My own personal Martha Stewart...Valerie Feller! Thanks Val for pulling together all the birthday yummies :)))))) You rock girlfriend!! 

My Birthday Peeps! Or all but 1 of them...Valerie is taking the picture. You'll see my own personal Martha Stewart in the next post (Valerie showed up first and commenced to making all the food I hadn't gotten around to preparing!!!! Thanks Val!!! From Left to Right: Julie Sheldrup; Carrie Chute; Chris Hageman; Lisa Morse; Laurie Bunnell; me; Brenda Henoch; Karen Morse; Mary Hardin; Tracy Imbach. 

40th Birthday Part II

My girls and me at my 2d birthday party tonight. A dear friend of mine, Julie Sheldrup, took the girls for the afternoon/evening so I could have some "me" time. I ran an errand, got a mani/pedi and came home to start preparing for the festivities! Julie and the girls showed up at the party and everyone had big smiles! Maryn and Larsen got their own manicures (which they're showing off in the picture). They desparately wanted to stay up to watch me open the presents :) They didn't really get it that "big girl" parties aren't about the presents...they're about having girlfriend time and eating yummy food!!!! And, maybe drinking some great wine and some yummy raspberry martinis (thanks LisaMo!!). All in all, a fabulous day here in the sunny PNW! I feel so blessed to have so many wonderful friends and family members who called or emailed to wish me a happy birthday during this big milemarker in life. Thanks to you all! 

40th Party #1

Jamie suprised me with a 40th birthday party on Saturday night. Our friends, Jeff and Tami, came up from Seattle with their sons, Henri (4) and Harrison (3 1/2 months)...I knew they were coming, but I thought we were just gonna have a big birthday dinner with our mutual friends, Mike and Lisa Morse and their kids. Turns out, Jamie invited several other people to help us celebrate. The weather was spectacular all day, which was such a blessing. It was a great way to start out the Birthday celebration week!!! Though, I think I've decided to kind of celebrate all year, because in December, Jamie and I will celebrate our 10th anniversary...I'm thinkin' Europe!!!!! Wish you could have been here with us to eat Jam's great food and have some fun. Maybe on my 50th???? YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Larsen by the Bay during the Ski-to-Sea race Memorial Day weekend

She looks mad, but really she's not. We were down by Bellingham Bay waiting for a girlfriend of mine to kayak in on the last leg of the race. This race is an incredible event that happens every Memorial Day weekend in Bellingham. The racers start at Mt. Baker and each leg makes its way closer into Bellingham, ending with the kayakers padding 5 miles across the bay to land on the beach in Fairhaven. Go to skitosea.com to check it all out. The racing legs are: downhill skiiing, cross-country skiiing, running, mountain biking, canoeing, road biking and kayaking (I don't think I've left out any of the legs). It's a relay and there are some serious athletes out there. We know one team that imports their downhill skier from the Canadian Olympic ski team :) Come visit us and see it for yourself!!!!!