The Top 30 for Your Next 30!

Happy Birthday Andrea!

Great minds think alike...I woke up this morning after I have been working on your top thirty list, only to find that you beat me to a top 20 list. So, while some of our highlights may overlap-it just means that they are REALLY TRUE. I love you, and I hope that you have a wonderful day.

The TOP 30 HIGHLIGHTS OF THE FABULOUS ANDREA:

1. You accept me as your friend unconditionally despite my weird quirks.

2. The time you have with your daughters is your priority. I have never had a conversation with you where you are telling your girls to go away because you are on the phone. Well done!

3. Every letter or package you have ever sent me is a beautiful presentation. You are very thoughtful.

4. Who else would walk around in the middle of the night to collect snails with me when a few girls in our dorm needed to taught a lesson. You are not afraid to get you hands dirty!

5. Baking. You baked Annie's wedding cookies during the hottest week of the summer with no AC in your home without complaining. Only a true friend would do that!

6. I love how you love to reinvent yourself. Whether it be through a new hair cut, hair color, fun shoes, colorful accessory, or a new paint color in your home-you are always looking for ways to keep things exciting.

7. You cry with me. You don't feel the need to stop my tears when I call, but rather, you help me cry out whatever issue is weighing me down.

8. Car dancing. I never danced in my car before meeting you, and now I am not afraid. Rock on!

9. No one else would ever consider sending me a Mothers Day card because I have dogs. However weird it is, you understand how important my two little dogs are in my life-and you celebraet my version of Mother's Day. Thank you!

10. While I still don't have the knack for finding great music, you have always introduced the next up and coming artist before they are big. Example: John Mayer. You introduced him to me long before he made so many women around the world want their bodies to "be his wonderland!"

11. I don't know anyone else that can make "red beans and rice" exciting.

12. Top Ramen will always hold a special place in my heart after making countless servings of it in your hot pot.

13. You will ask the hard questions to me, even if it is hard for you to ask them.

14. You love my parents. You know how hard things were for my family for so long, and I can not put into words how much it means that you love my parents. Both of them. Not just one...both of them. Thank you.

15. Rob and I want to parent like you and Q do with your girls. You two really seem to have fun with it, and I hope we will too.

16. You were/are known as our "social coordinator." You are still the connector piece to so many people. Without you, I would have no idea what is going on in the lives of old friends.

17. Creativity is something you do not lack! If only I could have a small sliver of your talents. My favorite talent of yours...the ability to come up with clever names for things.

18. I have never heard you complain about your parents-EVER. Most people have a bone to pick with their parents at some point in their lives, and I can honestly say that I can not recall you ever having something negative to say.

19. You celebrate the Texan in me. You recognize that I take pride in where I live, and you celebrate that small thing with me. Yeehaw!

20. Your daughters have inherited your sense of humor. I love your sense of humor, and I am thrilled that your daughters have picked up your whit.

21. You have owned more cars than anyone else that I know in the 12 years I have known you, and for some reason-I love it! (I think I can recall you owning 6 so far...I am thinking that I am missing one though.)

22. Leading the way...You fearlessly lead the way in making major life changes. (Getting engaged, buying a house, having kids, and now...turning 30.) Onward and Upward!

23. N'SYNC. You had the courage to jump on the JT bandwagon with Annie when I did not. I watched from the sidelines wishing I had the courage to love a boy band as much as you two did. (I love Lance! I love Lance! I love Lance!)

24. I can say things to you without fear of being judged.

25. You make me more excited to become a mom after watching you the past 2.5 years.

26. You love my sister and Annie's siblings as your own. You really are apart of our families.

27. Accepting people. You love people for who they are at that moment. You have watched a lot of friends go through a lot of different phases (myself especially included), and while you may not have always understood their choices-you made the choice to continue to love them.

28. You inspire me to cook. Not to sound cliche, but you put love into everything you make and it tastes great.

29. While we live far away, you do not feel that far. You make it a priority to know what is going on in my life. With as many times as I have moved over the past 8 years, it is so nice to have a friend that is always there-despite the distance between us. Thank you.

30. This list was incredibly easy to come up with. Thank you for having so many things that are easy to love about you.

You are SIMPLY THE BEST! I look forward to celebrating so many more birthdays with you in the future. I love you!

Allison

(Thanks for all the tips on how to change my background! The cupcakes are for Andrea's special day.)

Getting Ready for the Baby!

We have had a few long weeks of projects, classes, and a "honey do" list a mile long. We officially graduated from Lamaze last weekend, and yesterday we graduated from parenting class.

Lamaze was actually pretty fun. It helped me feel a little less nervous about having this baby. I was surrounded by 15 other women in the same boat as me-which was comforting. It taught Rob the right and wrong way to massage a woman in labor, and boy did I love the practice the instructor made all the husbands do! We shall see if I actually use anything that I learned, but never the less-I wanted to experience of going through it.

Yesterdays class was actually a huge learning experience for us. We learned how to properly install a car seat, infant CPR, infant Heimlich maneuver, etc. Rob also changed his first diaper successfully. He also learned how to swaddle, which he is way better at it than I am! The class was full of other couples just like us. Most of the dad's were absolutely darling with their honest questions! All of the mom-to-be's were smiling while looking around the room at all the soon-to-be dad's with their pen's and pad's of paper taking notes frantically. It was really sweet. There was even a dad in the class that ran out and bought a mini-van the instant he learned his wife was pregnant. The poor woman has been driving a mini-van the last 8 months with no kids to tote around, but she seemed to be a good sport about the whole thing.

We also had maternity pictures taken last weekend. I didn't know how I felt about having them done before, but I am now thrilled with them. As I mentioned before, I have been missing my pre-belly body, and after taking these pictures-I am not feeling as desparate. It is amazing what air brushing and editing can do! I only wanted one or two for the baby's memory book, and the photographer gave us plenty to choose from. This same photographer will also do our baby's newborn pictures as well. She did not make me do any cheesy poses I was not into. She got some great shots of the nursery as well!

The Bump.

Here is our Pre-Baby Family Photo. How could I not include our first "babies?"

San Francisco

This past weekend we traveled to San Francisco to celebrate our 6 year wedding anniversary and our baby moon. We only had 3 full days to pack in all of the activities, but we did it all! We shopped at Union Square, rode the trolley to Fisherman's Wharf/Pier 39, ate the best sundae ever at Ghirdelli's Square (sp?), saw Wicked, went to the USA vs. Ireland rugby game, went to Berkley to have dinner with Rob's childhood best friend Austin, ate dinner at the Cliff House, saw the Golden Gate Bridge, and had breakfast with Rob's Aunt Marty! So needless to say, we are exhausted. I am thrilled that we were able to do it.

Wicked was the highlight of the trip for me. I read the book a few months back, and I have to say that the musical is far better than the book. It amazes me how talented the broadway stars really are. Patty Duke was one of the lead characters which was pretty neat to see. I used to watch her show when I was a kid, so to see her live was definitely a highlight of mine.

Here we are enjoying the the foggy view of the GG Bridge.

I forgot how crazy this sport is! At one point one of the USA players had his shorts torn off while he was evading a tackle, and he was running down the field in his underwear. Now that is commitment to your game!

I couldn't help but have the Rice A Roni theme song stuck in my head as we rode through the streets on the trolley. (Rice A Roni, the San Francisco treat, Ding-Ding!)