My 27th Birthday...

Two weeks ago, I celebrated my 27th birthday. I don't know why, but I always forget how old I am now (even when I just wrote 'my 27th birthday' I had to do the math.....seriously). I'm not a huge fan of my birthday (like some people are) but it is fun having a few days where people are extra nice to you and do fun little things for you (like buying you coffee, giving you a sweet card, hearing from those people you barely ever talk to, etc) but the best part about birthdays (for me anyways) is spending quality time with my family and close friends. Josh always goes above and beyond making me feel special....so it was a fun-filled weekend. And it helps that I have an awesome boss who gives us our birthdays off! I actually chose to take the following Monday as my birthday day off since there were a couple of things that needed to get done (my birthday was on a Friday this year)....SO, here's a breakdown of what I did to celebrate and also a few pics to go with everything (which will probably end up posting at the top of my blog since I still cannot figure out how to post pictures at the end of my blog). Ha ha. Maybe that'll be my goal to try and figure out during the 27th year of my life. :)

Also, I'm mainly posting the following list of events so that I have them for my own memory. It seems as the years go by, I start forgetting little things and details (which totally annoys me since I am usually notorious for my brilliant memory of events and remembering details towards all of the small things). In high school, I could watch a movie and recite almost any line in that particular movie afterwards. My friends would always laugh, but I think it partially drove them nuts. To this day, I can probably recite any full scene from a Friends episode that I've seen. It's a really weird talent that I have. Anyways, if you're approaching your 30's, have a 3 year old, balance work/mothering, training for a 1/2 marathon, struggling with Fibromyalgia and auto-immune stuff, or any one of the above....not to mention all of those above things at the same time...you probably struggle with remembering past events and the small details too. Lately it seems as though I can barely remember to take out the garbage every Wednesday morning. Anyways, here's to being 27! And mainly, by doing this every year on my blog, I won't be racking my brain trying to remember what I spent the previous birthday doing. :)

Friday (my actual Birthday) Josh surprised me at the office with a dozen roses, my princess Ava by his side, a Jamba Juice, and was planning to take a walk with me like I normally do on my break if time allows (how sweet) but the weather was crummy and I had a pile of work on my desk that needed to go away (especially with my 3-day weekend ahead and all). Therefore I got to have about 20 minutes of Ava in my office helping me make some very important phone calls. I also got to show her off to a couple of my favorite clients. That night, my best friend Kym's family came over for a BBQ and the kiddos played together all night. Kym, if you ever read this, thank you for always being there for me and just being that person you are to me. I love you like my sister and am so thankful for everything we've been through together. I love you!

I have no clue what I did on Saturday......let me think for a second about that one.......(do you see why I'm posting this?) Ha ha.

Okay, now I remember, Saturday I woke up to some sunshine and took a 3 mile jog with Ava. Then we did my favorite thing to do on a Saturday afternoon.....stuff around the house, yard work, taking Ava to the park, etc.... After Ava's nap we took a family trip up to the Outlet Malls and I blew most of my birthday cash at the Nike Store on a bunch of new work out clothes, running shoes, and stuff like that. I also picked out a few shirts from the GAP (don't think I bought anything there since high school) but they actually had some cute tee's for like $6/piece! Right up my ally.

Sunday was spent with both of our families at the Emerald Downs, where I gambled away the rest of my birthday money (I actually hit a tri-fecta and picked the winning horse in race one....won $90 on a $4 bet....and the rest went south from then on). There were great times to be had by all. If you live in this area and have never been to the Emerald Downs, I would definitely suggest going! The kids also have fun getting to see the horses up close, and going in the kid-friendly toys. We had a caricaturist draw Ava's picture, and it turned out adorable.

Monday was, of course, the day I had off for my birthday....so I took care of some loose ends around the house, went to an appointment, and finished de-junking some of our closets (with the glorious help of my little princess of course).

All in all it was a fabulous weekend and I'm one year closer to being 30 now. My goal is to keep this blog updated until I turn 30. (I just came up with that, by the way). This way I can listen to myself whine about how old I'm getting every year, all-the-while wishing I could go back to being the age I was the previous year, and reminisce about how young my daughter looks in all of the photos we take each year. In all seriousness though, I do feel more and more blessed as the years go by. In that respect, I guess getting older is not that bad. Here's to being 27.

My Spin On Chicken Nachos

I've been trying to eat really healthy and think of new dishes for the family. Oprah had a "Celebrity Chef's" edition this week, and it was fun hearing some new tips and ideas. One thing they talked about was how using leftovers can save you a ton of money. I am pretty good about this. Usually I will stock up on a few roasted chicken's from Costco (only $4/chicken) and they can each make about 4 dinners/piece. I will spend an evening shredding the meat and freezing them into separate bags (which only takes about 15 minutes) but it really comes in handy when you want to throw a quick soup in the crock pot or make some chicken enchilada's. Tonight I decided to make a healthier version of chicken nachos. One of the chef's on Oprah showed a family an easy way to make healthier tortilla chips. You just buy whole wheat tortilla's and cut them into small triangles....throw them in the oven for 5 minutes (on 400 degree's) and you have some very low sodium/low calorie chips (no salt is needed either)!. So, I decided to use up a bag of frozen chicken meat and make a healthier version of chicken nachos.....here goes!

I think this whole dish probably cost about $5. It went great with my mango salsa (I will post that recipe one day too)....

Ingredients:

One bag of shredded chicken (about 1/4 of a roasted chicken)

Tortilla chips (Homemade)

4 small peppers (I used yellow, green, orange, and red)

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (low fat)

Diced tomatoes

Garlic Powder

Olive Oil

Chopped Chives

1 can black beans....drained

1/2 cup shredded lettuce

Directions:

First, cut up about 5 whole wheat tortillas into quarter's (4 triangles each). Sprinkle with a bit of garlic powder and cook in oven at 400 degree's for 5 minutes.

In small saute pan, heat olive oil and cook the peppers for about 3-4 minutes

Put the tortilla chips in an oven-safe dish....and layer on top of chips (in an order similar to this): black beans, shredded lettuce, shredded chicken, diced tomatoes, sauteed peppers, shredded mozzarella cheese, and top with chopped chives. Put back in oven until cheese melts.

Enjoy!....perhaps with some mango salsa!

A Great Day

Sunday was a great day. I watched my precious niece, Reese, be dedicated at our church...and also witnessed my sister Colleen's baptism. What a wonderful way to start the week.

3 Years of Marriage...

Josh and I celebrated 3 years of marriage on January 14th. After being married 3 years (lucky number 3) a lot has happened in our life. We have made many memories together and I can't wait for the next 50+ years. I know it sounds cliche, but I really did marry the best man in the whole world. Sorry ladies. He makes me laugh more than any other person I know. I couldn't picture myself with someone who didn't make me laugh as much as he did. Here are some things that have happened over the past 3 years...

We had a precious baby girl who has brought tremendous joy into our lives, and changed me in ways that I could never imagine...

We bought our first house in 2007...

We changed about 8,000 diapers...

We hosted about a BILLION parties. If you know me, you know that I love to be a hostess...

We spent 8 days in Cancun for our one year anniversary, lost our luggage for 3 days, and flew the Mexicana Airlines on one of the weirdest flights I've ever experienced...

We've been in about a million weddings...

We had our baby girl dedicated to the Lord in front of our closest family and friends...

We shed many tears with family members....during both the good and bad times...

Josh threw me off of a jet ski when we were in Lake Chelan and landed me in the ER...thanks babe.

We became part of an awesome church and have built some great relationships...

I watched one too many football games to count...

Played about a trillion games of Phase Ten...

Changed my hair color 6 times...

We swam with dolphins in Mexico...and experience I'll never forget...

I can't wait to see where this journey will take us in the next 3 years...

Things I Am Thankful For Today

I started writing a post on Thanksgiving day about some things I am thankful for. However, I never got around to posting it (since we were hosting Thanksgiving this year and I was pretty focused on cooking my first turkey)! Today I found myself thinking about some things I was thankful for, so I figured it would be a good time to finish it. Here goes...

Quality time with my husband and Ava. No matter what we're doing, it is the best time ever.

Date nights with my husband, he makes me laugh more than any other person in this world.

Target. I am addicted. We just got back from Target....$200 later....and didn't even find what we were looking for. It is not good that we live less than 1/2 a mile from a Target.

My mom. She has the biggest heart out of anyone I know. I am extremely thankful for the morals and values she taught me while growing up and am proud to be called her daughter.

A clean house.

How wonderful my husband is at folding clothes. Even if he comes home to 8 loads of clean clothes thrown onto the couch.....he will fold all of them because I hate to fold laundry. That's a good man!

My sisters. They are my best friends and know me better than anyone else. We are all complete opposites of eachother which is fun too.

My hair straightener.

Pedicures.

Every unanswered prayer that I've had, and God did not answer. I can now see why things have turned out the way they have. No matter how much I couldn't see it in the past, I am so grateful for unanswered prayers.

Dental Floss.

Our hot tub, it really helps when my virus is acting up....or after a stressful day.

Shrek. Without that movie (1, 2 or 3) I couldn't blog, facebook, check email or clean the house. My daughter is obsessed with Shrek (and Finding Nemo too)...and for that, I am grateful.

Back Rubs (preferably getting them!)

John 11:25

So, what are all of you thankful for?

Pink Eye

It's going around again. Ava has a bad case of pink eye. Luckily we took her to the doctor in time and it should clear up in a few days (they put her on antibiotics). I absolutely hate seeing my daughter when she doesn't feel good. She has a fever too. Plus, her eye looks like she got into a fight or something. It is swollen, red and itchy. Not fun! I think we will be cuddling alot today and washing our hands every 2 minutes.

On another note, Ava said something last night that was pretty dang cute. She was supposed to be coming with me to my friend Nicole's house so we could watch her 2 kids for a couple of hours. Ava absolutely loves Nicole and her kids. She gets the biggest smile on her face every time I tell her we're going over there. However, after finding out about the pink eye, I had to explain that she would not be able to go over there with me anymore. She got a really pouty look on her face and said, "Okay, maybe next time? I not want my eyeball to touch their eyeball". It was pretty cute. I think she understood that she couldn't go because of how contagious her thing is. Instead of throwing a tantrum, she realized it was in the best interest of everyone. Okay, maybe I'm looking into this way too much. I mean, she's only 2. It was just really cute, so I had to share!

The Weekend and other random thoughts

Well, I recovered from whatever it was that I had on Friday, and my wonderful husband treated me to a pedicure on Saturday! I am addicted to pedicures, and cannot get enough of them. However, as everything from groceries to gas keeps getting more and more expensive....so do pedicures. What a tragedy. I only get one about every couple of months now. One of our clients at work just told us that she has a pedicure/manicure on wheels business. She comes out to your office/home and does your toes and nails without accepting any tips. If you want her info, please leave me a comment and I'll send it to you! Needless to say, us gals at the office thought it sounded like a wonderful idea and booked her all of next Wednesday afternoon. (Don't tell my husband....unless he is reading this)...

My brother was in town Saturday night. He is such a funny guy, I always tell him he needs to join Saturday Night Live or somehting. There is never a dull moment when we're around him, I find myself laughing all night long. We hope to see his family again during the Holidays.

I also visited my friend's church with great friends Kym and Nicki on Sunday, which was alot of fun. Ava enjoyed playing with some new friends in the Sunday School class as well. She gets so excited for Sunday School, I feel horrible on days that we can't make it. God Bless Sunday School Workers! The workers at our home church are amazing and their ministry is such a blessing to little children.

I also realized today just how much I answer questions with "Because I Said So" when talking to dear little Ava. In a previous post I talked about how much little girls (and I'm sure boys too...although I have none) ask millions and millions of questions all day long. Now she asks me "Why" after every answer I give. Usually I answer with "Because I said so" or "Because I'm the mommy" or "Because it's almost bedtime". Well, today after I picked up Ava from daycare I asked her if she shared her snacks with Jo Jo (my friend Julie's little girl) and her answer was "No, I not share". So I asked her (trying to hide my laughter)...."Why didn't you share?" and she said "BECAUSE I SAID SO". Well, how in the heck do I make a rebuttle to that?!?

I also opened up my email tonight and found about 6 emails from a gal named "Betty Sue Christensen". She claims that we are long lost friends from highschool and I need to contact her business to talk about the products she can offer me. Well Betty Sue, not only do I not know who you are...I did not have any friends named Betty Sue in High School, you spelled my name wrong, and I am not interested in pet products (since the only pet we have is a beta fish). Please remove me from your mailing list Betty Sue. Good effort though.

Wedding Filled Weekend

I had the special privilege of attending 2 weddings this weekend. The first was my dear friend Crystal, who has been a sister figure to me and has been a part of our family during the past several years. Ava and her cousin Kendal were the flower divas. The day was absolutely gorgeous and it was an honor to watch Crystal and Jono commit their lives to one-another before God, their family, and dearest friends. I am so incredibly happy for the both of them. Their lives and story are a true testament to the Lord Jesus and how amazing he is when you put your trust in him. Here are a few photos of the day. Ava and Kendal wanted to play with sticks most of the day. In one of the photos you can see Kendal whipping Ava in the face with a stick (as Ava tries desperately to block it). Priceless. I also attached a photo of Ava getting her toes and fingers painted by mommy at our house the night before. She loves getting manicures and pedicures, but I try to save them for special occasions only (since they can take a VERY long time)! Plus, those little hands are very hard to keep still. Always on the go....but which 2 year old isn't?

I love you Crystal and Jono! Thank you for making us a part of your special day.

The second wedding was for a gal I just came to know during the past year or so (she hired me to play piano a year ago after her boss attended a wedding I played piano in). She and her husband also have a wonderful story, and it was a very fun wedding. The Pastor forgot to turn his microphone off after they had recessioned out to the back of the church, and you could hear the Pastor and wedding party hollering in excitement once the wedding was over and their friends were now joined as one. It was very cute. The weekend couldn't have gone any better! If you or anyone you know need a pianist for an upcoming wedding, please email me.

Debut Entry

This is my debut entry. We have decided to join the blogging world. I do not know how much this blog will help my family and friends connect, but I do hope that through this all (no matter how few or far between) it will help others see what is going on in the life of the Heston's! We are glad that you are here and can't wait to see what this new adventure will bring!

XOXO