My birthday

Wednesday was my 24th Birthday. I wasn't expecting anything big. Matt and I are still low in the funds area, and I had to work 12 hours that day.

At 11 am my office all got together to sing to me and to eat cake (office tradition) its nice to be able to talk/hang out with our office in a not so work oriented way.

Then Matt picked me up and took me to lunch at Olive Garden. There happens to be one less than 5 minutes away from my office. I should have taken the picture before we ate all the food, but oh well, it was AMAZING and very yummy!

Then while I was working our evening program one of my friends/coworkers got me a little mermaid cake! I heart disney so it was awesome! It was a nice surprise while I was looking at working for another 3-4 hours. :)

After work I crashed knowing that the next night would be a birthday dinner with my parents, followed by hanging out with Matt's mom for my b-day on Saturday.

Yesterday, I got home from work, and saw this super cute maternity dress that I'd been eyeing hanging on our coat rack. I started to question Matt about it, when all of the sudden my friend Alexa comes down the stairs in a nice dress, and tells me to put the dress on and we are going out. I am normally one to not be surprised. I normally am the one doing the surprising... so I was way taken off gaud. I quickly put on the dress (and shaved my legs) and we were off. We ended up a little over an hour away at Bj's (one of my favorite restaurants that isn't in our area), and two of my wonderful friends from the OC area joined us for dinner. It was so wonderful to just enjoy a dinner out with some of my girl friends! Here is a group shot of us after dinner.

So apparently my parents, and my husband was in on the whole thing, and we are having dinner with my parents tonight instead. It was a great time, and a wonderful reminder of how blessed I am to have great friends in my life.

Weddings

Wedding season is upon us, We took a break this weekend from moving to attend the first of five weddings over the next few months. This was the wedding of one of my college roomies and good friends Tom and Shelley. I wish I had my camera but some how during the move, it ended up packed. Shelley and I meet freshman year, and hung out a TON, and became friends. Sophomore year, we moved to live in the same dorm on the same floor. Then Junior year we became roomies. We also both started dating seriously within 6ish months of each other. Here we are on one of our double dates Junior year to Knott's Scary Farm (I couldn't find the pic of all four of us, that I KNOW exists somewhere)

Shelley also introduced me to a FABULOUS college group, which I was a part of for most of college. I even when to Kenya with them, here are some of my favorite peps on safari. We were all at the wedding on Saturday (well considering that two where the bride and groom, one the MoH, and another the FoB it makes sense). It was so amazing to see all of these guys again...

Spending Saturday evening with all of these wonderful friends makes me miss living in the OC. It made me miss my Disneyland coffee dates with Suzy, it make me miss giving Shelley and Tom a hard time about playing WOW, it made me miss that special college group and remember all that happened during that time in my life. I am so thankful for all of these friends that God has blessed me with. I am hoping to be able to make it over their more often to visit.

Here is the new Mr. and Mrs. I'm so thankful that both of you have been a part of my life! May God Bless your marriage, as you start your lives together.

Shelley and Tom

Kenya, 2007

Husband and Wife

2010

Friendships

I have been thinking about friendships lately, and maybe some of you have it all figured out, but I sure don't! First let me say that this IS NOT a dig at anyone, nor am I tying to point fingers at friends and "guilt trip" them. I am just simple sharing my heart, and thoughts on the matter.

I am in an odd position when it comes to friends. You see, I have moved back to the town I grew up in, so some of my friends from high school are still around, others are not. The ones whom I talk to and still hang with, (and still love dearly) are different now than they were back in the day. Thats ok, but it just feels different.

I have tons of great friends from college but I feel as if I'm "out of sight out of mind" with many of them. We still talk, stay connected and I honestly love each of them dearly, and it is partly on me for not calling/texting/insert your favorite form of communication as much as I should, but they aren't here sitting with me in this starbucks. We aren't living life together anymore, because of how far away we are.

I have a ton of amazing coworkers, some of whom I hang out with out of the office, some whom I don't simply because of the age/life stage difference. I am the youngest on staff, so it can make friendships have a totally different dynamic.

I have a Life Group which is an amazing community who would do anything for me, as I would for them. We meet each week for intentional time together, and support each other in everything each of us is going through in life.

Even with all of this, I feel as if I'm missing a good group of girls to have a girls night with once a month. A serious, chickflick watching, chocolate face stuffing, facial/mani/pedi, giggling girls night. All of us needs a group of girls to do this with, and I haven't done this (save one all girl b-day party, which was wonderful but totally different) at all since I have been married.

All this to say, I have amazing friends, but due to schedules, distance, life stages, etc I feel disconnected and need a girls night!