Happy Birthday to ME!

I turned 26 last Friday.  I miss being 25!!  I am trying to embrace getting older, but it is hard.  I fear 30, but luckily I have four years to prepare myself.  I keep reminding myself that Richard will always be older than me and since he turns 29 this year, 30 isn't too far off for him.  Now I feel a little better.

I always have high expectations for my birthday and they never pan out.  I was thinking that it's this house that is the curse.  Ever since we have moved in four years ago I haven't had a great birthday!!  The first year we moved the day before my birthday and I did some very heavy lifting.  I woke up on my special day to find myself sore beyond measure and with a new cold.  Happy Birthday to me!!   The next two years I was pregnant, which doesn't mean they were terrible birthdays, but you're not your best when you're pregnant so automatically your day isn't all it could be.  Last year I got sick in the late afternoon, feeling extremely nausious and having to go take a nap!  We were supposed to go out to dinner, but I felt too terrible so we saved the celebration for another day.

So finally this year I thought would be my year.  It didn't start out the best because I overslept!!  I never oversleep - no, really!  I have this annoying internal alarm clock that will wake me up at whatever time I need, even if it's 4:00 in the morning.  However, on Friday that alarm clock failed me, as did my backup alarm clocks I call my kids.  I opened my eyes feeling that panicky feeling you get when you know right away you overslept and saw it was 7:08am.  We leave the house at 7:15am every day to get Calli to school!!  I threw my glasses on and ran out my bedroom door.  When the girls came downstairs seconds later Calli blurted out "Happy Birthday Mommy!  We let you sleep til 7!!"  Thanks girls, but couldn't you have done that tomorrow?!  They quickly ate and I had her lunch packed, hair brushed and everyone dressed and out the door by 7:20am.  Phew!!  What a way to start your birthday.  I hate being rushed in the morning because then I spend the whole day feeling rushed, whether I actually am or not.  So I tried to slow myself down a little bit and took a nice, relaxing shower before heading off to yoga.  After yoga I met some friends for breakfast at IHOP, where the day didn't really improve.  The rude manager would not take my coupon for my free birthday meal because the email said it had been viewed too many times, despite the fact that it was the first time I had printed it and tried to use it.  Yes IHOP, you are so upscale and classy that God forbid, you give someone a free $7 meal on her birthday despite her coupon printing out funny.

When Richard got home from work I got to finally open all my cards and presents, which was super exciting!!  I decided to wait this year to open everything at once and it was like Christmas all over again!!  I had very thoughtful cards and gifts from nearly everyone in my life.  Even my sisters surprised me by getting me a new PINK iPod!!  I also got some monetary gifts that I put toward the purchase of my NEW CAMERA.  A Nikon 3100 and I love it.  The pictures are above and beyond what my point and shoot does.  And the best thing about it is that it is made for someone like me who knows nothing about cameras.  Even if all you do is put it in Auto you will get amazing photos.  I hope to be able to read the manual and learn some tricks too, but for now it is all I can ask for!  We got it at Best Buy that day and I love it.

We went to Red Robin for dinner for my birthday burger and Calli requested that the waiters sing me happy birthday.  Thanks Calli!!  We came home for my traditional Grasshopper Pie from Baskin Robbins to end the night.  I had a pretty good birthday overall and even continued the celebration the next night by going to Austin with a friend!  We had a blast on 6th street, but I will save that story for later when I get the photos.