"I have come that they might have life and have it to the full..." -John 10:10b


Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Happy Birthday to Me!


Well, yesterday anyway. Yesterday I celebrated my 26th birthday. I know, I know, most of you are thinking, "Oh to be 26 again." But my 26, I've found, looks much different than the lives of most 26 year olds' in today's society. I'm a mother of two, I've been married for 4 years and done a 3 year stint in the military. Sometimes, when I stop to think about that, it weirds me out a little. Not in a bad way. I'm SOO glad to be a young mother, but I wonder what people think when they see me with my husband and our two kids. I probably don't look 26. Or maybe I do and this is just all nonsense. Whatever the case, I turned 26 yesterday and I still feel very young even if my young doesn't look like other people's young. Does that make sense? Okay, and some of this rambling may be the remnants of the raspberry lemon drop I had last night at dinner (it's been a LONG time). But anywhoo, I hope to always feel young on my birthday.

It was a good birthday too. I made chocolate chip pancakes with Eva for breakfast and we stayed in our pjs until after lunch. Paul surprised me with a dozen red roses when he came home from work and plans to go to dinner at Bucca de Beppo's. Once we arrived at the resturaunt, we were shortly joined by Ben and Kasey and their beautiful kids, Isabelle and Daniel. And they were followed by my brother Ryan and his gorgeous wife, Jacquie.

We all sat and enjoyed the company, perusing our menus and watching the kids. Kasey and I finally decided to split the Chicken Saltimbocca and stuffed mushrooms which were both equally fantastic!



After we had all finished our hefty meals, Paul then pulled out another treat...red velvet cupcakes from the Hokulani Bake Shop in Honolulu. They were delicious and I enjoyed every last crumb! I even had some left over to take home with me (don't tell anyone but I had one for breakfast this morning).



After we all had full bellies, I opened gifts. Paul had already given me my roses, of course and a new Willow Tree figurine which I LOVE. The first present I opened was very special to me. Isabelle had gone to the trouble of picking out a gift for me all by her 4 year old self. And it was perfect. You see, Isabelle and I are kindred spirits. When I look at that little girl, I see myself when I was her age. She's sensitive, intuitive, a little mischievous and cares deeply for the feelings of others even to the point that she will sacrifice her own happiness to make someone else happy. Every time the girls and I come over to play, she tries to give something of hers to Eva simply because she knows Eva would like it. She's artistic and she loves horses. Kasey and I joke often that Isabelle really belongs in my brood of girls, however, I know that the Lord blesses us with children very different from ourselves for a reason. Anyway, Isabelle picked out the sweetest carousel horse ornament for me and it's one I'll cherish forever. I collected carousel horses as a little girl and always stop to stare at them when I see them in a store. Isabelle didn't know that, but she knew that I would love that ornament. Proof that she and I are kindred souls.




Well, that amazing gift was followed by some more amazing gifts. Kasey also gave me an ornament (ornament gifts are her tradition with the people she loves)which is so pretty and will look incredible on my tree. And Ryan and Jacquie gave me two big Yankee candles in "Christmas Cookie" and "Gingerbread House" to help me create that holiday ambiance in my home, which is quite a challenge living in year round 80 degree weather.

We stuck around a good 20 minutes even after we had all signed our checks and left our tips on the table just enjoying the company and conversation. On the way home, I thanked Paul and told him how perfect this birthday was.

When we got home, we put the girls to bed and spent a quiet hour in the living room before we too turned in for the night.

It was a very good birthday.

2 comments on "Happy Birthday to Me!"

David Reed on December 3, 2008 at 12:48 PM said...

Happy belated birthday to you!

Tales from Goshen on December 11, 2008 at 3:49 PM said...

Belatedly, happy happy birthday!!!!