Halloween 2005

It has been a great week of new words and lots of play time outside in the chilly weather. That has been hard on me, as I'd rather been tucked away inside than trudging through the neighborhood checking out all the fascinating things only a toddler would love. Just today I pulled out my very unflattering, yet very warm fleece lined jeans, the ones I bought when I was doing work crews with the probation kids. Thomas enjoys saying "whoa" to things he thinks are interesting, and he's also saying "wowwww" more and more.

Today, Jodi and I took the kids out to Donette Studio to get their Halloween picture taken. Lauren was Elmo and Thomas was a big furry bear. The kids did great, and it will be interesting to see "Elmo" and "Bear" together in their picture. We went trick or treating at Matt's office and then I raced over to John's office, then we headed back to Jodi's house to eat pizza and cupcakes with the Lawrences, Bruce and Lil, and Punky. Lil brought an incredible salad and a fruit plate, and it was delicious. It was quite the scene watching the kids race from all ends of the house (to greet the kids at the door, ofcourse!) when the doorbell rang, and I'm sure the trick or treaters coming to the door weren't sure what to make of six screaming kids jumping up and down meeting them at the door. Maybe they were a bit frightened! The pouring rain, thunder and lighting kept us at five neighbor house, and we came back to the house soaking wet, but it was a great time none the less! We had a lot of fun with Thomas's second Halloween!

Kids in the Photos

Dorothy- Sophia Lawrence
Spider- Matthew Lawrence
Monkey- Isaac Lawrence (1 year)
White Bunny- Madeline Lawrence
Elmo- Lauren Pohlman (2 years)
Bear-Thomas Whipple (19 months)

Geneva Fire House Pancake Feed 2005

Very early this morning Jenny called us up and we all headed up to the fire house to eat pancakes and check out the equipment. Thomas enjoys making this high pitched squeal as his engine sound, and he really liked climbing into the engine and checking out the buttons and other gadgits they have. The Lawrence kids, minus Isaac, took a tour of the fire house and learned about what to do when there is a fire, and it was great to see Lance pull himself from the "burning building" and down the ladder. I like to take Thomas down to Fairhaven to look through the shops, and as a treat we go have gelato. Tonight we took Daddy out and shared raspberry and chocolate. Thomas is quite the hit wherever we go, and it's always interesting to listen to the comments we get about him. I take him to the toy store and the ladies always comment on how he picks things up and puts them away so nicely. It makes me wonder what other children do. I would think that when children play with things they should also put them back, but by the way the ladies comment at the stores we go to, I wonder if other children aren't taught manners and the way to behave in stores and in public. I don't know why I'm surprised, though, considering I work with juvenile offenders.
Looking for things to keep busy on a cold day, we went to Lowes and climbed on the wee-wees (wheelbarrows) and lawnmowers and looked at the Christmas lights and houses. Thomas also enjoyed taking a tour of the bathtubs before I caught up to him and yanked him out. It was another good, quiet Saturday!

Wild nights-Canadian style! Dierks Show/Commodore 2005!

I know this blog is supposed to be about Thomas and his life, but every once in awhile the parents must kick up their heels cowboy style and blow out of dodge! That's just what John and I did! We ran out of town, but unfortunately this time we didn't have our steady concert partners in crime Erica and Brad with us, though. We had long moments of discomfort sitting in the car trying to make our way into Vancouver, and with a conversation from my co-worker Greg ringing in my ear about how Canada is better, I tried to figure out how five lanes of traffic merging into one to flow through a tunnel during rush hour makes sense! The beginnings of craziness! Since staying at the Ho-Jo downtown for John's 1st marathon this spring, he's a pro at finding his way around downtown and parking was a breeze. People seemed to be taking both the lineup outside and the rain in stride and the entertainment while we waited was interesting. We watched panhandlers roving in and out of the crowd, some sort of alternative bicycle parade roll by in costumes of some sort, a street musician camped out right by us who was happy to take requests, and the occasional hoots and hollers from the street. We even had a Bat Man in the city bus doing a pole dance for us all as the bus passed. I remarked to John that the big city scares me after seeing this particular bus scene! The best entertainment in the line, though, was when suddenly, out of nowhere, a man comes sauntering down the line. Yep, it was Dierks! Just walking along the sidewalk, nothing fancy about it, but as he walked and people figured out it was really him, you could hear the gasps and squeals begin to greet him as he went down the sidewalk and around the building. It was shocking to be standing there in line in the rain, chatting with those around us, only to the see the man himself taking it all in as he walked around.

Once inside, things took a stressful tone, as I missed the Will Call booth where I was to get my backstage pass, and then from there it was misinformation after misinformation. Knowing what the tour manager looks like, I caught his attention as he passed by me, and asked him where I should get my tickets. He was less than impressive, and I gathered by his attitude that he thought I was a scammer and he obviously didn't have time. When I mentioned that I was had been granted the pass through the fan club, his tune changed and he became nicer to me, but then repeated to me several times that if I'd only read the instructions through the fan club I would know what to do. Well, I wanted to tell him that any idiot could read the rules and such, but staff at the Commodore were less than educated and had given me some very bad info. I wanted to tell him that I thought he was a complete schmuck, but I held my tongue, passed up the opportunity to set him straight on my intelligence level, and raced off to find my elusive pass. At this point I figured the chances of tracking down this pass in the 2 minutes I had to fly downstairs through the crowd and outside the building, then make it back through security and the crowd again were very slim. I managed to run into John on his way in, and I think when he asked me what was going on I might have uttered a swear word...hmmmmm.....I'm not sure, but maybe! I did make it back in time, only to find that once inside this small backstage room with a kitchenette and the Simpsons playing on the lounge tv, I had entered in with the wrong people. I was with industry people, NOT fans. Another official guy that reminded me of a homeless bum approached me at this point and again looked at my pass sticker. At this point, Dierks has walkded into this tiny room and is making conversation. Someone asks him how he's feeling after 25 shows in 25 days, and he remarks that a certain beverage has been helping him deal with his lack of sleep. Anyway, back to this guy looking at my sticker. Blah, blah, blah, and I had officially been told I was in the wrong line. Imagine that! At this point, I thought they were either going to pull me out of line and throw me out, or I should just quietly tuck tail and leave then and there, and concede this just wasn't my night. I didn't like feeling like I was in the wrong here, and I was just a little frustrated, a bit scared that security was coming to get me, and more than a little embarrassed. It just wasn't worth it for the little picture I had in my hand. I quietly told the guy that I'd step out of line and room, and I made a move stepping back out of line, but he told me no, that it was fine, JUST as Dierks looked at me and beckoned me towards him. NOT the best moment for me to have to deal with pretending this was just a normal conversation with Dierks..after having to deal with something pretty anxiety-provoking.

After all that, I can barely remember what Dierks and I talked about. I remember showing him the picture (I just wanted to shake his hand and run at this point) and he remembered that it was in Seattle and so did Kai the tour manager, and although I was still harboring less that nice feeling about our earlier discussion, I pretended to be kind. After all, he was holding my camera in his hand and was about to take our picture. I asked him if he was going to stay after the show and hang out like he sometimes does, and he and I briefly chatted about the border and we mentioned having to get over it tonight. Apparently it's hard for them and their gear to get over without a lot of hassle. He signed my picture and in record time he'd pulled me in for a tight shot. Okay, let me say how weird this is! Suddenly you're being pulled into this hold by someone you barely know, and although I know there are a lot of women out there who've pawed and basically climbed all over him for their shot, this girl is not one of them. I know I'm supposed to put my arm around him too, but in the split seconds I have to ponder this, I'm also thinking how crazy this is. I did put my arm around him and he held on while my camera played tricks. Similar to what happened the last time I was this nervous (my previous meet up with him) my face muscles froze up and to smile took extreme effort. I could literally feel my cheeks quivering and prayed it wasn't visible. Then, just like that, it was over and I was walking out the door. I think he said it was great meeting me again. I think I said thank you. At least I hope I did. I don't remember, as I was practically running out of the room, well, not really because my legs were shaking, but that's what my mind was doing. Some dude stopped me outside the door to write on my sticker, which I'd stuck low on my shirt so it was weird having this guy write on me like that, but then I scrambled to my seat, shaking my head all the way. Oh, no. I may get entered again by this fan club if we ever see him again, but I may have to forgo this experience. Although it's a story to tell, it's a hard one to get through. Maybe if I was like a lot of crazy fans who go in there wanting him to sign their bodies, their clothing, their scrapbooks and gifts they've brought him, it might be an easier thing to do. But I don't want to kiss him, I don't want to tell him that I love him and want to have his children, and I don't have some fantasy that he'll change his mind about his girlfriend and move me to Nashville. So......I may pass the next time I have this unique opportunity. Later I talked to a great woman who I met earlier in the evening who told me she met Keith Urban and when she smiled she had this nervous twitch in her eye. So, maybe a nervous twitch in my cheeks isn't that crazy after all! Made me feel a little better, too!

We really enjoyed the concert. I thought that maybe John wouldn't like it as much, as he doesn't like his music all that much, but he really seemed to like the whole concert. The crowd was great, our table was great, and everything ended up working out. We met some people from Langley, B.C. that we may stay in contact with, too, which should be interesting. I'm sad to see the last of my concert schedule come and go, but look forward to figuring out which ones will be on my spring list. We talked to Matt today about the evening and he told me that one more and I'll offically be a groupie. Hmmmm....maybe this will just be my new hobbie in life. Maybe it will be my mid-life crisis early. After all I'm thirty, right?!! I can do what I want!!!

More pictures!

Pictures from Jake's 2nd birthday weekend 2005!

Jake's 2nd birthday, celebrated early!

Today we left Bellingham and traveled over the pass to visit the family and celebrate Jake's 2nd birthday. Next week is looking very busy with a concert on Friday night up in Canada and Halloween activities, so we pushed it up a week. The pass was beautiful and Thomas had a great ride over, playing with his toys, reading his books on tractors and sleeping. We didn't need to make a stop until we got into Union Gap, where John stopped for Teriyaki while we waited for the family to catch up to us. I decided to wait to eat when we got into Toppenish, because I thought it safer to eat burgers at Pioneer Kitchen than eat Teriyaki in Yakima. I'm not too sure about Teriyaki in Yakima. Never had Teriyaki in Yakima before. Burgers...yes. Mexican food...yes. But Teriyaki?!!! I didn't want to have to visit the port-a-potty too many times out at Shell Farms, so I passed!

Turns out, the food was excellent! So was the little side trip down memory lane in downtown Toppenish. My, it was almost as if ghosts were walking around town. Very strange to visit your old stomping grounds and remember the old days. I was pretty darn close to the street where I'd take the old green bomb, full of friends, at high speeds, down the road and over a huge bump, and literally have that car flying. How I managed to not kill us all or end up in jail for all sorts of charges...I'll never know!

We had a great time out at Shell Farms, then traveled back home. We were all very tired. The boys had so much fun together. And my buddy, Drew, was indeed able to show me how to ride his bike without training wheels. He'd been so sad about breaking his arm and not being able to show me, but he was able to, cast and all, and I was so proud of him. He is such a ham, and so fun to be with. I even caught mom toodling around on my old bike that Drew found in the bushes and cleaned up. Now, wonders never cease. Flat tire and all! We celebrated Jake with a Thomas party set up that Andrea had put together, opened presents and had lime jello, a layer bar cake, cupcakes and other indulgences. They never fail to fatten me up when I come home, that's for sure. Jake and Thomas get along well, and Jake is so very sweet to Thomas. He'll just walk right up to him and try to hug and kiss on him. Oh, almost forgot to mention the puppy that Mom and Andrea saved out on the road. It's a boxer, but she's paralized in the hind legs, so she has to drag herself around. Beautiful little thing, but we're all hoping her spinal injury continues to heal and she can regain some of her feeling.

Sunday found me extremely lazy, and I'm thankful mom, dad and Andrea love me enough to let me kick back, eat and let them handle Thomas. I am so lucky to have them put up with me, as I literally sat my booty down in front of the heater or crashed out on the cough watching the Seahawks. It was bliss, but now I realize I totally neglected my nephews in my stupor. I'll have to make it up to the little guys when I go back for the new baby's arrival. I'm sure Drew planned much more for our weekend than me just hanging out, and I know it's getting harder for him that I live so far away. I have to try to remember that when I'm with him, because I tend to take advantage of our time together and not spend as much quality time with him. I kick myself now.....

Enjoy the pictures of the little guys from this weekend. We had a great time!

Lauren's 2nd Birthday, 2005

Today was a crazy day! Not only did I have to work, but I wanted to celebrate Lauren's birthday tonight with cupcakes and dinner, get a present for Billy's belated birthday, finalize Jake's birthday presents, go to an invitation only shoe boutique grand opening with Jodi and Jenny, and get ready to go to Yakima for the weekend. As Thomas now says, "Whoa!" It was a great night, and thanks to Matt picking up the pizzas, the night went a lot smoother than I thought. We celebrated with birthday cupcakes, much to Lauren's delight, ate pizzas, opened presents, then Jodi and I rushed off to the shoe boutique, leaving the guys to "babysit". Hmmmm...after the many nights the guys have spent hangin' out in the shop, Jodi and I are debating coming up with our own "project" to work on. Late night dinner and gelato seems like a good "project" to me! After returning from the grand opening (Jodi and Jenny bought shoes, and I bought a fancy belt), we relieved the guys to work on the studio wood project and took back the kids. Thomas went down shortly after getting back home, and later John called. Bruce agreed to listen for Thomas on the monitor as I raced up to sit and enjoy the Keith Urban video in the comfort of the big screen! Fabulous! What a treat!

New PIctures from this weekend!

New Pictures from this weekend's race and pumpkins!

pictures from October 15th, 2005

Pictures from our weekend!

Whatcom Falls Race and Lots of Trains and Tractors!

Today I ran my first race since before John and I were married and we ran the Midnight Sun Run in Fairbanks, Alaska together. I'm just hoping my time was a bit better this time around, although judging by the many times I wanted to sit on a log and cry, I'm not betting any money. It was a hard one for me, as I had banked on there being a lot more slow runners behind me (which was NOT the case and made me work hard to keep my position, therefore no cry-break!) I was shooting for 11 minute miles and ended up completing it with 10 minute miles, which I felt pretty happy about for the first time out. My bum knee held up, too, which was a real big concern, considering the first two-plus miles were uphill. My running friends, Marty (court commissioner here in B'ham) Dave (my supervisor in Juvenile Probation) and Erin (past intern) ran a great race. I think they all ran 7 and 8 minute miles. No official time yet, but they did a fabulous job!

Following the race end, we played in the pumpkin fields and Thomas spend a great deal of time riding the tractor train. He has become a huge train fan in the last week. As soon as his feet hit the floor in the morning he races for his trains, and at night we pull him off his trains, usually with much resistance. It has been very entertaining to watch this transformation.

Because it was such a beautiful day, Jenny thought it would be better to go to McPhail's pumpkin patch today instead of tomorrow, and right on she was. It was a gorgeous fall afternoon. The kids ran around the animal farms, took rides on the train through the yard, and we all picked pumpkins after a wagon ride to the patch, which we got to after going through one huge mud pit. I think Thomas would have been content without all the other "fluff". He just wanted to sit on the tractor or ride the train. Forget the other activities!

All in all it was a big day full of tractors, trains and pumpkins! I used to dread fall, but with these activities and fun times....bring it on!

Recovery Days

It appears that John and Brad have recovered from their marathon with no residual effects, although Erica and I report some slight calf tightness from our trek around the city looking for coffee. (Hmmmmm......)

Thomas has entered another interesting phase. He is big into trains, but is utterly frustrated whenever the slightest derailment takes place, whether it be a wheel moves off the track, a track isn't in perfect position, or the trains don't move down the track in the exact way Thomas wants it to. John pulled the trains out of his room for about a day, as we quickly tired of hearing Thomas throw a fit and hurl toys around in frustration. Now John is making a train table in an attempt to help Thomas move around easier, and we trust as Thomas figures it all out he will be less frustrated when the little stuff doesn't work as he sees it should. It has been very disconcerting to see our sweet little boy pound his train down, on whatever surface is closest, in a fit of anger. When we try to pull him away and distract him with another toy, explaining he might have more fun if he moved on to something else for awhile, that draws an even bigger fit of sobbing and tears. Oh, the highs and lows of an emotional toddler. I enjoy the quieter moments of reading books, looking through out pictures on the computer, and going through our stacks of flashcards.

Portland Adventures and Marathon 2005

After leaving Thomas with my mom and dad, plus John's mom and dad, (as if he'll even miss us!), then picking up Erica and Brad, who'd left Emma and Grace with Heidi and Todd for the weekend, we made yet another escape! Heading down to Portland was filled with talk of race details, training specifics, food consumption, mile post markers, calories, heart rates, splits, Quiznos, goos ( don't ask) lube (don't go there) and body funtions (don't even want to know!). Meanwhile, Erica and I talked about kids, rings, shopping and running topics besides the ones listed above. Oh, we also talked country music, and Brad swears he didn't skim or delete my specific email regarding going to Keith's Vegas show! I'm thinking he's a skimmer! We're trying to figure out who and when our next concert/travel adventure will be, and before the Portland Marathon is even over they're talking about Sacramento and Vancouver. I'm voting for some marathon in the Caribbean, though. Somewhere where I can drop them off at the start and head to the beach to wait it out!

Got detoured off I-5, but curiously, Oregon must not pay for detour signs, and we were on our own trying to take the back road into Portland. Pulled up and valet parked at the hotel, only to realize our room was not much bigger than the closet we stayed in up in Vancouver in the Red Light district for our first marathon experience. Now, let me qualify something for you. Erica referred to our Vancouver Howard Johnson hotel as the "Ho-Jo". Now, I'm going to continue to believe my loving husband did NOT intentionally make Thomas and I sleep in any building with the word "Ho" in it, but the prostitution and drugs happening outside really left a sour taste in my mouth. Our Portland hotel, although not much bigger, was a huge step up in quality. Not sure the Posturpedic beds helped much...Brad reports about 4 1/2 hours of sleep and many potty breaks during the night, with John not doing much better, although we also had troubles with short sheets. Hmmmmmm...

We spent our free evening checking out the race expo, where I ran into an old friend, Scott Schilter, and then off to do a little shopping. Envisioned buying cool jeans for John at Nordstrom, but poor service and a lady telling him to just crawl under the dressing room door had us bolting. John's comment was "You'd think that when you're holding two hundred dollar jeans in your hand you wouldn't have to crawl under a door." John helped me spend my birthday money on a great pair of jeans. Now, this may all sound silly, but I'm passionate about my jeans, and I've looked forward to checking out nice jeans for awhile now. John helping me find just the right ones made my trip even better.

After initial trouble finding a spot to carbo load for dinner, we had a relaxing dinner together. I did throw somewhat of a fit over the brief discussion of just eating at the mall's food court when several restaurants reported two hour waits. I remember my tantrum consisted of "You've got to be kidding! Here we are, in a great city, WITHOUT our children, and we're going to eat at a FOOD COURT!?????!!!" I'll admit, not one of my finer moments, but eating at the mall food court was not in my fantasy getaway adventure! Although Erica and I had big plans of hitting the town and spending our free night having fun, we quickly realized that crawling into bed early sounded so much better. Oh, well. It was a good thought. We spent the end of our night debating coffee for morning (the guys need caffeine before they race in the morning)--- the merits of bad room coffee, lobby coffee, expensive room service coffee, or the corner coffee shop that didn't open early enough for Brad's body time schedule. We even took advantage of the Conciege to help us determine coffee options. In the end, Brad had room coffee and John had his RockStar (toothepaste tasting!) drink.

The race started well, the weather held up nicely, and we managed to see the guys at all three checkpoints. I even ran alongside my friend Tonya for a brief moment, which was the extent of my running this weekend. Our biggest problem was finding a coffee shop open. We killed time in the lobby of a hotel, then made our way to the finish line. We saw lots of silly guys with bleeding nipples, a woman throwing up at the line, and many struggling bodies, but nothing was quite as thrilling as seeing John crossed the line at 3:36, 20 minutes better than his Vancouver time, and Brad came in at 3:59:59, for a sub 4 marathon! Incredibly, despite very little consistent training and non-existent long runs, Brad's body held it together, although his bladder is another story. Ask Brad about the porta-potties in Portland if you ever need some direction! John looked so great at the line. He was in a great mood, and he felt great. I was so happy for him, and excited to see that he didn't look as beat up as he had in Vancouver. It was very impressive, and I'm so thankful his training paid off for him. He worked so hard for this! We congratulated the guys at the finish, sent them on to the hotel to clean up and rest, and we finished up our shopping. The lady in the chocolate shop asked me if I was finishing my marathon race or marathon shopping. I smiled and told her both, as I think supporting a marathon runner through city blocks to checkmarks deserves some credit, and a bit of shopping, too! It's hard being the support, and don't let anyone tell you differently. It's long hours away from them while they train, lots of extra sweaty, stinky laundry to do, anxiety about injury while they're running, the stress of finding coffee while you wait, and then not knowing exactly what to say when they cross the line saying they'll never do that again, only to hear them discussing their training and plans for the next one over dinner that night!

We had a great time, the guys did a fantastic job, and we'll be deciding in the next little while what will be the next challenge they face. Brad mentioned an IronMan a while back. Without much training for this marathon, I'd lay money on him doing it, with a big piece of his training missing, too! He'd just be crazy enough to do it!

A big thanks needs to go out to our parents. Without them, this weekend wouldn't have been anything like it was! It means so much to us to be able to leave our son behind and know he will have a fabulous time and will be well cared for. There are no worries when we leave him, and we are so grateful for our moms and dad who watch him with such love and devotion. You make this possible for us, and we thank you so very much!!! Heidi and Todd, a big thanks for watching the girls. We had a blast, and hope you know how much we appreciate you watching the girls so Brad and Erica could run away with us!

Post Birthday Party dinner with Steph!

Okay, I've had a three day birthday party, really! Today my co-workers celebrated by bringing in donuts, showered me with balloons, one of which sings to me, and treated me to lunch! It was a really fun day at work with lots of distractions.

Tonight, Steph met me at Guiseppe's, our local high end Italian restaurant, and we enjoyed an evening catching up with our lives, aside from our work lives. I've truly enjoyed each and every treat I've had this week, and feel very blessed to have friends that have been so wonderful and truly made me feel loved.

When I got home, Thomas was still up in his crib and calling for me, so I went in to tuck him in. He is so sweet, and such a good boy. Standing in his crib, he wanted to get out and play, but I simply told him it was night-night time, and he looked at me, smiled sweetly, then crumpled down to his pillow and curled up. I cuddled up to him, my heart nearly bursting with love for my little boy, prayed with him our goodnight prayers, then told him I loved him and night-night. He waved up at me and said "nigh-nigh" then turned over and cuddled up to his pillow. No fighting, no whining, no argument. He just simply shuts it down. I walk away each night shaking my head, amazed. I really don't know how else to put it! I just feel so very blessed!

My 30th Birthday, 2005

Today Thomas and I spent the morning taking a long walk together at Whatcom Falls park, playing on the swings and visiting the fish hatchery there, then heading to Toys R Us to play with the Thomas toys and finish up shopping for Isaac Lawrence, who turns 1 today while I turn 30! Wow! I'll never forget Isaac's birthday, that's for sure!

Amazingly, lightning didn't strike me at midnight, nor did I suddenly find myself old and grey, or even filled with incredible wisdom at turning 30. I thought about it all morning, but because nothing profound was happening (as if it would!) it was just another day with Thomas, playing and sharing our day together. Thomas didn't even seem to care that his mother is now no longer in her twenties! Imagine that! In fact, he still doesn't care if his drool runs out of his mouth while he plays or his mother picks his nose for him. He just doesn't care about things like that, so why should I care about being 30?

The afternoon was a little crazy, as I had to run off to work to start a new program at our facility and Jodi watched Thomas for me, but then it was back to the neighborhood and off to Isaac's 1st birthday party, which was really special for me. One of my "bestest" friend's little ones shares my birthday, and it is incredibly sweet to see him, especially with his birthday cupcake smeared all over his face, behind his ear and into his hair. It was a lot of fun, and a great way to spend a birthday afternoon.

Thomas was exhausted from all the activity, but we managed to keep him awake long enough for John to surprise me with gifts of CD's, running clothes, and the promise of some serious shopping on his marathon weekend in Portland. It doesn't hurt that our hotel is next to the Nordstrom downtown in Portland, so I'm really looking forward to him running! After putting Thomas down for the night, Lil treated us to my favorite muffins that she makes and then we were off to dinner at my favorite Thai restaurant and a movie. It was a real treat to go out on the town, relax over dinner and then spend time with John enjoying a movie, which used to be one of our favorite things to do until we dismantled our own home theater...which is now Thomas's room. I didn't know if I could make it through the movie without falling asleep, but I wasn't about to pass up the opportunity. I had a great time, despite the movie being totally awful! We'll laugh about our choice someday! All in all, it was a great 30th birthday! Friends, a 1st birthday, and time spent with my loved ones. I feel so very blessed!

Cynthia's 30th Birthday pre-party 2005 October 4th

Although I chatted with Jodi in the early morning while at work, my crazy day at work had me forgetting I was going out with the girls to celebrate, and it took Jodi calling me on my drive back home to remind me that I had fun times awaiting. Good thing she caught me or Thomas and I would have been at Toys R Us killing time, while the girls wondered where I was. I was much more excited about going out than hangin at Toys R Us, too.
Jodi and Jenny picked me up and surprised me with a wonderful dinner at Nimbus, which has incredible views of the bay and downtown Bellingham from 14 stories high. Although I had been dreading my birthday, and I usually have a hard time celebrating myself and get all worked up about any attention, it was a great time just to hang out with the girls, have time just to chat and relax together, and spend quality time without the little ones dividing out attentions. It was really special for me to be able to be with Jenny and Jodi, and it was a night I won't soon forget. I'm so thankful for their incredible friendship, and feel like I come away with such joy and happiness whenever I'm with them. I had such a wonderful feeling in my heart after getting home, and had a hard time wiping the smile off my face well into the next day and night! Girls, you made my 30th incredibly special. I love you both!

Tommy on the Train!

Thomas goes to the Pumpkin Patch!

Today Jodi called and asked us to meet up with them at a pumpkin patch, so we decided to head to out Stoney Ridge Farms and see the pumpkins. Thomas and Lauren enjoyed looking at all the farm animals, playing on the toys, running down the rows of growing Christmas trees, and testing their wheelbarrow riding skills through the corn maze, which Jodi bravely led us through. Thomas even enjoyed his first pumpkin patch train ride, and both Tommy and Lauren enjoyed the hay wagon ride down to the apple trees, corn maze and pumpkin patches. It was a beautiful, chilly autumn day with friends!

Tonight, after taking a long, late afternoon nap, we went down to Fairhaven to enjoy gelato and look around at the shops. We had fun browsing, window shopping and reading fun books at the bookstore, before heading home. Back at home we headed to see Grandpa working late up in the shop, went outside with Grandma to say good night to the stars and the moon, looked through pictures on the computer with Grandma, then headed downstairs for a bottle and bed. Yet another fun filled day.

I went running with Commissioner Martha "Marty" Gross, Dave Reynolds and Greg Fosty today on our five miler.