A Good Place to Start

Having been born nine days before Christmas, the arrival of my birthday has always been just the thing to get me in the holiday spirit. This year was no different, although Jack pretty much had me anxious for Santa back in October.

Phillip, in his usual thoughtful way, made sure that the day was extra-special for me. He gave me a gorgeous boquet of roses and an adorable cake which tasted even prettier than it looked. And it turned Jack's tongue green, which was a big hit! (Jack had informed us prior to my birthday that we must have a party at Mimi and Poppa's house with, "birfday cake, ice cream, balloons, hats and I'll sing 'Happy Birfday to You' to Mommy!".) So before the big celebration, at which Jack really did sing a solo of "Happy Birfday" so sweetly it brought me to tears, we spent the day relaxing at home together - just the three of us - which is one of my absolute favorite things to do in the whole wide world.






















My gift from Phillip this year was exactly what I wanted - He had my beautiful little sparkly chandelier (that's sadly been sitting in a box for months) hung over the kitchen sink. I absolutely love it (it is so very pretty) and now I sort of feel like a princess while doing dishes! (Cinderella had chores, right?!)





















Later in the evening, we had dinner with my parents at Demos' in Hendersonville before heading back to their house for cake and ice cream. It was the perfect way to end an amazing day.




























It's sometimes hard to comprehend that could be in my twenties, much less my thirties with a husband and a family and a home of my own. A recent coffeehouse conversation with two of my college roommates - Laura and Judy - thankfully revealed that I am not the only one who still feels like that crazy 18 year old girl with ginormous hair, just trying to find herself and staying up all night talking, laughing and eating pizza with her best girlfriends in Fanning Hall! Thirty-three is certainly a bit daunting but as Lee, another college friend who reached that milestone three days before I did, wisely said, "Well...It's certainly better than the alternative!".

Indeed.