Vintage Lace, Shots of Sweetness....Here's to 25 years!

My 25th Birthday was unforgetable! I went to the gym early morning and got in a 5 mile run which set the tone for a perfect day. Its cool because even the girl at the gym counter wished me a happy birthday (so sweet and crazy how she knew?)

On my lunch break I went shopping with the money I had received in a birthday card from my grandma. It was so fun to go on a shopping spree! I got a cute vintage lace dress to wear out to my surprise dinner bday date with Bryan. Bryan said to arrive at his place around 6pm.

When I arrived he had a HUGE box wrapped with my initials on it. But that was for later. Dinner was first. Seasons 52 is one of the best places on earth and that's exactly where Bryan took me! There was a piano lounge player at the bar when we walked in and the atmosphere was perfect- dimly lit candles on every table, live classy music, and the best Autumn Seasonally inspired menu. We ordered the Shrimp Feta flat bread- which tasted deliciously sweet and slightly spicy with a perfect crispy texture.

Next was the main course- Cedar plank Salmon served with an assortment of steamed baby carrots, crisp asparagus, and roasted garlic red potato slices. Every bite was more savory than the last and we devoured every last bit.

The best part was dessert. The waiter came to the table with a candle for me and had the lounge player do an original remmondition of happy birthday- right to me! It was beautiful. Whats more, the waiter treated us to 6 dessert shots on the house! Each one rich and decadent and delicious! We got Pumpkin Pie, Swiss Mocha Mouse, Peanut Butter/Chocolate Mouse with shaved white chocolate, Pecan Pie, and Blueberry Cheesecake.

It couldn't have been a better birthday! But there were still gifts! When we arrived at Bryan's place I opened the Huge box- inside was a Kitchen Aid food processor! My very own!!!!! (I had mentioned I wanted on months ago and forgot he even knew!) All I could think of was all the parties I can have now- complete with hummus, guacamole, Banana PB Mouse desserts, and pina coladas! A perfect end to a perfect birthday!

I am so blessed to have an amazing boyfriend, wonderful friends, and a loving family! 25 amazing years - and.......Cheers to lower car insurance! ;-)

HEATing it Up

Last night was a close game between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics. In the last quarter they even got as close as a 3-point gap. When all seemed lost after a 15 point lead by the Celtics at halftime, Lebrone stepped up to the challenge and led his team to an almost victory.

So many times in life it feels like we are in it alone. When others around us seem discouraged and down (like Wade who had a bad night last night), all it takes is someone to step it up and take initiative in a ppositive direction to encourage us. Near the end of the game Wade even redeemed himself with a 3 pointer bringing us to a close 3 point gap.

It was an enjoyable evening, watching the game with close friends, eating wings and dessert and discussing the plays. It is always so inspiring to me to watch people giving their all on the court, dripping full of sweat but still keeping their head in the game. I hope to be that way all through my life- to never give up despite the circumstances around me. The game ended 80 to 88- not too bad considering the struggle to get there.

Today is my birthday and I hope to work even harder- I am so blessed to have had 25 amazing years and look forward to the years to come :)

Birthday Surprise!

**

Last night was Bryan's birthday and I decided to surprise him. He got off work at 3pm and I made plans to take him to a the original Okeechobee Steakhouse- a Palm Beach Steakhouse that has been here for over 40 years and has won several awards over the years for their prime cuts and seafood. While he went to the gym I went home, made the reservations, and baked homemade red velvet cupcakes with my original cream cheese icing. I packed a few candles, a lighter, some fresh pink lemonade, a blanket, and a his gift and changed into a little black dress.

When he arrived at 6pm, I told him to bring his flip flops for later and we were off. He told me he has only been surprised a few times in his life so I wanted to make the night extra special. We got to the steakhouse and it was amazing! They brought out the different cuts of meat right to our table and explained the textures and flavors. Bryan ordered the Cowboy steak with crusted Gorgonzola Cheese and garlic mashed potatoes. It was delicious! Each bite bursting with flavor from the sizzling juicy steak (22 oz!) and lightly crusted Gorgonzola on top. I ordered the NY strip and loved every bite. I hadn't had a Huge steak dinner like that since my graduation at Ruth Chris Steakhouse in 2008. It was soooo good, but what made it better was the fact that I could tell Bryan really enjoyed it.

After dinner we drove to Palm Beach island to a local ice cream parlor that had been originally established in the 50s called Sprinkles. I had spoken to the owner ahead of time and she had agreed to allow Bryan to get one free ice cream for his birthday. We both sampled the unique mouth-melting flavors and ended up selecting Pumpkin Pie and Birthday Cake with real chucks of moist vanilla cake and sprinkles.


While we ate our ice cream we walked along the intracoastal waterway trail and over-looked the city lights of downtown West Palm Beach. It was so relaxing and peaceful and beautiful out! After we walked a bit we found a spot to sit along the water and I pulled out his cupcakes and lit a birthday candle. After singing to him we sat and talked.


At the end of the night I drove him back to my place and he opened his gifts. I had got him a Spartans Jersey which he loved, a DVD of his favorite movie "Caddyshack," and a framed black and white photo of us. He told me that the night was perfect. I loved every minute of surprising him!


Tonight we are going to a a friends house to watch the Miami Heat game and then tomorrow is my birthday- in which he is planning a surprise for me :) No matter what it is, I know I'll love it.

**photo courtesy of: PBPULSE.com

Motivation

Last night was one of those perfect spontanious evenings that I love. I got off work at a reasonable hour and headed to the gym. Shortly after arriving, I ran into my boyfriend and a friend. After a short energizing workout we decided to grab dinner at a local outdoor grille. It was gorgeous out. One of those perfect nights to sit outside, drink a light beer, and eat a crisp refreshing grilled chicken salad (my menu item of choice wherever we go). I was extremely impressed with the flavors- corn/black bean salsa, lime squeezed carribean chicken, fresh green peppers, and chipolte ranch dressing.

After dinner we headed to Publix to satisfy our sweet tooth with delicious chocolate chip supreme slice and bake cookies, milk, and a blockbuster movie. We ended up on Invictus starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. Directed by Clint Eastwood, it was an inspiring film about the South American World Cup victory in 95. I realized that the most motivational people in life are those who are trusting and genuinely want to see the people around them succeed. In the movie, the president of South Africa is one of those people- he does everything he can, going the extra mile, to strengthen the community ties of country pride through a common love of Rugby.

Well, off to work- its a gorgeous out!

Perception creates reality

So glad its Friday!!!!!!

My drive home last night was beautiful. So many times I forget that I live in Paradise. Really, every place has its beauty but its so easy to forget. When I lived in Orlando, it was the HUGE pine trees behind our house. I always focused on the 2 foot gap between the houses and the crazy traffic. When I lived in Jupiter, it was the lake, or"retention pond," behind our house with tons of birds and nature to enjoy every morning. My window had several citris trees right outside and I felt like we were living in an exotic S American country everytime I looked outside. But so many times, I focused on the negative things around us- like waiting in traffic for the bridges on the waterway to lift. I guess my point is that its all about our perception of life and I truely believe that our perception creates our reality. How we view our lives affects everything, our emotions, our stress levels, our actions, how we treat others, and most importantly, what we think about ourselves. I think in order to give to others with our whole hearts we have to have a good perception of ourselves- if it truly heartfelt.

Enjoy your Friday!!! There will always be something wrong but the happiest people are those who realize whats right! :)

Choose Truth

This morning I awoke to several negative thoughts going through my mind. Thoughts about my self worth and my need to revert to old habits to attain happiness. Thoughts encouraging me to fill my life with the bad addictions from the past. Somehow, in my mind, I feel that if I could accomplish those things I would be happier. But the truth is that striving for those things under the wrong negative spirit will only result in sin. If the wrong motivations are driving it, then I will not be accomplishing anything out of compassion and love, but rather, I will accomplish it through selfish pride.

Interesting enough, I received a call this morning from someone that woke up praying for me. She told me that these thoughts were lies, having no knowledge of how I felt at all. Its so interesting how everything can be going well in the world but our perception is skewed because of how we feel about ourselves some days. Almost all of the mental illnesses in this world would be cured completely if people realized their self worth in Christ and renounced the lies that the world feeds into their minds.

Once I made up my mind to stop believing negative lies about myself I felt instantly better. Once again, its a gorgeous day outside and I am at Starbucks, sending a few emails for work.. And as chance would have it, I just got a free vanilla frappacino!!! (they made 2 by mistake)

Fall in the Air

Today has been gorgeous in every sense of the word. It is sunny, breezy, and a tad bit cooler (about 5 degrees, but I'll take it!) I woke up kind of late so had to scramble this morning and ended up whipping up a quick sweet onion veggie omelette. Its really a lot faster than I think and I always feel so much healthier starting my day with tons of protein, especially the days I have no time to go to the gym before work.

The first step out the door instantly made me smile. It was so nice out, its almost impossible to have a bad day in Florida! Driving to my first stop I reflected over all the things I have in my life to be grateful for. Besides just the ability to live in a beautiful condo along the waterway, I have been blessed with amazing friends and family. So many times I reflect on the bad around me or negative things about my life that I forget all the people that truely care and I truely care about. One thing I have realized is that our attitude and our presence affects everyone around us at all times. If I am feeling down on myself or comparing my life to everyone around me, I will miss opportunities to love others and to encourage their day. People will be able to sense that feeling of discontent in my life and will not be drawn to the Love and Peace that God brings and that could have been exended to them if I had submitted my mind and heart to Him earliy in the day.

Its hard to reflect on the good sometimes but I am going to try to make a point this week to count and recount my blessings. Maybe I will be more aware of what I have and more observant of opportunites to share what I have with people in need.

God open my eyes to ways I can give and serve You. Let me focus on Your love and not my own misfortunes. Amen.