A Very Merry Birthday & the Joy of Friendships

Yesterday I turned 27. Last year I turned 26, fancy that. I wrote a blog a year ago about how amazing it is that my birthday is also Christmas in July. It's a wonderful thing, this birthday/Christmas thing I've got going. But yesterday was an insane day. Literally from the moment I woke up to the moment I went to bed I was bombarded with love. Here's what I mean… 

5:40 am. Woke up 

6:00 am. Camp Gladiator… that ended with popsicles! 

7:10 am. Walked into my house from Camp Gladiator to our dining room decked out in Christmas decorations with Amanda yelling "Merry Birthday!!" I was so in shock that I didn't know what to do. 

8:15 am. Roommates made a wonderful breakfast and we enjoyed talking, gluten free pancakes, coffee, all while listening to Rosie Thomas Christmas music! Best album ever. 

9:30 am. Head to work, with PaToya, which was a treat! Got a phone call with my niece Emily singing Happy Birthday!

10:00 am. Got to train new volunteers on caring for widows in East Austin through the BAGS program. Then PaToya and I, along with some other volunteers got to deliver groceries and just talk with these wonderful women!

12:30 pm. A coworker had left notes and soaps from Bath & Body Works on my desk!

1:00 pm. Took PaToya home and grabbed Kristen Howell who came in town for my birthday! Talked to my parents and heard the annual "My name is Zoom and I live on the moon" song! 

2:00 pm. Kristen, Mandi and I had lunch at The Steeping Room! Tea and best friends from college, on my birthday, in Austin!?! Seriously! How did my life get such a gift?!

4:00 pm. Kristen and I find a few new tops on sale at Anthropologie! FTW!

7:00 pm. Met a group of friends on the roof of Whole Foods and played a new game called 'Geocaching War' running around downtown looking for geocaches. So awesome! My team ran 2 miles and hated me, but we had fun! And made a friend who valets cars. 

8:30 pm. Ran into Jaquon (a friend I met through Mission Possible) in Whole Foods. Dinner and more friends on the roof! Lyndsey surprised me with my favorite dessert from Whole Foods, after seeking out suggestions and my mom's knowledge of desserts I love. 

(Please note the photo bomber... I definitely called him out on it.) 

10:30 pm. Head home and PaToya says we aren't done… 

11:00 pm. Proceed to watch "Merry Birthday" videos from friends, kids at Mission Possible, family, etc. I think it was the funniest thing I'd ever seen! And my roommates gave me a present with some of the most thoughtful, tear-jerking cards/books I've ever read by friends. If I can find a way to share these, I WILL. 

Other amazing things that didn't fit the timeline: 

• cards and presents from friends and grandparents and my sister! 
• treats at work on and getting to share words of wisdom from my past year at work (which made me laugh because I would have had to do that with Granddaddy)! 
• Voicemails and texts and Facebook messages…. 

I am honestly overwhelmed by the amount of love I have received in the last few days. If you're reading this, I'm grateful for you. Seriously. I am amazed to this day by the people in my life. You are all like family to me. Thank you for loving me like Jesus, just because. I am grateful for this life I have the privilege of living, the friends and family I have the joy of knowing and doing life with, and utlimately I am grateful for a God who gives such good gifts to His people, just because. 

Thank you for helping me celebrate another year of life and God's faithfulness.

Soli Deo Gloria.