26 is magical.

Today is my birthday! I'm 26. One thing that is pretty awful, honestly, about being born 11 days after Christmas is there's never anything I want/need this close to Christmas. I usually ask for silly things for my birthday. This year I am headed to the spa for the afternoon BY MYSELF. The phone is staying in the car, the kids are home with Dave...bliss. I am taking my Kindle though. Hehe

In honor of my birthday, I'm going to do a couple lists of 26...

26 Things I'm Thankful For
1. Rory and Trace. I am the best version of myself when I am taking care of them.
2. Dave. My best friend and lifeline.
3. My parents!
4. My sister :)
5. My family-in-law. I am really really really blessed in that department.
6. My senior competition students. Oh how I need that laughter every week! And they asked me to dance with them, which makes me feel super young and cool. ;)
7. Weight Watchers Online and the new JHud commercials. Motivation!
8. New tap shoes
9. My Droid. What the heck was life like before it?!
10. My aunts, uncles and cousins. And of course, Poppie. :)
11. My blog friends, of course.
12. Sleep!
13. My Keurig and Cafe Mocha Sugar Free K-cups. HEAVEN.
14. My car's seat heaters.
15. My fellow January Birthdays at Studio K
16. The promise of a Disney trip in 2 months
17. My DVR
18. Our loving daycare staff
19. Diet Coke <3
20. Marathons of NCIS, Law and Order:SVU and Top Chef
21. The power and comfort of prayer
22. The Message on XM
23. My husband's magic ability to swing the baby to sleep for his naps
24. My job and Dave's job
25. Budgeting
26. Zumba DVDs

26 Things I want to try/learn/do in my 26th Year
1. A quintuple pirouette (5 turns without stopping on my left toes with my right foot tucked in to my knee)
2. How to cook seafood better
3. Lose this stupid baby weight!
4. Have arm muscles
5. Re-learn more Spanish
6. Read at least 10 new to me classic books
7. Stage the Nut-Tapper
8. Make 10 new crafts and gift them to people I love
9. Buy a stranger's meal at a restaurant for no reason at all
10. Learn to change a tire
11. Grow my hair as long as possible
12. Stay up all night at the Relay for Life <3
13. Learn to make/decorate sugar cookies (Kelly, I'm looking at you on this one! :))
14. Watch 5 classic movies I've never seen before
15. Go on 12 date nights with Dave (1 a month)
16. Actually learn how to use my camera
17. Get a nice family portrait done of all four of us
18. Remember to make and send Christmas cards...oops.
19. Organize my studio office and make time to work there instead of at home.
20. Learn to format the studio recital program myself
21. Visit Kylee in Michigan this summer
22. Teach Rory to swim
23. Potty train and big girl bed train Rory
24. Learn to cook 15 new dinner entrees
25. Strive to be the best version of myself at all times
26. Praise the Lord in good and bad times

26 Things You Might Not Know About Me
1. Until a month ago, my husband never saw my natural hair color. I hate it. It looks grey to me. Imagine a ltitle mouse scurrying across your kitchen. THAT is my natural hair color. It requires at least highlights.
2. I used to wear blue contacts. Why? I just wanted a change!
3. I had my nose pierced and my bellybutton. I miss my nose ring and would LOVE to get it redone.
4. I could never get a tattoo because I'm much too indecisive.
5. My high school boyfriend still makes me sick to my stomach.
6. I didn't graduate college. Yet. I will.
7. I love my sorority (Kappa Kappa Gamma) My only regret about leaving college early was not getting to stay a part of KKG longer.
8. I watch a least 1 episode of Gilmore Girls every day.
9. I read every Harry Potter book at least twice, except the last one. It made me too sad when it ended.
10. I've wanted a daughter named Rory since I was in high school and I started trying to convince Dave of it when we started dating.
11. I took 6 years of Spanish in high school and I consider myself pretty darn good at conversing! Writing on the other hand...no way!
12. I secretly want to have my own show on the Food Network.
13. I love to recite movie quotes with my sister. She gets me. haha
14. I love musical theatre...a little too much sometimes!
15. I hate paying bills online. HATE IT.
16. I like when my toenails are painted crazy colors, but never my fingers. They are usually blank or french manicured.
17. I count down the days until my recital starting the first day of classes in August. :)
18. I have a black lhasa poo named Millie. She's named for Millie Dillmount in "Thoroughly Modern Millie."
19. I hate getting the mail. Most days, I let it sit in the mailbox until Dave gets home.
20. I'm convinced my dad is the smartest man on the planet. He knows EVERYTHING.
21. Once I had to make huge life sized puppets for a play my college was putting on it. They were so big I had to sit on them to sew them. It was quite a sight!
22. I once had the cops called on me because someone claimed I let my dancers destroy their property. It was humiliating and completely untrue. (You know me, you KNOW that would never happen!)
23. I had a dream in college about one of my students from high school standing on stage, wearing a jacket with my studio logo on the back with a crown and a sash. (As in, she won a big award for her dancing) This dream convinced me to open the studio. The girl from my dream happens to be a teacher at my studio now.
24. I have lost 3 really important friends this past year and I have no idea why. No fights, no disagreements...just stopped talking to me. It hurts me but I can't dwell on it. Nope, focus on Rory and Trace and it's all good.
25. My Grammie Bonnie was an amazing woman and every day I pray that God lets her look down on me and see how hard I'm working. She had brain cancer twice. The first time she beat it and had to relearn everything. How to brush her teeth, walk, make meatloaf...everything. What a woman!
26. I think daisies are the best flower. Simple and happy.