Keeping Memories Close: Happy Birthday to ME!!

I don't know how it happened because it feels like it was last week, but today is my birthday--AGAIN! I remember the days of counting down the months until my day, but now...not so much. It's happening. I'm getting older and time is going faster. I'm not a big fan!!! I am officially 29, but I will be celebrating my 29th birthday every year for as long as I live. :) I had a really great day. My family and friends made it really special for me, and I'm VERY pleased--more pleased than anything else about this day--about a special guest this visit. :)

Here I am! In all of my 29 years of glory. A little older. A little wiser. A LOT prettier. haha, I kid. I did have to laugh at something my friend, Holly, wrote on fb. "To the prettiest, most talented, most humble person I know, Happy birthday." If you know Holly AND me, that's really funny. (PS: I have NO idea how or why this text is underlined or how to remove it. So read without emphasis.)

This is actually yesterday when our guest(s) arrived, but look who is here!!! Mema!! This is her first time here since right after Sage was born, and that was only for a full day. We are so thankful to have her staying with us. 4 generations of ladies. That's pretty special if you ask me. Best gift! We spent the day in Birmingham yesterday.

And it wouldn't be my birthday weekend if I didn't get to see my best friend in the whole wide world. I haven't seen this girl since July. That is SAD. And unacceptable, and I think I'd slipped into partial depression over it because on my way to Birmingham, I didn't even have a desire to shop. That soon went away. And look at "baby" Iris!!! I love her legs! I have never had a baby with fat on them, so I was lovin' her rolls ACCESSORIZED with baby legwarmers!!!

Chrissie brought me these beautiful flowers in this antique milk glass vase. So pretty!!

And she got me a TON of makeup. I forgot how much I LOVED makeup. I had so much fun playing in it this morning. Seriously, I think a part of me was slipping into borderline drab, and it was not okay. She brightened me up with this thoughtful gift literally and mentally! :)

Travis had to take pictures of me on the beginning of my final year on the road to...30. Ahhh. Whatever, botox and liposuction will carry me through the years.

I love this girl so much. She said, "Mommy, how old are you gonna be? 24?" "Yep." :)

Me and Mamacita before church

The kids giving me their gifts this morning. They were so excited.

My handsome, precious boy

Appropriately from Jaggar...

A huge dark chocolate bar. I forgot to take a picture of what else Chrissie had for me. The "filler" for the gift bag with the makeup was Godiva truffles. I'm glad that the ones that love me most know what I like. :)

Sage's gift: I am SO impressed with this girl. Check this out below.

Travis said that she picked it out completely on her own. She said, "Mommy, it's a book light. You know how you always read your Bible? Well, you can hook this to your Bible and you can see it good." The thoughtfulness of my 6 year old blew me away. We took it out tonight, and she said, "Mommy, can you try it out?" I said, "Well, I'm not ready to read just yet." She said, "Well I picked it out for you, and I'd like to see you use it the first time." Heart melts, we make that happen before bedtime. She told me how I could also use it as a bookmark because it does clip to the page. I told her that it was the most thoughtful gift anyone had ever given me.

Annnd...an itunes card! I unashamedly admit that I'm obsessed with my iphone. I have itunes hooked to my paypal, which is basically instant debits. I don't use it a LOT, but this will make me feel like I CAN now. :)

Last but not least....

A new bead for my bracelet. I was so surprised by this! Travis really thought everything out and knew exactly what he was going for this year for my birthday. So thankful for my family. My mom also got me a new bead the night before at the Pandora store, and I had just been admiring the new ones just like what he got me. I'd never seen them. It has purple ladybugs, and Sage helped choose it! He even TOOK my bracelet to the store without me knowing, so he wouldn't pick out one I had. I was IMPRESSED.

Here's my bracelet as of yet. The white, mother of pearl heart one is what Mom got me last night. I love it. I obviously don't have a theme for my bracelet. Some people do colors or like a fall/winter theme. I throw on there what I like and things that signify things in my life. If you know me, that is obviously a plethora of STUFF. To clarify a few "huh's?", Pandora now makes a cute boy and girl charm to represent your kids (which just came out), but the older ones were so ugly in my opinion. The boy looked like a Buddha. Anyway, for Jaggar, I have a cow. Because that boy literally LOVES cows, and he drinks 3 gallons of milk a week. SERIOUSLY. The ghost is for Sage, who I have always called "boo-boo." The pumpkin was a birthday gift last year because my birthday is just a week before Halloween. The present was from Chrissie for Christmas because "being my friend is a gift," she said. :) AWW. The 2 red hearts was my first one that I ever got for our anniversary. Puffed heart for valentines. The orangey/red ones are because I love orange. Mom got me both of those. Anyway, I love my bracelet. Maybe one day I'll make a "themed" one...but it's highly doubtful.

Annnd...I'm SO excited about these. Everybody has Uggs, right? Not me. I KNOW they are super comfortable, but I just wasn't in love with them. THAT IS, UNTIL Oprah gave away a specific pair on her "Favorite Things" Christmas giveaway last year. I have NEVER forgotten about them. I actually looked for them last year, but no stores in Kentucky or Alabama carried them. But this year, they have come to stores here, and I am so excited....

BAM! Oh yeah!!! Silver sequined UGGS! I love them. I love them. I love them. Are they flashy and Michael Jackson-ish? Even borderline over the top? YES! And that's why I love them! Did I wear them already??? Ya better believe it!!

I've had a wonderful birthday! SO many have taken time to go out of their way to say happy birthday in calls, emails, facebook, and texts. I could not keep UP with facebook today. If you took time out of your day to make ME feel special, thank YOU! And...you did. You made me feel special. Here's some of my texts.

Typical Mitch. I told him to send Chanel.