IN FORMATION...

Wednesday, we got buried with snow. The Kansas City area received anywhere from 6 to 10 inches of snow.

It was cool, except for the fact that I had to drive in it.

I left work at 4:30pm and arrived at home at 10 minutes before 8. Let me remind you that I drive about 45 miles to get home. I don't live that far from work but I have loved ones to pick up and shuttle around.

By Thursday morning, I was able to make it to work with plenty of time to spare thanks to these people.

Kansas City has more highway miles that any other city in the US. It amazes me the coordination it takes to have every highway in the area completely cleaned of snow by the following day.

Thanks to Mayor Mark Funkhouser and MoDot for making our roads a top priority.

HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY!

...to The Kid.

How is it possible that 5 years have gone by so fast?

My happy, toothless little baby will be starting kindergarten in 7 months. The time flies by too fast.

He's so grown up. Before I know it, I'll look at him and he'll be full grown and headed off to college.

REMEMBER THIS?

The other day when The Teenager and I went to lunch at Noodles & Company, I had an immediate flash back when we walked through the door. The smell hit me and sent me back 30 years to a meal that my sister would make for us when she was babysitting.

Chef Boyardee used to make a boxed spaghetti dinner kit. It included a box of spaghetti noodles, a can of meat sauce, and a can of Parmesan cheese. It was a very simple meal to fix, especially for a teenage girl babysitting her younger sisters.



I've checked the internet and it appears that Chef Boyardee no longer makes it. It's really a shame because we loved it and our friends from 30 years ago loved it.

I've mentioned this flashback to several of my friends now and they remember it.

Conagra (makers of Chef Boyardee products), we implore you bring back the Spaghetti dinner!

A WEEK-LONG CELEBRATION!

My birthday was Thursday. I turned 41.

I decided by marking this momentous occassion by celebrating a lot.

Thursday, The Teenager and I played hookie and shopped. We went to Zona Rosa and shopped at Spencers (where I got into trouble), Hollister, Hot Topic, Claires...

We had a fabulous time...just the two of us. We lunched at Noodles & Co.

It was awesome. I was even hit on by another customer. Sort of made my day considering I was in the process of turning 41.

After our shopping expedition, we went in search of a slice of birthday cake. We could find no place in Kansas City where one slice of birthday cake could be purchased. We settled for cupcakes from the grocery store.

Then, last night for dinner, we celebrated at my favorite Mediterranean food places, Cafe Cedar.

We shared an appetizer of hummus, falafil, baba ghonouj, stuffed grape leaves, spinach pie and tabbouleh with warm pita bread. Every last bite of it was amazing!

My friends, Jason & Tricia ordered the onion rings. They haven't had much Mediterranean food and wanted to play it safe only to discover the most wonderful onion rings ever!

They enjoyed the appetizer we had ordered also.

All of the adults ordered the gyros simply because they are amazing. The kids ordered the fried chicken only to find out that Cafe Cedar makes some of the best fried chicken ever! I tried it and the Teenager said I looked like I was having a mouth-gasm! He needs his mouth washed out with soap!

Of course, we had to have the baklava for dessert along with a special treat. The restaurant provided a belly dancer to entertain us! The look on The Kid's face was hilarious. He'd never seen such a thing before.

We retired back to our house afterward and enjoyed some coffee and several rounds of Farkle (dice game).

So now the celebrating has come to an end and I must put some work into this "being 41" thing. I don't feel like I'm that age.

And I sure as heck hope I don't look like it!

I'M TERRIBLE...

I overslept this morning...

...for my own baptism.

Our church does baptisms twice a year and today I was scheduled for mine.

Tim kept me up late last night watching tv shows. (I'm not blaming him)

The Kid was up late too.

I woke up at 3:30am with a bad headache, took some Tylenol, and layed in bed watching bad tv shows until almost 6.

I didn't wake up until The Teenager knocked on my bedroom door at 9:30. Services start at 10.

I'm wondering if deep down I wasn't ready for it.

I've had anxiety all week about it. Our church believes in a "full dunking" method.

I'm afraid of going under water. I've been like this since I was a kid.

I feel so guilty.

SO FAR, SO GOOD...

I have survived the first week of the new year in one piece.

Last year was awful.

It sucked.

No, I'm not over-exaggerating.

It really, truly was an awful year.

But I'm moving forward.

It's a new year.

New, happier thoughts are in my brain.

And I didn't start off this year eating black-eyed peas as I did last year because I truly think it was all their fault.