My Birthday & Turning 38

On Sunday I woke up 38 years old. To be real, I must tell you I woke up with a sore throat & that made me one lovely birthday grouch! Ryan got up with Magnolia while I laid in bed a bit longer. When I got up, coffee was ready & pancakes were being made. And our sweet girl was walking around in her diaper, super excited, to tell me "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!!" over & over again. She is obsessed with all things birthday related. If she sees a candle it's a cue to sing one of her favorite songs in the cutest little voice ever.






After lunch Ryan took me out to do a little shopping before we went out for tacos with my sisters, the babes, & step-dad. The day ended up being a gorgeous sunshiny day, much better than the snow that had been forecasted.





Ryan got me the cutest little birthday cake, and every single year my sisters tease me about the seriousness I take in making a wish!


And this photo is the most real-life photo of the day. Magnolia is marching around the house singing to herself in a diaper, while Valentine is bouncing off the walls. I managed to hold V long enough for a photo as she's licking my face & uncontrollably wagging her tail in pure happiness!

After dinner, Ryan's parents came over to bring me some beautiful springtime flowers & play with Magnolia. Ryan & I ended the night staying up way past our bedtime to watch a movie on the sofa with our sleeping girls.

This past year has been full of highs & lows. It's certainly been a year of personal growth. I've leaned into the Lord above for guidance & peace through some situations that have tested my strength. I'll probably share more about it in the weeks to come because prayers have been answered & I'm starting to understand the lessons wrapped up in uncertainty with faith enclosed.

If I had to describe the age of 37 in one word it would be "waiting." I was reflecting on this past year & all the waiting, and I started to wonder what that one word meant for others. What does waiting mean to you? How do you handle life when everything is unpredictable & uncertain? Are you able to enjoy each day to the fullest when everything seems questionable? This year felt like no matter what happened the Lord was always saying, "just wait!" And not only was it about waiting, it was about trusting. We're all waiting for something in life...
Waiting for a new job
Waiting for a promotion
Waiting for vacation
Waiting for a relationship
Waiting for a baby
Waiting for the test results
Waiting for healing
Waiting for things to change
There is so much peace in this, Psalm 62:5-6, "Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. He alone is my rock & my salvation, my fortress, where I will not be shaken." 

The year 38 could not have started off any better than it did, well minus the sore throat, but really my birthday wish already came true! Grateful & excited about what this new year will bring.

xo