Turning 30

I had such a fantastic birthday, that I have decided I would like to turn 30 every year. I think I'll do just that. And, I must give credit to my dear hubby for the fantasticness of my birthday. He seriously outdid himself. About nine months ago, I casually told Brian that when I turned 30, I wanted it to be a "big deal." I just told him once, because a) I wanted to see if he was actually listening and b) I wanted to see how seriously he took my statement. He passed both tests. He completely exceeded my expectations.

My birthday started a day early, Thursday, when I was "surprised" with a girl's night out. I say "surprised" because Brian let-the-cat-out-of-the-bag the night before. I had been under some stress with our big move and we had just found out that we were not going to be getting quite as much $$ as we thought out of the sell of our home (there is a fee for everything!). Needless to say, I wasn't in the best mood and Brian figured I needed a little pick-me-up. So, he told me that the next night my three fabulous friends - Jill, Stacey, and Angela - were picking me for a much needed girl's night. We went to one of my favorite restaurants, Macaroni Grill, and I stuffed myself silly. Then we headed over to Barnes and Noble to sit and chat some more. They also broke out some of the best donuts in the world to fill in all the cracks of my very, very full belly. I was so mad that I didn't have my camera, because they were so pretty - the donuts and my friends ;o) I love getting together with these girls because they are so fun and easy to be with. It is a guaranteed good time when we are together.

The next morning, after sleeping in!!, Brian showed me the wonderful post he had put together. I was completely blown away! Thank you all for lying and saying so many nice things. My birthday could have ended right then and I would have been the happiest girl in the world. I laughed, I cried, and I was reminded of some very memorable moments. I realized just how lucky and blessed I am.

While I was busy reading my blog, my mom was busy making me breakfast. Yes, in case you don't know, we are living with my parents. And I am 30. I am 30 and I am living with my parents. We'll talk more about that later. Back to breakfast. I love breakfast. I think it is my favorite meal of the day. The problem is, I love all the wrong things: bacon, pancakes, waffles, crepes, eggs smothered with cheese, sausage, hash browns, etc. If I could, I would eat a big breakfast every day. But, big breakfast every day = big butt. So I refrain. However, I firmly believe that calories don't count on your birthday and you can/should/must eat to your heart's content. It is a guilt-free day.

After breakfast, I was surprised with thirty beautiful tulips from my mom and dad. And then we were off to see Up. Very cute film. And since I wasn't counting calories, we got popcorn with extra butter (which I never do). Then we did some shopping and I got a cute, new shirt to where to my big "surprise" birthday BBQ bash. Yes, Brian also let-the-cat-out-of-the-bag on that one too, but not until around 11:00 on my birthday. Brian just gets a little too excited and can't keep his mouth shut :) Well, since I knew about it, I just had to get a new shirt to wear.

That night I was surrounded by my very best friends - not all of them, but most. The best part was that I didn't have to do a thing!! Brian coordinated the party, sent the invites, planned the menu, bought all the food, and did most of the cooking. Blue cheese bacon burgers - yum! Thanks to all the others who helped with the food. We were also lucky enough to not get rained out - thank you mother nature for stopping the continuous rain for a few hours. It was a great night and I decided that I need to have parties more often with all my friends.

Before giong to bed that night, I read my friend Jamie's blog. She lives in AZ and couldn't make it to the party, so she had done a post of 30 reasons why I am her BFF - very sweet. Thanks Jame. I miss you!

The next day, Saturday, we celebrated my neice Madison's 4th birthday. We actually share the same birthday, but Mindy decided to have Madi's party on the 13th, not the 12th. Maybe it was a bad idea to plan a party on the 13th, because her party did get rained out. Sorry Madi. But I do love sharing a birthday with this sweet little girl. Some people might think that sharing a birthday is an unfortunate thing, but I don't. It just makes it an extra special day and makes the celebrations last longer!

On Sunday we celebrated my birthday with my family. My mom made her famous lasagna - my favorite Sunday dinner - and it was delicious.

On Monday, I had another girl's night out. This one was planned. I have know Emily and Sandy since middle school and we have a lot of history together. Emily turned 30 in April, Sandy in May, and me in June. We decided this moment in our lives deserved a special night of celebration, so we treated ourselves to the Melting Pot! Oh my, (I was still not counting calories at this point) it was divine! Thank you ladies for a wonderful evening and for almost 20 years of friendship.

So, after all that, can you see why I want to turn 30 every year?