birthday reflections - age 22

Some days, it feels like just yesterday that we were in our senior year of high school (those are usually the days when I feel overwhelmed and long to be back in my parents' home when things were simpler), and yet sometimes I feel like I should be so much older than just 22 (those are usually the days when my body feels as though it has been breaking down exponentially since I gave birth, or when my memory seems to be failing me completely). Regardless of how old I feel, however, the reality is that I have turned twenty-two. This post is not meant to serve as a medium for my ramblings about my age, however, it is meant to regale the events and expound upon the wonderful days that comprised my 22nd birthday.

I discovered that my husband has a much greater capacity for creativity than I ever thought possible. After either forgetting or completely choosing to ignore the last two mother's days, valentine's days, and my last birthday, my anticipation was pretty low this year. However - he suprised me. :-) It began when he took Jace to the store with him to pick out my birthday cake. Jace "picked out" the cake decorated as Finding Nemo, and because Jace was so excited about that cake, Thomas decided to go with it. This served as the catalyst for the rest of my birthday. He decided to go with a fish theme, so my cake was accompanied by an adorable card that read, "Happy Birthday, to the only fish in my sea." and a PURPLE fish tank. He then took me to Hot Springs to eat at On the Border (my fav. mexican food place) and to Petco to pick out my fish and accessories. Kris and Vance went with us and then came over for cake and ice cream. This was on Saturday.

On Sunday, we left Jace with Kris and Vance and went to Little Rock. We ate an entirely too expensive meal at the Capitol Hotel (where we unsuspectingly ordered "sweetbreads" as an appetizer - don't be fooled by the name, it is neither sweet nor bread, it is in fact breaded, deep fried veal organs. Yep. $13 for organs. We had steak and lobster, however, which was awesome. We then stayed at the same bed and breakfast as we stayed in for our anniversary - the place that I absolutely loved. On Monday (my actual birthday), we took off from work, had our breakfast and spent the rest of the day in Little Rock car shopping (which turned out to be a lot of fun). So, it was as though my birthday lasted three solid days, and he managed to keep most of it a secret. It was wonderful.