'Fall in Love with 28'

Yesterday, I had the first of several gatherings to celebrate my (gulp) 28th birthday.  Anthony and I went over to my mom's house in Lake Forest and it was such a blessing to see how much my family loves me.  My Mom put out all of her fall decorations and the house was smelling like cinnamon, pumpkin and fall goodness!

Notice the picture of my sister and I in the background from when we were in elementary school.  So very 90's.

My sister also took the time to make an adorable sign that read "Fall in Love with 28!" and she decorate the backyard.  She actually gave me the sign and I think I'll put it up in my house or perhaps my classroom.

Isn't this sign just the cutest thing?  She used scrapbooking paper, a stencil and black magic marker.  Then she strung it all up with twine.  Here are some more pictures of the food spread.  They put together many of my favorite munchies for the occasion. 

Mmmmm.... Swedish fish!  

We also played a game of Phase 10 in which I came in second to last and my Mom won.  She was so pleased with this as she NEVER wins at any of the games we play as a family. 

Joshy was the loser.  Hee hee.

My cute cousin Sarah admiring her cards.  She's so smart and always wins at strategic games!

My Auntie Cindy.  I love you Auntie Cindy.

And my adorable husband.  Oh what a charmer!

My little sister with her "game face" on.

By the end of the night, after a delicious dinner of BBQed chicken, potato salad, baked beans, corn-on-the-cobb & melon, the sun began to set and it was time to sing, "Happy Birthday!"

The only kind of cake I'll have on my birthday is pumpkin pie!

I'm also the only one who likes pumpkin pie, so they bought a lemon tart pie as well.  I am loved!

Towards the end of the night, my sister and I started to bust out our cameras and show each other all the new things we're learning.  She recently got a Nikon DSLR camera.  I know... sadly she joined the traitor's world.

Ah, aren't we cute!  The older I get the more I treasure time spent with family.  It's better than any birthday gift or party.

Friendship is Grand

This weekend we hosted Jenna's 23rd birthday party. I'll have to admit, as Anthony and I were spending the entire Saturday morning cleaning and preparing for our 3pm guests, I was a little more exhausted than excited to see all of our friends. Don't judge me too harshly. We spent the previous weekend all over town and had not had the opportunity to "rest" since. However, when my friends arrived and after the food had been set out, I had an internal moment where I quietly looked around my room and my heart was filled with joy. I truly am blessed.

My friends are beautiful people and we're currently in one of the best stages of our lives. We're finishing school, starting our careers and beginning to find our mates. Some people could feel overwhelmed during this time, but I have this calming feeling that my friends will always be this steady rock that I can turn back to for relief from life's pressures. I love them. This video is a medley of our fun from that day.