My Tuscan Birthday

This post is only a month and 4 days late!!!

 Knowing how much I adore the Los Pinos Winery in Pittsburg, my perfect husband booked a Tuscan Cottage for us to stay in on my birthday!  

I was so surprised!!!

This is what I saw when we walked in....

The sound of piano jazz filled the air, carrying me to a different world as I explored this heavenly birthday abode.

Everything was PERFECT!

Even this guy!

The only thing that could make this night sweeter

was to have a couple friends join us....  

Connor Redfearn and his beautiful wife Katherine arrived at about 6:30pm.

I felt like a celebrity arriving in an upscale, posh restaurant....

There was standing room only, except for....

OUR RESERVED TABLE!!!!!!!!!

Where I ate THIS!

And in the morning, I gazed out the window and saw...

Gorgeous grapes for miles! 

Thanks to our friends, we got a picture TOGETHER!  (A rare occurrence.)

And one of the Birthday Girl...

The night before my birthday, the kids bought me flowers!  One of my favorite things to do is to arrange them myself.

The result...

AND

In my new vase from my In-laws and younger brother and sister.  I love it!!!

The evidence of my fun...

In addition to all this fun, I had many wine-related gifts from family.

(I guess there was a "theme" this year.)  

My in-laws sent me 12 bottles!!!  

This was by far THE BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!!! 

Things I love..........

Aside from the obvious things I love, such as

my family, God, his son Jesus,

air, food, and shelter....  

There are some things that literally seem

to feed my soul.

Here are some, (but certainly not all), of these things I love:

The smell of a newborn baby's hair;

The sound of a young child's uncontrollable giggles;

My hands in the soil as I garden;

Cooking an elaborately "fancy" meal;

A really good glass of wine

(to go with the meal... dry, red only);

To spend time in nature, soaking in God's artistry;

I love physical exercise, particularly if I'm outside, someplace remote; 

Working on a project with my husband,

(We are such an awesome team!);

Cleaning....  I know, that's weird...  I love the results;

Decorating, which usually happens

at the very same time as cleaning; 

Watching my kids connect with each other;

Shopping...  I really hate this one...

it's so cliche, and seems materialistic, but I just love to look at,

(and sometimes purchase), beautiful things;

Art...  museums, symphony, performances, ect.... 

I appreciate and soak in any kind of art;

Watching my kids develop and grow into

who they will become...

(I'm not one of those moms that wish

they'd stay little forever);

Volunteering... it makes me happy

to help other people;

I cherish the way it sounds outside

when there is freshly fallen snow on the ground...

when all the hustle and bustle ceases, and all is still;

I am honored that God trusted us to raise a child with Down Syndrome...

she uniquely, and wonderfully feeds my soul; 

To cuddle up in our over-sized chair with my son,

and read separately...  silently...  side-by-side;

I melt when my daughter grabs my head, pulls it down, and kisses my forehead;

I adore the friends I have made throughout the years...

the true ones...  the REAL ones...

the ones that love me no matter what;

I love learning, growing and becoming "better"...

a better wife, a better mom, a better friend, a better daughter, a better housekeeper, a better gardener, a better cook, a better person.

I have so many things to love!!!

So.......  What feeds YOUR soul?

More is NOT always better!

I have admired my friend's blogs for years. They record priceless moments with their families, showcase incredible things that they have made, or share invaluable information to enhance others lives. Wanting to create a blog of my own, life just always seemed to get in the way. It wasn't until this week, that I was finally able to sit my restless body down, long enough to build my own blog. Not really resting by choice... But more out of necessity. I hate that! Sitting down is so difficult for me!!!

The reason for this time of rest, is that I have a huge problem with thinking that "more is better". Approximately a month and a half ago, I was involved in a car accident with both of my children, Taylor (9 years) and Lexi (6 years). During recovery, I have been doing physical therapy as an accompaniment to the chiropractic care. I'm here to tell you that more weight during a workout does not always make you stronger... In my case it caused major complications!!! Thinking that I was super-woman, I increased the weight to the max amount during each therapy session. As a result, I did some major damage to my SI joint (the ligaments that hold the tailbone to the hips, and supports the entire weight of the upper body). I do realize that sometimes, I am not the smartest pencil in the box. Sigh.....

On Easter morning, my children were filled with anticipation. They begged and pleaded to begin their hunt for eggs. It was during this time, as I was searching for the camera, that I began to realize that walking was well beyond difficult. My lower back was clearly VERY angry at me! As a result of my overdoing it, I have been horizontal for two weeks, yet still in pain. Can you imagine what my house looks like??? Luckily my priceless sister Meghan has been helping to pick up when and where she can, (Thank God for her!), and my wonderful mother-in-law babied me while she was here visiting. (Except I'm a MUCH better nurse than a patient!) I just can't stand not accomplishing the many things on my list, so I absolutely HAVE to get better!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So this is the beginning of my very own personal blog. How exciting! I have so much to catch up on, and have a feeling that there will be many posts that jump around in time. Be patient with me.... Someday I'll catch up!