My birthday

My birthday was on a Sunday this year. So I had the whole weekend to celebrate. Or a week and a half...

Friday night Deni organized a get-together after work.

Brian and Katelyn did a wonderful, wonderful thing and left Chicago early (they do pest control summer sales in Chicago) just to be home for my birthday! It was wonderful to see them.

Casey Hall and HP. The birthday get-together was "technically" for HP too since her birthday is three days before mine...but she left early so it no longer counts.

Casey Hall's boy Caden, HP's boy Daelen, and my Lily, back from Chicago.

Laura, Nicki, Andrea, and Deni.

Jude, Brian, Brian's wife Jenny, and Jarod (Laura's husband).

J, Jacob, and Brian, doing their "band" pose. I had to re-take this picture four times, they were worse than girls.

After dinner Brian and Katelyn came back to our house and we hung out. It felt wonderful to just sit and talk again. And Katelyn did my nails! I love having my nails done...or my hair brushed...I am a monkey who needs to be groomed.

When I woke up on Sunday morning for my birthday, the chickens had laid an egg! Which I don't think I've shared the chicken news since we got them....So one of the chickens died. And it's kind of an awkward situation because I named them after coworkers. HP Dos, Nicki, and Judith (after Jude). All three chickens looked the same to me so I had to choose who died. That was an easy choice (Jude). Well ever since one of the chickens died, the other two stopped laying. So this was my first egg in weeks.

About time, I was getting ready for a chicken dinner.

Just kidding. I couldn't kill and pluck a chicken. Too much work.

Sunday night we had family dinner and my Mom made me a cookie cake and the best dessert ever...pazookies.

I was going to take Monday off but I had some meetings, and J needed me Tuesday to sign documents for our home re-fi, so I took Tuesday off. He let me know that Tuesday was the very last day I am celebrating my birthday. I may have over-used the phrase, "But it's my birthday" to do whatever I wanted the last five days...Ice cream for dinner, not cleaning dishes...It's very effective.


We got up early and signed the paperwork for our home re-fi. Thanks to Bank of American for their bad customer service when we tried to get the mortgage insurance removed from our loan, we started shopping around, and we are going to save $40,000 and will have our home paid off in 15 years. Take that BOA.

Then we went grocery shopping. Came home and ate the donuts we bought while shopping. Put down pre-emergent in the front yard, planted flowers, swept the front walk. I tried a craft for Deni (making a baby crown out of lace for baby photos - there are tutorials online) and failed miserably.

Stanley Steemer came to steam my carpet and chaise lounge which Micah has been peeing on. I ordered a dog gate from online and he has lost his privileges to the front room. I'm sure he'll just find somewhere else to pee, but since my house is hardwood, I don't really care. I just don't want it on my living room rug. Apparently by urinating in my house he is expressing his displeasure and anxiety. Other than that he's a good dog. Just a stinker.

I did complete making a toy giraffe for Joseph's brother's wife Cami, who is pregnant with a baby. She loves giraffes, just like me. I made an elephant for Deni. Posts for that will be coming soon; I need to type up the pattern for the giraffe since I made it by modifying the elephant pattern.

We are going to end my birthday celebration by going to get ice cream. Better yet, free ice cream, which is just what this spendthrift gets excited about.

Talon's Sea World Trip

When I was in the second grade we lived next door to my mom's really good friend Marina. Marina and her husband Dan didn't have any children. Marina was from Germany, and her brother (or maybe it was her sister) and his wife (or her husband, whatever) and their two children came to visit to go on a California trip. For some reason, I was invited along. It was a really wonderful trip. Even though the two girls only spoke German, I don't remember it being a problem - we were still able to communicate and play. We went to Sea World, Disneyland, the beach, and who knows where else.

I've always wanted to pass it forward. That is the first (and so far, only) time I've been to Disneyland. It's one of those places that I've meant to get back to, but it just never really happened (I must not want it that badly). I have a number of nieces and nephews. Some live out of state, and some have had an opportunity and will likely have future opportunities for their own CA/theme park trips. But my one nephew Talon hasn't been and probably wouldn't have an opportunity to go. So I promised him that when he got older, I would take him.

The original plan had been for Disneyland, but when we took our San Diego trip in March, J scored free tickets to Sea World. So I thought I'd leave it up to Talon. When I saw him at Sunday night family dinner, I started to ask, "Hey Talon, do you want to go to Sea World, or would you rather go to Disneyland?" but I only got as far as, "Hey Talon, do you want to go to Sea World --" when he yelled, quite excitedly, "Heck yes!!"

Sea World it was.

We left Friday morning, went to the beach, spent Saturday at Sea World, and then drove home Sunday. It was just a short trip. Talon was actually well behaved, but he had normal ten-year-old habits that are just annoying. No fault of his own, it's just his age.

Can you see Shamu?

This kid loved the Shamu show.

Did I mention Jacob came along too? We had four free tickets.

I wore a swimsuit top. First of all, I knew we were going to get wet, and second of all I didn't want a weird tan. A woman looked me up and down and said, "A swimsuit! Great idea!"

Under the shark tunnel.

The Dirt Nerd was amazed with this tree.

He had this shirt specially made from one of the shops on the beach.

We passed the tree again and he had to admire it. Again.

I love Talon's face in this picture.

It was a good trip.