My Birthday!

Yesterday was my 26th Birthday! I received so many phone calls, text messages and facebook messages, from my friends and family wishing me a Happy Birthday! It really made me feel good that they were thinking about me on my birthday! Shaun woke me up with a smile and two sweet birthday cards. I made this flower arrangement with the flowers that he gave me. He got me some SD cards for my camera and told me that the rest of my gift was my trip to San Francisco to see Katie this summer! I am very excited to see Katie who has been my Best Friend since I was 4 years old, and San Francisco! I showed the model home from 2 to 4 pm and then came home to have dinner with my Mom, Grandpa, Aidan and our neighbor, Jarrod. It was fun to sit outside on our patio and enjoy the evening with my family. That is exactly what I needed this weekend....TO RELAX! Cassius was so relaxed he fell asleep next to my Grandpa's feet! I couldn't resist taking a photo.

My Dad is playing golf at Norris Lake and my brother could not make it. We are going to get the whole family together when my Dad gets home from his golf outing. After dinner Shaun, and our neighbor Jarrod headed to Cincy to visit our friends Justin and Brian. We went out and had a few drinks on the patio of the restaurant.

On Saturday afternoon I went to Patty's Baby Shower. She is due in July and I am so excited for her and Alex to become parents! I cannot wait to hold her sweet baby girl! She has been such an amazing friend to me and I am so happy for her to be a Mother! I will share the photos from the baby shower very soon!

After the baby shower, my friends Heather, Sarah and Sally took me to The Greene for my birthday. We ate at Cheesecake Factory and it was delicious! We shared a piece of Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake for dessert. Then we went to The Pub for a few drinks. I really appreciate them thinking about me on my birthday and making it a special one for me. They are such great friends that I have known for so many years. It was fun laughing and reminiscing about all the great times we have had together!

On Monday evening, our friends Patty and Alex came over for dinner. We made chicken on the grill, corn on the cob, baked potato, salad and bread. We were stuffed but it was so yummy! It was great spending time with family and friends and always fun to stretch your birthday out the whole weekend! :)

My Dad's Retirement!

Yesterday, my Dad had his retirement ceremony at WPAFB after 40 years of service! I am so proud of his hard work and all of the accomplishments that he has achieved over the years. My Dad is such a admirable and dedicated person. He has worked hard to give us an amazing life. It is hard to express in words how much I appreciate all that he has done for our family. Some of the benefits of his job were going on business trips all over the United States. My parents favorite place was Hawaii, where he went on three different occasions for work. Eleven years ago, he changed jobs from Flight Control to Safety to insure job security. I know that he has not really enjoyed his job in the Safety department, but he made that sacrifice in order to make sure that he could take care of his family.

At the ceremony, he brought tears to our eyes when he became emotional while talking about how much he cares for his family. I know that everyone in that room felt the love that we share as a family. He was presented with awards, medals, and a flag that was flown over the Capital Building for his years of service. They also mentioned in his ceremony that my parents were celebrating 37 years of marriage on this day! Congrats Dad and Mom!

After the ceremony we went to Fox and Hound for lunch, where he was able to celebrate with us and the people that he has worked with for so many years. He had fun laughing, talking and even getting teased about his age. I think he looks great for 59! They made him and "Old Man" putter that looked like something that they would have used in the caveman days. My Dad is looking forward to relaxing, playing lots of golf, and just enjoying life now that he is retired. He deserves it and I am so happy for him!

Here is a description of what he has done over the past 40 years:

My Father began his career in the Navy, serving a 4 ½ year tour as an Aviation Electronics Technician for an F-4B Fighter Squadron aboard U.S.S FORRESTAL. Following his navy tour, he started work with the Flight Dynamics Laboratory and Flight Control Division.

He worked there for twenty five years in the Research and Development Flight Dynamics Laboratory, where he was the program manager to help develop flight critical control software. This is the software for programs that is in airplanes.

Then he switched over to the Safety division, where he has spent the past 11 years as a Ground Safety Manager providing guidance to the safety professionals within 10 directorates in the United States. The mishap prevention program instruction he established provided guidance and direction for occupational safety and health program for all organizations within the laboratory. When required, he assumed Chief of Safety Duties for AFRL, managing and directing all safety disciplines within the laboratory, and providing guidance to the safety professionals within the ten technology directorates.

His valuable contributions to the Air Force in Flight Control Software Technology and Safety methodology for operations within the Air Force Research Laboratory over the past 40 years are greatly appreciated.

OUR FIRST WEDDING ANNIVERSARY! :)

Today was our First Wedding Anniversary! Yay! The sun was shining brightly, just like it was on our wedding day. We had a BEAUTIFUL wedding! I loved planning every detail of our wedding and am still interested in staying in the wedding industry. We tried to incorporate details of our relationship into the reception. It was a lot of fun using our creativity and creating some of our details. I got a little emotional on the way to church today when we were talking about how special our wedding day was to us. I wish I could go back and experience it again. I feel like the day went by so fast that I had a hard time taking it all in. I think what touched me the most about the day was all of the love that I felt from Shaun and our amazing family and friends. You have everyone that you love and that has been a part of your life for so many years in the same room. You want to talk to everyone but the day just goes by so fast. There were so many heartfelt things said to us on that day that really touched our hearts. We are so lucky to have such great families and friends. These people are what matters the most in life. I want to thank everyone that was there to celebrate with us on our special day.

I love my husband dearly! Shaun has so many qualities that I appreciate and that attracted me to him. He is my biggest supporter and is always doing sweet things for me. He is very romantic and is constantly surprising me with little things to make me happy. We have so much fun together and he is always saying something to make me laugh. He has so many other great qualities that I admire. This year has had its ups and downs, but that is what relationships are all about. If you are dedicated to each other, you can work through anything. All relationships other than just marriage such as with family members, friends, and co-workers take understanding. It is important to remember the things that brought you together and try to do something special that you both enjoy often. I cannot describe how much I appreciate all that he does. He has been so patient with me while I am trying to finish school. He helps me with my homework and is understanding when I am stressed. I am looking forward to this summer when I can finally give him the attention that he deserves. I am lucky to have such a wonderful Husband and am looking forward to our future together. He truly is “My Best Friend.”





Here is a slideshow of my favorite photos from our wedding. These photos are courtesy of 360 Studios Photography by Jennel. She did an awesome job and captured the important moments of our day!

Today we went to church at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, and went to Beavercreek Golf Club for dinner. It was fun to go there and reminisce on our anniversary. The important part was that we finally got to spend some quality time together!

To My Mother......

Mother's Day is a special day to show appreciation for all that they do! There are many ways to describe the responsibility that Mother's face. A mother is a teacher, a nurse, a taxi driver, a cook, a referee, a party planner, a housekeeper, a nanny, a motivational speaker, a dog walker, a handy-woman, and a guidance counselor. Mothers are ready to take on the challenges that are presented to them. I am not yet a mother, but I can only imagine how challenging and rewarding it will be. I have an amazing relationship with my Mom and it has grown even deeper in the past few years. I think that I finally truly appreciate all that she has done and still does for me. My Mom is the most generous, thoughtful, sincere person that you will ever meet. She unselfishly gives her time to others and rarely makes time for herself. One of the things that I admire a lot is her dedication to taking care of my 91 year old Grandfather. She devotes her time to making sure that he is cared for and has everything that he needs. She devotes her days off work to driving him around on errands to get him out of the house. I know that she is treasuring her time with him and I really appreciate all that she does for him. My Mom has done a great job of raising my brother and I in a happy household because of her dedication to my father. They have been great examples of what it takes to have a strong marriage. I remember my Mom playing with my brother and I and how much fun we had with her. My Mom stayed home with us so we got to spend alot of time with her. Today, most mothers work and do not get to spend as much time with their children. It is just a different generation and both parents have to work today to support their family. I will most likely have to work when I have a family, but I know that our children will be in good hands.

She is my Best Friend and I tell her EVERYTHING! I have a special bond with my Mom. I can always tell her how I feel and I know she will understand. She encourages me to do my best and to take care of myself. She is goofy and silly and I think that is where I get some of my characteristics. When she knows that I am stressed she will do anything in her power to help me. Now that I am older she doesn’t have to do those things, but she still does. I am getting a little emotional right now thinking about how much she means to me. I hope that someday when I have children that I can be the kind of mother to them that she is to me. So remember, it’s important to tell your Mother how much you appreciate everything she does EVERY DAY, not just on Mother’s Day!

I found this cute Mother's Day poem that touched my heart! I wanted to share it with you!

I LOVE MAY!

I love the month of May! It is so refreshing after winter to be able to enjoy the sunshine and warm weather! I LOVE to go for a walk and take a deep breath of fresh spring air. I also love the month of May because my birthday is in May, my Parents Anniversary, and our FIRST wedding Anniversary is THIS Sunday. I will have a special blog on Sunday. :) My brother Ryan, is getting married May 1, 2010. I am so happy for Ryan and excited for his wedding! I think that it is so exciting that our family will all have wedding anniversaries that are in the month of May! I just finished my Big Book project for my phonics class. We had to write a book that would help teach children how to read and also incorporate phonics concepts. My book was called "What I Like About Spring." I took photos and used them in the book. I also made spring objects that were velcroed on so there was an interactive aspect. My husband helped me alot with this project and it still took hours and hours to make.

Cassius has one more round of shots before we are able to take him to the park, so we have been taking him over to "Grandpa and Grandma" Fridley's house. It is so beautiful there and we have been enjoying our evenings with them. He LOVES to run around on their property. He is hillarious because he just darts across the yard full speed and runs, and runs, and runs. He is getting so fast. I ran across the yard and he kept up with me. Shaun and I are so lucky to both have such amazing parents. We are also so lucky to have in-laws that have accepted us into their family with love. I am happy that I have a great relationship with Shaun's parents. I thought I would share a few photos of Cassius playing at their house the other night.