"To love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance." Oscar Wilde

I've been sick and out of commission since last Thursday. It was one of those illnesses where you don't even want to do anything except lay in bed and feel sorry for yourself. I did get caught up on some reading, however. I finished The Other Boleyn Girl last night - it was dark and depressing and I totally loved it! It's partially the fact that I am obsessed with anything and everything to do with Tudor England, and it's partially the fact that I'm a little on the morbid side. All the love affairs, court gossip, divorces, betrayals, bed-hopping and ghastly be-headings were just a gluttonous thrill for me. Do I need to seek some professional help? Now I've got a stack of unread books sitting in front of me, but I can't decide which one to go for next. Decisions, decisions.

I had a great birthday. The festivities carried on throughout the week, and I got so many nice things from so many people. My package from Amazon came in the mail today full of all kinds of goodies: 2 CD's, a book, a movie and a game. There was make-up, banana splits, home decor, swim stuff, movies, etc. I finally spent my Gap giftcard that Mr. Holdaway bought me for Christmas last year. Now don't get the wrong idea here, but I seriously got the sweetest bra I think I have ever owned. It's soft and light and it feels like two little angels holding me up. I'm not sure I've ever had a bra that fits so well or feels so great. It's just one of the many wierd things I'm grateful for this week (gratitude post forthcoming!). P.S. My boobs are enormous. I'm talking watermelons here. Everyone told me after I had a baby they would probably get smaller, but I think they've gotten bigger. Triple D anyone? Yeah. When did that happen?

Back to the birthday. My mom put together some really sweet scrapbooking pages for me from when I was a baby. She also sent over some pictures (will post soon) of when I modeled for a Halloween costume catalog, and I'm dressed like a cute little cheerleader. In your best valley girl impression: "Go Cougars!" It's quite something. My mother-in-law sent me my birthday check and I bought some cute fall decorations: a fall centerpiece, table cloth, and Americana box. I just love the fall colors, the cool air, and sitting out by the fire in the backyard. Sunday was the first day of fall, so I put out all my decorations and then put my exhausted self back to bed (but the living room looks grrrreat)! Sunday night Jared and Alli came over, which by the way is so nice having them close, and we played all kinds of games. Jared killed us at Authors, but I won 2 out of the 3 rounds of Settlers of Catan and I also beat everyone at Phase 10. Did I mention I love to win? I hope everyone still wants to play with me in the future...

Alli was nice enough to come over and watch PK all day on Saturday for me (Mike had to work the BYU game). Moms never get a day off, but let me tell you that this spoiled little cupcake certainly did!

One last thing. Isn't fresh squash from the garden, barbequed chicken and steamed rice the best dinner ever? Mike came home tonight and cooked for his invalid wife. We sat out on my comfy patio furniture and ate until our bellies stretched. It was quiet and peaceful and I was finally able to taste my food, so every bite was like heaven. I'm so not ready for winter! Just please let it be in the 70's for another month, and then maybe, just maybe I'll be ready to face the cold. I hope all of you have been having a nice week. I'm working on catching up with blogs (77 new posts since I've been gone - seriously people! Blog much?!), so I am trying to read and comment and get back to you all. Muuaah! Don't forget The Office starts Thursday! Yay! Did I mention I love September?