The Big 3-5

Last week it happened. I turned thirty-five. I usually really look forward to my birthdays but, frankly, I was not looking forward to this one. It wasn't for the typical reason that you would think. I've never really had one of those melt down birthdays when you realize that you are SO old that I've seen depicted on TV. Although you might think that 35 is one of those milestones that would make someone realize that they could no longer deny the fact that they were an actual adult. (Or maybe that realization should have happened years ago for me.)

Anyhow, the reason for my lack of excitement was because I was in this fairly new place and wouldn't be able to go to my annual birthday girl's night out or out with my family. In addition, Jimmy had already been out of town for several days and wouldn't be back for nearly a week after my big day.

So, I decided to be proactive. I had my day planned out. We have had a frozen Key Lime Pie in the freezer forever and I thought we would dig into that for dessert. The day before I tried to think of the best salad that I could remember having and Fudruckers came to mind. So, we braved the snow and I got a salad to go. Luke gave me a wonderful gift on the way from the restaurant to the car. He walked the whole way holding my hand. It was so liberating not having to carry him!



Sunday morning I woke up to a nice phone call from Jimmy and Jackson in tears because I was "ruining it". I asked him what was wrong and he kept trying to get me to go back to sleep but wouldn't tell me why he was upset. I told him that we had to get ready for church. He then brought me a gift that he made all on his own. (He even wrapped it in a hot chocolate box that he found in the recycling.) There were three pictures: a sun, a turtle (his favorite animal), and this:



That's right. If you can read five year old spelling that says Jewelry Store. How ever did he know?

We went to church and Jackson made sure that the primary knew it was my birthday so everyone sang to me. Then, we came home and Luke and I took a nap. I was awoken with lunch in bed!



This was the reason that he was so upset because he planned to bring breakfast in bed to me. The meal included a bagel with cheese, a yogurt shake and a lollipop. I am so proud of him for being so thoughtful. I'm thinking that we might be doing something right. Here he is showing off all of the items that made me have a fabulous day!



My parents, sister and mother-in-law all sent things that I got to open. Not only did my neighbor blow the snow off of our sidewalk but that evening my sweet visiting teacher called to invite us over for dinner when she found out that Jimmy was away. I got a call from a friend in MD and an email from a woman here. (I can't believe that she remembered.) You have to love Facebook too because of all the birthday wishes from many, many friends. In the following days I received two bouquets of flowers from Jimmy and my parents.





As usual, things turned out much better than my mind had led me to believe. It was a wonderful day and I can't wait to celebrate next year!