birthday blessings

Last week was my birthday, and I celebrated all week long. I think I ate more dessert last week than I have eaten all year...not really, but I did eat a lot. I am so thankful for the people that celebrated with with me. They surely did make me feel pretty special.

Carl, Beth, and I met Mom, Dad, Rebecca, and Travis at Cracker Barrel in Wilson. My mom even brought a candle and some matches. She put it in a biscuit, lit it, and I quickly blew it out. Rebecca told her it was probably the weirdest thing she has ever done, but I thought it is pretty clever. I opened all my presents sitting in the rocking chairs outside of Cracker Barrel with an audience...I didn't like people watching me, but I loved my thoughtful presents from my family. They surely blessed me with lots of cool items to make my house cuter and better equipped. My birthday wouldn't be complete without celebrating it with the ones I love most...When Carl, Beth, and I got back to their house in Fuquay, they took me to the coolest ice cream shop. They have unlimited samples of about 60 different flavors of homemade ice cream. Beth and I definitely took advantage of that. I love trying new ice cream places...Sunni Skies is delicious.

My fun friend, Lauren, surprised me and took me to Cheesecake Factory for lunch and dessert. For dessert, I had my favorite, Vanilla Bean Cheesecake. They sang "Happy Birthday" to me and wrote "Happy Birthday to you" on my plate with chocolate syrup. Very pretty, I wish I had a picture...Lauren and Rebecca lived together in college. When I moved back to Greenville for Graduate School after college, I was blessed to spend more time with Lauren and get to know her better. We very quickly clicked. I love her openness and honesty and I love that I can talk to her forever about anything and everything. She moved away to Baltimore just as we were becoming close. There is no doubt that the Lord created and has sustained our friendship because with all those miles between us He has brought us closer and made her one of my most dedicated friends. I am so thankful for that....
Before and after lunch I got to hang out with with Lauren's husband, Brian, and their son, Carter (or "Darter" as he calls himself). I hadn't seen them since March because they had been living in New Orleans until recently, so it was so fun to see how much Carter has changed, grown, and matured over the past few months. He was so silly and sweet...posing for all the pictures I took. We had fun. I love being with this family...every time I laugh and laugh. I love how much they love each other. And I love that they are about the have a new addition in November...another sweet little boy.

Ashley and I met Rebecca, Shannon, and Emily in Wilson at a Mexican restaurant. Shannon's birthday was the day before mine and Ashley's was in June. So, we were celebrating all the birthdays. Even though we all don't live together in the same town to meet together for Bible Study anymore, the Lord has made our friendships so strong even in the distance. I love our dinners together in Wilson, meeting halfway to laugh and catch up. There was only one thing that was missing....Marianne...she's in Texas now. We love you and miss you so much, Marianne. You were there in spirit, but it just wasn't the same without you. After dinner, we walked over to Chili's to split some desserts. A delicious ending to a lovely evening.

Two of my wonderful J.Crew friends, Jan and Stephanie, really showed me their dependability last week. Stephanie was preparing a nice meal for us for lunch at her apartment in Durham. I went out to my car to head over to her house, and it wouldn't start. My nice neighbors helped me jump it, and thankfully it ended up only being the battery. But, I decided I probably needed to go ahead and get it checked out. So, I drove to the car shop, and Steph and Jan left the sure-to-be delicious lunch to drive to Cary to come get me. So, instead, they took me to Olive Garden in Cary. When I got in the car, they lit a candle on the most beautiful cupcake I have ever seen. They even sang to me. After lunch, we went to Rita's for some yummy Italian ice. I am so thankful for these friends of mine. They are two of the greatest friends I have made since moving to Cary. I know that I can count on both of them, and I love all the laughter we share. They are amazing and two of the most disciplined, generous, and caring people I have every met. Truly...those qualities describe the both of them perfectly. What a fun day...even with the car troubles.

Melanie and family had me over for dinner. She found time to make me a delicious meal even with working and raising her three little girls...How could I ask for a better friend?! Melanie cooked the best enchiladas ever!! After dinner, Hannah and Sara made brownies....with just a little bit of help from Melanie ;) When the brownies were finished, we ate them warm with ice cream on top. The brownie really hit the spot. What a wonderful way to celebrate my birthday....a fun and relaxing night with my best friend and her family. (The pic of Mel and I is totally unrelated from July 4)

I went to Greensboro for Jenny's Going Away Party. Before the party, I spent some time with Kelly, Charlie, Madison, and Jenny at their house. We had planned to go to dinner to celebrate my birthday beforehand, but we ran out of time. That was okay with me, though. Actually, what they did to make my birthdy so special was the card they gave me. There used to be a time when I would get a pile of birthday cards, but now with text messaging, email, facebook, and voicemail, people just don't send birthday cards like they used to (myself included, unfortunately.) I did get some very sweet cards, but not as many as I once did. I can always count on Kelly to give me the sweetest, most thoughtful cards. What made this card so special is that there was a note in it from her, Charlie, Jenny, and even little Madison. The words they wrote me encouraged me and made this birthday girl feel so loved. What a blessing!!

I am so thankful for these people and so many others that filled my week with birthday blessings!!