Hippo Birdie to Me!

On January 22, I turned 27 years old and celebrated my 27 wonderful years of life. The birthday fun really began the Wednesday before, when the praise team at church gave me a card and my favorite cookies to enjoy: white chocolate macadamia nut. Yum! Thursday night, Robby continued the pre-birthday celebration by giving me a birthday gift early, a fantastic photo calendar. Friday, my actual birthday, was a workday of course, and I think my students were more excited than I was that it was my birthday. That's all they wanted to talk about. I have to admit that they made it special by remembering and bringing it up. Gotta love 13 year olds!

I suppose the "true" celebration was Friday night. Both sides of family came over, which was a first for us probably since the wedding. I got off easy, not having to make anything at all with my mom and Debbie providing the tasty dinner (lasagna, salad, bread, bruschetta) and Rosalee making me a carrot cake. I handled the drinks all on my own, though. John and Kelly were also able to join us, and of course, Anna was quite the hit of the party.

Pre-dinner chatter

Enjoying the yummy food!We couldn't very well have a party here without playing a little Wii, now could we? We have pictures of everyone bowling, but my dad's photo takes the (birthday) cake. That is dedication!Dad takes a bowling break to take a picture with me and mom.A surprise present, after everyone left: Twilight Scene It! (Yes, Kelly and I beat John and Robby.)

I received so many nice and thoughtful birthday gifts, two of which were a camera (used to take these pictures) and a day-sofa. Robby had everything set up when I came home from school, including new curtains for the kitchen. It was so sweet.Think the partying stops here? Oh no! John and Kelly stayed the night, so we had cinnamon rolls for breakfast and lounged around in our pj's until 11:00, finishing up our lazy morning with lunch at Henry Salazar's. They kept us company until the afternoon, and then Ben and Stephanie came over for pizza and more games.It was a great 27th birthday celebration, and I am so grateful for the wonderful family and friends who make my life -- and not just my birthday -- special and meaningful. Thank you all!