Happy Birthday To The Love Of My Life!

Today is a big day.  It is the Love of my Life's 40th Birthday.  For the purpose of this blog I shall refer to him by the name of C.

C was born July 31, 1973.  His loving parents figured that he was such a blessing in their lives that they decided to stop there and not have any more children after that.  One thing that I know for certain is that when people say that only children are "spoiled" I would vehemently disagree.  I would like to think of them as saturated.  Children are sponges.  So they absorb everything around them.  Only children absorb a huge amount of love, caring and kindness.  It saturated his every cell and now it continuously pours out to all who are around him.  I can only wish that for our Daughter.










My Dearest C,

Today is your 40th birthday.  Here we are celebrating another milestone together.  May this trend continue on for many, many more years.  As I would like to build a tradition of the birthday letter, here is mine to you.  I bet you are happy that I kept it private and only posted it on my blog.

My entire life changed on April 18th, 2009. I remember being so excited to meet you.  Waiting at the door for you to pick me up for our first lunch date.  Little did I know that I would be waiting for you for many, many years to come.  I am sure glad that you are worth the wait.  I like to believe that one of the reasons you were brought into my life was to show me patience and to teach me to slow down and smell the roses.  That first lunch date was amazing.  I will be forever indebted to Bobbi for introducing us.

You have brought so many good things into my life.  It is improbable that I would be able to put them all into a single birthday letter.  Good thing that I will have many more birthdays to share with you.

You are kind.  So incredibly kind.  And I am so glad that this trait has started rubbing off on me.  You show that kindness to perfect strangers, to your family, and essentially all living things.  You even catch and release flies and bugs that come into the house.

You are incredibly thoughtful.  You think about the details and you make everyone feel at ease.  You take those extra steps to transcend things from ordinary to extraordinary.

You are a pillar of strength and support.  Even when we were first barely dating you refused to let me be unhappy.  Urged me to "do whatever makes me happy."  Even when that ended up meaning you were stuck paying the bills.  LOL.  Truth be told you still do.  I promise that will change one day soon, very soon.

You are an amazing Husband and Father.  I couldn't even begin to put into words how grateful I am to have you in my life.  I cannot wait until you take steps to further your journey.  To really spend time creating and cultivating your dream.  I know that what ever dream you choose to chase will be wonderful.  And it will be a blessing that will reach countless people.  I hope you don't take too long to figure it out as it seems almost selfish for me to keep you all to myself.

I love you.  To the Moons of Jupiter and Back.  May your 40th year be filled with love, laughter, health and wealth.  May the sun always shine upon your face.  May we spend many, many more years together.

All my Love,
Your Adoring Wife,
Lisa

Happy Birthday To Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

I have been thinking about that it was that I was going to blog about ever since I signed up for the 31 day blog challenge over a month ago.  Today marks Day 29 of that challenge.  It also marks my 33rd birthday.

I have scratched out pages and pages of notes...all to get to this point today where I will completely disregard everything.  What I wanted to do this year is take time to write birthday letters to my loved ones.  And I have managed to on some of them and others I did not.  But I will use this platform to write a birthday letter to myself.  It may sound a bit odd but I am far from "normal".






Dear Elizabeth,

I am using your given name as you are finally growing into it.  Over the past year you have began to understand kindness and compassion.  You are showing some whispers of wisdom.  Therefore you can represent this name with some of the Grace that your namesake possessed.

This past year was a big one for you.  And I know that you have struggled to determine whether it was a successful one or not.  You may not have became a big time life coach or motivational teacher but you have taken great strides in personal growth.  You have learned the value in following your dreams.  You were able to push past the fear and begin a journey that has allowed you to touch the lives of others.

Along the way you have learned some valuable lessons.
1) There is a great amount of freedom in finally choosing to follow your dreams.
2) Lessons exist all around you.  It is up to you to find the lesson and apply it to your life.
3) Netflix can be a major distraction.  So can your cell phone, email, facebook and pinterest.
4) All situations have better outcomes when you approach them with love and kindness.
5) Forgiveness is valuable.  You forgive because you are deserving of the the freedom that comes with it.  It opens the door to healing.
6) Life is fleeting. Time is valuable.  Do not waste it. Make today count.
7) Football brings out the competitive side in you.
8) Being brave enough to try new things brings great rewards.
9) You write better in the early morning hours
10) Look within to see more of the lessons.  They are there.

You have tried new things in the past 365 days.  Some of which include:
1) Surfing
2) Women's Touch Football
3) Lobster, Crab, Sea Bass, Cerviche, Dim Sum, Octopus, Calamari, Shrimp
4) Writing daily
5) Mimosa's for breakfast every day for a week
6) Meditation on the beach
7) Hiking in West Glacier National Park
8) Running the Mud Hero and the Spartan Sprint
9) Competing in a Ranch Rodeo with your Dad

You have traveled more in the past year than ever before.
1) Playa Del Carmen, Mexico
2) Farallon, Panama
3) Whitefish, Montana
4) Fairmont Hot Springs, BC

You have had the following hairstyles:
1) Bald
2) Black Mohawk
3) Faux Hawk
4) Pink Hair
5) Bald
6) Black Hair
7) Blonde
8) and Currently...Blonde with Roots.


You have spent time in reflection.  Learned to let go of some of the things that have been weighing you down.  You have faced one of your greatest fears and came out the other side stronger than when you went in.

You have given of yourself to others.  Touched lives.  Made new friends.  Learned to let go of relationships that no longer served you even though it was hard.  You have laughed and loved more in this past year than some years combined.

Moving forward into the year and years ahead my wish for you is:  That you be blessed with more health, love and happiness than your heart and hands can hold.

Stay focused in the direction you are headed.  Read and write every day.  Never pass up an opportunity to help someone.  Do all things with love and kindness.  Learn something new every day.  Remember to laugh and play.  Cherish the time with the ones that you love.  Delaney will never be this age again. Include trips to the farm as part of your travel.  Lead Life Joyfully.

Much Love,
Lisa