My Birthday!

Celebrating began Saturday night with some of my favorite ladies at one of my favorite restaurants. I LOVE it when I can try something new, and yet sometimes I chicken out (what if it's not good then I've wasted my $?).  However that night I was adventurous and it was heavenly. Really, it was called the Heavenly Roll (sushi roll).

On Sunday we grabbed some Sonic with the kids and they put a candle in my milkshake. The kids also made and hung up a Happy Birthday sign (need to take a pic before we take it down) all on their own.  That night Dennis' mom generously took the kids home with her to stay overnight so Den and I could go out to dinner with some friends. This is my sweet friend Val. Her oldest son Wes is one of Jesse's best pals.

On Monday I got the gift I asked for. A whole day on my own to do whatever I wanted could  squeeze into a day and afford that didn't involve a six hour round trip (also know as the beach).  I slept in, had some breakfast and then.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Went and had my first pedi in 2 yrs
2. Starbucks with my birthday gift card
3. Found a place to go for a hike (this was the beginning. It eventually went downhill very steeply, and that meant I had to come back up...I nearly died....out of shape!)
4. Saw a spring
5. Loved the wooded path
6. Kept going
7. Made it to the tracks
8. Made it to the river
9. Hoped to settle here for some time with my Bible and journal but...
10. People had left their snack there as a hint they were climbing up the waterfall
11. Saw a tunnel
12. Went into the tunnel
13. I see I have 2 14's....I'm not fixing....so 14 on the right: Hiking is for people from all walks of life (as I was taking this the buggy owners showed up and if you live around here you know that taking a pic of the amish makes you look like an ignorant tourist. oops.)
14. From the top...I hike all the way down to the river and back up! I do enjoy this and I can't remember the last time I did.

Since I couldn't find the perfect reflective spot on the hike I went to Panera for an ice tea, a free cookie and some free wifi with my kindle fire.  Was able to reflect over the year, thank the Lord for all that he has done, recognize the hard things, look forward to the future.  This was probably the most refreshing part of my day. I started the day really missing den and the kids. Probably because I knew I was going to have a fun only day and I wanted to share it with them!  It took a while, but I eventually was able to embrace this time and savor the moments of peace. My goal was to relax and be able to listen to Jesus and He was faithful meet those needs.

 Thank you all for your birthday greetings and for the part you play in my life!