Birthdays

...used to be a DAY that I looked forward to with great anticipation each year. However, since moving to Arkansas, I have been trained by my friends that as an adult (now over the age of 30) birthdays are cause for a celebratory WEEK! No complaints here....growing older gracefully takes a lot of encouragement :)

My first day back to work after Sarah's wedding happened to be my birthday (Tuesday, June 10). You can imagine my exhuberation about that, but I was welcomed with a Inbox clogged with emails, projects awaiting my attention, and co-workers who had planned lunch with me as a surprise. Every cloud has a silver lining.....Later that day, I was gifted with a FRESH cookie cake from the ever so delicious Cookie Company. One of our summer interns shared my birthday, so it was actually for both of us.

Everyone wants to do lunch....lunch was planned each day this week by friends to celebrate my birthday. Turning 31 hasn't been as easy as I thought it would be, but my friends really stepped in and made it fun. It was great! Wednesday was lunch with my sales team, Thursday was lunch with the Shadow Valley friends at the Clubhouse, Thursday evening was happy hour with Gina, Friday was lunch with Sanna, Friday night was the talent show with Melissa and William Taylor (2 of the cutest and best kids I know!), and Saturday was a day of R&R with dinner that evening with Melissa and John at Herman's. It's been a terrific week. I am now rested and ready to get back in the groove with work and enjoy the rest of my summer.

Below are a few pics...I did not do a very good job of capturing each lunch/dinner group, but trust me when I say that I enjoyed every single minute! I have some of the best friends here in NW Arkansas...God has richly blessed me!

Lunch at P.F.Changs with the work gang...



Lindsey and I are gifted with a cookie cake on Tuesday afternoon....
Kelly and I drink so much diet coke at the clubhouse that the waiter brings us our own pitcher with a straw!
Two of the most talented kids in NW Arkansas! Melissa (Kindergarten) sang "Maybe" from Annie. She was the only kindergartner who did not have vocal accompiament, only instrumental. William was a jazz trumpet player in a James Brown rendition...he's got some moves!