my age has gone up by one.

whew!  i didn't realize that the last couple of weeks had been so busy and that i have hardly posted.  makes me sad because i hate not having time for my sweet blog.  anyhow, since i posted last, i celebrated a birthday on friday.  i can't believe how old i am.  i seriously feel like i'm about 26 or so.

it was a fun birthday.  the nite before i had gone to my cousin's for a wine nite, where i was presented with the most amazing chocolate cupcake.  i slept over at my sister's with my younger cousin.  is it weird that my sis and i sleep in the same bed?  i think not.  it's just such a comforting feeling since we grew up doing it.  anyway, the next morning i got up and had birthday pancakes at my grandma & grandpa's, visited with my parents, and brought my cousin home with me.  she and i shopped and made jewelry until SH got home so we could go eat.

my favorite restaurant in the world {ok, maybe not in the world} is cracker barrel, so that's where i wanted to go.  i could eat there many times a week and live off their blueberry pancakes, macaroni and cheese, fried chicken breast, and chocolate cake.  oh, and the biscuits.  it really was a super fun day.  since i had to work the next morning, it was early to bed for me.  additional celebrating may take place in a few weeks, or so i hope (:

i know it's so cliche to say how life goes so fast, but it really does.  i am two years past thirty, i have been married for five years, out of high school for almost fifteen, and my next big bday is going to be forty.  holy hell!  another birthday celebrated and another age past. although i am a negative worrier, i am also all about living life to the fullest and more so the older i get.  you only have one life to live; might as well enjoy it!

she's such a sweet blog friend (:

when i got back from here -

i had this waiting for me, wrapped, and shipped from Allison.  

before i went to florida, she had seen my post on what's got me down at the moment, mentally & physcially.
little did i know that when she asked for my address, she would be sending me a care package full of my favorite thing - candy!

what a sweetie.  friends like that are really hard to find, especially via the net.

i was so happy when i got home and laid eyes on the sweet surprise.  what a way to make a girl feel better.  i may or may not have devoured them all the next day.  hey, i was born with a sweet tooth, what can i say. . .

tell me, have any of your blog friends ever sent you anything in the mail or given you a gift?

i still can't believe the few really good friends that i've made in this little world of blogging.  a couple of my most loyal and trusted friends are right here and mean the world to me.  although we haven't ever met in person {yet!}, i still feel like we've known each other for ages.

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the GIVEAWAY is winding down!

- pay it forward -

over the weekend as i was doing my daily blog browsing, i stumbled across a pay it forward post by someone.  [so sorry, but i cannot remember from whose blog it was].  i thought this was a very cool idea and i wanted to do the same.

i don't think anyone has ever really paid it forward to me, and that's fine, but i want to take this opportunity to do it for some of you! 

for the first 5 people that leave your email in the comments section, i will send you something in the mail, out of the blue, within the next year.  we all like little surprises in the mail, right?!

you know, nothing fancy-schmancy, but something fun.

ready, set, go!

love my love stone!

Eric and I went to the mall a couple weeks ago and as I was browsing for a dress in Dillard's, Eric went his own way.  We met up 30 minutes later and he told me he had something for me.  I figured it was a piece of my favorite chocolate or something like that, but it was this cute little necklace from one of my favorite hippie stores.

It's a Rose Quartz, 'love stone.'  It came with this neat little card describing its meaning and it pretty much fits me to a T.  Actually, I probably couldn't have come up with a more perfect description if I had to make one up to fit the necklace.

Here's what it says.

Equilibrium.

The 'love stone' strokes the heart into forgiveness and compassion by helping you let go of stored anger, resentment, guilt, fear, and jealousy by aiding spleen, kidneys, and circulatory system.  Eases sexual and emotional imbalance, but be careful because it increases fertility.  Learn to love yourself with this lovely stone. 

I am so hard on myself, anxiety rules my life, and I dwell on the past. 

I hope this necklace does just what it says. 
Maybe it would slow my 'lively' mind down just a bit!

New Year Blogging Party Reveal

A few weeks ago I was paired up with the fun-loving, Ronni for the 2012 Blogging Party.  

I am super happy that I Ronnie and were chosen for each other because we found we actually both had a lot in common, plus it's always cool to a new friend.

Here are Ronni's gifts to me.  I love them and couldn't be happier with the choices!

here are all of my goodies!

the cute card with a sweet message.

the warm, fuzzy scarf that I cannot wait to wear!

I don't even think I told her, but I collect magnets!

And, we live in the same state, but about 5 hours apart.

Yea, chocolate is my weakness and I can probably have these babies polished off by tonite if I tried.

Here's the sweet message.

This was a lot of fun!  Next time it rolls around, be sure to jump in.  I'm grateful to have met a new friend and the goodies are nice, too (: