Dad's Surprise 60th Birthday

My Dad celebrated his 60th birthday on February 18th. Usually, we keep birthdays pretty low-key with a nice dinner out, a few gifts and some quality time together. But my mom and I knew we couldn't let this milestone pass without a little something special :)

My Dad's company, Uniwest, recently completed work on a new hotel in Charles Town, WV. They have also built some other things out that way, like a super snazzy car wash and a delicious Jersey Mike's sub shop. My mom thought it would be a nice idea to surprise him with a little getaway to Charles Town to visit his newly finished work and stay in the hotel that just opened for business. To make it even more of a fun surprise, we decided to invite my aunts, uncles, cousins and grandma into town for the event! It was such a thrill that EVERYONE was able to make it!

My Aunt Diane and her husband Greg, my Uncle Michael and his wife Eva, my Uncle Steve and Aunt Maureen, and my grandma from my Dad's side of the family made the trip from Altoona, PA and Baltimore, MD to celebrate Dad's 60th. My Aunt Anna and Uncle Joe, as well as my cousin Susan, her husband John, and their two girls Rachel and Julia from my mom's side of the family made the trip too! It was such a blessing to have everyone take the time to come out for my Dad's birthday.

My dad had no idea that any of them were coming. Andy and I had planned to meet my parents in the lobby of the hotel at 6:30pm to head out for a nice dinner. When they came downstairs, he was surprised to see all of our family awaiting him with champagne and gifts! We all toasted his 60th and then headed out to a delicious little restaurant called the Yellowbrick Bank in West Virginia. After dinner, we headed back to the hotel for cake and present opening. It was so nice to be able to enjoy everyone's company outside of the Christmas holidays and to celebrate the best dad in the world!

Some of the guests awaiting the birthday boy

Mom & Dad made it to the lobby

Surprise!

Dad greeting his mom

Grandma

Uncle Michael celebrating

Yummy cake & Dad's baby picture

Mom cutting the cake

My wonderful aunt has a great family picture of all of us, but I don't have a copy of it yet. I promise to share it when it arrives! :)
Happy 60th Birthday Daddy! Hoping it was a very memorable celebration for you! Thanks for being the best dad in the entire world!

Catch-Up Round 4: Viva Las Vegas for Andy's 30th Birthday

Andy officially welcomed his 30's on January 25th! I woke up extra early that morning to decorate our house in "30" paraphernalia so his day would kick-off in style! That evening, we went to a yummy dinner at Andy's favorite restaurant Sweetwater Tavern with my parents. We did some gift giving and then headed home, as it was a weeknight and we all had to get up early. It was a great beginning to the main birthday event!

The next day, we packed our bags and headed to Las Vegas with 2 of our good friends to celebrate. We arrived Thursday evening and checked into our hotel, the NewYorkNewYork. Since it was pretty late when we arrived, we headed to a late dinner at a Mexican restaurant in our hotel and then visited a fun Piano Bar for some late night beverages.

NewYorkNewYork Hotel

Rachel & I at the Piano Bar

Andy & Ryan in their LMFAO gear

I guess this is what 30 looks like?!

The next day we woke up early and grabbed some breakfast in the hotel. We spent most of the day loungin' around the hotel room. We had an early dinner reservation at 5pm so we could go to the 7:30pm showing of the "O" Cirque de Soleil show at The Bellagio. We spent the afternoon getting all dolled up and we headed to a delicious dinner at Brand steakhouse in the Monte Carlo hotel.

After dinner, we walked over to The Bellagio for the "O" show. It was an awesome display of aerial and aquatic acrobatics.

 

The next day we woke up and decided to walk the strip. We ventured down the street to the Planet Hollywood hotel for lunch at one of me and Andy's favorite burger joints. We first went to Cheeseburger when we were in Waikiki on our honeymoon, so when we heard there was one in Planet Hollywood, we knew we had to go! They have delicious burgers and fries! After lunch, we walked down the other side of the strip and headed back to our hotel. We took a little afternoon nap and then got ready for our last night in Vegas. We decided to cab down to the other end of the strip and then walk back to our hotel, catching all the fun nightlife and sightseeing we could during our walk. We started at the Encore and Wynn hotels and made our way back to NYNY. 

Posing in the Wynn on our last night

All in all, we had a great trip to Vegas. I am so glad we were able to celebrate Andy's 30th in style! Andrew, you are the best husband ever and I love you so much! I hope you had a wonderful birthday and I am so looking forward to spending so many more birthdays together in the future :) Happy 30th!

Catch-Up Round 3: Birthday Bonanza(s)

Apparently everyone I know was born in the month of January. Seriously. Two of my best friends were born 2 days apart, so I spent the two middle weekends of January celebrating the wonderful birth of these two fabbbulous ladies. My friend Lara was up first, celebrating her 28th in style by planning a throwback Sunday Funday. We kicked off the day with a delicious brunch at her condo, complete with all the trimmings of muffins, egg casseroles, cinnamon buns, bagels, fruit and mimosas. We gathered for a couple of hours before heading out to a local sports bar to begin the festivities. We hung there for awhile before heading to H Street in Washington DC. Lara chose the fun H Street Country Club for the evening fun with mini golf and beverages. It was a fun day celebration of one of the most fun, adventurous and caring girls I know! Happy Birthday Lara!

Middle & High school Favs celebrating Lara (far left) at H Street Country Club

 

The following weekend, we headed back into DC to celebrate my best friend since kindergarten, Rachel. Rachel decided to have her birthday dinner at Vapiano, a modern pasta & pizza restaurant. I got made-to-order chicken alfredo and it.was.delicious! I can't wait to go back it was so good! After dinner, we headed right down the street from the restaurant to 18th Street Lounge to celebrate Rachel in style. Another fun night with the best friends in the world!

Lara & I celebrating Rachel's 28th

Rachel is peeking out behind my head

Catch Up Round 2: Charlotte, NC

The weekend after returning from New Orleans and the Sugar Bowl, I hopped on ANOTHER plane to head down once AGAIN to Charlotte, NC :) This time, we were heading down south for one of Andy's college roommates wedding! We flew in early Saturday morning, killed some time at the mall and went out to a delicious lunch at a very chic Charlotte restaurant. Then we headed to our hotel to check-in and relax for a few before heading to the wedding.


Jeff is the epitome of a Southern Gentlemen, so I expected nothing short of a gorgeous wedding with all the right Southern touches, and boy did they not disappoint! Andy and I have been to A LOT of weddings over the past couple of years, but this was truly the first one where we walked away thinking "I wish we had done that!" over a few of their fabulous details and touches. I loved the winter white theme they went with... all white. All in all, it was a short but sweet trip and we enjoyed every second of celebrating Jeff & Kristin begin their new lives as Mr & Mrs!

Gorgeous Winter Cake

Pretty & Simple Centerpieces

Andy & the groom, Jeff

Clearly enjoying the red wine... hence the purple mouth :)

Gorgeous white wreaths were on every mirror... the picture doesn't do them justice as to how stunning they were

Playing Catch Up Round 1: New Year's & New Orleans

January has been insanely busy and everyday has been packed. So packed I have neglected my blog. Oops.

 I figured I'd start the whole way back at the beginning. Bear with me as I take a look back at this crazy/busy/stressful/fun/eventful month.

Andy and I kicked off the New Year in typical low-key fashion. A group of our friends from high school live together in a house in Arlington, VA and decided to host a small get together for the celebration at the last minute. We got (slightly) dressed up and headed towards the city for the ball dropping and fun with friends. It was a really relaxing New Year's. A couple midnight toasts and gabbing with friends. Just what I needed to ring in the new year

Andy & I

Mikaela, one of my best friends

The next morning, bright & early on New Year's Day, my dad drove me to the airport to catch my flight to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl! (Remember when I asked if you thought there would be a post from New Orleans in my future way back in December? Well, if you guessed yes, you're of course right!) I debated and debated about whether to make the trip to New Orleans, but in the long run, the message "you only live once" resonated in my head. So, a group of 8 of us former Hokies booked our tickets and headed to the Big Easy. I had been to the Sugar Bowl in 2005 when Virginia Tech played Auburn and had a great time. This was no different, even despite the outcome of the game... again.

High school friend Justin & I during our layover en route to New Orleans

My favorite girls on Bourbon Street

BFF's since Elementary & highschool.... and all Hokies!

Late night fun

Balcony Party on Night #2

Highschool Buds

Hokie Hi

Gameday!

All Hokied Up!

Hokies! Proud of these boys despite the loss

Gameday Set

Jackson Square

It was a great trip with the best friends on the planet. We ate delicious food, drank yummy drinks, yelled until we lost our voices, and made great lifetime memories. Hopefully we'll be back in New Orleans for more Hokie football sooner than later! Go Hokies!

Life Lessons

19 days into the new year. And it has already sucked. Seriously. And I am Mrs.Optimistic 99% of the time. Happy-go-lucky. Yeah, not so much this year.

But, I have learned some incredibly valuable lessons and have gained an immense amount of perspective. So, maybe it has all been "meant to be" for those reasons?! I hope so because it's been a long 19 days...

The greatest lesson I have learned from it all- and I refuse to relive it all by writing it down- is that no matter what happens in this world, the greatest part of my life will always be the unwavering love and support of my amazing husband, my wonderful family, and the most reliable friends on the planet. I have been supported in every possible way by them over the past few weeks and I am not sure I would have made it without them. When the chips are down and luck is hard to come by, you definitely find out who the important people in your life are, and if I have taken anything away from all of the stress, chaos and unpredictable events that have occurred, it is that I know what a fabulous support system I have in place in my life.

Today I got some great news and I am hoping it is just the thing I need to turn around my 2012. Maybe I am just the luckiest, unlucky person I know :)

Hello 2012!

2011 has been a rollercoaster of a year! While 2010 was probably the best year of my life to date, 2011 has had it's ups and downs. For me personally, the end of 2011 has been stressful and I for one am certainly ready to embrace a new year and can only hope it is filled with love, laughter, happiness and good health for me and all my loved ones. I am hoping 2012 brings nothing but joy :)

I've been thinking for quite some time about what goals and wishes to make for myself in light of a new year beginning. I never take these too seriously, but I do like to set some goals. I feel, like most people, that the beginning of a new year brings the perfect starting point for new dreams. So here goes my list for 2012...

• Complete all of my FCPS Coaching Courses. To be a fully certified coach in Fairfax County, there are various courses offered by the county that must be completed within the first year of a coach's contract. I have a couple of first aid courses to complete by the summer, so I am hoping to be productive this spring and get those taken care of so I can coach volleyball for my second season next fall.
• Drink More Water! This may seem silly, but I truly do not drink enough water. 8 glasses a day? I'm lucky if I drink 2. I have already started this goal at work by taking in one of those fabulous plastic Starbucks cups and filling it each morning. This at least makes me drink 2 glasses while at work. While at home? I'll have to figure out a trick for that too...
• Workout more consistently. Over the past 2 years, my weight hasn't changed AT ALL, regardless of diets or eating differently or working out. My new goal is to not focus so much on my "weight", but on adhering to a more consistent workout routine in the gym. While coaching volleyball this past fall, I got fairly inconsistent with my running. I am hoping to get back into the flow of things and get my butt back in gear!
• Improve my correspondences. One of my goals for the new year is to keep better track of family & friend's birthdays, anniversaries, events etc. I hope to do a better job of sending cards and keeping my correspondences up to date.
• Heather Time. I spent A LOT of 2011 focused on other people. Between my students, my volleyball team, all of the weddings and showers and bachelorettes etc. I attended there was very little time for me. I am hoping that this less-wedding-filled year will bring me a little more downtime and a few more free weekends. It seemed like from May-December that EVERY weekend was booked. I hope in 2012 I can carve out some more quality "heather time" for me to choose & spend however I want :)

Wishing you all a fantastic end to 2011 and a wonderful welcome to 2012! Happy New Year!