The Celebration of Beautiful Nas' Birthday

I would have to say we are a lucky family-Not everybody has a beautiful Nas...although she has "adopted" lots of children over the years who will always call her "Nas." Ryan and I put together some flowers and candy on Friday and he dropped them off to her at work, making a big deal about her birthday in front of all her friends. Ryan said it was fun and Nas really enjoyed the little show she got and all the candy she could share with her friends at work. We had a wonderful time celebrating her birthday, May 29th. She requested a BBQ-catered by QT and Jen. She had a great time opening presents and blowing out candles on the cake made by the one and only-Ryan. He has become a great cake maker-he has great potential to go far in cake making!


The Birthday Girl


Go Marines-opening some gifts from her loved ones


She believed we really gave her a pink hair dryer-it was the only box I could find to pack her workout clothes! We had a great laugh over that!


The party people



Blowing out the candles on the beautiful cake!

It was a fun day-We love you, Nas. Thank you for being so wonderful. We enjoyed celebrating your birthday.

We've got your back...

a 5K: 3.1 miles! Today, May 22, 2010- Ryan, Mom B., Nas, Sharon (Shreffler Family friend), Penny, Carly (Baird family friends), and I ran this 5k, raising money for Spinal Research. It was so fun. We are all very proud of ourselves and each other. We all finished and it was everybody's first race (except Ryan and I). It was fun to do it all together.


This was taken before the race...we were excited and nervous...


This was taken after the race. Our smiles are bigger and we are so proud of ourselves. We made a friend-Zebra pants man. He high-fived me on the race course and looked totally awesome in his outfit. We had to include him in our picture.

Gourmet Meal

Ryan made us a gourmet meal last week! It was very yummy and had a lot of thought and preparation was put into it...Ryan really is a great chef/cooking extraordinaire


He was really into it...


Yummy chicken south western burgers


potato sides


The yummy chicken burger: ground chicken and seasonings (including crunched doritos), mayo, avocado, salsa, pepperjack cheese

My party...

was so fun. I totally enjoyed it and loved my party people...the people can make the party the bomb.com. They were my family-some of them: Shannon is practically family, Jen, Aaron, Mom, Dad, Mom B., Dad B., Natalie, and of course Ryan. We had dinner (2 different nights) and opened gifts and talked about me...so of course it was awesome. My cake was beautiful and yummy. Thank you for my wonderful birthday celebrations to my parents, family, and friends!


Cupcakes from my sis-in-law...so nice!


My party people!


More party people...


and even more party people...

And now, my birthday post number 1-the Silver Star cake

My husband wasn't jokin when he said he WOULD make me a silver star cake (silver because it's my 25th 'silver' year on this earth and a star because that is my favorite shape). Shoo, he should be working for Ace of Cakes. He bought fondant, silver dust, lemon extract, a star cake pan, etc and did such a beautiful job. The cake was really good too. He put so much time and love into it! I am grateful for his hard work.


Laying and molding the fondant...


He looked really cute and serious making the cake (see how his glasses are sliding down?).


painting the silver dust (mixed with lemon extract). 2 coats did the trick.


Oh my goodness, it is truly a masterpiece made with a lot of time and LOVE. I am so happy for my beautiful cake and my handsome husband who took the time to make it.



Oh 25 candles...I blew them all out (hopefully my wish will come true)...one day you may learn my wish, but i can't spoil it now!

And I would love to note that my husband has great culinary skills and he got those from his parents. They are always experimenting with foods and spices; it is a great treat to eat with them and enjoy their flava's!

My best friend's visit (and I am talking about the best friend since 8th grade kinda best friend)...

This is my dear friend Caitlin (Call) Wheeler. She came to visit her parents this past week and I was able to spend a couple hours on different days with her. We never run out of things to talk about...seriously, our conversations on the phone are about 1 hour long, and together, we don't stop talking. Ryan even mentioned, after our first reunion this past week, how it amazes him that we will be together for hours and there is never a quiet moment. Oh, we had fun, ate lots of ice cream, tied a quilt, drove around, sat in dark parking lots (mom, we were fine), sang to the radio, got gas, had dinner, enjoyed being with our families, and enjoyed being together (in no particular order)...I miss her. I love Caitlin! Thanks for coming to visit.


This is her beautiful daughter Makenna...she loves Ryan. Steven was unable to make this trip (but I know he missed us).


We are best friends...I suppose we should have asked this random lady in the van across the street to take our picture...she was sitting in her van (probably watching us, but we weren't scared).


She is due with "Nate" towards the end of July...I am posting this picture for her:)


And here we are again!

Our day, April 17th

This morning, Ryan and I were getting ready to go to Maryland to visit the LDS Temple and we received a call from Dad Baird...It was about Cody, and he was going to be put to sleep that morning. We went right over...


This is Cody. We love him and he went to Heaven today.


Aren't these pictures so beautiful? We went to the Church bookstore and then stopped by a Russian Bookstore and came around the Beltway from the opposite direction and saw this!


My friend (who is not a member of the LDS Church), once described this place as a piece of Heaven on Earth...That is what it truly is!


oh so beautiful!

How was your day...?

Often, upon returning home, I am asked the question-"how was your day?" Now I definitely don't mean to sound too pessimistic, but lately my days have been stinky...and by days, I mean my "day" job. I used to think it would be totally fun working a 9-5 job and let's just say-it's not fun, when you're not in the "job" you were meant to be at. I really realize that there are many steps on the ladder of life to finding your dream job (and yes, on occassion people have it right from the start), however, I am grateful that I have an ok job. I work as a scheduler for an Oncology/Hematology Office and now I am working out of Gainesville. I enjoy talking to people, to a point...but sometimes people are just totally strange, totally wacko, or just totally out of line. Obviously, I haven't been understanding to who these people are that I am talking to...do you know how many times I have heard "don't you know who I am?" or something along those same lines on the phone? Unfortunately, I do not know who you are because I have never even seen a limo pull up with paparazzi outside snapping photos (or maybe I never got the memo of the importance of these people that need to be seen RIGHT NOW).

Mind you-the calaber of many people's situations is not fun, happy, exciting, or anything to that sort...so compassion is needed, and compassion I do use...i do feel sorry with these people. I have learned with great understanding...

1. the importance of family support
2. the importance to be a compliant patient-following doctor's orders
3. the importance of preparation
4. the importance of good health
5. the importance of a smile
6. the importance of a listening ear
7. the importance of laughing often
8. the importance of God's true and everlasting Plan of Salvation

and for now I will stop at 8 (it's my favorite number, you know). So, although I feel bombarded with the stresses of answering the phone and being in the job I am at...I am grateful that I can come to the office with muchos suprises waiting only a phone call away...

And in other great day news

1. my evenings have been funfilled with seeing my best friend Caitlin
2. my birthday is tomorrow:)