Happy Birthday, Mike!
Mike’s family didn’t celebrate birthdays big like mine did, and I can remember how surprised he was that I made a big deal out of his birthday when we were first together. But he went along with it and seemed to enjoy himself. That’s kinda the story of our lives together… I do things, Mike goes along & seems to enjoy himself.
I am blessed beyond measure to have him in my life. He was pretty wonderful at 20 when we first met, but he’s beyond wonderful now. Mike wears his age well. He’s settled into himself, into what he believes and what he wants. Age looks good on him.
He requested this year that we not get him any gifts. I cheated a bit, of course. The kids got him a creeper - one of those things you lie on to work under a car… you know, like the Fonz was always lying on in the garage. Griff selected their gift after lying on the ground last week to help Mike replace the radiator on the truck.
And I promised Mike that I would stop saying anything bad about myself (he told me yesterday that I pissed him off… that was a hint that maybe I’d gone too far with the beat-Chel-up theme of late). So that’s his present from me… nothing but happy Chel talk.
Enjoy it, sweetie. I love you like nothing else.
I love this photo of Mike and his brother, Chuck, at Spring Training. Mike’s standing with his best friend (you know, other than me), watching his favorite team with his whole family with him. A nice spring day, a little baseball, a little fun. For him, this is heaven. And seeing Mike happy and content makes me very happy.
Filed under Most Everything | Permalink | Comment (1)Tagged with: birthday • love • Mike
Menu Plan Monday - All New, All the Time
Ok, I’m tired of the meals we’re having, so I’m going to make all new things all week. I’m also going to try to add more out in the open veggies (as opposed to the sneaky kind the kids don’t know they’re eating). We’ll see how it goes. (My apologies to Org Junkie… I had already made my menu when I discovered it was family favorites week. Oops.)
Sunday -Bacon Roasted Chicken (thanks to All Recipes.com) with mashed potatoes and fruit salad
Monday -Brinner - Sausage and Bacon Kabobs (care of Sandra Lee @ Food Network) with hash browns
Tuesday - Prosciutto-wrapped chicken breasts (from this month’s Real Simple magazine) with Yummy Carrots and green salad (which will be a challenge as my kids HATE salad).
Yummy Carrots — baby carrots, butter, brown sugar, salt, pepper
Add all ingredients in a pan and simmer till the carrots are soft. Right before serving, turn the heat up to reduce the liquids. It’ll turn into a sweet glaze.
Wednesday -time to get my hair colored - Mike & the kids will have leftovers
Thursday - Turkey Fried Rice (an adaptation of a recipe from “The Dinner Doctor” cookbook - lots of veggies and leftover turkey from the freezer)
Friday - dinner out with Chuck, Stacy & the kids for Mike’s birthday (Sunday). After dinner, the kids are going to spend the weekend with the cousins.
Filed under Menu Plan Monday, Recipes | Permalink | Comments (3)Tagged with: All Recipes • birthday • Food Network • Menu Plan Monday • Sandra Lee • veggies
Happy Tuesday News… all around
I’ve got lots of big happies tomorrow! (And one belated happy… oops.) I was going to post this in the morning, but I’ve been off for four days now, and there’s no way I’ll gt up in time to post before work. So a little early, a lot late… here I am.
My friend, Courtney, is celebrating a birthday today. It’s her first as a mother. Isn’t that fabulous? I’m sure little Ally Grace is going to give her mama a wonderful present.
Like so many of the friends I have today, I met Courtney at the college where Mike and I both previously worked. Courtney was one of my student workers, and I am deeply grateful that Linda and I had the opportunity to know and love her… then and now. Happy Birthday, Court!!
(Courtney and little Ally Grace)
And today is also the 13th anniversary of our friends, Aleece and Warren. You know Aleece’s name because she’s my personal webmaster/all-around computer guru. I met Aleece - again, at work… she was a student… yeah, everyone’s younger than me - when she and Warren had just gotten married. Mike and I had just celebrated our first anniversary, so Aleece and I have gone through new marriage and old marriage and babies and jobs and big kids together. And I can’t imagine this journey without her.
(Linda and Aleece at dinner with me during my May Louisiana trip with Griff.)
And, with much shame and embarassment, I must admit that I missed my brother and sister-in-law’s anniversary. Six years they’ve been married, the sweet things. Their son is 11, and they’re expecting a baby in the spring. I can hardly wait!!
I’ve already decided the baby’s a girl. I’m working on a gonna-be-a-big-brother gift for Zachary, and I keep thinking of things to make for my new little niece. I mean, I’ll wait till they’re sure she’s a girl because I’d hate for a little boy to be surrounded by the pink things I’m envisioning.
Regardless, John did himself well when he married Nicole all those years ago. And he did our family well by bringing Nicole and Zachary into our lives. We’re blessed to have them.
(Nicole…looking lovely, as always)
And for general happy news, our dear Mandy got a promotion that she SOOOO deserved. She is now the news editor at the paper she’s reported for since college. She’s an amazing reporter - she’s Mike’s best former student - and she’s going to be an amazing editor. The paper, and the reporters lucky enough to answer to her, are truly fortunate to have her.
Go, Mandy!!
(Josh, Mandy, Olivia, and Griff during our May trip.)
… And yes, for anyone keeping track, I met Courtney, Linda, Aleece, Mandy and Josh at that same school. Mike, too, for that matter. That place and that place in time brought many, many dear people into my life. And I am grateful.
Filed under Most Everything | Permalink | Comment (1)Tagged with: Aleece • anniversary • birthday • Courtney • editor • John • Mandy • Nicole
HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY… GRIFFIN!!!
Here it is… our Griffin’s 10th birthday. It really is hard to believe that it’s been 10 years that he’s been with us. They have been interesting and challenging and exciting years.
When he was little (and we thought he was our only child), I always told him he was my favorite boy. He is, without a doubt, still my favorite boy.
He requested that Eliza be able to skip school today and stay home with him and Mike, so the three of them hung out all day. I met them for lunch, and Mike smoked a pork roast for dinner. It’s been a laid-back day, exactly what Griff would have planned, which, I guess, he did.
Saturday, we’re having Chuck, Stacy and the kids over for birthday fun. We’ll all go see “Kung Fu Panda” and have Griff’s Cold Stone cake.
And I’ll give him his 10 Box. I’ve been collecting 10 of various things for his special 10 Box.
- 10 Dr. Peppers
- 10 packs of gum
- 10 Kit Kat bars
- 10 scratch off tickets (now, don’t tell me about how it’s wrong… if I convinced Mike to let Griff have them, we’re good)
- 10 balloons
- $10 Target card
- $10 gift certificate to the Italian Ice place
- Lists of 10 favorite Griff things from family and friends (I’ll post some of these later).
I do love birthdays. I do love Griffin Robert.
Griff’s friend, Will, and Griff when we were in Louisiana in May. Will is going to turn 10 in 10 more days. They’ve been friends pretty much forever.
Filed under Most Everything | Permalink | Comments (7)Tagged with: 10 • birthday • Friends • Griff
Pre-birthday … Melancholy
I love birthdays. All birthdays. Anyone’s birthdays. When Mike and I first met, he was confounded by my adoration of the birthday concept. His family wasn’t really celebratory. Mike’s not one to want much in life, which is nice but frustrating at gift-giving times. Griff is much the same.
Griff’s birthday is next week… he’ll be 10! And I think that 10 is a big birthday and that we should do something fun, something special. Now, I know he’s got both legs in casts. I know. But surely we could manage something good, right?
But he doesn’t want anything. Can’t think of what he’d like as a gift… doesn’t want a cake. Which says to me that he’s a happy content child. Which is exactly what I want for him! Really! But dangit, it does disappoint a birthday-loving mama’s heart. It makes me a little melancholy thinking about my little boy turning 10 and not wanting a cake.
Thankfully, my melancholy moments are fleeting but my birthday devotion is not. I’m going to spend the next week planning.
Filed under Most Everything | Permalink | Comments (3)Tagged with: birthday • Griff
