My birthday.

This is maybe a little more personal than I usually get, but it was such a sweet and significant day for me personally and in my heart.  So, here it is...

My birthday.  I love how God always gives us what we need and knows us so well that he knows exactly what that is.  We don't deserve it, but he gives it anyway.

The girls (Canela and Kristen) kept asking me what I wanted for my birthday and I kept saying,  I just want a Starbucks...to be able to sit and drink a Starbucks. 

But really--I think I wanted/needed so much more than that.  For me birthdays are always big days in my heart...not in the way of parties or big events but in the reflective way.  I have this expectation that it will be a time of introspection, that it will embody all the siginificant parts/people in my life, that I'll be able to look back and look forward at life, that it will be the end of some things and the beginning of others.  If you know me, you're laughing because this is so me (and really a little ridiculous to have that kind of expectation).

What made my birthday so sweet:

I'll start with the night before...

**Having a fun dinner and walk around old town Scottsdale with Travis...
just the two of us.

**Coming home that night to my two older girls singing me Happy Birthday--
every word in such sweet little voices.

**Putting the kids to bed and then coming back out into the kitchen to singing, again.  Only this time it was our team singing and there was a DELICIOUS chocolate cake.
(made by Emily, our resident cake boss)

Do you see an angel in the picture?  (it's Adam)

**Opening a purse/bag from Canela, Lacey, and Shelly that I have been needing really badly (my old one was from Canal St two years ago).  I LOVE the new one!
It's huge...just what I needed!

**Receiving another very special gift...one that brought tears.
The gift was much needed and above what I could have ever asked for
and the card--well, that's where the tears started flowing!
the gift?
brand new pots and pans
(mine have seen better days to say the least!).
the card?
names of so many old (and a few new!) friends.
It was as if they were all there with me. 
I'm crying now as I'm writing this and thinking about it.
I love friends being around for big events like birthdays...and this was a taste of that.
Wow.  Thank you Emily for organizing it and thank you to every sweet friend that gave.
I don't know what I needed more, the pots and pans, or to be blessed by friends. 

The day of...

**Meeting Travis at Starbucks at the end of my morning run.  Drink already ordered and asiago cheese bagel in hand.  I mean, perfect.  My dream morning!

**Meeting two new friends in my group at Bible Study Fellowship that the kids and I went to.

**Receiving texts and phone calls...
hearing the voices of sweet friends and family thousands of miles away.

**Meeting up with Travis at Chick-fil-a for lunch...
and then a little of my favorite Baskin Robbins ice cream after!
(peanut butter and chocolate...free birthday scoop!)

 

 

 

 

**Coming home to read more sweet emails and cards
and a really meaningful blog post by my sister...

**Being delivered my favorite fountain drink
(again, by Travis...he pulls out all the
stops for birthdays!)

**Having 30+ people at our house for a cookout.  A team is in from All People's Church in San Diego doing outreach with us this week...so they were all over.  They have been awesome
and SUCH a blessing to us.  So--I loved having them here.  And I love hosting so
naturally, I loved doing that on my birthday.  (especially because a sweet girl
named Jeanne did ALL of my dishes
and cleaned my kitchen!!)

**Having them all worshipping in our "church room" and my kids worshipping right
along side of them.

**Holding Emily and sitting by Gracie while she went potty (yes, she's potty trained...more
on that soon) and watching her face when she heard Adam start playing 10,000 Reasons
(a Matt Redman song...love it!)...and hearing her go "O my soul!  O my soul!"
(part of the lyrics in the song).

**Watching Emily start to wave for the first time as everyone left.  Then she did it the rest of the night with our encouragement!  So sweet...she was so proud of herself.

**Hearing my girls sing (again) happy birthday and blowing out candles (again) before
they went to bed because they were so excited about Mommy's birthday.

**Hearing Gracie over and over again telling me Happy Birthday except when she said it,
she actually sang the first line to the Birthday song.  She'd say,
"Mommy!...Happy Birthday to you!"
 
**Going to bed with a full cup.

I love walking with God.
I love walking in sweet community...
with my family,
with my friends around the corner,
and my friends far away.