Hello 28!

Yesterday was my birthday. I love my birthday and there is just no stopping it, so why not enjoy :) I had such a good day yesterday. I felt so loved and so appreciated. It was so nice! I got cards, flowers, presents, sugary things and a balloon! It was full of sweet surprises. PLUS, we went out to dinner and I got tiramisu. I don't know what day wouldn't be wonderful if it ended with tiramisu!

Time is funny to me. I think it was only yesterday I wanted to be 18 so I could call 1-800 numbers (that say "you must be 18 to call"), just so I could do it. Wasn't my baby boy just born a few days ago? Didn't I just get married last year? So quickly, time goes by. Blink and you miss it makes so much sense to me.

Or time can stand still. In the middle of a disaster. Right after you hear shocking, life changing news. When babies just won't sleep so you can get a break. When 4pm seems so close to quitting time, yet so far away. It can creep on, but never when you want it to.

Although it's speedy and sometimes oh-so-slow, I love the beauty of time. When one second, hour, day or year is over another begins immediately. How blessed that we've seen as many continual seconds and weeks and years already! And if one minute is terrible, there is hope that the next won't be as bad. There is no pause in between - it just keeps going. What a beautiful cycle God created!

I truly enjoyed my 27th year. My heart, my perspective, my soul seemed so much lighter over last year and Patrick noted last night how much happier I seemed to be. After some thought, it made sense to me. Last year was the first year since he has known me that something huge and life changing didn't send me into a whirlwind of negativity and questioning. We didn't move, we didn't struggle with infertility, no one in my immediate family died. In fact, trauma wise, it was a great year!

Here are some things I loved about my 27th year:
*Enjoying pregnancy
*Childbirth - naturally and quickly!
*Becoming a mom and experiencing the joy, hope and awesomeness of a modern day miracle!
*Learning how to speak my mind in a good way
*Becoming confident
*Experiencing humility in ways that still make me shake my head
*Running 4 races over the summer (5k, 5 mile, 7k, 5k) to get back into shape
*Training for and completing a half marathon just 7 1/2 months after having Benjamin!
*Falling more in love with Patrick
*Learning more about the Lord, falling more in love with Him and watching His kind hand teach and guide me through so many things.

I'm so thankful that I have been given 28 years already! I have loved and learned and grown in ways that I never though possible. Here's to the ups and downs, the trials and blessings and whatever else may come my way in the next year. No matter what, though, the beauty of time will keep going. I'll have hope in tomorrow and rejoice in the blessings of yesterday. However many more seconds or years that I get, know that I'll do my best to enjoy them and not take them for granted!