Many Happy Returns

Today is the birthday of a very dear friend.

Probably the person who knows me best.

Our friendship began the first few weeks of freshmen year. She and my roommate had a class together and she wandered into our dorm room and asked if my roomie was there. I told her no she was taking a shower and would be back in a bit. At this point in the conversation I thought this girl would go back to her room across the hall but instead she responded with, “Great! I’m going to hide in her closet!”

I should have known then what was in store.

Over the remaining four years of college and the years since we’ve graduated, our friendship has grown, and I don’t know what I would do without her.

She is always there with a kind and reassuring word when life seems impossible, and the promise that she’ll be praying.  She joyfully, wholeheartedly celebrates successes and blessings with me. Whenever we’re together we end up staying up to all hours of the night talking, sometimes just silliness and sometimes deep heartfelt conversation. She is always encouraging about my search for Prince Charming, and puts up with my relentless (and I’m sure at times annoying) pleas for her to set me up with some “hot  man.”  She’s even created a board on Pintrest dedicated to my someday wedding.  We can be incredibly goofy together but don’t really care what anyone else thinks about us. She has such a heart for God, and a steadfast faith.  She loves her family and her husband, she is going to be the most amazing mom someday – and I fully intended to spoil all of her children because I’m sure they will be just as incredible as she is. Even though she lives 3 hours away, anytime I need to talk I know I can call or send her an email and she will be there ready to help.

She is a friend, through and through…simply the best.

And although I am not there to celebrate her 25th birthday - which she may or may not have been nervously anticipating – I am so blessed to have a friend like her and so glad that today is her day.

Happy Birthday!

25 and Ready to Thrive

It’s official, I am a quarter of a century old! Weird! My birthday was Saturday and it was a nice low-key day. I feel like this is going to be a big year for me, I don’t totally know why but just something makes me feel like big things are coming my way…good things I hope! 24 was just an okay year and I’m really excited about the year ahead!

Tomorrow is my last day of school before break. It’ll be a little bit of a crazy day between getting 23 Christmas present wrapped and addressed. I am very ready to be done and breathe, and get caught up on everything and spend time with Mom and Dad. I miss seeing them as often as I used to.

Anyway, I am having a hard time keeping my eyes open :0) night!

Fill in the Blank – Birthday Edition

1. My most favorite birthday was…well so far it’s a tie between I think it was my 6th birthday and my 18th. On my 6th birthday I got ballet slippers along with ballet lessons and “Beauty and the Beast” on VHS (favorite Disney movie ever!) And on my 18th birthday, we had a photo scavenger hunt and ended the party with a big bonfire and Funfetti cupcakes!

2. My worst birthday was…I’m not sure if it was my 11th or 12th birthday I was definitely in 5th or 6th grade. We’d gone out for dinner and then come home and opened presents, ate cake, etc. Then because I’d put off working on a big project that happened to be due the next day, I spent the rest of the evening and well into the night finishing the project.

3. My favorite birthday memory is…I only vaguely remember this but my grandma tells this story often….It was my 6th or 7th birthday and my grandpa had died a few years before but I really wanted him to be a part of my birthday. I told my grandma this and she said we would find some way to include him, so on the day of my party my grandma brought over a picture of him eating birthday cake so he would be a part of the festivities. I just remember being so happy to have him there in some way. It was a special birthday.

4. The best birthday present I’ve ever received was…my orange KitchenAid Mixer!

5. The best birthday present I’ve ever given was…for my best friend in high school I put together a scrapbook for her 18th birthday. I started working on it months before her birthday and could hardly wait for her to open it! It was senior year and I filled the book with pictures of us since junior high.

6. Birthdays are…wonderful, I love spending quality time with friends and family and coming up with thoughtful gifts for them!

7. My favorite age so far has been…not sure if I have one, I’ve learned a lot and grown each year. I really enjoyed 16 getting my license, but 22 was also a pretty good year!

Five Year Old Fairies

This afternoon, I had the pleasure of helping out at the birthday party of my favorite five-year old. The theme for the party was fairies and each little girl came decked out as a fairy with wings and tutus, and glitter. I ran the nail painting station, ushered fairies from one activity to the next, rocked the sweetest 5 month old baby boy in my arms (ahhh, love him!), and was the official photographer. After spending the day with the girls two important things stick out in my mind.

1. Hula-hooping is an art form. If you’ve never seen 4-6 year olds attempt to hula-hoop, you’re missing out. They don’t quite get the moving your hips part. I was the official “counter” as three girls attempted to break their hula-hooping record, so as they made their attempts I would sing the ABCs until the point the hoop rested on the ground. I think the farthest letter we got to was F…but they never once considered giving up.
2. Lip gloss is perhaps THE BEST GIFT EVER to a five-year old. Part of my gift to the birthday girl was a small heart-shaped tin of Bonne Belle lip gloss. When it was opened the awe and joy washed over her face, she whipped it open and immediately began coating her lips in the shiny pink balm. Throughout the rest of the party I kept hearing thank you thank you thank you. And whenever she had a free moment that  tin was out and it was time to reapply. Love the sheer joy that comes from small things, like heart-shaped lip gloss.