Birthday #44

With all that's been going on the past few weeks ... from 4 days of Pink Impact, to 3 days of Rubella sickness that followed; to an unexpected 4-day trip to California, followed by a weekend of Anniversary celebration at the Gaylord; and then capped off with a family gathering for Easter and a "welcome home" for Jason ... my birthday kind of crept up on me and, honestly, would have passed by without notice [by me] had it not been for family.

I actually woke up last Tuesday and began planning my day, the meal I would cook since we had the girls for dinner and the list of things I would be accomplishing that day after having come off those incredibly busy weeks.

And then Alec walked out of his room and said, "Happy Birthday!", to which I replied, "What?"

Yep, it didn't even register even though I was being given birthday wishes.

The day unexpectedly unfolded with a lunch date to Cheesecake Factory with Coli, J and Alec, where we noshed on the ever predictable avocado egg rolls and pear endive salad, followed by an intake of unnatural caloric mass presented in the form of original NY cheesecake. Before we said good-bye, I thanked them for my "you know my heart" tree painting gift that will one day soon be framed and hung in my tree-themed bedroom.

The rest of the afternoon was filled with game playing with Alec ... Farkle, Sequence and Chinese Checkers. I lost at Farkle but crowned myself Queen of Sequence and Chinese Checkers.

When Hubby came home with the girls, we set out for [more] food at The Olive Garden. I couldn't remember the last time I ate dinner there, so it sounded like a good choice to me. Stuffed mushrooms, endless salad and breadsticks with alfredo dipping sauce filled to capacity my still-full-from-lunch belly, but I gladly endured for the sake of celebration. ;)

And today--I really can't tell you HOW I missed it--I found this poem from my Groom buried within the volume of emails I set to clean out of my inbox today after weeks of "I'll tackle that tomorrow":

Born today, the first of two

My bride-to-be was really you

California still in your heart

But Texas is our place to start

I'm thankful to have you at my side

Your smile, your laugh, your love - my pride

Several years have since gone by

But your beauty still catches my eye

I love your heart, your depth, your truth

Your fun and joy reveal your youth

So happy day, this one, your birth

Matchless and limitless is your worth

Lub lub, Your Groom

For a day that started out with a brain full of dinner plans and to-do lists, it ended up being all about family, food and games ... three of my favorite things!

Me with the 17 pieces of Happy Birthday art Teighlor made for me ahead of time since she was going to be in California. I, of course, saved them cuz it's the heart behind any gift that means everything to me. 

The tree painting I received from Coli and J ... my heart gift.