OMG

So, my 40th birthday came and went with a blown tire, a rapid pickup of the children and a broken air conditioner. Oh well, that’s life.  **shrugs**   The next day I shifted focus to Girl 2’s 4th birthday party in 9 days and another mini- vacation with all the extended family and all the hostessing that includes. Somewhere in that time frame dr soc had a nose job (okay, it was sinus surgery. But calling it a nose job is better for teasing because I love him), we set up a new big girl bed for girl 2, and somehow had to clean the house for all the company coming in because omg there are going to be 11 people in my house at the same time. 

Friday before the party I text dr soc with the last minute party/grocery shopping and come home to a clean house too. God I love that man. But something was slightly off. No one was downstairs like usual when I come home from work, and the sofa tables are cleaned off with the exception of a purse I didn’t recognize.

me: I’m home! Hey who’s here?
dr soc: What do you mean?

me: Whose purse is this? (I’m not too concerned, and if even if it was his mistress if she cleans my house she can stay)

dr soc: - realizes the jig is up - Oh. As for who’s here…

My bestest buddie from when we were 11 and lives in Portland and haven’t seen in 6 years runs down the stairs.

MY BESTEST BUDDIE FROM WHEN WE WERE 11 AND LIVES IN PORTLAND AND HAVEN'T SEEN IN 6 YEARS RUNS DOWN THE STAIRS.

OMFG.

I’m in shock to say the least. I'm in disbelief and hugging her so tight because all the feels! I mean now I have to figure out dinner but that’s okay because omg my bestest buddie who I haven’t seen in 6 years has flown across the country to surprise me for my/our 40th birthday! 

But wait, there’s more! Dr soc has ordered food for tonight too so I don’t need to worry about dinner either. And speak of the devil, the doorbell rings. I open the door and it's sorta food but not really because  

It’s 4 of my best friends from college who live in 4 different parts of the country and haven’t seen in at least 2 years because of the pandemic standing on my front porch (to take me out for dinner).

IT’S 4 OF MY BEST FRIENDS FROM COLLEGE WHO LIVE IN 4 DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE COUNTRY AND HAVENT SEEN IN AT LEAST 2 YEARS BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC STANDING ON MY FRONT PORCH (TO TAKE ME TO DINNER).

Well now I'm crying tears of joy, my friends are crying tears of joy too and dr soc is welling up as well because he arranged for all of them to surprise me for my birthday on this particular weekend. That night we went out for Mexican food with margaritas college style but better because we're all 40 now and have disposable income.

And Saturday they came to girl 2's birthday party and then we had a night on the town. I had a girls' weekend and it was the absolute best.  

clockwise from bottom left: Jeanne - Cleveland, me -Charlotte, Priya -Portland, Nancy - NYC, Michele - DC/Maryland and LB - Orlando

SO MANY MILES 

Some of my favorite ladies

And my shoe exploded. It didn't just break, it exploded and ceased to function

Funtimes is an understatement. Amazing isn't a strong enough word to describe my friends. I was completely surprised and overwhelmed at how much I am loved.  A huge thank you to dr soc for making it happen, and another billion thank yous to my best friends for all the miles traveled!    

Call Me!

These are the phone numbers that I can rattle off no problem:

• mine
• dr soc
• my parents' house
• work's public line if i think about it for a second  

And:

• my ex fiancé's

And here's why. A friend had left her cell in my pool bag and neither one of us realized it until she and my ex were at work. She couldn't call her fiancé to get it from me because she didn't know his number. (I ended up dropping it off at work-which was not on the way- before I went out of town. ie: I'm a good friend) My ex was astounded she didn't know her fiancé's number, but I came to her defense. Ever since cell phones became the norm no one's really had to memorize a phone number since it's stored in your contact list. After all I didn't know his number off the top of my head.

He was gobsmacked (and pissed). How could I not know his number? After all, he knew my number! (but not the exact date of my birthday) And his phone number was so easy too! It was one number different than the area code and then 2 other numbers! How could his fiancé not know his number!?

Well I once heard you have to repeat something (at least) 21 times before it's committed to memory. Being the mature young 20-something I was at the time to shut him up I started reciting his phone number. Twenty-one times.

me: 513-xxx-xxx. 513-xxx-xxx. 513-xxx-xxx...
::while following him around the apartment:: After the 10th time or so-
ex: okay, okay, I get it!
me: nope, it's gotta be 21 times before I remember. Great now I've lost count and have to start over.
me:-sigh-: 513-xxx-xxx. 513-xxx-xxx. 513-xxx-xxx. 513-xxx-xxx. 513-xxx-xxx....

Yup. But, hey, I learned his phone number. Which came in handy when I drunk texted him the holidays after we broke up.  

Area Codes

me: I have a friends on the west coast. Actually, I have a decent amount of friends out there. Really I have friends all over the country. It's sorta like "hoes in different area codes." Only none of my friends are hoes.
Cearra::laughing:: okay, I actually did think that exact though but I wasn't going to say it out loud.
me: haha! I did though!

Simon Says, Part 2

When my friends were visiting:

me: I had the I do whatever Jeanne tells me conversation again the other day.
Jeanne: Ha! How'd it go?
me: Pretty much the same way only shorter this time. My coworker asked the if-she-told-you-to-jump-off-a-bridge-would-you-question, I responded with my yes-I-would-but-why-is-she-asking-me-answer, she asked the usual really?-question, I said yes-but-why-is-she-telling-me-to-jump? again, and then before it went any further I said I've had this conversation before and you will give up and acquiesce to the fact that I do whatever Jeanne tells me.
Jeanne: Hahaha!
me: Yep. You know, I consider that conversation one of my greatest victories of all times.

Doctors

Dr. Soc and I were leaving the hospital after spending the afternoon with my dad. As we were walking* towards the garage where our car was parked, Mike pointed towards the rock star parking portion that was closed off with a gate.

mike: I see that on the gate it says "physicians' parking," and not "doctors' parking." So I can't park there.
me: Haha! No honey, you're not that kind of doctor.

--Later that evening as we were having diner at our friends' house --  

me: Cough-cough-cough-cough.
mike: ~exasperated~:  Priya, she has been coughing for 2 months now. Tell her she needs to see a doctor.
priya: You need to see a doctor.
me (between hacks): Hey, Priya is a doctor! Board certified and everything. And technically I'm looking at her right now...so...does that count?
mike and priya: No (emphatically I might add).
me: ~huff~: Fine. Besides, I promised I would never be "that" friend. But if just seeing did count then I could be done with this whole thing because I did marry a doctor and I see him all the time.
mike: Haha! I'm not that kind of doctor!   

*And by walking, I mean scurrying as fast as we could because it was so damn cold.**
**Seriously, in the teens-to-low-twenties-cold. It wasn't us just being lily-livered-southerners-who-think-anything-below-50-is-cold-cold.

Hot Streak

So, I'm pretty used to be totally wrong on selecting a winner or calling something. So when it came time for my people to have babies, I would always predict one and it was always the other.  

BUT!

I was on a super hot streak for a while there. Ever since I was right that my friends' first would be a girl, I've been able to call future babies boy or girl. (Mike likes to point out that it's a 50/50 shot every time so the odds are really not in my favor, but whatever. He's just jealous of my skill. That and I may have said I thought we're going to have 2 girls and little girls scare him).

I was 100% convinced my friend would have a girl. Her son was born earlier this month.
And I ever since my sister told me she's pregnant I've been pretty damn sure a nephew is joining the family. We found out a few days ago it's a niece, surrounding my dad with even more women.

So oh well, my hot streak is over. But I've never been happier to be wrong though!

Two Birds, One Stone

March is Women's month, but February is (women's) heart month. So there was this video circulating around the web of how to detect a heart attack that my friend sent us.

Good to know. Our reaction?

LB: If I'm having a heart attack, please call 911 instead of looking up "ladies heart attack" on webmd.
me: Is this when we do the face test? Or is that stroke? Did we ever figure out what the simple phrase we were going to use?
LB: FACE tests are for strokes. How about JAM (jaw, arm, muscle weakness) test for heart attacks. Unless you ladies can think of a better name.
Michele: I like JAM.
me: Hey, looks like we have our simple phrase now too! Good work Michele!
Laura: I laughed so hard I farted.

Easy Math

I realized that this year would be my sister's 10 year high school reunion. Which, oy, it's surprising enough that my 10 year already happened and now my little sister's turn is up. But whatever, it reminded me of a conversation my friends had a few months before ours:

shyam: Hey, when's our reunion again?
priya: Shyam, we graduated in 2000. We don't get easier math!

I would also like to point out that both these 2 (and my sister) were in my high school's super smart magnet program and kicked ass in math.

Got it? Flaunt it

My husband put the sweetest valentine in my lunch box today! We are obnoxiously happy newlyweds and I don't care if I'm flaunting that today.

I don't. And honestly I'm a little tired of all the single bitching I see on facebook. Yes, I know Valentine's day celebrates couples, everything is covered in hearts and sweet sentiments adorn everything.  If you're single all that sap is hard to swallow. But it's one day and a boatload of chocolate goes on sale the next day. And while Valentine's Day primary focus is about romantic love, it's also about love in general.

Love for family. Love for friends. Love in the shape of two spaztastic dogs curled up for cuddles. And while I've had my fair share of single valentines days, I can honestly say I have never had a single day of being unloved.

So you know what? I'm flaunting it!

Baby Fever

I'm sure it's not a huge surprise that I have a slight case of baby fever. I've always wanted children, I'm happily married, and I just turned 30. My husband doesn't have the same case of (ok, any) baby fever as me, so whenever he see's it start to rise, he tells me not to get any ideas at the moment. Right now there's this whole thing about getting my masters, starting my career and getting a job with benefits before actually having a baby. Apparently children completely change things?

Anyway, two of my friends told me they were pregnant on the same day. I am absolutely thrilled for both of them and can't wait to be an auntie (and let the kids get away with stuff). But here's how the day went:

--mike comes home--
me: So, Priya called...
mike: Is she pregnant?*    
me: YES!!!
mike: Awesome! Don't you be getting any ideas now.
me: Of course not! (lie)

--a few hours later I get an email--

me: Oh my god! Jeanne's pregnant again!
mike: Really? Well awesome for them too! 
me: Two of my best friends on the same day!
mike: Wow. But seriously, don't get any ideas.
me: Of course not dear. (lie!) But you know these things come in threes right?**
mike: uhhhh....

--a few hours later my brother-in-law gives dr soc a call and we face time with the baby. (she wowed us with her new motor skills of waving her arm.) Mike runs up the stairs to show me and we coo over her--

mike: Hi Ella! We love you!
me: Dude, you know how you said don't get any ideas. This? This right there? All you.

*He came to that conclusion much faster than me. When she left me a message to call her back, and since we really don't talk on the phone, my first thought as I was calling her back was that something was wrong. Then I realized that we are now at the age that a phone call is an announcement.
**They do! A few days ago another dear friend told me her third child will be debuting in June.***
***Yes, my husband is breathing a sigh of relief that 3rd isn't us!

At Auntie's House

Last Saturday my good friends from college stopped by on thier way home from thier family vaction at the beach. I was really excited to see them becasue they had never seen my house, but I also hadn't seen thier kids (in person) in over a year since their little dude's baptism when he was 3 months old and thier daughter was almost 2 and a half.  So lots of stuff had changed, except that the kids are just too adorable for words.

Anyway, we were showing them the house and we were looking for a spot for the three year old to maybe take a rest later. At some point the three year old, a crazy dog and I were sitting on the daybed we have in one of our rooms. I'm holding crazy dog back a little so she won't spazz the child off the bed, and N discovers that the day bed is a really good bouncy bed.

So there's N bouncing on the bed, her curls flying around and she says excitedly: this is a really good bouncing bed!
me: I bet you can't do that in your house can you?
N: No!
me: Ok. 

--And let her continue bouncing. Becasue I am an awesome auntie--

That is one smart cookie. She totally knew her limits in that she can't bounce on the bed at her house, but it's cool at my place.  Then later when both of them were upstairs and my husband went to check on them, she and her brother/partner in crime were bouncing again, having a great time.*

Fun times!

*We really didn't care. We probaly won't let Sharktopus and Dinocroc bounce on the beds at home, but that's becasue of it's thier home and there are rules. But that's ok becasue they can always bounce on the beds at thier auntie's houses!

Here Comes the Bride (ME!!)

So, I haven't even blogged about the wedding! After blogging about the bubble of tulle for a year, I have yet to show and tell about the happiest day of my life.  This will be a pretty heavy picture post (which for me, means something like, 5 photos), but I don't think any of you will mind!

The whole whole weekend was perfect, everything went smoothly, the weather was great (hot, but no rain) and everyone had a great time it seemed. The beginning of the reception was a bit sloppy from the dj and a few communication blips with our venue, but the day was still just perfect.

The day started with a Thriller dance lesson: 

Seriously. Flash mobs don't just happen on their own

Then onto the salon where we were the weirdest bridal party ever to them

Fun fact: Jeanne's grandma made my veil. It was beautiful and perfect and I hope to pass it down to my children and/or grandchildren one day. That and it was super fun to dance with like a cape! 

We headed back to my parents' house for lunch and to get ready until the limo arrived to take us off to the theater

We got held up in some graduation traffic on the way, and I wondered if I needed to call mike to let him know I was on my way. Then someone pointed out that the entire bride's side not there yet would probably be enough of a clue .

Waited excitedly in the dressing rooms for a few minutes before I got ready to walk down the aisle

My heart was racing a thousand miles a minute but it was a good racing!

Walked down the aisle and met my groom

He was up there waiting for me while I tried my hardest to not sprint up there and squeal out loud!

Got married 

the first 'official' kiss
(without thinking, we had kissed hello the second we met at the alter!)

Took lots and lots of pictures

 lots and lots of happy

And then partied down! Which included: 

Dances with our parents: 

Too Marvelous for Words for me and my dad, and The Man That You've Become for Mike and his mom. The dj played a different version of the song my mother-in-law picked out. I think this picture is when they figure that out, but obviously every one's too happy to really care

The coolest groom's cake ever

Everyone LOVED the shark cake. And the wedding cake was beautiful too!

The aforementioned flash mob: 

Thriller! My wedding present from my high school crew. Nothing says happily ever after like zombies! 

Cake cutting

We're both thinking: how do even cut the shark cake?!

And cake eating

They were both quite tasty in addition to being beautiful

More dancing: 

I just love this picture of my sister

And the happiest couple in the world: 

Best. Day. Ever!!!!!

Chapstick

So, my bridal party was probably one of the weirdest bridal parties the salon had ever had.

• reason 1: I didn't want any glitter anywhere on my face, near me, or my posse. My bridal portraits/trial makeup run, the makeup artist used a glitter eyeshadow at first, which was just not me. And you don't want glitter/shiny makeup that day anyway because it can photograph weird.  And my face was just too "done" for the portraits. (in fairness to my makeup artist, I didn't have a good idea of what I wanted, and it's not her fault she couldn't create something in my head that I couldn't even explain) So wedding day, I brought my own makeup (with no sparkles), and (honestly) loved the results.
• reason 2: I was not a picky bride in the slightest. With the exception of the dress color and skirt length, I didn't dictate what anyone's look should be in general. When it came to hair and makeup, I didn't care what anyone did or didn't do, as long as they were happy with the result.  If they wanted an updo, they could have an updo. If they wanted down, that was cool with me.  I guess they are used to brides who want everyone to look the same so that the bride stands out more, but I figured my big white dress and overall giddiness would be enough for people to know who I was. 
• reason 3: We had to convince my mom to get her makeup done in the first place. So when she was done with her hairstylist and came into the makeup area, my sister and I both squealed with surprise and delight that she had an updo. (as far as I remember, my mom has never had an updo. I don't think I've ever even seen her with a ponytail)  She was so cute!  But she was thinking that she would do her makeup at home. I love my mom very much, but she doesn't do her own makeup well. (a good place to start would be if bought makeup that worked with her skin tone, and didn't just use whatever random stuff my sister and I have left behind) And this was a big event for her too (mother of the bride and all that business), and she had every right to go a little fancier than normal.  So after my sister and I told her to "just get a little something done," and the makeup artist said with fancy hair you need fancy makeup, she got her makeup done. Of course, having to convince her to get her makeup done in the first place, means she understated what she wanted makeup wise.  
• reason 4: We all super understated what we wanted. I warned my posse about trial makeup, so we were all a little wary of how heavy they put makeup on. We all know that you can always add, but taking away/toning down is much much harder.  Plus Priya and Jeanne had a male makeup artist who had a full face of makeup on himself.  And, while his makeup was beautiful, gay man logic implies our idea of full face of makeup was about 14 levels below of what his idea of full face makeup was.  You could tell all the makeup artist were reigning themselves in and tampering their own version of done, but the end result is that everyone liked what they had.    
• reason 5: LB doesn't wear lipstick.  She doesn't wear a lot of makeup in general, and when it came time to put the lipstick, the makeup artist was at a slight loss. 
• makeup artist: what do you wear on your lips?
• lb: chapsick.
• makeup artist: seriously?
• lb: yes
• makeup artist: Wow, that's a new one. We've heard 'clear,' or 'gloss' and even 'tinted lip balm'. But chapstick is a new one. That's going on our facebook page.

So yeah, we were a very odd bridal party to them I bet. But the end result was that everyone looked great, everyone was happy with what they got done, and the day was fabulous!

See? We all look so pretty!
And I think I stand out pretty well if I do say so for myself

16 candles

scene: after the rehearsal dinner
me: I'm going to head back home now. I'll see you all at the salon at 11:30.
everyone: Good night!
me: Thanks!
jeanne: Think you'll be able to sleep?
me: Yeah, I think so. I didn't sleep well last night so I'm fairly tired.
lb: Do you want something* to help with that just in case?
me: Hmm...no, I think I'll be ok. But thanks for the offer. Plus, I haven't taken anything of your caliber* ever, so tonight of all nights is probably not the best night to try that out.
lb: Good point. And we've all seen that movie.

*LB's our resident pharmasist.
**and this is why LB has the best dream recaps.

12+ month pregnancy

me: What I learned on my run today: I definitely need new sports bras.
laura: Or you're prego.
me: Of course! You know what else I learned? Once you're married, your birth control stops working.
laura: And people accuse you of being pregnant all the time. True facts.
me: It starts when you're engaged. But if you tell people that your dress has no seam allowance for a baby bump, they stop for a few months.

Pack Light

me: Do you have pj pants I can borrow? I forgot to pack mine.
jeanne: Sure thing.
lb: You also forgot to pack a sweater to wear in church.
me: That I did.
matt: Wait. You forgot to pack pj pants and a sweater, but you remembered the dress to wear to church for the baptism?
me: Yep.
matt: How how did you forget pj's and not a dress?
me: Because I packed something like 4 dresses just in case.
matt: So... You pack like N?
me --pause--: Yes. I pack like your 2 year old.

Best Day Ever!

Our wedding day was absolutley perfect!
Maybe one day I'll post more pictures of the day, that is if I ever tag, save, and post them from facebook, of course.
But for now here's a picture of the happiest day of my life and the people who made it possible

pictured: a WHOLE lot of happy!

Thank you everyone!

Weather Ballon

My friend LB can control the weather. We'll not the whole wide world's weather, but she can target key areas for certain things.  Like perfect weather for our friend Jeanne's wedding.  Or diverting some storms to other areas of the coast so my sister's groom could make their wedding. (oh yeah, Amy, if you didn't know that already, I totally asked Lb to help out your wedding. You're welcome.)

Knowing my friend had this super power, I planned on calling in her services for my wedding day, whenever that would be.  But like all powers, one must use them with caution.  Fortunately, I don't really need her power in 3 days. According to the forecast, my wedding day has 0% chance of rain, but it will be 93 degrees. But we're getting married indoors anyway, so rain and heat don't worry me too much.

And besides, I already used her power. Twice actually. The first was my sister's wedding I already mentioned.  The other time was for my graduation. Lexington was having freakishly cold days and we had, get this, snow that stuck. Snow that stuck finals week and delayed/rescheduled some peoples' finals.  I was lucky that all my finals escaped the rescheduling, but I had one more final looming, and I was completely terrified that not only would UK would postpone that final, they would cancel the graduation.   

So I begged LB to control the weather long enough so I could take my 8 am final and then walk at 7 pm at the graduation ceremony.  I didn't care what happened the next day, and I don't know if I screwed over someone else weather wise, but if I ever needed her super power, it was then. Graduation was a little more important to me than using her power for a wedding I even close to at the time. LB put her power to work, and the evening before my final, I got an email saying that not only would all finals operate on a regular schedule, graduation was on track.  I was so relived I almost cried. 

Though I'm pretty sure that if I did need her super power this weekend, she could pull a few strings and help out. She's good like that!

Best Weekend

So, as promised yesterday, a recap of my awesome bachelorette and shower weekend!
Well, like I said, first, they were both awesome.  Not only did I have a great time I was with my bestest friends and family who traveled many many miles to throw these parties for me and share in the fun times with me.

pictured: 5 states gathered for a cinco de mayo lunch
not pictured: why Jeanne and LB should not be left unsupervised

Then, after we celebrated cinco de mayo properly, it was on to the main event: The Kentucky Derby!

The infield. Pre-drunk and disorderly. Though the mint juleps certainly expedited that process 

About an hour or two after we got into the infield I got a little over heated what with being in the direct sun and the only liquids in my system was a combination of tequila and bourbon.  But, lucky for me, I roll with my own personal EMS team, (Priya's a dr. A real one) and I was able to cool down.  Then we bought a program, placed our bets and eventually staked out a spot where we possibly could see the the race.

And we did!  I actually got to see 2, maybe even 3 seconds of the actual derby run by!  It was just a blur of horses and quick streaks of color from the jockey's silks, and the noise of the pounding hooves was almost drowned out by the throngs of screaming people (myself included), but it was so exhilarating!  Of course we had no idea who won and after waiting in the betting line for a while turns out 2 of us in my posse won money.  I didn't win anything, but that's ok because I fully expected that. I can't pick a horse for the life of me and I accept that. 

Of course, getting out of the infields is a long and crowded process, but you just take your time, keep up with the crowd and make your way back to the car without incident.  Though Jeanne has a good point that most people probably block out the exiting or else they wouldn't come back year after year.  The Derby and the infield are definitely an experience and I'm thrilled I got to go, but I think I'll stick to derby parties at people's houses from now on.   

The next day was my bridal shower!  Of all the pre-wedding parties the knot tells you to have, the shower was the only one that I absolutely wanted.     
Pictured once again: my favorite ladies:

My favorite ladies and best. friends. EVER.
I also just realized this picture is the flipped image of the one above it

The shower went off with out a hitch, my mom (thank god) didn't freak out once (pre-shower she was putting herself through the ringer worrying about the number of possible guests) and I wasn't allowed to help at all. Mike showed up the beginning of the shower to drop off his mom and he met a few people. Then he, his dad and my dad took off for a few hours to do guy things, while I drank champagne and opened presents.  The food was yummy, the cake was wonderful, and everyone had a great time.  I think my future mother in law was a bit surprised at what the names of her future grandchildren are going to be, but I was quick to tell her that it was her son who picked out Sharktopus and Dinocroc.

Eventually everyone had to get on the road or to the airport with the many many miles traveled to get to Lexington, including Mike and I.  With all the excitement of the past few days, we decided to stop in Asheville that night instead of driving into the early morning.  I wrote my thank you notes almost as soon as I got home (though, I just got them in the mailbox today), and then realized I would be married in less than 3 weeks and may have freaked out a tiny bit.

It was a wonderful weekend full of funtimes, celebration and happiness, and I enjoyed every second of it. I'm so lucky to have all these people in my life. Thank you so much ladies!

Happy Derby Day!

It's the first Saturday in May. Which can only mean one thing to this born and bred Kentucky girl:
It's Derby Day!

The best part? This year, I'm going for the first time ever. Best bachelorette party ever!