Anyone who ever said baby showers are boring has never been to one at Christina's house!

As you all know, Beth is about to have a sweet baby boy! Last month, I went to a baby shower for Beth and Dave, but tonight, Christina, Beth's best friend, threw her an intimate dinner to celebrate her new baby-boy-to-be and it was truly amazing!

When I arrived, there was a dining room full of gorgeous plates, flowers, and a home-made four course dinner!!! She even paired each course with a matching wine that complimented every taste to perfection!!!

I could learn a thing or two about hosting from Christina.

It was just a fun-filled night of girlfriends and love and I was honored to be a part of it!!

I will blog again soon when the little man makes his way into the world!! Thanks again, Christina!!

Rest in peace, Uncle Tommy!

My uncle Tommy passed away today. He will be missed by the family, especially his two daughters, Tracey and Cori, and his ex-wife, yet friend regardless, Wendy.

Love you all so much! Mike and I are so sorry for your loss and we know he is up in heaven living it up with Nanny and Pop-pop;)

xoxo Much love

Lori, the kitty savior!

Lori is amazing. She saves lives every day. Maybe not human lives (even though, I do believe she is my dad's lifesaver), but kitty lives. Most of you may not know this, but Lori has saved probably over 100 cats over the years, helped neuter them and release them back into the wild safely, found many of them safe and caring homes, etc. She has a heart of gold and genuinely takes time out of her busy schedule to help them. Thanks for inspiring me, Kitty-mom!

Sherri came for a fun visit! We skyped with Jenna!

What a great way to spend a Sunday night! Sherri cane to visit and we wined and dined:) Then we got to skype with Jenna. Man I love my girls! Thanks for coming to visit with us, Sherri!! We always love having you! Jenna, hopefully we willl see you here soon!!


Girl....this picture is TOO old...we need a new one of us!!!

I freakin' LOVE my job!!

Today was the start of my FOURTEENTH (if you can believe it) semester at work. I shouldn't even call it work, because it doesn't feel like work. It is amazing, fun, and brings a ton of joy into my life:)

I have been teaching since I was twenty and always knew it was my "calling." No matter what the grade, fourth, twelfth, sixth, or college, teaching genuinely makes me happy.

I have amazing, talented students, who get my jokes, and who soak in what I teach them. They also teach me a LOT every day.

I enjoyed the semester break, but couldn't wait to get up today and teach my new classes. I was so excited, that I hardly slept last night! Butterflies!

I have many students that I have taught before in other classes, and they are coming back for more (which is the greatest compliment a teacher could ever ask for). I also have new students, who came in ready to learn, and who are excited about becoming teachers.

So here we go...another semester of fun, of loving what I do. I am more grateful than words could ever express.

Can a brother also be a best friend?

Anyone who knows me and my life right now, knows that there are some amazing things going on, as well as some tough things. When it comes to family, it helps so much to have someone that "understands" what you are going through...or even, who is going through it with you.

I feel so lucky that my brother, Adam, goes through everything in life with me; the good with the bad. He is always there for me, no matter what. Even though he is younger, I often feel that lately, he is the wise one, who is the constant voice of reason and my rock. Of course, I also have an amazing husband as my rock (love you, baby), but having Adam there, too, as someone who has been there throughout the majority of my life, is also priceless.

Today we talked on the phone and after we hung up, I took a moment to thank God for this amazing person, one of my best friends, who also just happens to be my brother. How friggin' cool is that?!

Adam, I am so proud of who you are and where you are in your life. You are so completely talented and wonderful, in a myriad of areas in your life. I love you more than words could ever explain. I cant wait to come visit for our annual "brother-sister" chill time.

Thank you for always being there for me.

Heather's and Heather!

I love when fate happens. Anyone who knows me understands that I have always, since I was a small child, had a love for clothes and fashion. It seems only fitting that one of my closest friends on the planet just happens to own my favorite clothing and accessory store in the world. Heather's is a sassy store in Marlton, NJ with unique styles in both clothes and accessories (shoes, jewelry, scarves, bags, etc.), owned by my girl, Heather. The store is a wonderful projection of who she is as a friend, a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, and just as a person, overall. Heather herself is unique and fabulous, so it is completely appropriate that when she set out to build her "dream shop," that it mirrors a lot about who she is, where she has been, and where the shop will take her.

Most of my wardrobe comes from Heather's. I get stopped where ever I go, by anyone and everyone, asking me where I get my clothes from. The only request people ever have is that she would make another shop right here in MD. It would sell out in days from my co-workers and students, alone. LOL...but selfishly, as amazing as it would be to have a Heather's Clothing and Accessories right here in MD, it would be even more amazing to have a Heather, right here in MD...I miss her:)

Eight years ago (has it been eight years already?!), when I went shopping at Heather's, I knew I would fall in love with the shop. But how lucky am I that I also fell in love with the owner. She is a kind, loving, fun-hearted person who has been there for me in the good and bad times. She taught me that in life, "there are no rules." That you just need to live everyday to the fullest and not by the "rules." I think that has helped me so much lately. More than I can explain.

Check it out for yourself! www.shopheathers.com

A night out with Rian, Lisa, and Grady!

Fun, as always! Miss you guys already!

We love the Brooks Family!

Did another one of our amazing country dinners last night (ITALY!!). Our first with their new daughter, Soli (Solveig)! We had a wonderful time, as always. We can be ourselves, 100%. Laughter, tears, memories....just so grateful to have them in our lives.

The Hunger Games Trilogy

Holy crap...it's soooooooooooooooooooooooooo good. Read it now.

Fun times in St. Michael's and The Burnie?!

So, my hubby and I went on a little getaway to St. Michael's, Maryland this week! We had the BEST time!! Since it is the start of the New Year, and so NOT the time to travel to this little town, it seems that Mike and I had all of St. Michael's to ourselves (which I am not going to lie, was completely amazing)!

We arrived at our Victoriana Inn and we were the only guests, so, we had this gorgeous, 1800's inn all to ourselves!! There were awesome chairs by the water, porches with chair swings, fireplaces in the rooms, wine bars, etc...and we had it all to ourselves!!!

Since most of the restaurants were closed, we found a little local spot, where again, we were the only patrons, and we had wine and a delicious meal. We enjoyed time at the St. Michael's winery (Mikey's first wine tasting) and then just relaxed in "our" inn.

Then, instead of staying too long in the town after check out (stores were all closed and it was 17 degrees...lol), we headed back to Glen Burnie. It was so wonderful how much fun we had on our day off in The Burnie!! We went bowling with a bucket of beer, we ate lunch at a local spot and enjoyed the bar, dinner at outback (one of Mike's favorites) and then we ran around like silly idiots and just enjoyed each other's company so much!!

Another thing that was so nice, was that even though we "got away" and that is always nice, we had all of what was making us happy, right in our own home in the first place. We sat in front of the fire and I said, "This is so cool, and guess what...we have all of this stuff at home...a fireplace, each other, cozy chairs on a porch, each other, good wine and food, and each other...etc." It was just an awesome feeling knowing that we don't have to "get away" to be exactly where we want to be....together.

I LOVE spending time with this man. He is my best friend.

I love you, honey. Thanks for an amazing "trip."

xoxo