A New Year's Post | 2013

We ended 2013 over here in pretty meager fashion. I've been living on one corner of the couch for the last four days, with a few transfers to my bed and back. My body is rebelling, and my sinuses are leading the coup. Michael has been on the other side of our couch with a stack of 2,000 flash cards for his boards. Our house was not the place to be for a rocking New Year's Eve ... but we did bust out some sparkling cider and discuss whispered resolutions (because my voice is gone - not because they are mysterious). (But now I think I want to add a "mysterious" category to my resolution list.)

I had a strange feeling last night. The only thing I can compare it to is the way I feel when we're locking the door as we leave for a vacation, and my mind is fiercely trying to remember what it is that I'm forgetting. That's how I felt leaving 2013. Like December was shutting the doors, close of business, and I was trying to grasp on to what it was I forgot to do. I don't really know what that means. Maybe I have some unfinished business with 2013 that will come to my mind on this side of January. Maybe it was just an effect of my body forgetting how to breathe this week. If I sort it all out, I'll let you know.

For now, I'm ready for a rewind of 2013, because last year's review sure gave me a grateful pause and better perspective. Ready?

I started off the year with tedious projects that were actually well worth it. I've significantly increased the joy I feel when I see my fridge since I made these cardboardy Instagram magnets. And we all remember this dear project, endearingly referred to as thatdamnwall. To view a completed version of the project please see: June.

And let's not forget who adopted us in January - this little Kitty. After reading some past posts about those initial interactions, I see that I was very wrong in thinking this was a temporary visitor. When we leave Indiana she'll be coming with us for sure. But, the logistics of that will need to be worked out. Girl is crazy in the car. She used to be so small!

February marked the month I got in touch with my inner child and brought the bangs back to life. That was hard, you guys. The length of my hair has a direct correlation with my inability to take (hair) risks, so that was a scary day. But, the bangs are still here and life is good. Maybe this year I'll go blonde.

Kidding.

We also made our quick trip to Cincinnati in February, and had our first married Valentine's Day. We've decided to make sushi our Valentine's tradition, so I'm already excited that February is about to make its rounds again. Cincinnati was such a fun little city, full of hills (!) and a great farmer's market, cathedral, arboretum, and we hear the aquarium is great, too. We need to get back there this year.

March gave us these delightful cupcakes, which may need to be baked again soon. 

This was a busy month, and such a good one. All of us ladies out here spent a lot of time together getting ready for The Everything Sale, and I am grateful for the way that helped all of us grow closer together.

Helping with The Everything Sale was a huge reminder that there is so much good to see in the world when you look for it. We saw such wonderful acts of kindness that day. I know that I am just one of the countless people that loves The Farar family so very much, and I think about them so often. Even though The Everything Sale is long over, this family is still in the minds and hearts and prayers of so many. They are loved.

We experienced Kentucky's Thunder Over Louisville last April, and it was so memorable. Probably the best fireworks I'll ever see in my life, if we want to get dramatic (but truthful). After waiting all day for the show I had decided that this was a fun but one-time deal, but then after the fireworks... you know I'll be back there come spring. I just really loved that day.

That was also the weekend of our FIRST wedding anniversary. Holla! Can you believe it? That first year sure flew. We packed in enough changes to keep things blurry and exciting and before we knew it, it was time to slice that first layer of cake. Except we had to substitute Oreos for said cake, which just didn't make the move with us.

Speaking of cookies, 2013 marked these as my favorite recipe. This was routinely, methodically determined, and it was actually the first recipe I started using months back. I just didn't think it was my favorite UNTIL I started making my cookies twice as big but cooking them for the same amount of time. That's the ticket, friends. Go enjoy a few (dozen). And ignore the bad picture on the recipe page - why do they show a burned batch? Bugs me every time.

Also, finishing Popsicle Stick Table #2 was put in the books as a great success in this house. I'm thinking we would be a lot more emotionally invested in these tables if we actually ate the popsicle off of every stick that went into these guys. That would have been true dedication. Maybe next time. (a.k.a. never again.)

Remember our dog-sitting days? As do I, as do I. Part of me actually kind of misses (parts of) those fun times. Maybe we'll get back in the business as we get into 2014. This little guy made quite a few visits over here last year.

We fit some good music into our April last year - here we are at the Josh Ritter concert at The Vogue. What a fun night with the Toblers! And his albums have become our road trip music of choice since then. This man was a big part of my musical year. You should watch this, and share in our enjoyment. Yeah, I know it's long. Don't judge.

And who can forget this epic "Secret" experience last April -- the Taylor Swift concert. Oh what a night. I loved being there so much; her concerts are awesome productions.

I still can't believe that all played out the way it did. For the record, I have since used the Secret in all the right ways (in an extremely dedicated fashion) for another "aspiration" and failed, hard. I didn't just dabble in this Secret use either, I dedicated myself to this goal even more than this T-Swift experience, and came so incredibly close to success that I was sure the Secret worked again. Until the complete failure part. So, the point is, I'm still on the fence about this whole cosmic concept. I think the obvious bottom line is: God gets final say. (And I don't think God cares too much about Taylor Swift concerts... and I mean that in the nicest way possible.) Have you tried the Secret? I so enjoy success stories. Send them over.

And April ended on such a somber note, when the world cried with Boston. That stung so much. I was glued to the news that week, and I felt so offended by those cowardly actions at the marathon. There were multiple 2013 newsy moments that could have justifiably ruined perspective and killed hope, but this quote helped me through that event and others since. I don't want to ever stop believing in the power of the good in the world.

May brought some beautiful days to Indianapolis, and the benefits of working downtown came back. I love working right by the war memorials and being able to catch parts of the ceremonies that take place there throughout the year. 

May also brought a tiny reminder that I married the right person. Those tiny reminders are everywhere when I watch for them.

Aaaand my first, and last, completed crochet project. Should I pick this back up in 2014? We shall see, we shall see.

And my favorite part of May was a surprise visit to Utah, for Mother's Day and Ali's birthday. That was so.much.fun. I love being with my family and with my mountains, and we had such a fun weekend all together. Oh how I loved and needed that quick trip.

We soaked up the sun as much as possible in June. We were both so ready for summer. The Monon Trail is a favorite up here, and our Craigslist bike finds got some good use. That sounds so nice right about now!

In June my sweet, sweet grandma passed away, and I sure miss her. She was such a wonderful woman. I was so grateful to be able to make it out to Utah for her funeral, and be with all of my family while we remembered this woman we all love so much. We all think about her so often. 

Right after that Utah trip was our Daetwyler reunion in Florida. All of Michael's sisters were there, and we had a blast being all together that week on the beach. 

We did fit in a few days of nothing but summer stuff, like this bike-in movie. What did we do with our summer breaks growing up? Three months of just summer, to fill however we wanted? I totally took that for granted.

Alison made her first trip out to Indianapolis that month, and we caught the Indy 500. We picked her up in Chicago, and had a great weekend. We were surprisingly entertained by those 200 laps of speeding cars that day. Definitely a unique sporting experience.

Aaaand my first, and last, completed sewing project (post-8th grade sewing class). Should I pick this back up in 2014? We shall see, we shall see. (Doubtful.)

July marked our first full year of living in Indianapolis. We were finally using Google Maps a little less as we went here and there, and we were becoming experts on how to experience this city on the cheap. I documented our day to day routine for the books, because this is just a fun time of life. 

The kitchen. Finally finished. Not the most aggressive project timeline in my history, but... it is finished.

And the highlight of the summer was the Miner Road Trip in July, when Logan, Jenny, Ali and the kiddos all made their way out to the Midwest for an adventure. I loved having them here so much! They met us at Michael's parents house, and we loved being with them for the fourth of July. We watched fireworks along the Ohio River, and Lydia sang all the words to Party in the USA. Just a good, good time.

The crew came up to Indianapolis for a few days after that, and we hit all the sites. The kiddos loved the zoo and the Children's Museum. Jaren had his birthday while he was here, so that was the best bonus! I sure love our families. The times that we are together are the highlights of every year.

We took a mini road trip to Nauvoo in August to meet Michael's sister Pam and her family, visiting from Texas. They came back to Indianapolis with us and we had fun showing them around.

  

Then, another mini road trip! This time to see our Iowa family. We met them in Milwaukee when Danny was there for work. We had never been there before, so we had fun exploring with them. Cheese factories, markets, all that good stuff. Cheese is the best stuff, actually. 

We ended the month with another concert in northern Indianapolis. John Mayer played at an outdoor venue and summer never felt so good. His voice will always be one of my favorites.

September. The greatest month. The transition into fall is the best time of the year, and it seems like I enjoy it more every year. Running errands downtown for work in fall weather just makes my heart happy. Running errands for work in snow or blistering heat just makes my heart feel ok. So, September takes the cake.

Our dog sitting adventures got a whole lot bigger. I took these pictures while safely stationed in a corner, and stayed in my selected corners throughout our entire visits to these small horses' dogs' home. Those things, you guys. Nice as puppies. Big as baby elephants. Bad combination, if you ask me.

September meant hitting the big 2-5! And it has been a good age transition. It's at least one that I remember rather than still feeling like I'm my same age long after my birthday has passed. Do you have those?

Color came to our bathroom. That was a big deal.

But this discovery was the biggest deal of all. 

Obviously.

October was time for spooooky stories and busy days. We never even carved this chosen pumpkin you see here. He just sat idly by on our porch, a symbol of our more passive enjoyment of Halloween. 

But we did have a wonderful fall break in northern Michigan, just us and our bikes. It was probably one of the most seamless trip experiences I've ever had. We had no time to plan until the night before, but everything came together and everything went smoothly the whole weekend. That trip was so great, and so was Mackinac Island.

Part I / Part 2

And the month went out with a haircut and an epiphany.

Michael hit the big 2-6! Always one-upping me. He has worked so hard this year, on both written and practical tests. Doesn't he look so legit up there flaming those dentures? I'm sure there is a more technical term for that. But, still. He's flaming those dentures like a boss.

His birthday present was a trip to the Notre Dame game, and his friend Jason flew out to come with us. We had such a good time catching up with him. And freezing with him at the game. Seeing that campus made the trip worth it, even if the scoreboard was a disappointment... #gocougs.

Ali came out for another visit, and we were able to go to Louisville and meet Michael's dad. We went to the temple and then rode bikes along the riverfront. Bikes are just the best way to see a city. Don't you wish we all rode bikes more? We would all be happier. I'm sure of it.

Then it was finally time for our long-awaited date to Wicked, which was my birthday present two months prior. Talk about anticipation. I so love Wicked. (Also, don't you love Elphaba Idina Menzel in Frozen? I so love Frozen. I'm just full of love.)

And then it was finally time for Thanksgiving. I haven't checked 2014's November yet, but I hope Thanksgiving is a little more timely. I needed more Christmas Tree time in my life. We loved being with family in Evansville, and eating so much food with them. Some of us learned how to make tamales one afternoon, so here's Ethan sitting on them. Cutest tamale guard I've ever seen.

And then December. Too soon to review December? You're right. We'll stick to the highlights version:

Frozen, round one.

Cute visitors.

Just the right gifts.

And our little tree, who is still up, standing tall.

Well, just a little bit tall.

What a year we've had. To be honest, I have gotten in the habit of measuring years by places I've flown to or big accomplishments I've made. This year, in those terms, was semi-uneventful. But those aren't the right terms. I'm realizing more and more that years, and months and days, should just be measured by the way you live your life and the perspective you keep. And in that sense, 2013 was its own kind of eventful. It sinks in more all the time that Michael and I get to be together for eternity. I realize more all the time that the most important thing I can do is just try to do what my Savior would do, in all situations. And I realize more all the time that true happiness is intrinsic, and all up to me. All up to you, for you. Working through this concept overwhelmed me at first, but now it is beginning to empower me.

I'm excited for 2014. I'm trying to make the right kind of resolutions.

Look for God's hand in my life more. Be God's hands in other lives more.

And get my dresser and closet under control.

Maddie from the corner of the couch, out.

'Twas Our 2013 Christmas

'Twas December, the last month of twenty-thirteen,

and our days were so full, they required caffeine.

There were presents to wrap, Christmas cards to mail,

and, ok, a new addiction to watch (this show about jail).

There were Indianapolis sites to hit before we left for a week,

including a house full of 86 trees  - some new, some antique.

Those 52,000 lights kept that house in high degrees,

they don't even turn on their heat - they just turn on those trees.

People tour their house for four hours every night,

and they don't even charge you to see this holiday sight.

We found another dose of cheer at Indy's Museum of Art

We heard there were pre-WWI decorations, so we had to take part.

Little did we know they had much more there for you - 

carolers, Christmas crafts, even a live reindeer, too.

Then it was down to Evansville for one week's time,

full of family, food, games - just sublime.

We slept in late and laughed more than enough.

Seeing Christmas end is always so tough.

But Christmas Eve night I sat and stared at this tree,

and had time to stop and reflect on what Christmas truly means to me.

Then soon after that, it was back on the road.

But this time, a van! three kids! Parent mode.

We drove two cute girls, and one cute boy,

up to our house, to prolong our Christmas joy.

Their parents came too, just a few hours behind us
I'm sure they were wondering in what state they would find us.

But their kids were so sweet, and we kept all three alive!
They were dreaming of sugar plums when their parents arrived.

We woke up, ate cereal, some of us chased the cat,

then headed to the Children's Museum, the nation's biggest, at that.

There was the Yule Slide, the dinosaurs, pirates in a play,

and enough other things to entertain us all day.

After a downtown tour and dinner, they were back in their car,

and we were back to wishing our families weren't spread so far.

But don't worry, it's not over! We really spread our Christmas thin.

That night was our gift-giving celebration (Amazon for the win!)

To Michael: A trivia lover's complete world guide

and a remote control helicopter - the boy could have cried.

For Maddie: A helmet, to protect my riding head,

plus Boggle (come play!) and a five-year journal, to jot in before bed.

A package from Utah brought more even more Christmas treasure,

including these childhood keepsakes - their value has no measure.

You may see a silly stuffed dog with a torn hole in his knee,

but that's my lifelong friend, sweet Delta Doggie.

Plus a Pocahontas nintendo game that I can't believe works anymore,

but it's hopeless... 9-year-old Maddie will always have the high score.

And don't mind the tired face in that picture up there,

I've been sniffling and coughing, still looking worse for the wear. 

But even sick days can't take away from our great Christmas break,

I mean, look at this last gift, for heaven's sake.

A snow cone machine. For reals. Can you believe it?

From sweet friends who said they saw it and just couldn't leave it.

They remembered how hard I searched for snow cones last summer,

and looks like this year, the search won't be such a bummer!

We'll have our very own snow cone party, be there or be square.

But first we'll get through winter, and real snow. Beware.

That was our Christmas. It flew by, so fast.

I can't believe it's already added to Christmases past!

So now, to New Year's. It will be fun too, right?

Merry Christmas to all, 

and to all a good night.

The Post-School Weekend

Life has slowed down a little around here, and that is a welcome feeling! Michael rocked his finals and his hardest semester yet. We are a little intimidated by next semester (supposedly the worst of the four-year dental experience), but we will just take it one day at a time! We celebrated at the Cheesecake Factory and the Hobbit on Friday, and Michael even went to Sephora with me for a minute even though it was supposed to be his night :) Good man. If you know Michael, you know he's got some skills at getting things for free - so here he is with his celebratory (free) pina colada at our celebratory (free) movie outing after our celebratory (free) dinner. Crazy kid.

And since there are so, so many good movies adding up on my to-see list, we even knocked out another one the next night. I'm telling you, this change of pace has been so great! The Naylors came along to see Frozen with us, and I was loving every minute of it. I had no expectations for that movie because I honestly haven't seen or heard a lot about it. But I was in love with it. Cute songs, funny characters, great voices (why did I not know Kristen Bell was a singer? Why can I not sing like Idina Menzel? These are big questions). And Thomas Naylor's constant commentary (snowman! reindeer! snowman! princess!) makes for big improvements on any movie going experience. He and the movie had me cracking up so much. Maybrie loved it too, as long as the music didn't build up too much. She requested that we leave every time that happened.

And then Sunday we had some friends over who also suffer the effects of finals week for a new end-of-the-semester tradition. We each created parts of the Cafe Rio experience that we so miss, and combined forces for an extremely tasty Cafe Rio recreation. At one point Maybrie was heard exclaiming, "This is the BEST. PARTY. EVER!" But I'm pretty sure we were all missing out on whatever the kids were doing at that point. But it seems like everyone had a good time, in their own way.

Look at that deliciousness. I even picked up some tinfoil "bowls" to really get in the right mindset for this experience. Even though it tasted SO good, we all ended up reflecting on why oh why it still doesn't taste the same. Who's sending me a Cafe Rio salad for Christmas? Anyone? If you want to give our copycats a try, we found them all conveniently located together here. 

Then we finished the night trying to find a new TV series to waste time on together, ended up three episodes into this one, and then proceeded to have bad dreams about it. Well, just one of us had bad dreams. I wish I could say it was Michael... but, I wouldn't be fooling anyone.

After a totally celebratory and relaxing weekend, it's hard to get back to the semi-grind on Monday! Back to work for me, and Michael is still coming downtown with me to study on campus all day. He has to take Part I of his boards examinations in January, so no lasting rest for the weary. We are so looking forward to Christmas! I sent a flat rate package home to Utah today that might very well explode before arriving there, despite my layers and layers of tape. I have way too much fun picking out presents for my cute family. The wrapping part ... not as much fun. Not nearly as much fun.

Eight more days to Christmas! And I haven't even watched Elf yet. Yikes.

Football, Turkey, etc.

Before I start this post, I need to ask you something. Have you ever been to a tiny dance recital? As in, tiny little girls just barely old enough to understand that they're at a dance recital, up on the stage following their teacher's hints in the front row? I hope you have. If you're my parents, you went to way too many of those. 

And if you have been to one, do you remember the little girls who forget some of their tiny dance, look around, realize what is supposed to be happening, and then they go into fast forward mode because they will not let any move they've learned go un-danced? Rather than just catch up to where the group is at, they have to speed through the entire portion of the routine that they zoned out for, before finally catching back up with their neighbors. Those girls are in every group, and thank goodness for that, because every eye on the audience is usually watching them with a big grin.

My point is, that's how I'm running my blog during these busy months that always feel like a sprint to the end of the year. I could just look around and realize that what's passed is passed, and I should tell you about today. BUT. No. First I'm going to go in fast forward mode and speed through all the happenings that have gone un-blogged as of late. Here.we.go.

BYU vs. Notre Dame - what a day. The best part was having Michael's friend/old roommate/old mission companion/tandem bike buddy (story for another day) visiting us for the game. We miss our Utah friends! We just loved having him here and catching up with him.

Enough about the best part...let's talk about the worst. Ooooh my goodness, people, those temperatures. I have never been so cold in so many layers of clothing. It was a record cold game for that Notre Dame stadium. We were so grateful we could be there for that monumental moment. .... 

Really though, it was actually pretty fun. Survival mode was entertaining, and we made friends with the fun Notre Dame fans all around us. I mean, they couldn't hate us too much, right? (Scoreboard.)

We went up early that day and had fun exploring campus. We saw a bagpipes concert, the players' walk through the crowd, a lecture about Mitt Romney and the effect Mormonism had on his campaign, and ate lunch at The Huddle. We met up with another one of Michael's friends from Evansville for part of the day, and we all loved seeing the beautiful campus. 

Thanksgiving finally came around this year (wrong week, am I right?) and we were so happy to head down to Evansville for some family time. Rachel came in from Colorado and Katie from DC, and Diana's family from Iowa. We even got to see Michael's grandparents, who were visiting from Utah. I love being with family! Nothing is more refueling than that. That could also be due to the amount of food we ate. So, so much food. I don't think we were ever hungry for 6 days straight.

Then it was home to this little guy! Our tree is just tiny small, and pretty simple, and I am in love with it. I stare it so often. Christmas trees bring such a sweet spirit into homes, and I love having our own small version of those things. Homes, Christmases, family... just our size.

The last few weeks winter has been raging. Single-digit temperatures with wind chills stealing even the few degrees we have. Humidity really does a number with cold weather. I now believe that no one can own too many pairs of slipper socks. They must be kept on at.all.times. 

Also, I'm currently accepting applications for a Christmas present wrapper. I'll pay you in English Toffee and good conversation. 

Life Lately

Things have been happening around here. Blogging just hasn't been one of them. Let's just get right into it.

WICKED finally came, and we went on our long awaited date to that beautiful, fun play. Getting tickets for my birthday in September was so happy, and every time I remembered we were going in November I would get just as happy all over again. It was like the birthday present that never stopped giving. Wicked gives me goosebumps (and some tears) every time. I even went to it by myself once when I was on a business trip, because I just can't not see it if I'm within a reasonable distance. Michael liked it. I don't know if he loved it, but he liked it.

My sister came into town! Kind of a quick last minute trip, and it was so fun having her around. We had a pizza/pajamas/Pitch Perfect party (so many p's) one night when Michael had to stay late in the lab at school. There was even a fleeting moment when she actually held our little cat. If you know this girl, you know that's a big deal. Animals are not her thing... especially cats. I think Kitty kind of senses that, and it doesn't help things. So this was a big moment.

We drove down to Louisville on Saturday to go to the temple and to see Michael's dad. He was nice enough to bring a couple bikes so that the four of us could go for a ride along the river. It was actually a beautiful day, once you were moving enough!

This bridge was especially fun to ride along, and it had music playing over speakers. We did about 15 miles together and had some delicious BBQ for lunch before heading back to Indianapolis. It's so fun being surrounded by different cities and visiting them with family.

I actually put Ali to work while she was here... She just knows how to get things done so I couldn't help it! I get to work with the 8-11 year old girls at my Church, and learn about Christ with them through fun activities and service projects. (It's called Activity Days.) This last week we had our annual "Modesty Fashion Show" and Ali and Michael helped out so much. We decorated, made yummy treats, and had fun watching those girls have a ball. Their parents and the Young Women in our Church came to watch them. We gave each of the girls a little mirror with a note that says "Inside is a Daughter of God." I know that each of those girls truly are daughters of God. I love getting to know them and helping them come to know that fact for themselves. They really are special. (That night they modeled four categories of clothes, and the last one was pajamas... if you're wondering about the PJs in the picture.)

Sunday started out with Michael's favorite thing in the world, blueberry coffee cake. It's honestly the only food I've ever seen him overeat on. But it doesn't even count as overeating because... well, he can afford to eat about a dozen of these coffee cakes if he wanted to. It's definitely good stuff, but to Michael it about tops everything else.

Ali and I played a piano duet in Church that day, and it went surprisingly well considering we laughed the ENTIRE time the first time we practiced it. Sisters are so giggly. And then the rest of our Church meetings were cancelled for the day because we had storm and tornado warnings - so, back to pajamas and coffee cake! We spent the day eating good food and playing the Wii and just laughing. I so love family. The weather was crazy, but no tornadoes touched down in Indianapolis. Quite a few did throughout the state and Midwest, though.

Tomorrow we are headed to South Bend to watch BYU beat Notre Dame. Um, please look at this weather forecast. I bought 6 packs of hand warmers and I don't plan on limiting them to my hands. I read that with the wind chill combined, it will feel like 7 degrees during the last half of the game.... holy moly, wish me and the Cougars good luck.

Go Cougs!

Michael and His Birthday

Michael and I share almost two months of being the same age each year, then he moves on without me. Here's a picture of his dental life in action. He brought that project home to "catch up" but really I think he just wanted to impress me with his fire tools. It worked. Michael's dental life also kind of stole the excitement from his birthday - he had his monthly exam the very next morning. Basically he studied all day between phone calls from friends and family, and I just made a lot of food in the kitchen since he still has to eat at some point and food was our only form of celebration available. #dentalschoolprobs

He requested raspberry cheesecake for his birthday, and I did a slightly poor job of bringing this recipe to life. Maybe we'll just blame the results on the fact that I don't have a Springform pan, but there was definitely more to it than that... I have a love-hate relationship with Pioneer Woman recipes.

Michael has a love-hate relationship with pictures, but it is actually more just hate. I took this picture like 15 times, and you get the blurry one because he's making uncooperative faces in the other 14. I don't even know if he remembered to make a wish, he was so intent on being difficult through the whole experience. 

He brought his wishless birthday on himself.

Michael had no idea what was coming for his birthday. I kind of let him get comfortable with the assumption that I bought him Apple TV, because he's had his eye on that. But we actually had a BYU birthday instead - with some game day t-shirts and tickets to the BYU vs. Notre Dame game this month! We'll drive up to South Bend just before Thanksgiving and see our Cougars play. I'm sure we'll get all nostalgic. Unless we're too cold to feel any of that sentimental stuff. The best part is that Michael's friend Jason is coming out and heading to the game with us! Michael had no idea. Thanks for helping me pull off the surprise, Jason!

We seriously love all our friends out here, we have so much fun with them. We had a little FaceTime action between all the studying so that Thomas and Maybrie could wish Michael happy birthday, complete with some original song and dance. These two just love Michael. When they see me, and Michael isn't around, it sometimes results in tears.

It was a good day, even though studying tried to take it all. Michael slept about three hours last night, so his 26 experience is starting out a little sleep deprived. He got an A on his test though! Probably his birthday present of choice. 

Well no, THIS is still his #1 birthday present of choice... should I be worried about that? 

Happy birthday, Michael! I love, love you!