The Super Shady Secret

As many of you know Jay is the air that I breath, the wind beneath my wings, the yin to my yang and all of that other sappy romantic stuff. I try my best to make him feel appreciated every day but I fail miserably. Because of that I tend to go a bit overboard for birthdays, anniversaries and holidays. This year is no exception. The plan for his birthday started off normally. I wanted to get him something signed by his favorite sports player Damian Lillard...wait, second favorite (Kyle will always be his first). So I called in a few favors and upped the anti a bit and got him a basketball signed by the 2012 -2013 Portland Trail Blazers team.

This is where this story should stop but I knew in my heart it wasn't enough. So I thought long and hard about what else I could possibly get him that would top it all. Then it hit me. Well, it was handed to me. We were on our way to work one day when Jay started talking about how much he missed his best friend Steven. It was as if the perfect birthday gift was handed to me on a silver platter. All I had to do was fly his best friend home for his birthday. Wait...no that wasn't right. All I had to do was fly his best friend home for his birthday and get his dad, step-mom and step-siblings to come too! Wait...not that wasn't right either. I had to do all of that and wrap it up in a nice little surprise party! Okay, long story short here is where it went a wee bit overboard. You see Jay performs miracles every day for me and everyone else he knows. He puts lotion on my feet every night, sings to me in the car, plays with my hair until I fall asleep, jumps when family needs help, puts in 1,000% at work, cheers his brother on for every game, is the Great Uncle Poop for 12...yes 12 nieces and nephews plus has the audacity to tell me at least twice a day how beautiful I am. So here is what wound up being. I rallied the troupes and what a marvelous bunch they were! Everyone was in on the surprise party. First I sent out the invites.

Then I engaged in super shady phone calls, text messages and meetings!

So what wound up happening? Well a whole lot. Flew Steven up from Vegas, had dad & Jody down from CDA, a birthday card from Addie was made, Kyle & Sue sent the first birthday wishes from sunny Georgia, presents were had and a penguin was even decapitated! All in all it was a good day. The end result was all I had dreamed of. Jay felt celebrated and on top of the world! Happy birthday love of my life! BTW I am done with surprise parties and keeping secrets from you so from now on all your birthday presents will be bought!

Lessons 101: School

I did really well in high school. I got straight A's for the most part with a B here and there. I played in a number of bands. No, not the cool ones where you have groupies. Marching band, Jazz band and Wind Ensembles (yes the stories are true I did play the tuba). I did however get to go to Disneyland to perform with my Jazz band when I was in the tenth grade which for a band geek is super cool. Not to mention I was in State Select, guested with the state orchestra and was overall a band guru (in my eyes anyway). Once I got to my junior year I decided that having a social life was so much more important that anything school had to offer. I don't think I am much different than most people in that respect but I do look back and regret screwing up a full ride to Boston on a music scholarship. If any of you out there who are reading this are stuck in that awful state of existence where emotions, hormones, self-worth and social acceptance run rampant (aka high school) please heed my warning. Stay focused on school. I know it sounds redundant but take it from someone struggling to move up in their company in part because of a lack of education. Long story short I took the easy road. Partied with my friends, enjoyed the world around me and decided going into to the work force was better than going to class and doing homework! Once I woke up I started back to school. Only this time it wasn't a free ride to one of the best colleges in the country. Instead it was community college. Please don't get me wrong community college is a great option for many different reasons (too many to get into now) but it is harder at the same time. If you ever have played the game Life it is skipping college in the beginning and taking night classes when you get to the middle hoping to pull a new salary card higher than the one you got stuck with at the beginning. Skipping over the juicy details of my sordid life we find ourselves in the present and the reason for my post tonight. I am officially on a school break for the summer and am happy with the results of my spring semester. I was able to walk away with only two semesters left before my first college degree and my GPA is a 4.0! What is even better than that is my hubby who just started college after 10 years of being in school has a 3.4 GPA after two semesters. So here is today's lesson. Stop for one second before doing the stupid thing you think is a good idea. Imagine your life five years from this very moment. Think of all the cool things you want and want to do. Then ask yourself do you want to juggle having a full time job while going to school full time and supporting your family all while seeking the infamous thing known as sleep (that illusive thing others enjoy)? All of this while you work on your life 23 of the 24 hours a day? Or, do you want to dedicate yourself to school, enjoy the friends you make, the social events you are invited to, cruising through your classes and once in a lifetime experiences only college at the right time offers? Both roads lead to the same place. Just remember. One is packed with fun, love and experiences the other determination, road blocks and hardship. Either way work hard and do better than me because the end result is more than worth it!