Bad Morning, Wonderful Afternoon

Yesterday morning started off okay. I got to sleep in, which is always fabulous, and Tim got a million things done around the house. My mom was headed down to watch Brenden for us while Tim and I went out to dinner to celebrate my birthday, which was Tuesday. Then...my dad called to tell us that our long time friend, who I considered my aunt and was my mom's best friend, Cheryl had died.

Cheryl and I...sometime in the 80's. :)

Cheryl was the type of person that you always wanted on your side. A huge personality, she could always make you smile, always knew just what to say and when to listen, and she could put my dad in his place faster than you could snap your fingers. About a year and a half ago she was diagnosed with a very aggressive type of cancer that had spread to her lungs and brain. They only gave her 3 to 60 days. Yes...days. She held on for a year and a half. She was able to attend her family reunion and spend some more time giving my dad grief over the phone.

My dad couldn't get ahold of my mom. It turns out she had stopped by my grandma's house and had left her phone in the car. I ended up being the one that was able to reach her and I thought for sure she would turn right around and go home. However, even thought she was really upset, she told me there was really nothing she could do and would rather just keeps our plans. I think that was a great idea on her part. It's hard to dwell on sad things when you are being serenaded by a 2 1/2 year old who has recently learned to sing. (And apparently he learned how to bow when he was done...not sure where that came from!)

While Brenden took a nap my mom and I headed to get a few errands done. She needed to pick up a few extra baby shower invites (which are ADORABLE) and then we headed to Target. She and my dad had decided that they wanted to get us the changing table for Lauren's room. To say I was excited to get that done would be a huge understatement. We found a great one, along with some baby hangers that were on sale, which I needed desperately, and a trash can for her room. Mom even picked up some cookies for Brenden, although we all enjoyed them.

While we were shopping, Tim was busy. He called me to see if I could be home in 45 minutes to an hour so that someone could come look at our truck. Mike and Connie bought a new car not long ago and gave us their Expedition and we don't need 3 cars. Tim had placed the truck on Craigslist and within 3o minutes had 4 emails. (I'm pretty sure that's a good sign that we priced the truck too low, but that's okay.) I promised him we'd be home in time and when we pulled up into the driveway the truck was gone. I thought the person had shown up early and was driving it around. It turns out the truck was SOLD already. It only took about an hour...the fastest deal we've made on Craigslist, EVER.

After putting the changing table together in about 10 minutes we all got ready for our night out. We headed out to the Melting Pot and my mom took Brenden to El Viejo's, a Mexican restaurant that we all love. Mom said that Brenden was a big fan of his burrito, as usual, and devoured his rice, and she enjoyed her flautas, which Brenden called "grandma's burritos." Tim and I will never complain about the food at the Melting Pot and I made sure to take pictures before we attacked the plates.

Afterwards, Tim indulged me with a trip to Target. Somehow my purses seem to be shrinking. I just can't fit everything in them! I didn't think Tim would care all that much but he definitely had an opinion about which I should choose. Can you say, "Amanda was totally spoiled on her birthday"? Because I really really was. :)

A HUGE thank you to everyone who made the day possible and to everyone who sent me birthday cards and presents. I'm very excited to get my Kindle in the mail! Books in 60 seconds instead of having to wait a few days? Yes, please!