My birthday

This year was a little bit different than past years with regards to my birthday. Joseph didn't get the day off. He probably could have, if he didn't already need Friday off to go on his financial blogging trip to Chicago.

Yep, the hubby has been gone for my birthday weekend. Sad. I can't be too sad though, because I told him he could take the trip. I knew he wouldn't have asked me if it wasn't important to him.

It turned out to be a really good day. I drove out to Scottsdale and met my boy for lunch. I got to see his office and meet his coworkers. (Of course, I made sure to look super-cute just in case there were any women there who had their eye on him). He told me that he had called around trying to schedule me a pedicure and he was sorry he didn't have an appointment (they were booked) but he wanted me to go treat myself to one for my birthday.

Aren't these flip flops cute? Go so nicely with the painted toes.

I was driving back home after my pedicure when I notice a large van blocking my driveway. I got a little mad, thinking it must be one of the neighbors. As I got closer, I noticed that it was an Edible Arrangements van. The irritation turned into puzzlement. Until I noticed a man at my door, holding a bag with a floating balloon.

Gasp, for me?
Woot woot! I read the card and it said, "Happy birthday to my sweet sister Deidre! Love you!"

No signature.

But a clue. Unfortunately, it only narrowed it down to eight people since I am one of nine children. Although, I was pretty sure it was one of two sisters.

It turned out to be my sister Kristi. She laughed when I asked her if it was supposed to be a mystery; she thought she had signed the card, but apparently not.

These strawberries are yummy-noises delicious. I already destroyed them, but my mouth is watering just looking at this picture again.

Joseph ordered me some books and hair products from my Amazon wish list (the wish list is a beautiful thing).

Friday night was spent with just a few friends; it was such a good night. I prefer just a small group of people rather than a large party. When I am hosting a party where not everyone knows every one else I always end up worrying that not everyone is having a good time. But there was enough hysterical laughter that it was fabulous. For example, this gift from Katelyn:

Homemade sugar scrub! Love it. Katelyn apologized for the container, saying she thought it looked like a urine sample cup. I took a closer look at the container, and agreed, but admitted that I didn't see it at first. Then someone said it could be a sperm sample and the dirty jokes took off from there.

Tonight I am going out with a few sisters. We're not exactly sure what we're going to do for our sister night, but it will be good to get together.

And tomorrow, Joseph will be home!

Five Years

Joseph and I just celebrated our five year wedding anniversary.


I feel so old. But I also feel like not much time has passed.

He's my best friend. I can tell him anything and he doesn't judge me...or think I'm being weird.
Sometimes I try to be extra-weird just because that's when he flashes his big dimple-grin and shakes his head, as if to say, "I don't even know what to do with you." As I am running around with a bath towel pretending to be a butterfly.

I appreciate that I can ask him to do something and he will do it. Yes, it's a little frustrating that his "clean" tolerance is a different level than mine, and I will let the dishes sit in the sink to see if he notices and does something about it (he doesn't). But the second I mention them, he is all over it.



I like that when we have fights, he apologizes even when it's not his fault. Because it makes me feel like a big jerk. I still pout a little bit, just because I have a temper. But it makes it easier for me to accept responsibility once I've calmed down. Because, let's face it, I'm usually mad about the dishes in the sink, and that's dumb.

I like to tease him. I will very stealthily lick his neck and then deny deny deny. The only problem is that he will ask me if I just licked his neck when we are cuddling at night, when I honestly did not. He now experiences phantom licks.

He makes me feel loved. He makes me feel adorable.



When we are hanging out after dinner, he will ask me if I need anything. Sometimes it's just because he is going to play a game or work on his blog, and that's his signal that I shouldn't be bugging him (which just makes me want to more). But mostly it's because he is a sweetiepie.

When I need to go to the music store to get a book, he will go with me. Just to keep me company. And when I tell him to back away because there is a guy who flirts with me and makes me feel good, he smiles and gives me some distance.

He loves our two little cat children. So much so that when we were watching my mom's dogs and Marley ran away, he was worried. When she finally showed up, he grabbed her, even though she spotted the dogs and scratched and bit, he held on until he had her in the house. His hand later swelled up with an infection.

He is good humored. He doesn't get offended when people tease him. He doesn't judge other people (trust me, I've tried, but he won't). The only people he's ever been upset with are people that have hurt members of his family.


He is a nerd, but not the awkward, geeky kind - the knowledgeable, useful kind. There is something incredible attractive about a man who can fix your computer. I don't understand what he's talking about with dual-cores, DSS and logic boards, but I like to gaze into his eyes as he says it.

He makes me dinner. He thinks I'm funny. He has initiative, and goes after his dreams.

He has enough confidence to wear a European swimsuit, even though I'm pretty sure Brian was joking.

He values my opinion.

I can't believe I love him more now than when we first got married.

Lilly and the Sugar Gliders

My sister Danielle has sugar gliders. When she went to North Dakota to visit family this summer, she asked us to watch them. Now she is in Hawaii and we got Sugar Glider duty again.

Lilly is in heaven.

Can you see the brave sugar glider right next to her paw? Pixel wasn't afraid (but Cocoa was hiding).



Lilly thought we brought her new friends. I'm curious how she would react if we took them out of the cage. But those little ladies are dang fast, and I am not going to explain to my sister that I lost one of her babies. So they are staying in the cage.

If this is making you want a sugar glider, don't run out and buy one. They are high maintenance. They need constant care and attention or they can get mean. You also need to buy at least two because they are social creatures (they live in colonies in the wild) and can become depressed. Do your research and be prepared to devote time and resources to them.

The Circus

About a month ago I was watching a documentary on the circus and immediately wanted to go. I did an internet search and found out that I had just missed one by a month. I couldn't find anything indicating there would be another soon.

I was bummed.

About a week ago we stopped at the corner Walgreens to get some ice cream and I spotted a flyer on the counter. What was it advertising? THE CIRCUS. I told Joseph it would be so much fun to go. And could we please take my three nephews?

I have such a great hubby.

Some delicious (and quite expensive) food to start.

This was our view from our seats. They had the ring open before the show and during intermission to ride the elephant, get your face painted, or jump in one of those inflatable jumping castles. It was all quite expensive, so we sat in our seats waiting for the show to start. The next few pictures aren't very good because the lights were off during the show.

A contortionist.

Two tight-rope walkers, sitting on chairs. One of them fell (twice!) and managed to save himself by hooking his leg around the wire, and he spun around. It was very nerve-wracking.

Tigers jumping through hoops lit on fire.

Hanging out during intermission.

I took other pictures of the trapeze artists, the magic show, the motorcyclists in the iron cage, etc., but those pictures really didn't turn out.

The show was over and we were walking back to our cars. Can you believe how tall this kid is? I love that he threw his arm around his mom.

After the circus we came back to our house for a sleepover. It was a little crazy (with three boys, it was to be expected) but they said they had a lot of fun.

Jumping on the trampoline with the sprinkler underneath.

They kept themselves pretty entertained throwing a ball around the house, playing video games, helping me paint my trunk (another blog post when it's finished), and teasing each other. It was a good weekend.

Florida Vacation

Joseph's family lives in Florida, right next to the ocean. We flew in on Saturday and left before the big storm hit Thursday.

The Smurfs I would see everywhere.

Note to self: next time I am asked if I would like a single or a tandem, get a tandem. And sit in the back, so that when my arms feel like they're going to fall off, Joseph doesn't notice that he's doing all the work.

It was a good vacation. Joseph's family is very sweet and at times hilarious.

Um...Thank you?

I wore really high wedges today and my coworker Lottie was commenting on it. As I walked past her, she exclaimed, "How come you're not a model? You are perfect for it!"

I said thanks, but my face isn't cute enough.

And I'm not saying that because I wanted her to tell me how cute I am. Not. At. All. I was being serious. I have kind of a weird face. I'm just being honest. I still have a good self esteem, so I'm not worried about it. I still think I'm alright. Not the prettiest girl in the world (this is where I am humble) but I'm also not an uggo (this is the part of me that is shallow. A character flaw I am working on).

She replied in a very appropriate way. What did she say?

"They can airbrush that."

This is Not My Week

Something happened on Monday that was mortifying. And in order to tell you the story, I have to tell another mortifying story so that you will understand it.

A few months back, it was a wonderful Friday (which means a group of my coworkers and I go to Culver's for lunch, deeee-lish) and I wore a new pair of jeans. I usually wear business casual Monday through Thursday, so I look forward to my jeans on Fridays. And today was especially exciting because I got to wear new jeans.

The day just couldn't get any better.

Well, about 2:00, I was sitting on the edge of a desk, explaining something to one of the new hires (I was mentoring at the time). I'd been sitting there for a good 10 minutes when I looked down and realized something.

I could see my underwear. There was a hole in the crotch of my pants. And it was a monstrous hole. I could have fit four fingers through it.

I quickly closed my legs and tried to look casual, and searched my trainee's face for signs of mirth. I couldn't tell if she had noticed. I quickly finished the conversation, and went back to my desk. After a few moments of mortification, I was able to see the humor in the situation. I told my friend Renee, thinking she would laugh.

"Oh yeah! I noticed at lunch but didn't want to say anything in front of everyone. I was going to tell you later but forgot."

Thanks Renee.

So fast-forward to Monday. Monday was a bit of a stressful day. We are behind so our workload has been increased, and while I am meeting goal I am working feverishly the whole day. I got up for a bathroom break, and ran into my friend Renee. Good old Renee. We stopped to chat for a bit about nothing special, and she glanced at my crotch.

Which made me very paranoid. Why did she glance at my crotch? Was there another hole? Zipper down? Spilled lunch? When we finished our conversation I went to the bathroom, completed a thorough inspection, and found the area to be secure. But then I had a bit of deja vu, and remembered the last few times I talked to Renee the same thing had happened. Was she my secret hole in the pants guardian or was it unintentional?

I decided to text my friend Deni, who was out of the office that day. My text said, "Every time I talk to Renee she glances at my crotch, which makes me paranoid that there's something going on down there." Deni knew the Holey Friday story, so I knew she would understand, crack up, and tell me to stop imagining things. I figured I'd give her a little chuckle on her day off.

About a half hour later I got a text message from Renee, which said, "I don't think you meant to send that text to me, but I didn't realize I do that, sorry."

Craaaaaaaaaaap. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so I did quite a bit of both.

Today is Tuesday. The second day in the week. Should have been incident free after yesterday. But no.

Around 2:00 (what is it with that time of day?) my phone starts ringing. And it's security. My heart starts beating a little faster. Why is security calling me? Am I being fired? I automatically go through anything I may have done recently that could cause me to be in trouble (no, I am not going to list anything here. Confidential information that you are not privy to unless you partook in the activity...which were usually inappropriate lunchtime conversations...I'm pretty sure there are microphones on campus).

I answer the phone, using my casual voice. Who me? In trouble? Hah, must have the wrong person.

She told me I was parked in a reserved spot. Are you sure? I didn't even get in until 9:30 (yesterday really wore me out, I had a hard time getting up) and I had to park in the waaaay back. Must not be VIP parking. She explained that it was a 25-year employee's spot (yeah, you get a spot after you've worked there 25 years) and when I have time could I please move my car?

Sure thing boss, can do. Will move my car out of her sucky parking spot way in the back.

When I got to the parking spot, I stood there for a good five minutes. Looking around for the special plaque that indicated the spot was reserved. Nothing.

Am I being punked? Is there a camera somewhere? Is someone going to jump out and say just kidding? I'm pretty sure my work environment is entirely too serious for that type of thing.

I did not move my truck. I walked back to my desk, called the security officer who called me and left her a message. There's been some sort of mistake. I didn't park in a reserved spot. I told you it was too far away. If you tried to give me that spot I would be offended, not honored for my years of service.

At this point I'm slightly irritated and questioning my sanity when I decided to IM Joseph (his second to last day at work). He replied, "It might have been me. I thought it was weird that I got such a close spot."

Ohhhhh. That makes sense. When I first started working for this company, I registered my truck and his car in case I ever needed to take his car to work. When he started working, we never switched the information over. His car was registered under my name.

He went out and checked the spot. Yet, he was the perpetrator. He moved his car.

I debated calling the security guard back...and decided against it. We'll just let that one slide.

It has not been my week. And it's only Tuesday.