Happy Birthday my love

Today is Jason's 27th birthday. (Whew we're the same age again - I don't like being the older woman). I've shared 5 birthdays with him. It doesn't feel that long ago that we were falling in love and learning about each other. Five birthdays later, I'm more in love with him and he has become my best friend. He makes me laugh, is smart, and loving and compassionate. I am so lucky that he picked me.

I love you, Jason. Happy Birthday! I am so thankful for you!

Visitors

Jason's brother, Justin, and his wife, Lindsay, came and visited last weekend. And they brought the wonderful and beautiful, Karis! We spent the weekend lounging around the house, playing with Karis, and hanging out with each other. Although there was that unfortunate incident of playing In a Pickle, but I am trying to remove that from my memory. Never play that game if you a) have an opinion b) like rules to be followed in games or c) are human. =) Maybe I will give it to a newly married couple as a wedding gift. That would be interesting.

We finally were able to give Karis her birthday present!

A ball tower! What fun!!!

She likes her books.

So I just realized that all the pics I took of the weekend were of my niece. Oops. I'm glad that Justin and Lindsay came too. I promise. But look at this face, how could you not take pics of her? Anyways, I hope they can come visit again soon. It was great having them here.

Birthday celebrations

I love to celebrate my birthday. It's the only the day of the year that is all about me =). This year I got to do a lot of celebrating. It started out with Jason taking me to see the Phantom of the Opera the day after my birthday. We got all dressed up and enjoyed the show so much! It was so beautiful. And randomly, I knew a girl that had a role in the play. She went to high school with me and went to ACU, and we have mutual friends. It was so random. She did great in the play and I'm sure she has a great future ahead of her. Her name is Annika Johansson - look her up!

The tickets!!!

The following weekend some of good friends threw me a birthday party. We went to Texas Roadhouse for some good eats, and luckily, I didn't have to ride on the saddle. We then went back over to one of their houses and had some red velvet cupcakes (yum!) and hung out and talked. It was so much fun and they all made me feel very special.

All of us at Roadhouse. Thank you guys for a great party!

The yummy cupcakes!

I almost lit my hair on fire blowing at the candles..

It was a great birthday and I can't wait to celebrate it again next year but until then I'm going to enjoy 27 with style......

Learning Curve

So..I turned 27 on Friday. I almost had a crisis but was able to pull it together and enjoy the day. My co-workers decorated my desk and gave me cookies and then we had home group that night where we had cookie cake to celebrate my birthday. It was a great birthday. On Saturday, I began reflecting on my age and how "old" I was getting and thinking that it was just the other day that I turned 21. It's amazing how so much has changed in 6 years. I've graduated, moved, got married, had a "big girl" job, and many more things. I have learned a lot since I was a silly old junior in college. But what have I learned this year? What has changed in me that has made me grow and mature? I began writing things down of what I learned - some serious, some not so serious - to remember them. So here they are in no particular order:

1. Lack of coordination + crutches + me = disaster waiting to happen
2. That no matter how hard I try – I will always be 5 to 10 minutes late to the scheduled time I am supposed to arrive. Love me in spite of it.
3. Life is short and death is coming for us all – you can’t escape it. Our pastor, Matt Chandler, has talked about this in so many of his sermons. and this year I finally feel it has become real to me. With people I know who have lost loved ones unexpectedly, my own experience with my dad’s heart surgery, and watching our pastor Matt fight for his life against brain cancer, you can’t put your hope in that you have tomorrow.
4. “Be who are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind” I am SLOWLY learning this concept. I can’t be everyone’s friend even though I want to (It’s the people pleaser in me). Some people are not going to be my friend not because they or I are not likeable, but there’s not that friendship connection. And I’m learning that’s ok. I am trying to build on the friendships that are there and make friends with people who love me for all my goofiness.
5. Whoever said having a dog prepares you for children was right.
6. My God is Jehovah Rapha.
7. My body doesn’t feel like 20 years old anymore and my body has reminded me on more than one occasion that it isn’t.
8. My lack of organization is a quality that I am going to stop trying to fix. It is just the way that I am.
9. Being creative is big outlet for me.

This isn't an exhaustive list. I know there are more things that I have learned over the year and I hope to continue to add to the list for my benefit.

The Big 2-7

I turned 27 today. I'm officially in my late 20's. Weird. Getting closer to 30.......30! I will talk more on this later but right now I'm headed to bed. This old lady is tired.

It's Time

The Olympics are here!! I plan on having my TV on at all times to capture the wonderful moments. U-S-A!! U-S-A!! U-S-A!!

Snow!

This is what I woke up to this morning! I was so excited!! It was so beautiful to watch the HUGE snowflakes fall outside while I was working today. It was record breaking snow - the most snow that Dallas has had in one day. I even came home and made a snowman!

God truly reminds me of his love for me every time I see snow. It is so pure and clean and peaceful. He has made me new and has covered me with his blood so that I am whiter than snow!!

"Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." Isaiah 1:18