30th Birthday Bash(es)

Even though my official 30th brithday didn't happen until Friday, I was surprised a couple of times before then.


To start out my birthday bashes, I was greeted with this tasty cake while on a school visit for work.
It was delicious! It reminded me of the cakes that my grandma use to make for us when we were kids. They were of professional quality, that took lots of time and love.


Thursday night, I was scheduled to wrangle some kiddos that I have watched many times before. However, when I arrived to their house, I walked in to a surprise party for me! It was awesome! There were at least 6 families there that I kid wrangle for. It was a great time!


Friday arrived bright and early (well, technically still dark). For some reason, my brother got this crazy hair-brained idea that he would be the first one to wish me 'happy birthday'.....but at 3:25 AM!!! Yup. He decided to call me while he was making one of his longer hauling runs. The call woke me up, but I didn't answer it. I knew I wouldn't be making sense that early in the morning. So I just let him leave me a message. :) But it would have been funny if I actually answered!

So after going back to sleep at 3:27am, I was up and in Ames by 7am for a much needed chiropractic adjustment. When I finally got back to my place, it was just in time....since my parents and Carson were already there. It was fun to see mom and dad, but especially the little dude.

He's a pretty good kid. He slept for almost 3 hours while here, so not a whole lot of playing time with him. Oh well. Any little time with him is precious. Some day we will get to be rough and tough and have a fun time.

Friday night, there was another gathering of friends. It was a fun time of just hanging out, chatting, and watching the opening to the Olympics. At some point during the night, Joy (who hosted the party) said it was time to open gifts. I didn't really want to stop the fun that was going on, but did anyway. All the gifts were fantastic. But there is one gift that stood out the most. I was told I had to open it last as well. It was this gift. Because I was hanging with Joy and Scott's 2 youngest kiddos in the afternoon, I saw this gift sitting on the dining room table. So when I began opening the card, I was guessing it was from them. The outside of the card said " A sister is a best friend with a lifetime guarantee.' I was then thinking....I'm glad the boys still call me their sister. (I have lived with this family off and on for a few years...and the boys call me their sister.) It wasn't until I opened the card that I finally realized who it was really from. GINA!!! She apparently emailed Joy a week or 2 ago and they had this planned out. Gina even had Joy write in the card for me. And I guess that is why I had to open this gift last. It went from me crying at reading the card...to laughing when I saw what she got me! What a crazy sister!

I think it was a couple few weeks ago when I was talking go Gina on the phone that I said 'why don't you get me a drill for my birthday'. Just being sarcastic and funny. But what does she do?She gets me a drill! What an emotional gift it was. But I love it! And I love Gina too!

All in all, it was a great 30th birthday. Little did I know how much people would bless me with their love and gifts. I can't wait to see what God has in store for me during my next 30 years.

In tribute to my next 30 years, here are the lyrics to the the song that Tim McGraw sings.

My Next Thirty Years - by Tim McGraw

I think I'll take a moment, celebrate my age
The ending of an era and the turning of a page
Now it's time to focus in on where I go from here
Lord, have mercy on my next thirty years

Hey, my next thirty years, I'm gonna have some fun
Try to forget about all the crazy things I've done
Maybe now I've conquered all my adolescent fears
And I'll do it better in my next thirty years

My next thirty yers, I'm gonna settle all the scores
Cry a little less, laugh a little more
Find a world of happiness without the hate and fear
Figure out just what I'm doing here in my next thrity years

Oh, my next thirty years, I'm gonna watch my weight
Eat a few more salads and not stay up so late
Drink a little lemonade and not so many beers
Maybe I'll remember my next thirty years

My next thirty years will be the best years of my life
Raise a little family and hang out with my wife
Spend precious moments with the ones that I hold dear
Make up for lost time here in my next thirty years
In my next thirty years