Thursday, September 23, 2010

Happy Birthday, Sweet Boy!

I started this post as a tribute to my sweet boy, but got caught up in preparing for his birthday/Oktoberfest party. So, this will end up being a combination of our party and a tribute! :)

We stayed up late (3 a.m.) on Friday night food shopping, decorating and doing some of the cooking. B brought home a bunch of Oktoberfest decorations from work and put those up while I made his birthday cake (Black Forest) and two of the side dishes - cucumber dill salad and krautsalat.



Rachael Ray's Krautsalat and Cucumber Dill Salad
 Poor B had to get up and be at work by 8!! I woke up around 9 and immediately had COFFEE, swept the deck and patio, wiped down the outdoor furniture and cleaned the house from top to bottom. I ran a few party errands and met B back at the house around 4:30. He helped me put the kielbasa kebabs and German potato salad together. Our awesome friends Neeley and John came early and helped us set up the rest of the food.


Kielbasa Apple Kebabs

The Oktoberfest spread!

Warm German Potato Salad
We had a great time celebrating with our friends, watching football, playing Wii and laughing late into the night.

Serious Wii golf competition
Victory!

I know there are a few other bloggers out there who have done this before, but I wanted to make a list of 35 things I love about Bryan for his birthday:

35. On our first date, he taught me to play pool. My sweet boy can't sit still for long, so most of our dates involve us "doing" something. I get to try a lot of new things this way!
34. He makes family a priority. I knew early on when I saw Bryan's devotion to Nanny and Grammy that I would be in good hands.
33. He absolutely holds no record of wrongs. This may be because he can't remember anything, but it still makes me love him more. :)
32. He has a scale for how "horrible" or "fun" something is. For instance if I ask him to watch Private Practice with me, he'll say "No way. That show is 1,000 terrible!" Or, we'll be riding in the car and a song he loves will come on. He'll look over at me to smile and say, "This song is like 1,000,000 awesome."
31. He is very budget-conscious. Don't get me wrong, I can set up a budget. I just don't like to follow it. He makes sure that we follow the budget. :)
30. Keeping in line with #31, we often make decisions about where to eat out based on another one of B's "invented concepts" - Millionaire Food. For example, Wendy's and Taco Bell are completely acceptable but Chick-Fil-A is "Millionaire Food." Subway is okay, but Atlanta Bread Company is "Millionaire Food." As in, only millionaires can afford to eat there. All of this, of course, is subject to Bryan's discretion.
29. He never makes me mow the grass. :)
28. He cooks for me on Tuesday nights (his day off) and it is always yummy.
27. On the nights he doesn't cook, he almost always helps me do the dishes.
26. He even folds clothes!
25. Bryan makes me laugh every day.
24. He has taught me to love the Falcons and the Braves.
23. He always answers my questions about baseball patiently - even if I have asked the same question 2 or 3 times before.
22. I love the way he "yells" the answers during Jeopardy. He says that's the only way Alex will ever hear him!
21. As a "trade off" for the 100+ Braves games I watch every year, he watches Grey's Anatomy, Glee and Law and Order: SVU with me.
20. He doesn't "let me win" when we play Wii games. Victory feels better when you earn it!
19. He kills all the creepy-crawlies, even at 5:00 am.
18. He never, ever chases me with the dead creepy-crawlies.
17. He kicks ass at trivia. It's actually kind of disgusting how much random knowledge he has in his head.
16. He takes really good care of me when I'm sick.
15. He's never afraid to try something new. Even if it's crazy.
14. He has more hair than any man I know.
13. He is always calm when I am not.
12. His eyes disappear when he smiles. :)
11. He bought me a magic wand.
10. He cleans his own bathroom.
9. He tolerates a lot of "teacher talk" when my friends and I get together.
8. He helps me entertain 30+ 3rd graders every May at our house for our annual end-of-the-year party.
7. He may not be naturally "handy" but he is learning to do lots of things around the house - replacing the deadbolt and tiling the basement recently.
6. He also knows when something is more than he can handle. He knows when to call a professional. :)
5. He has loved me through some of the most difficult parts of my life.
4. He taught me to love Phish!
3. He has learned to love naps.
2. He always makes me feel appreciated and special.
1. He's mine! :)

Friday, September 10, 2010

A Weekend of Awesomeness

We got in late Friday night after a stop in Waynesville to visit with Aunt Tanna. It was supposed to be a quick in and out, but we ended up sitting and having the best talk. I love being in her house. It holds so much of my family's history in it and it's right next to where Bryan and I got married

We woke up Saturday morning to Mama making French Toast, bacon and LOTS of coffee.  In the afternoon, we headed to Hendersonville for the annual North Carolina Apple Festival. Nattie had to work and couldn't go, so we had fun in her honor. :)


Mickey Mouse balloons

Sisters

Trying to avoid a brain freeze?

 At least he shares!

On our way home Kadee and Jennie rode with me, and Chris and JP rode together so we could finish some last minute birthday shopping for Nat. We stopped at CVS so we could pick up birthday cards and it was there that hilarity ensued. 

Jennie had walked off, and Kadee and I were looking at cards. Kadee found a particularly funny card that may or may not have had a poop reference. When she showed it to me, I laughed so hard that I let out a little (but loud!) toot! We stared at each other for a millisecond and then laughed so hard that tears were running down our faces. (I told you!) Kadee dropped to the floor because she had to pee, and was trying to stop it from happening in the middle of the greeting cards section. 

I was smart enough to get my camera out. 
And yes, by this point, we are both on the floor trying not to pee our pants.

We recovered and went home and showed the card to everybody else who also thought it was hilarious. We had to warn my dad before he read it, because he had surgery to repair his ninth (yes, that's 9!!) hernia on Friday. It didn't help. He still laughed and it still hurt. What can I say? We're a family that laughs at poop jokes!

After dinner, we went out in Asheville with Nattie and her new boyfriend, Drew to a restaurant/bar called Usual Suspects. I don't think we were all home for her 21st birthday last year, so this was the first time we had all gone out together to get "grown-up drinks". 
 

New boyfriend Drew. 
We like him.
He can stay.

This is why he can stay:
1. He makes Nattie happy. 
2. He is silly. (Boone girls like silly boys.)

 Kadee and JP
We are such a serious family. 

The youth minister and his wife did not have grown-up drinks. 
They had water. Lots of it. With lemon.
They live on the edge.

 3 days of sister time = A full and happy heart.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

I Know...

You miss me. You want stories about my weekend in Weaver-Vegas.

I will post them tomorrow. I promise.

And, because I've had *a* glass of wine, I will even promise to tell you about the toot in CVS that led to almost-peed-pants.

It was, indeed, a weekend of awesomeness. 

 
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