today is a special day ... !

 because it's my daddy's birthday!

this picture is the epitome of my father.

big smile on his face

and

his girls (the dogs) around him.

oh, how i love and miss him so much.

happy birthday daddy-O!

thank you for always looking out for me and wanting the best.

you're the greatest and i love ya more than you will ever know.

party time.

 Birthdays are important.

They only happen once a year.

They involve cake and ice cream.

They bring people together.

They are a celebration of life.

 Natalie and I had a birthday party for Jessica the day before we left for spring break.

Her actual birthday was going to be spent on a charter bus, so we made sure to make this one special.

We got all fancy with real China and wine glasses.

birthday cake.

 i attempted to bake a cake using tin cans.

they turned out crooked.

(maybe for a dr. suess themed party it would be cute...)

oh well...still tasted delicious.

we had a yummy pasta dinner with shrimp.

opened gifts.

played a balloon game that i invented 30 minutes before everyone came.

& ate wayyyy too many sweets.

happy birthday natty pup!

here's to many many more!

color your world.

KC MO.

Zona Rosa.

perfect weather to enjoy all of the shops.

yogurtini.

red velvet + cake batter + dulce de leche  + brownie bites + coconut + granola = yum.

i love me some self serve fro-yo.

color your world sign found at the limited.

lots of laughter.

quote of the day:

"let's go eat at a sports bra!"

yes, bra.

not bar.

surprise partaay.

Miss Natalie's birthday was celebrated all weekend long.

And the party continues today because it is her actual birthday.

Her wonderful boyfriend, Dave, decided to throw her a surprise birthday party.

After many lies, I finally convinced her that we were having dinner at Dave's.

Running twenty minutes late, Natalie opened up the door to find her friends hiding in the dark with party hats on.

Surprise! ...

I decided to add a little bit of spice to the party with a photo booth.

Used an old empty frame we had in the house.

Printed out some mustaches and lips.

Attached them to pencils.

I think the idea is adorable. Definitely more in the future to come.

(with more props of course...!)

It kept us entertained.

 

 

 After a few drinks and cupcakes we headed to Molly's to dance the night away.

Molly's even gave a shout out to the birthday girl.

Texas Roadhouse Birthday Style

the cinnamon honey butter got the best of us.

56 dinner rolls later ...

our stomachs were full.

we couldn't eat our actual meals.

take home boxes all around.

happy 22nd brady.

#YOLO

i love birthdays, i really do

i love having a big dinner around our table.

i love singing happy birthday repeatedly until all of the trick candles are blown out.

i love gathering with friends.

i love celebrating another year of life.

i'm big on celebrating birthdays because you never know when the good Lord will call you home.

each day is a gift.

each year is a milestone.

happy birthday rachael!

More birthday!

The best way to celebrate your birthday is with friends.

I share a birthday with a lot of people, including the guy on the left.

This is moments before the bar broke out and sang 'happy birthday' to us at midnight.

when i turned 22...

 

 

...the palms bar broke out in the 'happy birthday' song at midnight
...my wonderful roomates decorated the house, prepared a pasta bar for myself and my friends, and baked me an ice cream cake

...i received lots of wonderful texts, facebook messages, tweets, and phone calls

...endulged in cupcakes baked in ice cream cones

...opened up many thoughtful gifts including a Greek cookbook, flowers, lucky bamboo plant, and even a flock of chickens.
(don't worry the chickens were a charitable donation to help people rise above poverty in other countries. check out this cool non-profit called, Heifer International)

...i danced the night away with my sweet roommate, Natalie and other friends at Molly's.
...finally stopped partying at 2:00 a.m.

a birthday to remember.
thanks to all who made it so special.
xoxo.

I turned 22!

Here's to another year full of adventure.

Watch me blow out my candles and make a wish!

Amazing Grace

Happy 21st my dear friend, Carolyn.

Thank you for always listening, always loving, and always looking out for me.

I love what you stand for and how strong you are in your faith.

Even though I never knew your mom, I always think of her when we sing Amazing Grace in Mass.

 I know she is proud of you and the woman you are becoming.

Thank you for being an amazing grace in my life.

Melanie's Birthday + A Cherry Pie

 

My sweet friend Melanie turned 22 last week. 

Melanie told me that she always wants a cherry pie for her birthday, but she always receives an angel food cake instead...

So, I decided to make her the pie.

When my I told my mom that I was going to make cherry pie, she laughed out loud.

Check it out momma. 

Okay, so the crust is a little rough...  It still tasted good!

Garrett's Birthday

 Since today was Garrett's actual birthday, we celebrated by going out to an Italian restaurant called Rostis.

The restaurant is BYOB.

You bring the wine and they provide the food.

So fun.

We also celebrated at work with baby cupcakes.

So cute and petite..

and delicious!

The cherry on top of the whole day was the fact that The Red Hot Chili Peppers were performing next door to our office at the soundstage.  We share a wall so it literally was a concert.

Some people were getting upset because they couldn't work, others couldn't have been more ecstatic.

FYI their new album is going to have some great new songs :)

Happy 55th Birthday to my Daddy!

Lets celebrate with an old school photo.

Happy Birthday to the best daddy in the world!

You believe in me and have taught me the importance of a strong work ethic.

(and to always have a sense of humor)

Can't imagine my life without you.

You're the best and I love you!

Love,

Your Angie Pangie Cotton Candy

Rosalind's 21st Birthday

She finally joined the 21 club! It was time for a celebration!

We had the party at her boyfriend Ryan's house.

He is such a sweet guy. Cleaned the whole house from head to toe and spent countless hours outside fixing up the backyard. He even built a fire pit.

  In the top photo you see lemonade in mason jars.

I am currently obsessed with these.

I keep finding more and more ways to use these at parties.

The next picture is the food spread.  We had hamburgers, brats, chips, "make your own trail mix" and Oreo cupcakes.

Anyone who knows Rozzy knows how much she loves Oreos.

When I stumbled upon this recipe I knew I had to make them for her.

They were delicious.

Rosalind's best friend, Jill, from high school came down with two of her friends from Minneapolis.

Jill decorated 12 wine glasses for Rosalind's birthday gift.

Each glass was different and had a story behind it.

Adorable.

A lot of people ended up coming to the party as the night went on.

A lot of people that we didn't even know.

But hey, it is summer in Maryville.

If I know one thing right now it is this...I am going to miss this girl while I am in California.

Happy 21st Birthday to my beautiful friend!

21 Club

She is finally 21!

We had breakfast for dinner last night - cream cheese butter braid and mimosas!

The celebration continues throughout the week!