BEST Birthday ---

Yesterday was a great day! I can't believe how many people sent cards, flowers and fun gifts. I had to work and even with that I can still say that it was a great day and I thoroughly enjoyed chatting on the phone with friends, reading lots of cards through email, and in the mail and receiving flowers. Thanks to everyone who made my day! LIFE IS GOOD. I just have to say that to myself each morning when I wake up and do my positive affirmations too. Can't wait to use my gift cards - I am way into positive thinking and doing and saying positive things each day. I have to make the best of this pain that I have been given and I will do it one way or another! My family is so supportive and they put up with so much that I owe it to them to be positive in return. I try and some days the drugs take over and make me so loopy I don't think I know what I'm doing. We'll see how long I can go without them. Some days I make it and don't take them just to prove I don't have to and others I give up and in too easily and just say, "the heck with it, I need to feel good-bring 'em on!" Today is one of those days. I'm trying to get caught up on my scrapbooking and sitting is killing me. I hate that I can't sit and enjoy what I want all the time. I need to find a good table I can stand at to work in my awesome room. Anyway, here are some fun pics of my birthday gifts. We also went to dinner at Chili's and it was soooo good. Ash and I shared the White Chocolate Molten Cake w/ raspberry sauce-It was divine. I had also already eaten a piece of cake that my friend Emily made (in one of these pics) and it was awesome too-I'll be needing to watch my intake now for a few days to get all those calories gone. Enjoyed every bite though. Getting old really isn't that bad. If every year gets better I'll be happy that I'm getting old...maybe everyone just felt bad for me so they went above and beyond-whatever the case -THANKS - birthdays ROCK!!!
This is Leslie Pett, Angie Arbon, and Emily Holbrook. I work with them all in YW and they are great. They brought the cake, Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream and a Tia Pan (home decor store)Gift Card-wow! That was a fun surprice. Emily is the one who is my advisor and she is always a lifesaver-she is the best-I'm so glad they put her in with me and I have been able to get to know her. I love her-as well as Leslie and Angie-they work with the Behives-you guys make being their way fun!


This was sent from two of my wonderful friends from Las Vegas-Patrea and Suzanne. They were teachers at the school where my kids went and we have been friends ever since. It has been almost 10 years since we started there and they were 2nd and 3rd grade teachers for Ash. Then Christian had Patrea in 3rd. You guys also surprised me and they are beautiful potted flowers that I can hopefully not kill and eventually plant in our yard. I will try to keep them alive so I can think of you often. Love 'em.
Lisa, Nef's sister, came up to school and totally surprised me and made the class I was teaching sing Happy Birthday. She was so nice to do that. I got quite the reaction out of a few of the little 2nd graders: "Mrs. Garcia, you drink diet coke!" "Oh my gosh."-You know that 99% of the kids at our schools here in Kaysville are LDS and that probably threw them for a loop. "Yes, I do-and the reason is that I need to get through my day after being with 200+ sweet, little angels like YOU!!!! "
These are the flowers that Nef and kids gave to me when I woke up in the morning. I love them-the smell of them is fab! Nef is always quite thoughtful.
These bracelets represent each of the kids, two gold for the girls and the silver for Christian. They are fun and different. I just told Nef that now that I wear silver all the time he'll have to get me a gold necklace and earrings to match so I have a full set to wear to work-I know that he'll get right on that one.
Carol-my fun teaching partner, created this fun box for me. She filled it with fun treats, note pads etc. and it even has binder rings that I can make pages to include inside. I was totally taken aback when I saw it. I immediately fell in love with it and the cute vinyl that she decorated the front of it was way too cute. All the ribbon-anyway-I was totally surprised at that too. I will try to keep up with that and find cute sheet protectors to put in it and maybe make that my birthday book. That would be fun! She is so creative. She has a booth at The Quilted Bear and it doing some fun new stuff with vinyl. If you ever see anything cute that you need done-she is the one to go to. Just let me know and i'll have her do your vinyl for you! I am in hog heaven with all my fun surprises today. Thanks again to everyone who made my day one to remember. I wasn't really looking forward to getting another year older-just to getting another year wiser. But if every year is like this one. Bring 'em on!!! Maybe turning 50 in several years won't look that bad after all...