were thrown or things got physical. Thank goodness.

.....seen Breaking Bad

despite everyone telling us that we should watch it. We may get around to it once our tv shows go on hiatus.

....missed a flight because of my own lateness

I've missed flights because of airline delays etc, but I've never been late for a flight and missed it.

.....loved an animal more than I love Cooper

When I say he's my doggy soulmate, I mean it SO strongly. I love him SO SO SO much!!

What have you never done?

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Birthday Weekending with the Fam

Happy Monday, friends. Before I recap my weekend for you, I had to take a moment and thank each and every one of you for all of the heart felt messages of condolence--either through the comments here, private emails, texts...they all meant so much to me. You guys really showed me the love, and each of your messages helped, so thank you.

The past week has been pretty overwhelming--we've gotten so much support from family and friends, and even some people I've fallen out of touch with have reached out. It makes you realize how people can really show up for you when it's needed.

This weekend was also my birthday, and I was actually able to celebrate this weekend, despite all of the other emotions I was dealing with.

My weekend highlights included:

~Having my MIL, SIL and youngest niece come down from Philly on Friday afternoon.

~Got to get outside and enjoy the 4th day of the week that was warm and beautiful

~Getting 7 bouquets of flowers either for my birthday or as condolence from friends. They've all been beautiful and helped to brighten up our home--and they smell wonderful!

~Got spoiled for my birthday by MG and his sister. All of these gems are now mine:

totally in love with my new Kate Spade watch courtesy of MG #love

~Birthday dinner at Chef Geoff's with MG, my mom, MIL, SIL and niece. The food was incredible--I ordered the scallops and mushroom risotto and ate every single bite of it. It didn't disappoint!

~Back to the house for some chocolate mousse birthday cake and birthday photos

~Saturday morning we made breakfast together and then went to National Harbor to walk around and grab lunch before MG's family headed back home

I'm so thankful that they came down--it was such a nice distraction and really helped make my birthday feel special and not so gloomy.

I'm so blessed. I really really am.

~Gave myself a manicure with Essie's In Stitches

~Went out to dinner with our friends and tried out a new restaurant, Grand Cru--a wine bar/bistro where we did a wine tasting along with our meals (which were also super delicious). It was so nice to spend time with our friends and catch up.

~Ran errands Sunday, took a bunch of things to donate, and brought Coop to the dog park--watching him run around without a care in the world made me smile :)

~Helped my mom make some final preparations for my dad's memorial service

~Had Chipotle for dinner for the first time since their whole food crisis happened. We survived!

~Watched a few episodes of House of Cards before calling it a night

This year's birthday obviously wasn't what I expected it to be a couple of months ago, but thanks to my incredible family and friends, it was still special. I know my dad would have wanted me to celebrate, and do things in order to be happy. And with some help, I was able to do that. 

Just because there are pictures with smiles doesn't mean there weren't really hard parts of the weekend with tears. But, I'm not dwelling on those. I'm embracing the sadness, but I'm also choosing to look for the happy.

I hope your weekend was special, too :)

Important Days

Today's a special day in my life: it's my birthday! But it's also a significant one for more than that reason.

It's the first birthday I'll be celebrating without my dad here to share it with me.

On Wednesday this week, early in the morning, my dad passed away peacefully in his sleep with my mom and I with him in his hospital room when he went, which was exactly what he had said he wanted.

My dad was in a coma from Monday afternoon until the time that he passed in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The last words I heard my dad speak to me were when I was leaving the hospital on Sunday evening and he gave me a kiss, thanked me for coming and being with him there, and then told me that he loved me. I'll remember that forever.

When I got back to the hospital on Tuesday morning, it was the first time I walked into the room and my dad's eyes didn't open and he didn't greet me. It hit me like a ton of bricks that this was something different than every other time I'd come to see him, even on his really bad days. My mom then shared with me that the doctor had just been in and said that he believed my dad would pass within the next day, possibly before then.

As much as I've known this was coming, and tried to prepare for it, nothing prepares you for the moment when you face having to say good bye to one of the people who raised you, who taught you how to be the person you are today, who made sure you were taken care of in more ways than just food and shelter.

I called MG and he immediately came over from work and my mom's best friend came by as well while my mom went home for a bit to shower since she'd been there for 2 days straight. It was nice to have people there so that I wasn't dealing with this alone.

Later in the day MG went home to take care of Cooper and to get me things to stay over night at the hospital, and my mom's best friend left, too, while one of my best friends was on her way to be with me.

It was just me and my dad for a while and I was able to hold his hand, and tell him how much I love him, how thankful I was for everything he had ever done for me and taught me, and how much he had loved me. I told him what a great dad he'd always been.

Once the nurses came in and moved him, he would groan from time to time, so I would just rub his arm, tell him that I was there, that it was going to be ok, and that I loved him. It seemed to help.

My friend got to the hospital and I was so thankful that she was there. She's known my dad since middle school and it was nice to have my friend to lean on.

When my mom got back, she told me she'd gone through my dad's lockbox where he'd kept important papers, looking for some papers that she needed, and saw that in there my dad had three letters: one from his sister from the 90s who has since passed, one from my mom on their 21st wedding anniversary, and one that I had written him when I was graduating from college.

We sat there and read the letters out loud to him (well, my mom read mine because I immediately broke down when I tried to) and it was so special. My letter said everything that I wanted to say to my dad and made me realize, even more, just how lucky I am to have had such a great dad who gave me so many things to thank him for and be grateful for, for all of these years. I'm so glad that he knew how much he means to me.

Not only that, but it obviously meant so much to him that he kept this for more than 10 years since I'd given it to him. It made it that much more special for me that it meant so much to him.

MG got back to the hospital with my things for the night, my friend Crystal left after a bit, and so did MG after staying there for a couple more hours. And then it was just me, my mom and my dad. 

When I got ready for bed, I said good night to my dad and I said a silent prayer that my aunt (his sister), his parents, and all of our family members who have passed would make sure that he wasn't scared, and show him the way. And at a little after 2 in the morning, I think they were all there to meet him and do just that.

My dad now doesn't have to worry about his heart not working. It's fixed. And my dad doesn't have to worry about feeling weak and trying to get stronger. He's strong again.

And most of all, my dad will never wonder whether or not he was loved. Because he was loved beyond measure, and will continue to be loved for the rest of my days.

So even though it's been a really hard, incredibly sad, and heartbreaking week, today on my birthday I can be thankful that I had such an amazing man in my life to show me what it is to be loved and cared for, among countless other things. I couldn't have asked for a better gift or a better dad. And I feel just a tiny bit better knowing my dad is always going to be watching over me, just like he did when he was here on Earth. That's one birthday gift that I'll treasure for a lifetime.