Forty-Two

Yesterday I celebrated my 42nd birthday.

How is that even possible?

Don't get me wrong, there are days that I feel 100 years old but most the time I still feel/think like I am in my late 20's.

One thing that has come with my 40's is a better sense of who I am.

I still want to please people, but I am not afraid to say no or go against the grain.

I will always do what is best for my family and myself.

That definitely wasn't the case in my younger years.

I never wanted to upset someone or hurt anyone, so I would put others first all the time.

It is good to put others first in a lot of ways, but your health and mental well being need to come first!

Doing that has not easy, but a global pandemic definitely has made some of those things easier.

Enough of me being all serious ;)

 I decided to share 42 things about myself today in honor of my 42 years on this earth :)

1. I got my first name from a character on the 70's TV show Starsky & Hutch.

2. Born and raised on the shores of Lake Erie in Ohio.

3. I couldn't stand the taste of beer until about 5 years ago.

4. I actually enjoy working out. Strength training is my favorite.

5. I collect Santa Claus figurines in all shapes and sizes.

6. < is my favorite number.

7. I absolutely love the smell of firewood burning. I will literally soak up all the smoke I can to enjoy that smell longer.

8. At my 8th birthday slumber party, a friend and I collided coming around a corner and my top two front teeth popped right out.

Thankfully, they were my baby teeth!

But they weren't even loose at the time.

9. NFL (Cleveland Browns) is my favorite with high school football being a close second. I enjoy watching any football game really.

10. When I was in elementary school I was on a local morning show in Cleveland called The Morning Exchange. The segment was all about kid's holiday haircuts.

11. I am the typical first born child.

12. Most of my childhood years I grew up on road named Belle or Roberts. My last name is now Roberts, and I live on Bell Road.

13. My mom and I both believe that Friday the 13th is Good Luck!

14. I have to remove my nail polish on my finger nails as soon as I see a chip.

15. Up until recently, I used to change out my purse daily based on what I was wearing that day.

16. < the day I was born in December of 1978.

17. One year in high school they recorded segments for the video yearbook and they asked the question - If a leprechaun granted you 3 wishes what would you wish for?

I name an upper classman that I thought was dreamy for all 3 wishes!

They of course had it in the video yearbook that year to last forever and ever ;)

18. I love music! Country, hip hop, pop, rock, metal, and more! X has asked me all year to name my favorite song and artist and I can't.

I have way too many!

19. It may be hard to believe, but I was a cheerleader for most of my youth. I absolutely loved every minute of it! I even coached at my old high school and the junior high in my current town.

20. But I also played softball from 1st grade all the way through high school. I loved it just as much as cheerleading.

21. I did not have a wild and crazy 21st birthday celebration. I had dinner out with my dad and stepmom, and we followed it up with a few cocktails (Amaretto Sour) at the local VFW/Amvets.

22. < how old I was when I met Mic.

23. Speaking of Mic, he is the only guy I have ever asked out. Glad things worked out in the end ;)

24. The high school I went to had roughly 500 kids (9-12) when I was there. My freshman year our marching band had at least 1/3 of those students in it.

25. Speaking of band, I played the trumpet from 5th-9th grade. I was one of the students in that awesome marching band my freshman year. But by my sophomore year I left the band because I made it as a varsity football cheerleader. At my school you could not be in the band and be a varsity football cheerleader.

26. When I first moved to my current town (Mic's hometown), I used to drive back home to see my family every weekend. It is about 90 minutes (or about 80-90 miles) away.

27. I have now lived in my current town for 17 years! It actually makes me sad that I'm only 7 years away from how long I lived in my hometown.

28. Speaking of my hometown, I am beyond proud of where I came from. It made me and shaped me (along with my parents and grandparents) into the person I am today.

29. I love RED! Black is a veryclose second!

30. Turning 30 was WAY harder for me than turning 40. At 30 I didn't feel comfortable in my job or have X yet. But by 40 things were stable and I felt more like an adult.

31. I love to do shots! I am typically the first person to suggest them when out somewhere. Granted, I don't typically have many people that will do them with me. Now if I am with my dad, I don't even need to suggest them...they are a given!

32. My favorite ornaments on our Christmas trees are our Smore's figurines. Mic and I started collecting them years ago, and now we have enough that they get their own tree each year.

33. < how old I was when X was born (but that changed 11 days later).

34. My first 3 cars I had actually got older. I started driving at 16 with a 1986 Chevy S10. Then I had a 1984 Buick Skyhawk. Followed up by a 1982 Ford Escort.

35. Speaking of cars, that is how Mic and I met back in 2001. We both worked at car dealerships in the Cleveland area. I was at the Mercedes Benz dealer and he was at the Infiniti dealership we were connected to.

36. Let's Dance! I love to dance! Anytime, anywhere!

37. Xavier was the only boy name I would even consider when I was pregnant with him. And I'm so glad Mic was on board with it to. If we would have had a girl, she would have been named Savannah. Why Savannah? 

38. Savannah, Georgia is where we went on our honeymoon.

39. I enjoy in person or live events over watching them on the TV. There is just something about being at a Cleveland Browns game or a concert from one of my favorites that can't be beat!

40. < how old my parents were when I graduated high school. I will be 51 when X graduates high school :/

41. The first concert I ever went to was Madonna when I was 8 years old. So my love of live music began at a young age.

42. If I could only pick one word to describe me I would say Loyal. I am basically a diehard fan, family member, friend, etc. until you give me enough reason not to be.

Wow! That was way harder than I though it would be!

Anything you are surprised by?

Let me know in the comments below :)

XOXO ~ Vanessa

Hello Forty!

I feel like you all already know, but in case you didn't...

I celebrated turning forty years old over the weekend.

Birthdays come and go, but this one has stuck with me a bit more.
Honestly, I was (and still am) excited to turn 40.

I have never been one to lie about my age, feel sad about getting older, etc.

About the only thing that trips me up about my age is the fact that at 40 years old I have a 7 year old first grader.

When my parents were 40 years old I graduated high school :/

While I couldn't imagine things being reversed or even the same, it still gets to me from time to time.

Moving on...

I celebrated my birthday on Saturday evening with some close friends down in Columbus.

We enjoyed dinner at Matt The Miller's Tavern (Polaris location).

Mic and I have always loved the Dublin location, so we decided to give this one a try since it was so close to our hotel and the bar we were going to after dinner.

The food was good, but the company was even better :)

We finished our meals and headed to Tequila Cowboy just before the Cleveland Browns game started.

X was actually worried that I wouldn't get to see the game since I wasn't at home,

so I snapped a pic of one of the bar TV's to let him know I was OK ;)

While we watched the game, we had to take some pictures to document the night ;)

These two crack me up!

Whenever you give Vinnie the camera to take your picture, he must get a selfie first! lol!

I will admit, the karaoke section was just OK.

Looking back now, I wish I would have skipped it and just danced to the live music while we watched the game.

Oh well!

And we were really bummed because the mechanical bull was broken :(

But the Cleveland Browns came away with a big birthday win for me,

we enjoyed some adult beverages,

and splurged on some camo cake :)

I do have a question for you all...

Do you do shots?

I didn't realize that wasn't a thing everyone does.

Seriously.

Back where I come from... that is totally normal!

I did drink a few shots, so everything was good :)

And I may have converted a few others with how tasty the shot I picked was ;)

And just like that the evening was over.

Mic and I spent the night in a huge king size bed at our hotel, before heading back home the next morning.

Thank you again to all of you for the birthday wishes on here,

Facebook, Instagram, text, etc.

You sure know how to make a girl feel loved!

I thought about sharing 40 things about myself, but I feel like everything I would list you already know.
So I am opening it up to you!
What is something you don't know or wonder about me?

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

XOXO ~ Vanessa

39

Today is my 39th Birthday.

There is a part of me that thinks that is just absolutely crazy that I am already 39!

There is another part of me that feels like I am 80 some days! lol!

I know age is "just a number".

But 39 is still "up there" in my world.

Not as "up there" as I used to think though.

So in honor of my 39 years here on earth, I decided to post 39 things about myself that you may or may not know.

39. My favorite number is 6.

38. I prefer going to a bar vs. a house party.

37. I like to go/do vs. being at home.

36. I don't like to watch movies. I don't like to sit still that long.

35. I work better when I am under pressure.

34. I am constantly rushing to get somewhere, but I still typically arrive early.

33. I am not a fan of binge watching anything.

32. I LOVE working out. I wish I had the time to do it more!

31. I am a steak and potato girl all the way.

30. I could live on McDonald's french fries if I had to ;)

29. I love singing karaoke but haven't done it in years.

28. If I don't have nail polish on my nails I bite them down to stubs.

27. I am afraid to try something I have never done before in fear I won't be good at it.

26. I prefer jeans over leggings any day of the week.

25. Bangs are not for me...I can't stand hair in my face.

24. Actually, short hair isn't for me either. I must be able to have a messy bun at any moment of the day.

23. Starbucks' Caramel Brulee' Latte is liquid heaven to me.

22. I get embarrassed really easily.

21. I have a really good memory.

20. But that also means I can't forget things I would like to forget.

19. I don't get jealous about anything, unless you are flirting with my husband.

18. If I am at home I like to watch the (football, baseball, basketball, etc.) game and hear the commentators.

17. I love to dance any chance I get.

16. I prefer baking over cooking because everything has to be precise.

15. I take things way too seriously.

14. Instagram is my favorite form of social media.

13. I am not a fan of anything made by Apple.

12. I absolutely love sports, but I can't stand the smell of outside.

11. I wear Vanilla Noel from Bath and Body Works year round.

10. I don't like perfume because all I can smell is the alcohol in it.

9. I whiten my teeth my swishing coconut oil in my mouth every morning.

8. I don't actually have a best friend.

7. I used to despise Chipotle and Japanese Steakhouses, and now they are my favorite places to go.

6. I don't like the taste of onions, but love eating a Bloomin Onion at Outback.

5. If I am the only one I need to make dinner for, I make buttered noddles.

4. I think being raised by divorced parents made me a better person.

3. I still keep and listen to Cd's in my car.

2. I can't wear sweatpants or yoga pants outside of the house unless I am going to workout.

1. I was born at 8:06 am and that is exactly when I start celebrating my birthday :)