Birthday Weekend

A friend told me this weekend that he thought my 29th year would be the best yet.  Perhaps it will be. It is certainly off to a good start.  It was a weekend filled with many celebrations.  It started a day early with the first coat of paint on my dining room wall.  Finally!

My kitchen and dining room walls have long been in need of a paint job.  Flat paint definitely doesn't work in a kitchen where juice and chocolate milk get splattered on the walls.  We really needed something that could be wiped clean.  We're not completely done yet, but things are looking pretty good around here.

Hillary's birthday is two days before mine, and she came into town to celebrate and help with childcare.  We had a good morning Saturday watching It Happened One Night and keeping the kids out of the painting project.  KJ and I enjoyed a night out with my family at the Cheesecake Factory.  It's always so much fun to be together, and it was my first time to eat there.  The Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake was indeed very delicious.

Sunday was a good day at church (made especially so by Hillary rocking James to sleep so that I could stay in the service and listen to the sermon).  KJ preached a short sermon Sunday night so that our congregation could join with others in our city on Sanctity of Life Sunday to listen to the testimony of Gianna Jessen.  Though we would have loved to hear her speak as well, KJ and I went to hear a friend preach his first sermon at his church and enjoyed a sweet time of fellowship there.  The kids spent the night with KJ's parents, so we were free to go out to eat and to a movie afterwards. (Thank you, T!)  It was a really great night.  It always refreshes my spirit so much to be free of motherly duties for a few hours, and not just to be free, but to have a really good time gives an extra boost to my spirit.  By the end of it, I am ready to get my children back, and they have a much happier mommy.

SO thankful for these college students
 (and the ones who left before the picture was taken AND the one taking it)

The celebrations continued yesterday with lunch at the Keith Pugh Seniors. 

  

SO- a pretty eventful weekend, and I must say I am glad for the quietness of my home today and the return of day-to-day duties, i.e. grocery shopping, laundry, and the like.  There's no place like home.