birthday surprises

Wednesday was my 25th birthday, and I got a few nice surprised through out the week. 

The first surprise was a box of treats my coworkers made for me. First she lied to me and told me she would be out of the office that day. So I wasn't expecting anything special, except for a decorated desk which our team at work does for everyone on their birthday. Instead she made these awesome cupcake shoes.

I also got some beautiful birthday flowers from an admirer. :) I took them into work so Remy wouldn't eat them at home. I wish I could have them at home too, they smell nice because of the pine in them and they are nice too look at.

 

After work my date and I met my parents, sister, and brother in law for dinner at Macayo's downtown. As you do at Macayo's, I stuffed myself full of Mexican food. Mmm...yummy. Then afterwards, our group minus the parents went to The Handle Bar on mill where I got a couple of delicious cocktails. 

On Friday I got a letter from my longtime friend Nellie from North Carolina. It was a super cute birthday letter where she went through every year of my life and noted a big event that happened. It was so thoughtful and totally made my day. It was another nice suprise to add to the list. I should also mention I got gifts from my sister, parents, and grandparents, and are definitely thankful for those too.

Yesterday I also got a very unpleasant surprise, the flu. I woke up with a slightly sore throat but since I felt okay went to work. Very quickly things went down hill from there. I got cold, tired, and sore within hours of being at work. I also developed a hacking cough and fever. By lunchtime I was miserable and couldn't focus. At 3pm when I finished whatever I was working on I left. I just don't know how it came on so fast, but I'm pretty sure I have the flu. Some nasty bug has been going around the office, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised, and maybe I should have gotten a flu shot.

Lately I have been going on a crafting spree. It makes me so happy to be doing something creative. I've tried a new technique using mod podge and decorative papers. There are so many more possibilities of things to create, it leaves me inspired and eager to try more. Here's a look at what I have done lately. Warning this is a long post because I haven't updated in a long time:

This is a secret Santa present I created for one of my coworkers. I was so happy she ended up liking it because I wasn't sure about her artistic tastes.

More pictures of projects in the rest of the post.

2012

It's the last day of 2012 and, wow, has this been an interesting year!

You learn a lot about yourself when you...

...start a new job that ends up testing you in ways you didn't expect.
...move into your first place by yourself.
...end a relationship and start a new one.
...travel twice across the United States, once to Seattle, and once to North Carolina.
...join a gym and actually start going.
...join your rugby teams eboard and deal with all the stress and responsibility that comes with that.
...adopt your first pet, in my case a cat.
...make positive changes for the sake of your happiness.

I am in many ways not the same person I was a year ago, in a good way.

Review of October: Part 1

 In October I traveled to Seattle with my rugby team. I didn't get many pictures of the games or socials, but I did get some touristy pictures of Seattle, I city that I had never been to before. Seattle surprised us it's weather, we had three days of beautiful sunshine.

  

The view from our second social on Sunday right on the bay. Just the beginning of some beautiful views. To see more pics continue reading. 

product reviews take 2!

More product reviews round 2:

 Revlon ColorStay Aqua Mineral Makeup: This stuff freaked me out at first because it really does feel wet. I thought my brush was wet from sweat, which made no sense at the time! I ditched the little brush that came with it and use my own. I feel the coverage is good, I was using it as a concealer/foundation until I realized the shade was off slightly, so I with a lighter shade for me this could work really well.

For more reviews continue reading...

small changes...

Perhaps this is too personal, but it is important. I have finally done something to help myself that could change my perspective on life in a very positive way. 

Recently I have been dragging through the day-to-day with little hope for the future. All I could see was an empty space full of negativity. I have supportive friends and family, but I would ignore their comments in favor of my own distorted reality.

I want to enjoy life and the moments I have with those around me. I no longer want to hate myself for every mistake I make. I know there was no reason for me to be so painfully self-critical, but I couldn't help it. I might be good for hours, days, maybe even weeks, but inevitably something would set me off again and again.

I won't go into more detail because it's all quite personal. It's a small change that's finally happened, and I know it won't be like a black to white transition, but I am hopeful things can be better in the future. Calmer, clearer, and brighter.

remy's adventure...

Remy I and recently test drove the 'come with me kitty' harness/leash again. The first time ended suddenly when he started to slip out of the leash (sneaky little pooper scooper). Since it's so damn hot outside I didn't want to try again, but I know its better for him to get used to it while he's still young.

With a more properly adjusted harness, I think Remy loved his trip outdoors. I have a nice grassy area with tall trees right out my apartment which is removed from the parking lot, and is perfect for a little cat to explore. It doesn't look too nice right now because the grass is dying, but usually it's pretty green. Also, I made sure he didn't eat the pine needles, I've heard cats are allergic.

He was so cute slinking around, then randomly laying down, then getting back up to check out more stuff. He also was more patient with me this time as I put on the harness, especially the second time I took him out today.