Tag Archives: birthday

family, five on friday

Five on Friday: Why my niece rocks

2 Comments

SONY DSC

1. My niece is turning 12 years old today. She’s hitting that super fun age of being closer to being a young woman (which means more privileges all the time) but still totally a kid that equates to lots of fun left to be had. It’s a really awesome age.

2. It’s also a really awkward age, but she has a self confidence that shines. I have no doubt she deals with the many stresses we all had in junior high. It’s a cruel time for everyone at one point or another. But my niece lets her own personality shine through without wavering. She’s a goofball, and she isn’t going to apologize for it. And I LOVE that fact.

3. She was excited about going on vacation to go fishing. How many tween girls do you know that look forward to going fishing? Tell me that’s not one of the coolest things ever.

4. A sports powerhouse, she has serious softball skills. I was at the Nashville Sounds game the other night, and there were a few plays I found myself thinking, “My niece could have totally smoked that play better than all of y’all!” And you know… she could have. Also, I totally respect that she doesn’t have a specific team she roots for… she just loves a good game of softball. I love that she’ll rock an Alabama Crimson Tide baseball cap and then the next day run around in a Baylor Bears t-shirt. It’s about the game, not the team. And I admire that.

5. She is so full of love. I don’t need to say anything more. It says it all.

Happy Birthday, beautiful girl!! I love you and hope you have an amazing day!!!

fiveonfriday

birthday

Feeling so loved

2 Comments

My birthday was Saturday. Not that anyone could have missed that, given how many times I mentioned it last week.

I deemed this birthday a top 5 birthday. And y’know, I still think it was… but I’ve had time to think about past birthdays that were also absolutely epic as well.

I remember birthday hay rides and slumber parties growing up.

I remember in 7th grade, classmates threw me a surprise party — evening getting the school secretary involved to distract me. I don’t know if I ever told any of those girls how much that meant to me… how deeply it touched me that they did that.

I remember one in particular in which the maroon icing roses gave us all red mouths and teeth, and we all ended up looking like vampires afterwards.

I remember going to see my friend do a show in Houston while on the Rascal Flatts tour… never knowing that friend would one day be my husband, and that I’d eventually work at the bar that Flatts was discovered in when they were the Tuesday night house band.

I remember my girlfriend flying to Nashville to spend my birthday with me so I wouldn’t have to be alone as my husband was on the road.

I remember my brother having a bad car accident on my birthday, and we spent the day in the surgery waiting room. More importantly, I remember getting to see him just before he went into surgery, and he remembered to wish me a Happy Birthday.

I remember spending last year all by myself…

This year? This year was pretty awesome. As I previously posted, my two wishes for the day came true. But beyond that, I had my parents visiting earlier in the week. (The only photo of that is on my Mom’s camera, so I don’t have that shot to share here. Pooh.)  We celebrated mine, my husbands and my Mom’s birthdays at that time. Then, my husband and I went out the night of my birthday and I just got so much love from my work-family that I ended that night with the biggest smile on my face.

I rarely put a whole lot of weight on birthdays. I don’t do a week-long birthday celebration, like many people do. But when one goes extra special… I just want to bask in it for awhile. Like this year. Happy, happy, happy girl here… still, days later.