27? I still feel 19...

This weekend we celebrated my 27th birthday! We had a whole weekend of fun thanks to my sweet husband. When I walked in the door in Friday afternoon I saw this...

 He had my present on the table and taunted me with it all weekend...I couldn't open it until Sunday (my actual birthday)

 On Saturday we went to the Kansas City Home and Garden Show, did a little shopping at the Plaza and then met up with our friends Jacob and Whitney for dinner at a Japanese Steakhouse! It was a little warm at the restaurant when we first arrived...hence everyone's pink cheeks!

 They put on a great show and we all enjoyed really yummy food!

 After dinner we went back to Jacob and Whitney's house and had some fabulous cupcakes from our favorite Cupcake A La Mode! Every cupcake they make is a masterpiece and tastes delicious!

 We got plenty of extras so we could share with our small group on Sunday night too.

 After a rousing round of Happy Birthday I "blew out the candles".

 Chris and I shared this one called Chocolate Obsession...it was SO good!

 When I worke up on Sunday I was greeted with breakfast in bed and also my present! Chris got me this cool chevron camera strap to go with my new camera. It is from 3 Divas and a Dude on Etsy.

On Sunday after church, Chris and I ate at one of favorite seafood restaurants. We both had fish tacos and they were so good. We also got to enjoy their awesome patio...the weather couldn't have been better!



I had a completely wonderful birthday weekend and am so thankful for my husband who made it so special for me!

Our Christmas Card



Bahamas!

Well...I think I'll just pretend that it hasn't been eight months since I last posted : ) Let's get straight to the fun stuff!

Chris and I took an amazing trip to the Bahamas to celebrate our 5 year anniversary! Chris booked the entire thing and planned every detail which was so awesome. He even checked with my principal since I had to take a few days off of school. We left on Tuesday and hopped on a plane to Palm Beach. That night we stayed in the Marriott. This was probably the low point of the trip for me because I had a little stomach bug from one of my lovely 3rd graders.

The next day we hopped on a cruise ship and headed to the Bahamas. We sailed all through the night and arrived at Grand Bahama Island the next morning.

We had a wonderful balcony at our resort. 

This was the beautiful view! White sandy beaches and crystal clear blue water!

We literally spent the majority of each day relaxing on the beach...it's a hard life, but someone has to do it : )

Ready for some relaxation on the beach!





They had a cute little market right across the stree from our hotel so we ventured out a few times to try some of the local food! We ate mexican food for lunch one day and italian food for dinner one night.  They had Christmas music playing the whole time which was pretty funny because it was about 80 degrees.

It was really humid in the Bahamas=the reason my cute hat stayed pretty much glued to my head!

Chris braved the many, many bees surrounding this little hut to order us some  pina colodas!

After many days we were extremely sad to leave the Bahamas and head back to chlly Kansas City. What a wonderful way to celebrate the past 5 years of marriage! Some days are hard and some days are easy...but I wouldn't want to be on this journey with anyone else.

There must be a God, I believe it's true,

Cause I can see His love, when I look at you.

And He must have a plan, for this crazy life,

Cause He brought you here, and placed you by my side.

And I have never been so sure of anything before,

Like I am in this moment here with you.

Now for better or for worse,

This is so much more than only words,

And I pray everyday will be the proof

That I mean what I say when I say I Do.

When I Say I Do by Matthew West

Rock the Parkway

This morning I got up bright and early to run my first 10k! Chris, winner of the best husband award, got up with me and headed to the race. A few months ago, I was thinking about how I could challenge myself with running and I just didn't feel like a half marathon was for me. Thats when I discovered the 10k. I think this might be the perfect distance for me. It was pretty tough to make it through those 6 miles but at the same time I wasn't hating my life. I enjoyed running the historic Ward Parkway here in KC and I definitely think I'll do this one again next year!

Yes, I did wear my winter coat this morning...yes, it is April 2nd.

Getting ready to take off!!

This was just before I crossed the finish line.

I did it! Such a good feeling.

After the race they had pizza, Chick Fil A and chocolate milk....yum!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Friday was my 26th birthday and we have been celebrating all weekend! My day started with the kids in my class bringing me homemade cards which were too cute. They are so sweet. My 3rd grade team ordered out for lunch from our favorite little Mexican place and then at the end of the day my homeroom mom brought cupcakes! Chris also delivered a beautiful bouquet of flowers to me during the day.

When I got home from school I saw this awaiting me on our kitchen table...

I was really surprised because I wasn't expecting so many gifts! Chris and I got ready for dinner and headed to Red Lobster (my favorite). We stuffed ourselves silly with jumbo coconut shrimp, grilled salmon, and stuffed flounder. Not to mention those cheddar biscuits!

After our wonderful dinner we headed to another fine establishment for a gourmet dessert...we went to McDonald's for Hot Fudge Sundaes! Ha! We were both pretty full from dinner but passed by McDonald's on the way home and made a split decision to grab dessert there. When we got home Chris let me open my presents!

The funny thing is that Chris and I were shopping last weekend and I tried on those grey tennis shoes. Chris asked me if I wanted to get them for my birthday and I said "sure!". So in my mind...that was my gift...but Chris surprised me with all these other little things he had been collecting for months! He got me (the shoes), new yoga pants, Julie and Julia, bracelets, earrings, and...a car wash gift card! I love having a clean car : )  Gary and Dianna also sent me a gift card for a pedicure. I can't wait to use that!

On Saturday night we had some friends over to celebrate and the best part was the cupcakes we got from Cupcake A La Mode. I loved the ones we had for Valentines and couldn't wait to get some for my birthday. 

They were so delicious!! We cut them into fourths so everyone could try all the different flavors. I can't wait until the next "special occasion" when we can get some more of these.

I really have to give all the credit to my sweet husband for making my birthday so special. He knows how much I love it and he really pulled out all the stops to make this one so spectacular! 

Emerald Isle Parade

Yesterday, Downtown Lee's Summit had their annual St. Patricks Day parade so we saddled up and headed down for the fun. Even Bear got into the spirit!

They kept throwing out candy and he was so confused why he couldn't have any : )

Happy St. Patricks Day!

Valentines Weekend

This year, Chris and I had a very special valentines weekend. We decided to take the weekend off from life and just spend time together. On Friday we had lunch at the Nordstrom Cafe and did some shopping. On Saturday, we slept in and spent the day together. Rather than fighting the crowds at a restaurant for dinner we decided to just eat at home and have some really good food. Our menu consisted of lemon chicken, roasted brussel sprouts, roasted asparagus, dijon potatos and for desert...cupcakes. Not just any cupcakes. Cupcakes from Cupcake A La Mode. We bought 3...Red Velvet, Strawberries and Champagne, and Bella Nutella.

And Chris surprised me with this beautiful necklace... (I took this pic from their site...mine has a "c & k")