My Birthday Weekend

Here it begins: the final lap of my thirties.

When I was in my twenties, I was so excited about turning 30. I was eager to put into practice the lessons I learned as a younger woman.

Now, I'm looking forward to my forties, hoping to gain a little more respect wisdom.

Although I'm still very young (and don't you forget it!), I'm starting to notice that I'm not 25 anymore.

The evidence:

* I now use an eyebrow pencil.

* I now use a roll-on puffiness/dark circle remover around my eyes. 

(That was hard to admit.)

* I'm older than my dentist. Significantly.

("Like, totally!")

* I spend a lot of time thinking about the fact that one of my sons is now sporting a moderate Mohawk.

* I often solicit my daughters' input in choosing attire for some occasions.

* Hip pain sometimes causes me to lose sleep, and I just may have to give up running, for keeps.

* When I organize storage areas, I separate items into "Give Away", "Sell", "Throw Away", and "Keep for Future Grandchildren".

* My storytelling often includes lines like, "Well, my generation..."

But I'm not scared! Bring it! I have about five gray hairs - maybe - and I'm proud! The wrinkles on my face are from laughing, because my family cracks me up. I love these people, and I'm grateful for every minute I've spent taking care of them.

Just check out how we celebrated my birthday (which, by the way, was Friday. The 30th. You'll want to make a note of that.)

I got to start a week in advance. I needed a dress for a certain event, and Craig took me to one of my "go-to" stores. People often ask me if I sew clothes. I answer that it would take all the fun out of shopping for them!

On "the big day", we went into the city with Craig. While the boys got haircuts, the rest of us went to a really great nearby cafe to wait.
Don't be deceived by the commonplace appearance of this coffee drink (nor offended by its presentation). It is "The Black Eye": dark coffee with two shots of espresso, and a little cream 'cause that's how I roll.

Isn't that some scar on my knee? It's a reminder of much younger days, when a friend and I flipped a car.

Caelyn was the only one brave enough to try the "Black Eye" with me.

I'm glad that Morgan, the photographer, made it into a photo.

Here's C-Whit, chillin' while awaiting his drink at the cafe.

After stopping by Craig's office for a few minutes (just to make it look good), and waiting even longer for the boys' haircut excursion, we headed to a fabulous Vietnamese restaurant for lunch. Pictured here is the #1. Can't wait to have it again! My actual lunch, though, was a modified version of #82.

Next on my list: Learn to "French Press" the Vietnamese way.

Because my man is super generous (and despite the fact that I already got a super adorable dress) he took me to REI after lunch for another pair of Vibram Five Finger shoes.
(Are you familiar with the term "the bomb"?

Since we were out all day - and because we're nearly 1400 miles away from my parents and their amazing baked goods - we decided to try out a bakery that my cousin recommended. We each chose something different and shared samples. It was OK, but I'm still craving something with either white cream filling or buttercream frosting. I was thinking more of a traditional bakery, but it was actually a deli/cafe setup with a dessert counter. The selections were abundant. I'd still go there, but not for a traditional bakery experience.

We didn't end up getting any more photos of the weekend, but it was surely a blast! When we finally dragged ourselves home, Craig and I headed to the gym for a workout, followed by a trip to Whole Foods. When I get him all alone in that store, it is such a fun time. I can pretty much ask for anything, and he'll say yes. We went on the right day. :-)

On Saturday, our homeschool group sponsored a pancake breakfast at a nearby park. The weather was beautiful, and we had such a great time visiting and meeting some of the other families.

After the pancake breakfast, we drove into the city to explore an exciting new family adventure. I'm not sure if we'll actually do this, but how else will I get a T-shirt and wear it with a clear conscience?

The rest of Saturday was spent visiting the military supply store, grabbing coffee, and a date out with Craig in the evening.

Today was equally wonderful with a great church service in the morning, followed by greasy burgers for lunch, a little of the Steelers/Texans game, and a shopping trip. Our family will be helping with a golf tournament/fundraiser tomorrow, and the boys needed new duds for that. Once upon a time, they always had khakis and polo shirts in their closet. I don't know what happened...