25.

I've been dreading this birthday for awhile; something about turning a quarter of a century made me a bit uneasy. Part of the uneasiness could possibly have come from the fact that my early twenties have been consumed by planning a wedding and then diving head first into diapers, diapers and more diapers. How can 5 years fly by so fast? As a result of the apparent time warp I've found myself in I approached this birthday with a little bit of apprehension and was surprised to be greeted with a warm welcoming hand. I was actually happy that my birthday fell on Thanksgiving which meant that on top of just having a birthday we had a large turkey dinner with wonderful food and good company...and the new addition, Annabelle. I was overjoyed to see that my sister had baked me a yummy cake and had even written my name on it!

It was a relaxing day littered with special birthday moments; James cleaned the WHOLE kitchen, I painted my nails, I got a back rub, I got to laugh with my family, I was able to cuddle my week old niece and I even got all spiffied up in the purdy dress that I bought myself on my last birthday (with Julia!). I know that those things may seem trivial to the rest of you but as the years go by and my 'plate' becomes oh so crowded, it is the trivial and simple things that seem to warm my heart the most...amazing. The cherry on top came when I opened my gifts from my mother and sister, which were in and of themselves great gifts but miraculously became even better when put side by side...I laughed, oh how I laughed. A bag from my mom, a bag from my sister, gloves from my mom, gloves from my sister, and magazine subscription (gardening) from my mom, and...YES...a magazine subscription (hobby farm) from my sister!

The funniest thing of all is that they had no idea what the other was getting for me! Too funny. I got such a kick out of it. I also got some cash from my brother and sister-in-law to get some new clothes from Joe Clothing which means even more to me now that I'm thrifting for a year. I'm very excited to go and buy a new sweater for winter. All-in-all it was a wonderful day and I'm very happy with how it all played out. I don't feel as nervous about being 25 now that I've stopped being silly and realized that God has a lot in store for me this year...and now that I have two cute bags to carry me through this next year I'm ready to tackle anything! well, maybe not anything.