happy birthday sister

happy birthday chi chi...i hope your day is filled with loveliness! i hope you like the birthday gift i sent home to you yesterday...mom! it came straight from the heart...for only because it was your birthday did i not pitch a fit and change her flight plans for another week. you're most welcome! and the wrapped packages...those were just trinkets that reminded me of you...enjoy mom and thanks for sharing her! we love you!!

and away she flew...

she left today...and i cried...like a baby. it felt like the first time she left me in cleveland all over again. i had gotten really good at good-byes over the years away. it makes me wonder how hard it really will be once this babe gets here and my mom leaves that first time...i might just have to begin talks now with my dad about hopes of him commuting to pittsburgh to visit her!

when we took mom to the airport...the clerk telling her she needed to widdle out 18 pounds from her suitcase recognized that we must be mother and daughter...she then went on to comment on my bump...i think i looked at her a little surprisingly...for this was the first time someone i never knew commented on my growing belly. i just didn't expect it this soon...i still felt a little incognito and not so obvious that someone would feel comfortable saying i was preggo...guess its just all out there in the open now! i should have asked if first-time grandmother's get a free pass on +18 pounds of luggage! that would have been a nice gesture of congratulations!

we are hosting new friends for the rest of the weekend...hoping it will be a good distraction...from missing her.

growing babe...

such sweetness friends...a growing belly filled with a tiny babe and your warm congratulations, prayers, and well wishes of comments, emails, and calls! thank you!!! ...and lots of thoughtful questions...hoping to answer them all...

• oh yes...most certainly we are over the moon with joy and feeling overwhelmingly blessed!!!
• this babe is set to make its debut on october 24th...the 26th is my dad's birthday and how special that would be {yes, right now i am ok with a "late" babe!}
• i feel so thankful and very fortunate to be feeling great. i have not been plagued with morning sickness...and since i'm eating every 2 hours i'd say i don't have any problem taking in food! this babe was such a trooper during all of my travels!
• yep...my baby hope chest has been busted open and since my mom's visit the little one has most definetly taken its place in its closet in what will become the nursery.
  

oh baby i'm blessed...

it all started seven years ago today...i shared a meal with the man i knew i would marry...

six years ago today...i answered yes to the rest of our lives together...

2 months today shy of five years...i said i do to that man and became his mrs. ...

and today...i couldn't feel more blessed to be carrying his babe!

old family favorite...

momma is an excellent cook {...there is no argument in this department!} it doesn't matter the recipe...it always tastes better when she makes it! needless to say...since she has been here we have made more trips to the grocery store {every other time hubby calls during the day...we are at the grocery store!} and have had more of our home cooked favorites! the above vanilla wafer cake was hubby's request...it is one of his favorites from mom. this recipe has been in the family many generations...and resides on an old piece of worn paper in my grandmother's writing {and in mom's head of course!}. this cake turns out different every time...but whether its crumbled out of the pan or beautifully intact...it always tastes the same...delicious!!

up next on the dessert menu...the biggest homemade cinnamon rolls you ever did see!! hope you all have the loveliest weekend!!

mom...

we'll no longer be burning up the phones lines...she's coming today to stay for 2 weeks!!!
...and i couldn't be more excited!!

sunday's comin...

it's friday...

............................................

sunday is here...and HE IS RISEN!!!

...words don't do justice to the meaning of this day...although scholars, poets, writers, artists, etc. have tried for thousands of years. how does one truly explain Christ's sacrifice, love, and utter devotion to us? i am so thankful to my family for teaching me so that i have always known and don't even remember learning God's love for us. i am thankful for the seed that was planted in me as a child that as people came in and out and through my life...they watered it. i am thankful...so since there aren't words to truly describe the sacrifice of His life, the depth of His love, and the vastness of stories portraying his miracles...i will live my life in hopes that some may see His reflection...not because of me, but through me.

happy easter friends!! { take a minute to listen...my favorite song of the moment! }

late with the eggs

easter is one of my favorite times of the year...it started off this way because when we were little it was such a treat when the easter bunny came and brought us {my sister and i...not the boys} gorgeous new silver bracelets for our tiny wrists. i continued to love easter and found a renewed fondness when dr. hubby and i got engaged the night before easter many moons ago. then moving to cleveland i formed a whole new appreciation for holiday {...except for this remembered year}...it usually meant that spring was on its way...and that became the most welcomed weather!! and above all...i love what it represents...it is such a reminder of God's renewed promise to always rise above sin and become whole.

well...this year i am more behind than ever. i am working on regaining normal again and finally have my house almost back to how i like it...and i'm embarrassed to say...the easter decorations just made it out of their boxes today...

the thought crossed my mind this weekend as my stuffy head boggled with the {at the time} overwhelming thought of getting the easter decor out...so i considered leaving it in the boxes til next year...but when it started snowing again i realized...this place can use all of the spring encouragement it can get!

so today...out came easter...and yes...its gonna be up a while!

these beauties are the newest addition...my handmade eggs {back when i was on top of things and way ahead of the game...miss bri and i made these...before valentines...you lovelies know i am always abnormal with timeframe of holiday decor!}

my mom dreamed up this idea of wrapping them in lush yarns and crazy textures and sent me home with all the goodies back when i was home for christmas {see i come by it naturally!}! ...i had to take it a step further of course by gussying them up with trims, crepe paper, velvet ribbon, old seam binding...and eventually they'll get baubles {maybe next year!}. it was a treat getting to make them on our girls weekend...hence why they got made way back in january!

thanks so much mom for passing along your craftiness...both with the eggs and genetically!

snow and sniffles

it snowed this evening...thats all i'm going to say about that. did i think it needed its own post...probably not, but it snowed! lovelies...it is april. april i say and it snowed. mother nature best better clean it up because my momma is coming to town next week and i would like it to be warmer and colorful...{now that deserves a post of its own!}...and well! so i'll do my part and keep sipping hot liquids in hopes of feeling better and why don't you...button up those snow clouds and open up the soil...we are ready for it!! ...after tomorrow's snow of course!

{ image borrowed from superstock.com }

hello california...

Working in San Diego on Week 2 was an extra special treat of a week! When I left Pittsburgh it was a whopping 7 degrees and I was greeted in San Diego with 65 degree temps! ...

and the warmest treat of all... my sister and my cousin flew to San Diego to spend the week with me and keep me company in the evenings! They arrived just a bit before me and were able to pick me up at the airport...in style no less...lets just say they got an amazing free upgrade on the SUV they rented for the week!

We took advantage of the drastic time change that gave me 3 extra hours of the day and the girls 2 extra hours. This was the only day I didn't have responsibilities at my venue so we ventured across the bay to the island of Coronado. It was gorgeous!!! We first checked out the beach...

There is something about walking barefoot in the warm sand against the crashing waves and glaring sun...that is so relaxing and overstimulating all at the same time! It was fabulous!

We loved the local neighborhood and walking the streets of the cutest boutiques and tasty eats. The palms were gorgeous, but I assume...they aren't as appreciated by the locals...just another sure thing California landscape!

Then we ventured into the gorgeous Hotel del Coronado... built in 1888 this enormous wooden hotel is nothing short of spectacular!

We most definitely made the most of our visit! It was such a welcomed treat to see the girls and explore gorgeous Cali together!!

It was a gorgeous day and a fabulous week with the girls {when I wasn't working of course!}

some highlights...

{scroll down a post to the the beginning and reason for this "tour of the US" that I just completed...}

busi-ness and the business of this event left me with little picture taking...but I managed to get a few snaps each week {well almost} of a few highlights...

week 1 : manchester, nh

• flew over downtown pittsburgh on the way out of town

• had the best caprise salad ever...{this is a favorite of mine if you might remember...}
  

• met Dean Kamen...the Einstein of today, inventor of the segway {among many things}, and the founder of FIRST. and enjoyed a formal dinner with him and a few others in celebration of a successfully fantastic 1st FIRST week of competitions!

week 2 : san diego, ca

• this one gets its own post shortly {hint...I got to see my sister and cousin!!}

week 3 : pittsburgh, pa

• got to sleep in my own bed!!
• dinner with hubby and the many friends I've made...if you ever visit us in Pittsburgh and you are ok with dining in a gorgeous old Catholic church...we will take you here! It has the best most fabulous wood fired brick oven pizza!!!

week 4 : annapolis, md

• was so impressed with the gorgeous city of annapolis
  

• our event was on the grounds of the naval academy...a gorgeous campus!
  

week 5 : hartford, ct

• the last leg of my journey proved to possibly be the most humorous and eye-rolling moments {20 min.} of all 5 weeks...my taxi driver spent the 20 min. between downtown hartford at my hotel and the airport educating me on... the effects of caffeine, the unknown fact by doctors that truly all medical issues are a result of parasites, and what it takes to be a leader... what a man of "wisdom" {or something like that}!

ahhh...thanks so much ladies for the warm "welcome backs"!! needless to say...I am so glad to be home...in my own bed, spending my evenings with hubby, cooking my own meals, loving on my yorkies, and begin cleaning what became a bachelor pad over the last month or so! ;)

oh the places you'll go...

a little background...
through an amazing turn of events a few years ago I met Steve...he has become a good friend and is the owner of an event managing firm. He invited/hired me to be involved with an amazing non-profit organization, FIRST {for inspiration and recognition of science and technology}. In early January high school Robotics teams across the United States receive a box of parts...they are to turn these parts into a working robot run via a computer chip in the player station at one end of the playing field. The goal of the Robot's abilities is different every year...each year the game on the playing field changes leaving those 6 weeks as precious time to dream, create, and design the winning 'bot!

It is a competition like I have never experienced before. These kids have such intelligence, amazing team spirit {mascots too!}, applied smarts, and such determination.

My role...my role with the event is the event manager. As an event manager you oversee the production crew, regional committee, field crew, catering, venue contacts, the "staging" contacts, etc. It was challenging, fun, stretching mentally, tiring, and a wonderful opportunity...

Over the course of 6 weeks 41 Regionals took place this year nationally and even internationally. I worked 5 of them...