Another Birthday....

Today is the birthday of my wonderful husband, Michael.

Unlike my sister, I have not known him since the second he entered this world but I am very, very grateful to his parents for bringing him into the world and raising him to be such an amazing person.

I have been lucky enough to know him for about 4 and a half years...I had already been working at the credit union and he was brand new...I remember the day that he walked by my desk on his "new employee" tour. He was dressed really nice, I did think he was a good looking guy and seemed very friendly (in the few seconds of just saying hello). I remember then that I just thought of him as "off limits" since he was a co-worker. :-) Once we finally had the chance to hang out (after work on a Friday with a group of other co-workers) I also liked his personality and knew that we would be friends at the very least.

After a year and a half of friendship and getting to know each other (and finding out that he was a really genuinely nice and caring person) I finally ditched the notion of us just being friends and it was probably the best decision I ever made (well, we made it together). I am so happy we ended up together, married, and now have a little girl on the way. I wouldn't have wanted to end up with anyone else, he makes me happier than I have ever been in my whole life. He is an incredible husband, takes care of me and loves me so much and I feel like I love him more every single day of our lives together. I can't wait to see him with our daughter, I know he is going to be the best dad.

I'm not sure if in my life I have always been a believer in 'soul mates'.....but the moment I realized that Michael was the one for me, I realized that there can be no other way to explain it. I definitely could not make it without him and I am so glad that I don't have to.

Happy Birthday to my wonderful, amazing, caring, loving husband! I hope that your day is wonderful and I look forward to a hundred more birthdays with you!

Twenty-seven years ago today....

This blog post is a little shout out to my sister, Sara Lynn Mercer Watkins....today is her 27th birthday!!
I was only 4 years and 11 months old when she was born but there are a lot of things I remember about the day of her birth...actually even a thing or two about my Mom being pregnant with her. Once I remember sitting on my parents bed with my Dad as my Mom threw up over and over in the bathrooom....haha...apparently she was sick the whole time she was pregnant with my sister!!
On the actual day of July 10, 1983 I remember that my Dad got me out of bed pretty early in the morning, wrapped me up in a blanket and carried me a few houses down to some neighbors where I was going to stay while they went to the hospital. I sort of woke up and he told me I would be a big sister soon....guess it wasn't quite interesting enough for me to stay awake because I think I just went right back to sleep. Before I was able to go up the hospital to visit, my Dad called the neighbors to say that my sister was born...and to get my opinion on her name. His choices?? Sara or Jerri (with an "I" specifically). I am sure that my sister is quite thankful that I went with Sara. :-)
When I finally got to go in to see her I was interested for a minute....until I realized that my Mom had a tv with cartoons on it in her room! Even some of the pictures of me holding my new sister show me looking up and into the distance...surely watching something on the tv, haha. What can you expect from an almost 5 year old??!!
Over the last 27 years I would say I have had much more interest in my sister....in that she has become my best friend. Now, there were some rough years when we did more fighting that getting along....but the second I went to college I missed her being around and I think that really made us closer....we'd talk more, she wrote me hilarious letters (which I still have in a box in my closet), and when I was home the fighting was less and less. I wish she lived closer now, I know we wouldn't make it a week without seeing each other a few times....I am very happy she at least lives close enough to visit often and we have the phone, texting, chatting online, email, our webcams, facebook and various other ways to stay in touch every day of the week.
I was thinking that wow, if she is 27 (which sounds old for my "little"sister) then I am really getting old!! But we are still just 4 years and 11 months apart and the age difference really doesn't seem like that much anymore.
So, Happy Birthday, Sara! I love you, little sister!! :-)

On a side note: my Mom's birthday is tomorrow so Happy Birthday to you too, Mom! (Not that you will get on a computer to read this...I'll just call ya!)