Weekend Highlights

This past weekend was great, but unfortunately, it went way too fast.

When I got to work on Friday morning, I found a really sweet card on my desk from a few of my co-workers congratulating me on passing my exam.  There was also a gift bag, and inside it, there was a beautiful maroon Cross pen.

But it wasn't just any pen...

Isn't that awesome?!  I was already a little teary eyed after reading each of their notes, so as soon as I saw the engraving, the tears began to pour.  I tried to regain my composure before going to thank everyone, but it was just too tough.  I really do feel so blessed to have so many wonderful co-workers, mentors, and friends.  They've been there every step of my career -- as an intern, an EIT, and now a PE.  Ralph, Stephanie, Kathy, James, and Scott -- thanks again.  Y'all are the best!

After work, I went by Miller Blueprint to pick up my stamp, and of course, I had to try out right away.  It's hard to explain just how exciting {and surreal} it is to see my name in that seal. 

Afterwards, I ran a few errands with my mom who is now on summer vacation {yay for her!} and then went to dinner with Ben at the Greek restaurant near our house.

On Saturday, I woke up early to run with the running group and then did a little bit of coupon shopping before waking Ben up.  That afternoon, we {finally} painted our master bathroom.  I've been wanting to paint it brown for over a year now but had been putting it off for fear of how it would turn out.  As we all know, I'm not the best at choosing paint colors, so when my mom told me that Cheryl {our good family friend whose house I love and who has given me painting advice before} painted their bedroom and bathroom a beautiful brown color, I emailed her to get the name of the color.  To be honest, I probably would have bought a gallon of it and painted the walls the very same day that she emailed me back, but considering that was earlier this Spring, and I was doing nothing but studying at that point in time, it had to wait a couple of months.

As Ben put it, we're the worst before-picture-takers ever {we always forget to take them until we've already started the project}, but here they are.

Before...   

After...

Before...

After...

 

Before...

After...

Ben did most of the trim...

And I did most of the rolling...

So what do you think?  It's going to take a little getting used to {I'm still surprised every time I go in there}, but I really like it.

On Sunday, we celebrated Sophia's 3rd birthday.  All 3 of those kids {Olivia-5, Sophia-3, and Jack-1.5} are just so cute, and I love them to pieces.

Everything was purple, pink, and Tinkerbelle themed.

And the chocolate cake was obviously a big hit, too.

Holly & Jack {who is not the least bit interested in being held anymore}...

Our traditional "sisters picture"...

After lunch and cake, Sophia opened her presents.  Holly gave her a really cute Dora beauty kit, so after presents, the girls spent a good amount of time brushing and blow-drying their hair {and everyone else's, too}.

Ben and I gave her some new dress up shoes, so there was also quite a bit of modeling going on.

Jack also tried on all 3 pairs of heels, but unfortunately {fortunately for him}, I didn't get any pictures.  I was more concerned with helping him get from sitting to standing without breaking an ankle. 

After the party, we went to Ben's parents house for a delicious steak dinner, and since they live only about 30 minutes away from Liberty Hill, we decided to drive out there to see if we could find our dream property.  Although we couldn't find the exact lot, we were able to find the river, clubhouse, and pool -- and it was gorgeous!  Does anyone else love dreaming as much as we do???