My 29th Birthday

This weekend I celebrated my Last Birthday before I hit 30! My Friends and Family made sure I had a great time! We started the celebration with a trip up to Evergreen... where we had planned to play some Broomball but once we got there we found out that you had to reserve a broomball ring, so we ended up just going Ice Skating on the lake! Talk about a beautiful scenery! We all did really well Ice Skating it was the first time for some of us, and for others it had been years...but I am happy to report no one fell down on the ice, Well except for Candee, but she wasn't exactly ice skating, she was however walking in the grass with her ice skates on and hit a small patch of ice, which caused her to fall in a small puddle of mud...I got to witness the whole thing and let me tell you, it was FUNNY! The only thing hurt was her pride so I made sure to laugh at her! After Ice Skating we headed over to Beaujo's pizza for lunch. The celebrating didn't end at that... My friends met me for Dinner at Ling and Louie's and then we all headed Downtown for some Clubbin. We found ourselves at a club called Suite 200 and although it was crowded we still had a great time tearing up the dance floor! The older I get the more I realize how lucky I am to have such wonderful friends and family... you kind of take them for granted but as you grow older and wiser you learn how important they really are to you...Spending my birthday with my Friends and Family this year was truly the best gift I could have had...but it sure didn't hurt that they showered me with money, and gift cards! I love you guys and thanks for making my day so special!

So as if all the above wasn't enough...Ryan continues the celebration of my birthday into the next day....He knew the kids wanted to celebrate my birthday with me so Blake and Brooklyn went to the store and he let Blake pick out a birthday present for me....Blake picked out a beautiful heart necklace that was engraved with "mom" on one side and on the other side it was engraved with "I will always remember every hug you gave me in my heart" It was absolutely beautiful, and Blake was so happy to have gotten it for me... Brooklyn surprised me with learning how to say "Happy Birday Mommy" it was so sweet, No mom could ask for anything more! Ryan got me the MP3 player I wanted for my long light rail rides to and from work, so I was pretty happy about that! To finish off the celebration, Ryan and the kids took me to dinner at my favorite Seafood Restuarant "Red Lobster" and then came home and they baked me a delicious cake...which I must mention, Ryan really surprised me with his baking capabilities. I'm such a lucky to girl to have such a wonderful Husband and great kids. I Love you guys and thanks for making my 29th Birthday so Special!

Happy New Year!

Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us ~ Hal Borland

Not only is it a new year but also a new generation! There are only 10 generations in a Century of which many of us only live to see 8 of them, so it's a little crazy to think I have been alive for almost 3 generations!

We were fortunate to be able to ring in the new year with people who are very near and dear to our hearts! This year Kelli hosted the New Years bash at her house...we had delicious appetizers and played some good ol Flip Cup...I made a year end video which consisted of pictures that we had all taken through out all of 2009, and then we ended 2009 watching the ball drop and kissing the ones we love! The only thing that kept the evening from being perfect was that Ryan wasn't able to stay for the entire evening because he had to work...but not to fret...I got to talk to him on the phone at the stroke of midnight,and I kissed the next best man....Blake!!! I am excited to see what 2010 holds for us...I think wonderful things are in store! Happy New Year to my friends and Family....lets make great memories!!!

Christmas 2009

As usual the kiddos had yet another wonderful Christmas! This year Ryan and I celebrated a little differently with our families than we have in years past...we decided to celebrate Christmas Eve with his family and Christmas Day with my family. It really did work out better this way, we had much more time to enjoy our families and not have to worry about rushing off to the next house. We started Christmas Eve by picking up our Nephews Tyler & Caleb and taking them along with Blake and Granddad to the movies to see Alvin and the Chipmunks "the Squekqual" that was then followed by a visit to Nanny and Granddads house where we got a special visit from Santa. After that we headed over to Ryan's parents house where we ate and opened Xmas Presents. Ryan was super excited as his parents got him the GPS he really wanted! The kids and I made out as well! Ryan had to work Christmas Eve so the kids and I came home while he went to work and we made Cookies for Santa. The kids woke up at 6:00am on Xmas Day and saw that Santa had left presents for them so they got to open up their gifts from Santa and their Stockings too! I prepared the Xmas Dinner while Ryan caught some Zzzz's before the festivities began at our house with my family. My family arrived around 5:00 and we enjoyed a delicious dinner followed by presents. Ryan surprised me this year with the camera I really wanted...I was so happy I didn't think he would remember nor did I think he would get it for me! This Burke Family had a Wonderful Christmas, we all got what we really wanted and we got to spend it with the ones we love!!!