Get Real with the inRL Conference

I am thrilled that this April I will be hosting the inRL (In Real Life) Conference. What makes it even more exciting is that women all over the world are able to attend this conference with no trouble and no travel.

I can't tell you how happy it makes me to finally have a conference that I can attend. With inRL there is no financial strain (registration is just $10), no packing, no need for gps or an airplane ticket, no need to worry what everyone else will be wearing or the fear of not "fitting in". It's a come as you are party...right where you are! So get real and join me for inRL this spring!

Stop by the inRL site for information, check out the promo video and watch for more details here about how you can join me April 27 and 28 at my host site for some encouragement and fun.

Rocking My World...

As you can imagine my blog hiatus has been brought on by the chaos of life! The holiday season was wonderful as usual. One of the big excuses for my disappearance, I have been sharing some of my days with a sweet little baby girl (babysitting for a relative). She is just a little joy and I love it, but I have to admit it is tiring (especially those days that consist mostly of redirecting her from the dog food bowl and other forbidden spots) and I can't believe how much I had forgotten not having a baby in the house for so long. It's kinda been rocking my world. Which brings me to the real fun and real "rocking time"...

Saturday we hosted Emily's 11th (yes...11th! How did that happen?!?) birthday party here at the house. Backstory: Ben's grandfather owned a soda fountain/sweet shop in town way back when. So for Emily's birthday we recreated a little of it with a 50s theme party/the Erway Sweet Shop complete with penny candy, ice cream & soda floats and a little bit of rocking to the oldies!

Let me just tell you that having 10 5th graders in my living room all at one time...well, it ROCKED my world! It was the perfect blend of FUN and EXHAUSTING!

After a low key day on Sunday, we're back to business today and headed out to dinner tonight with the birthday girl and tomorrow evening (her actual birthday) will be spent at home with snuggles and homemade cake!

Here's a couple quick highlights of Saturday's festivities:

Virtual Coffee

Another fun link up. This time it's Virtual Coffee with Lucky Number 13.

If we were really having coffee together on this autumn morning, I would ask you to meet me at a cute cafe so we could chat over a Pumpkin Spice Latte.  But since there isn't really any great cafes nearby, I didn't get a chance to invite you and I am waiting for the little 6 month old sweetie pie that I am babysitting, I am drinking my Folger's coffee just plain black in a quiet (for the moment) house.

Back to the what if...

We're sitting in comfy chairs at the cafe with the amazing aroma of fall wafting from my cup as I sip my Pumpkin Spice Latte and tell you that:

Emily is doing amazing in the 5th grade. I think the transition to Intermediate School was most likely more difficult for mama than it was her. She's made new friends, is getting good grades and is happy.

That as I type this our furry baby that we adopted this summer is walking on my keyboard purring up a storm. "Daisy" the kitten has brought so much love, laughter (and mischief) into our house over the last couple months.

I'd tell you how today is my 14th Wedding Anniversary and reminisce about the special day that I said "I do" to the love of my life, how bummed I am that hubby has to work both his jobs and is gone from 5:30am-8:30pm, but that i am excited for the date day we have planned for Saturday.

I'd tell you how I'm looking forward to baking a cake with my girl to celebrate Nana's (my mom's) birthday tomorrow.

And hopefully I'd be a great friend and I'd sit and listen to whatever you had to tell me!

NOT Me!

Since MckMama has brought back her Not Me Monday I thought it would be fun to do my own and link up. So here goes...

I MOST DEFINITELY DID NOT neglect my blog again for more than 2 months...
I did NOT hit the snooze on my alarm multiple times this morning...
I did NOT steal my daughters lunchable out of the fridge because I didn't feel like eating my own lunch...
I did NOT drive through fast food with the sole purpose of getting a diet coke because I was too lazy to go to the grocery store...
I am NOT tempted to agree to my daughter's request for take out again...
I did NOT forget to get hubby a card for our anniversary tomorrow...
and I am NOT typing this one handed while I hold the sleeping baby I am taking care of just because she is warm, snuggly and I totally miss the baby days!

Nope...NOT ME! :)

Where in the World has Gabby Been?

You may be asking yourself that very question. (I'd like to think I've been missed!) The last month and a half has pretty much been a whirlwind of activity. I've been out living life and enjoying every minute of it and just haven't taken the time out to sit and tell you all about it. Here's the lowdown on what I've been up to (in case you're curious aka nosey like me!)...

• Spent some time in the 4th grade :  Shared my writing/editing skills assisting the class with book reviews; attending a couple field trips and the 4th grade celebration picnic
• Spring concert (my girl had a saxaphone duet and a singing quartet)
• A fun long-weekend visit from my big sister (she got to come to Em's concert!)
• Ben's birthday complete with a visit to the Japanes Hibachi Restaurant
• Ben's first week-long "business trip" to install a robot
• Em's 4th grade awards ceremony...she makes me SO proud!
• Picnics
• My 2-day birthday celebration with my first trip to Five Guys Burgers & Fries and a little shopping the day before, a backyard cookout with my parents the day of and watching fireworks over the lake from the back of the in-laws new sailboat on my birthday evening (Maybe turning 36 wasn't so bad after all!)
• Numerous afternoons spent at the community pool with my girl
• A trip to Sodus Point Beach and Lighthouse Museum
• A road trip/shopping trip to a big mall a couple hours away (where among other things, we had lunch at Johnny Rockets, I fell in love with H&M, peeked around Anthropologie and witnessed big smiles at Build a Bear)
• HOT weather...and this past week I mean H-O-T!!! We have had record-breaking temps with triple digit thermometer readings...104* was the official high on Thursday!
• Some new mothering tasks such as dealing with "boyfriends" and "break-ups" (But hey...momma got a taste of what's to come and Em got a new friendship out of the ordeal...his sister whose just a year younger)
• Late night snuggles and giggles with my fave girl in the whole world

And so you don't think it's "all play and no work", we have been doing a bit of de-cluttering around the house and I have a couple freelance writing projects that keep me busy but give me the freedom of setting my own schedule and working in the comforts of home (which this week meant the "office" was my air-conditioned bedroom)

That pretty much sums up my life lately. Hope you all have been having as much fun as I have! I'll leave you with a some photo highlights:

Em's fun at the 4th Grade Picnic

Happy Birthday to ME!!!

Ready for an afternoon at the Lake



"Peek!" My father-in-law peeking out the hatch of his 'new' sailboat!

Dusk at the Dock

"QUACK!"