The Big 2-6 (Warning: LONG POST!)

Well I didn't intend in any way to post something about my own birthday, but after having such a GREAT day, I couldn't resist  :)

I wanted to share all the lovely things people did to make my day awesome, so here's how the day went:

FIRST!  I got up this morning & headed south with the puppies to Peter's parents' house - The pups got to hang out on the deck while Cindy and I went to get an hour-long massage at a place called Foot Fitness.  OH.  MY.  GOODNESS.  It was amazing!  For $20 (can you believe that?) you get an hour-long massage where these people knead on your neck, back, arms, legs, and feet.  I am still in heaven just thinking about it.  It was kind of funny when they wanted to lie the recliner into a flat position for the foot/leg portion of the massage, and I was trying to tell them I can't be on my back like that or I'll basically suffocate from this monstrosity of a belly weighing down on my lungs.... Well, the people don't speak a lick of English, so a lot of pointing & awkward smiling went on  :)  They finally figured out I wasn't going to lie on my back.  Anyway, sitting in the recliner getting my feet rubbed was a-m-a-z-i-n-g.  Cindy also gave me a very sweet card & some money for my next hair appointment  :)

Thank you, Cindy, for a wonderful start to my birthday!

NEXT!  I went over to my parents' place, picked them up, and we met my sister at BJ's for lunch.  YUMMY!  I stuffed my face & even got a birthday dessert thingy that we all dug into.  It was so good & probably has brought Elise's weight up to a solid 9 lbs.  My sister, Sarah, had picked out a super cute card for me that reminded me of a very funny childhood experience.  And it even contained a good ol' pun!  

Thanks, Momma & Daddy, for taking me out to lunch and spending the afternoon with me!

Thanks, Sarah, for your fun card & going out to lunch!

THEN!  The day took a slight turn for the worse (only emotionally) as my parents & I were running an errand and saw a horrible car accident  :(   We were in a strip mall right next to where the car accident happened, so in all actuality, it was probably just the same as any other accident I'm used to driving by, but this one I was "forced" to watch unfold since I was standing there rather than just driving by.  I stood there for about 20 minutes watching a little kid lie on the grass with paramedics surrounding him, and a carseat with a who-knows-how-old baby being examined by people.  With a baby of my own on the way, all I could think of was how FRAGILE these little lives are & how in a split second anything can happen.  I believe the kids & mom were okay after all was said and done - only by God's great mercy.  I am THANKFUL that, although scary, I got to witness the accident so I could be reminded of the grace Jesus extends to me daily in so many ways.  It is so easy to forget how he protects us minute after minute after minute..........   We never acknowledge those times we are kept safe & protected - only the times when something has happened & we are suddenly in need of his grace.  I'm so glad he revealed himself to me in that way today.  

Thank you, Jesus, for always being so merciful to me!

MOVING ON!  I stopped by my aunt's house to pick up a very cool gift:  A pretty pot of some herbs she grew in her garden - parsley, cilantro, and basil (pictured below) - with a few purple irises placed in the pot for temporary decoration :)  (Andrea, don't you even dare question my use of "iris" in its plural form........http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/irises!!!)  I also received a mortar & pestle (not pictured) to crush the herbs if I so choose.  Very thoughtful & appreciated!

Thank you, Aunt Gretchen (& Uncle Jeff for funding purposes!), for the great presents!

LATER!  I finally made my way back downtown to pick up Peter from work & head to the condo.  After a few minutes of settling in, I noticed a note on my pillow in our bedroom....  Peter had handwritten a birthday LOVE note to me at some point during the day  :)   How romantic!  He is so sweet & certainly has a way with words.  Thankfully, he didn't know I had found it & was in the shower as I read it - Otherwise, he would have seen the ugly cry face (and really, who wants to see that?).  I don't know if many of you are familiar with the "Five Love Languages" book/concept, but words of affection are definitely on the top of my list.  I am so blessed to have a husband who takes time out of his day to write down words I can go back and read over & over again whenever I want.  (In addition to the thoughtful written gift, Peter also got me a Baby Bjorn carrier last month so I can carry Elise a little more easy (Andrea, "easier") when I'm walking the dogs outside or while shopping or just whenever I care to!)

Thank you, Peter, for loving me in such a way that I never doubt how you feel... and for getting me that awesome baby carrier that I can use lots & lots!

ALMOST DONE!  I opened our condo door to take the dogs out & noticed a beautiful vase of flowers (pictured below) had been set by my door.  Our awesome neighboors two floors up thought of me on my birthday & brought the flowers and a very sweet card down to me - I LOVE THEM!  They are so pretty and made me feel so special!

Thank you, Rachel & Carlton, for such a generous gift on my birthday!  

FINALLY!  My brother-in-law, Bryan, came over after he & Peter had gone on a bike ride...  He walked in with a large vase of flowers (yay! I love flowers!) he had ordered from McNamara - So crying ensued yet again (seriously, will these hormone levels really go back to "normal" when pregnancy is over????).  The funniest part of the vase of flowers was the assortment of note cards he had picked out to go in that weird little plastic pick....

Of course the obvious note card was a "Happy Birthday" card - and for the record, Bryan likes to pretend my birthday is May 14th ever since he mistakenly recorded that as my birthdate on our mortgage a couple years ago:

He also included a "Get Well" card that is self-explanatory:

And lastly, he included an "It's a Girl" card with a bit of Bryan-esque humor added to it:

Bryan, too, wrote me a sweet note (albeit not handwritten, but a note nonetheless!) which brought on MORE tears (perhaps the superfluity of tears has helped jump start some weight loss.....).  

Thank you, Bryan, for thinking of me in the form of flowers AND an awesome note!  I love them!

I end this novel with another special thanks to:

a) everyone on Facebook who sent me a happy birthday message - that was so sweet & so appreciated!

b) everyone who called me and/or left me voicemails - thank you for thinking of me today!

c) everyone who sent me an ecard, no matter how creepy and disturbing they may have been :)

My birthday has been awesome & I'm sad to see it go, even if it makes me sound like a 10-year-old by wanting my birthday to last forever  :)   I am grateful to have the best friends & family on the planet.... and even more grateful for a loving God who blessed me, so undeservedly, with all of you in my life.  I guess the positive note of my birthday coming to and end is that I am one day closer to meeting our little Elise!  

Thank you, ALL!