The One Where She Turns 29 + 5

Yesterday was my birthday!  Yay me!!

I don't know if anyone else can relate to this, but I have never really gotten over that childish anticipation of my birthday.

Yet, as the years have gone by and I have gotten older (and older. and older.), my birthday has often been "just another day."  Last year was especially a downer.

I think I still have the idea that someone, somewhere is going to surprise me with something.  I remember last year, even holding out till the end of the day, thinking maybe my sisters would show up with a cake or something.

I  know this is selfish and kind of childish, because we are all adults. Our lives are busy.  And how many times do I get a chance to throw a party for or celebrate my friends' birthdays the way that I would like to for them??

I have tried to settle into this state of being OK with not much happening on my birthday.  I am thankful for the calls that I get, the texts, the many "Happy Birthday" wishes and notes on FB, the package in the mail, and the card from my husband.  That is all so nice and very much appreciated.

Like I said, maybe I am still a bit childish about it all...and maybe wanting more than that is just unrealistic.

But, let me just say...how very HAPPY and LOVED and CELEBRATED I felt this year!!  And I want to tell you about it a little bit.  (Ok. A lot.)

(Although, sidenote -- I did think that rather morbid thought.  Maybe I am going to be diagnosed with terminal cancer or an inoperable brain tumor sometime within the next few months and that is why God gave me such a special day this one time!  So that before I die I would know how much I am loved.  I warned you it was morbid, ok!!)

(The cake that my friend Karlee made for me. It was SO delicious. And bright pink and green inside!)

First off, my husband decided that it was time to "celebrate Audrey" (in his words) and has been doing little things for me all week...for my "birthday week".  In the 14 years of us being together, the "Celebrate Audrey Birthday Week" has never before happened.

So that has been so awesome!  Last night was him taking care of dinner (and a super sweet birthday card), Tuesday was him writing "Happy Birthday, Audrey" in the frosting of the brownies we were taking to Bible study, Monday night was roses on the counter for me and Sunday night was a relaxing bath with candles, etc.  Tonight is him helping me with whatever I want for a couple of hours and tomorrow night is a mystery date that I am super excited about!!

Talk about feeling loved by my man!!  I certainly am!

Yesterday morning included a phone call from one of my dearest out-of-state friends, coffee, cake & ice cream for breakfast (two of my friends had surprised me with a birthday cake at Bible study the night before!) and some quiet time once the kids were all on the bus!!

(I also exercised and showered and did some laundry and some bookwork, but I don't feel like that is very note worthy!)

Then I headed to town for an appointment, took a little walk, and got a few things to take to my friend Morgan's house for lunch with my "Wednesday Girls".

I walked in the door of Morgan's house, suspecting nothing, and was met with a chorus of "Surprise!!!"

Three of my friends had planned this whole surprise birthday party for me, complete with a YUMMY cake, streamers hanging from the ceiling, a card and a gift, and they had planned the afternoon around "What would Audrey like to do?"

Karlee, Morgan, Kalli and I -- Love these girls!!

Blowing out my candles (Dorky face alert!)

And you know what the best part was...they were right on! With everything. From the cake to the gift to what I would like to do.  So, we sat around and ate yummy food and asked each other questions out of a "Conversation Starters" box of questions and got into lots of great discussions!! There was lots of laughter and a few tears and I felt so extremely humbled (you know how when someone actually DOES do something nice for you, you feel kind of unworthy and a little sheepish that someone went out of their way for you?) and grateful and loved.   That is a birthday surprise that I will not forget for a long time!  Maybe ever.

Such good food!  See the sugar cookies shaped like high heels?  Oh, yeah!!

I also had a phone call from another dear friend who I wasn't able to chat with, I got birthday texts (or a call) from everyone in my family (well, my Mom wrote a text which I assumed was from  my Mom and Dad) and my sisters and I are still going out for lunch on Friday!

I also got this paper full of staples from Nikki! ;-)

Can you read some sort of message in the positioning of the staples?? I think if I look real close it says "Happy Birthday" but I can't be sure.

Nikki picked some flowers for me that were white, you know, the kind "where when you blow on them, they all come off", but when she put them in the side pocket in the door of the van, "all of the white stuff came off."  She cried.  I hugged her and told her it was OK, it was thoughtful of her to pick them, even if it didn't work out, but then as we were driving home (after dinner and Derrick's guitar lesson) I saw some white (what I thought were flowers) along the road. It turned out that they were milkweed plants that looked like this.

                 were                   

I stopped the car and the kids and I all got out along the side of our dirt rode and threw milkweed seeds up in the air and watched them come down like a whole bunch of tiny little parachutes.  Nikki laughed in delight and the boys and I had a blast while Jeremy sat in the van and watched with an expression on his face that was a little hard to read.  Maybe part "I love my wife" and part "My wife is a crazy person."  I didn't ask him which it was.
Nikki also gave me a blue teddy bear and two purple plastic bracelets, because she "doesn't like them."  Wow!  Talk about "re-gifting" to the max!  It was still sweet.

Oh, and at bedtime last night I said she should tell me two things she likes about her Mommy.  I said that would make me happy because she was sad she hadn't really gotten me a gift (the blue teddy bear and bracelets were this morning).  She said "I like you.  And I like your smile. And I love you."  And then, after she asked me to get her a drink, she added "I like you because you are my sew-vant (servant -- she still can't say her "r's").  I corrected that servant theory right away, but I got a good laugh out of it!!

Kendall wrote this paper for me

and he also said he has a picture he colored for me that he forgot at school and he will bring it home tonight.

Derrick was a no-show on the birthday gift or card or anything.  But I still love him! ;-)

When I thought back over my day, I felt kind of like a happy kid, when you are tucking them into bed at night and they hug you and sigh and say "This was the BEST.DAY.EVER!!"

That was me yesterday.

Next year might be a more normal, mundane adult sort of a birthday, but that's OK.  Because I can think back on yesterday and feel loved and special and celebrated!

Thank you to ALL of you who were a part of making my day super special!  I hope that I can be a part of making your special day a fabulous one when the time comes!

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