Celebrating Denise

And sending JOY, Love, and Happiness to her as we get ready to party it up at her 40th birthday BASH on the shore of Lake Ida. We love Denise's spirit, her humor, her generosity, her courage, her love of adventure, her sensitivity, her honesty, her laughter, her moral character, her "can do" attitude, her toughness, her insight... we love HER completely!  We are so proud to count you, Denise, as our life long friend and Abby's Godmom.  May you continue to make wonderful memories this birthday and for many, many more to come.  Life just keeps getting better and better!

Hope you have tears of JOY as you take a little walk down memory lane with this video, Denise.

Birthday wishes for my momma

Love, love, love my mom.  She is full of laughter, shares her hugs and heart with all of us.  Have a wonderful day, Mom!

My dad

is celebrating his 67 birthday today! And although my parents are currently on their Southern trek across the lower portion of the United States, Dad is always in our hearts.

There is something so unique, special and complete about a hug from your dad. It can never be duplicated.  I wish I could give you a giant hug in person today on your birthday, Dad!

Thank you for always being so generous with your completely, all consuming, healing, loving hugs with all of us!!

HAVE A FABULOUS BIRTHDAY, DAD!

We did... and still would!

On December 28, 1991, I married the man of my dreams and it was one of the best days of my life. Twenty-one years later, I would do it all over again.

 This wonderful life we built together started with, "I do".

I can't wait to see what is in store for us in the future! Happy anniversary to the love of my life, Steve!

Having fun with 12.12.12

I do love numbers and interesting tid-bits, so I had to document the fact that our tween was twelve years old on 12/12/12.  Kippy wanted a picture with her bestie, Miss Bella, who was freshly groomed and picture ready.  There have been three occurrences of this phenomenon in Angelique's lifetime...

Last November, the numbers and calendar aligned for her on 11.11.11.

 

 With the very first occurrence happening when she was 10 years old on 10/10/10, a little over two years ago.

Now she will have to wait until October 10, 2110, when she will be 110 years old to have the numbers align again!

Celebrating my mom

And lucky for us, we got to start the party EARLY for my mom's 68th birthday celebration which is officially today, but we started on Friday, December 7th.  I met mom & dad in Fargo in the morning for some pre-Christmas shopping.  Dad headed to Fergus Falls to meet Steve for some 2x4 business while Mom & I made some serious progress on our lists. It was so nice to be able to bounce ideas off one another, plus the stores weren't crazy busy either like they are on the weekends.  We had a fabulous lunch which included sharing Pumpkin Bread Pudding - YUM!

We made it back to Fergus Falls safely by 4:30 PM despite some snow and ice on the roads the last 15 miles.  We had enough time to catch up with the girls on how their days went at school.

Next we all headed out to Mable Murphy's for a wonderful supper.  Maple's helped us celebrate mom with a delicious ice cream topped brownie, complete with a candle.  Mom, as generous as always, shared with the whole table.

 Our next stop on the "Celebrating Mom" agenda was to watch the synchronized Christmas light show put on by the Computer Hero.  It is a must see!!

The final destination was the Mannheim Steamroller Christmas Concert at M-State.  It was fabulous!  We loved the entire performance, and especially appreciated the history given before each selection was played. I think it was one of the first Christmas concerts my dad has been to that didn't have a grandchild performing in it and he STILL liked it. As we were leaving the concert, huge fluffy snowflakes were falling.  It was so beautiful! Three generations together - PRICELESS!

 

Back at home, we had tiramisu cupcakes waiting and after a round of singing "Happy Birthday", we dug in.  The day was a perfect way to celebrate my mom.

 

Mom, we are so grateful for your laughter, generosity, selflessness and unconditional love.  You are beautiful inside and out!

Happy 40th BIRTHday to HEATHER!!

A little pictorial montage dedicated to my sister-chic, Heather, on her 40th birthday! Heather, you continue to be an inspiration to me and I am grateful for MargeAnne introducing us 9 years ago.