Another year closer to 30!!!

So today is my birthday...my 26th birthday!! I like to use my birthdays as a time for reflection and see what's changed in my life the past year. Am I where I thought I'd be? Have I accomplished things that I wanted to? Am I proud of my life? This year, the answer to all those questions in YES!! I always wanted to a have a family. It started a little earlier than what I had planned but I always wanted kids and to be married. I've accomplished more this year than I did last year!! I've lost 35 pounds (and counting), we've moved to another country, I'm more involved with the church. These may not be huge things or anything to "write-home-about" but these are few things that through this past year have bee huge changes in my life. I am very proud of my life. The only thing I wish maybe that I could have done was go to college. I was planning to attend Mount Royal College in Calgary and take Recreational Therapy after my year at Bible school. But as we all know.......things change!! Do I regret this....no. My life took a corner I hadn't planned on at that time but in the end, am so glad it did. I can always go back to college but I only have one Alyssa!!


Speaking of which. She made me breakfast in bed this morning!! It was 6:40am and I hear banging in the kitchen and the toaster click and I'm thinking "Great, she's making toast with bread I don't eat!!!" I only eat low-carb bread. So I keep on pretending sleeping as she brings in my toast with PB and Raisin Bran cereal with 3 times more milk than needed and a glass of water. Then she leaves and comes back with a note that says "Happy Birthday Mom. To Mom, Love Alyssa." And she goes back to bed! So I get up and go to her and ask her if she wants to share the breakfast with me (this way I don't have to eat the toast) and she does. So she eats the toast and I choke down one spoonful of a very soggy cereal and ask her if I could get another bowl after I do my workout as this is all soggy!! She had no problem with it. So she ate the toast and I drank the water in my bed together and had a great few minutes together before it was time to get ready for school. Needless to say it was a great way to start off my birthday!! Here's a picture of what I woke up to:


Tonight we're going over to my mom and dad's to have my birthday supper which includes steak, shrimp, caesar salad, fresh veggies and dip and my new favourite cauliflower dish which I make to look like mash potatoes!! And angel food cake for dessert. So I am very much looking forward to that! On Sunday we head off to Vegas for two nights after church. So I said to Chris instead of spending lots on me for a present, we'll go to the Tournament of Knights at our hotel (The Excalibur). This $50 a person show (yikes!!) includes a meal that you eat with your hands while you enjoy a show of jousting, sword fighting and all the medieval fun!! So that will be my present and this way we can all enjoy it. All in all, should be a great birthday. Here' a picture of me that I took myself (that's why it's bad!!) today in my size smaller outfit!!!