Celebrating Me at 33

I had a wonderful weekend! This weekend was my birthday party. Yup I threw myself a birthday party. I decided back in February that it was time I had a party at my place. That is not just 1 big deal but 2. When I first moved into my place I had a little gathering a friends come over..what a disaster! They spent the night criticizing my new place because it needed updates, when they weren't doing that they were talking about cheating on spouses, death, and anything else you can think of that would make a person feel yucky. It was a horrible time. I finally told them to leave, because I couldn't take it any more. I spent the rest of the evening trying to Clorox everything because the negative vibes really bothered me and crying because it was such a horrible night. That was the last time I had a group of people in my home. And the other big deal is I have never thrown myself a birthday party and for as long as I can remember I had to share my parties with either my sister or her husband because our birthday's are all so close.  Nope this year I decided it was time to celebrate me. My invite even said "celebrating me at 33".

Party outfit! Jeans and a cute sparkly shirt.

I'm lucky to have lots of people I get to be stupid funny with!

It was the most wonderful party! All of my closest friends came to celebrate with me. A bunch of them had never even met each other. I was nervous, hoping everyone got along and had fun and they really did!  I made my favorite pulled pork (check out Pulled Pork Deliciousness), it was a hge hit!! Everyone brought something yummy too. I wish I had taken a picture it was a truly incredible spread of homemade hummus, guacamole, veggie trays, dips and more.  For dessert I wanted to do something creative so I had a cupcake bar. We also had poppems, fruit salad and a cookie cake all brought by friends.It was a delicious and filling time!!

I made almond flour cupcakes and regular for everyone to enjoy.
For toppings, I chopped up candies and had 2 types of frosting

I stood there at one point watching all of my friends laugh, eat, have fun, and share. My heart filled up. I must be doing something right to have all of these wonderful people in my life, who took time out of their busy lives to celebrate with me.

Selfie with my soul sister Debbie.
I love this special lady!

Each card making me smile

I also received Gerber Daisies.
Aren't the pretty and they make me believe
spring weather might actually show up soon. 

Nights like last night, help remind me that even though things are a little crazy in life right now, fun is necessary for the soul. I spent the entire day after feeling happy, calm, and relaxed inside.

The only casualty of the nigh was my kitchen floor.  Someone wore heels and must have been leaning or digging her heels in because I have dents in the floor. I suppose that is the risk you take when hosting a party, but don't worry it won't stop me from hosting another party!

Floor casualty
My poor kitchen floor!!

Food Food...Everywhere!

Coming up is my big work convention. We spend so much time preparing and getting ready. Making sure everything runs smoothly, how the Events Director pulls everything together is really amazing. It's a really wonderful event to be part of, but also really exhausting!!

Silly girls...it's not time to pack yet!

We get up early and go to bed late. We, the staff, are pretty much all over the place making sure things run smoothly and every one of our guests are happy. In addition, this year I am really excited, because I was asked to take photos for my company. The convention not only has really wonderful education sessions, speakers, and classed, but it also has amazing delicious food! We start with a big lunch that includes sandwiches, soups, and lots of pastries. That's nothing compared to the dessert reception where you will find a chocolate fountain, cupcakes, pastries, cookies, you name it!! The following night our big dinner banquet includes Caesar salad, pasta dish, entree, and of course dessert. I'm stuffed thinking about it. 

Anyone want dessert? 

With the convention dates creeping closer I was really starting to worry. What would I eat? Last year was when I started noticing I was getting sick eating high carb and sugary meals/dessert. So it's not even that I don't WANT to eat all of that, but I really CAN'T! I know if I eat any of that I will be so sick and being sick is not fun any time, but especially at a huge work event...yikes! Turns out my amazing coworker had my back. She ordered me a Cobb salad for my lunch full of everything that I can eat and enjoy. For dinner I will have a house salad with oil and vinegar, steak and shrimp, and by then I will be so stuffed I won't need dessert. I am also planning on stashing some snacks in my purse just in case. Thanks to my coworkers taking care of me I can spend more time focused on work and enjoying the convention and less time on what my next meal might me.

Saw this on Pinterest and had to agree
Being healthy is hard work and more than just weight loss