Another Birthday!

Ah yes! Another Birthday! It almost caught me off guard this year, not in a bad way, but just catching me by surprise. Over the last several years I have found myself not being appreciative of my birthdays. Not for the obvious, getting older thing, but for a few other reasons.

Every year I get older, I get closer to my mother's age when she died. I'm just a few years shy of that. And I focus on that instead of positiveness!

However, this week I chose to NOT think about that! I chose to be thankful for what I have and for another year. I chose to think of the wonderful gifts I have, my husband, my 3 boys, my students at school, their families who bless me and so much more. And it was a great birthday! A blessed birthday!

One thing that dawned on me though and I've been contemplating it all week. I have lived as many years without my mom as I have with her. I was blessed to have my mother in my life for 19 years. In July, it will be 19 years since she died. Not exactly sure why, but it almost took my breath away.

You may think that after 19 years I wouldn't think of her often, but I have found that the older I get, the more I think of her and think of what I would LOVE to ask her....

"When you taught Freshman English...."

"When you were 38...."

"When Kory or me....what did you do?"

"Did you ever feel like you were going crazy?"

And I could go on!

But I was thankful that this birthday I was able appreciate my birthday and the blessings that God has given me. That I could and can trust Him and know that whatever this next year brings, it will pass through His hands and He will be with me!

One Week Later

It has been a week since my birthday.

And I have to be honest,

this was probably one of the best birthdays

I have ever had!

Seriously!

My husband did a fabulous job of making the

entire day, special and full of surprise.  

2 weeks before my birthday, he had emailed

a couple of my girlfriends to organize a 

surprise party on Friday night.  

So this time last week I was eating at Bostons, 

with 15 of my fabulous girlfriends!!!

Friday was a day of pleasure and being pampered.

Darrin came home at lunch and stayed with Kru 

while I went and got my nails done and a pedicure too!

I even splurged and got the fancy flower on my big toe!

Beautiful! (thanks Kory and Shelley!)

I almost fell asleep in the massage chair!

Wow!  What a wonderful relaxing experience!

I believe all moms should have these weekly! =)

I would if I could!

When I arrived home, it was almost time to pick up

Kye from school, so we loaded into the van and headed

to pick up Kye, or so I thought!

When we began heading the opposite way of the school,

I was confused.

Darrin pulls up to a salon and tells me, "Get out, you have

a 3:00 appointment for a color and cut."

Seriously, he made me a hair appointment!

Handed me a couple of gift certificates and he was off!

"Call me when you are done."

When you haven't had your hair cut or professionally colored

in a year, literally, it takes a while to do what needs to be done!

So finally, I called Darrin and he picked me up around 6:00.

"We're going to go eat at Bostons."

I love Bostons, so I was thrilled.

We pulled into the parking lot and he told me he was going to 

drop me off and park in the back.  Thinking nothing of it, I said, 

ok and got out of the car.  I told the boys to come on and that was 

when Darrin said, "Nope, see ya later."

"What?"

"Just walk around, someone will find you."  and he pulls away.

I walked into the restaurant and that's when I saw the balloons, 

heard the SURPRISE! and saw most of my favorite faces in 

College Station waiting for me!

I almost started crying, but someone told me how cute my hair

looked and I was like,  "I KNOW!!!!" =) so I got over the tears!

I received some special gifts, including a wonderful cross for my wall,

a Bible that is super special and a scripture paper weight and more!

I love Bostons, I love my girlfriends, and I love girlfriend time!

It was GREAT!!!!  yummo food, fabo friends, and lots of talking!

what more can a girl ask for?  oh to have her hair freshly done, 

her fake nails on and a pedi too??? 

Oh wait, I had that too!!!!!!

It was a wonderful day!!!

Thanks Darr for making this birthday so great!  And thanks girls

for being a huge part of it!

And can I just tell ya, on Valentines Day, my real birthday, my guys

got me roses and a bracelet too!

I was spoiled this year!

The only thing I am sad about, not 1 picture! =( and if you know me, 

you know how important pics are, but will be keeping this one alive

through memory for a long time!!!

Birthdays

I will have to begin by saying sorry, this post may be a bit random.

Somehow, blogging enables me to process somethings that get stuck inside my head.  If I can write it down, maybe it will make a little more sense, and sometimes maybe not.  But as the Lord continues to grow me, show me, change me, I am thankful for this medium to use to work it out.

My birthday is in a few days.  And whether or not I act like it, I hate my birthday.  I casually blow if off anytime it is mentioned; I ignore the calendar; I pretend that it is only Valentines Day and not another birthday.

I haven't always felt this way toward my birthday.  In fact, I remember vividly loving my birthday. Earlier in life, having sleep overs and friends over to play games and eat cake!  Great times.  The junior high sleep overs with all of their drama! =)  and then in high school with a special someone to celebrate it with.

On my 16th birthday, my mom surprised me in a school assembly with balloons and 16 "cookie" roses, yes they were cookies!  She always made things extra special.  I was embarrassed but loved it!  She knew me so well!

I can't put my finger on when I began hating my birthday.  I would suppose it was sometime after becoming a mom and inching close to 30 and then past 30.  

I remember feeling the same thing last year and funny how that seems like yesterday and not an entire year ago!  Seriously, time is going faster and faster!  Last year I flirted with this concept and this year I'm for sure!

I believe I have figured out why I hate my birthday:

With every birthday that comes it is 1 year closer to the age my mom was when she died.

I know it's stupid, but I'm convinced that that is it.

A sweet friend of mine was at my house today sharing about her dad and his death.  He was only 53. I said, "That is so young."  And it is...

My mom was 42.

So young!

Not too far off from where I am.

Crazy how powerful the mind is!  That is why it is so important to capture every thought and make sure it aligns with scripture and give it to God and ask Him to fill your mind with His thoughts!

So... not super excited about another birthday.

about finding more and more gray hairs!