Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my 36th birthday.  According to Philip, I've been around the sun 36 times now.  It's been a good day filled with reminiscense back to some of my favorite things.  This morning my friend and neighbor Greta came over and she, the kids and I drove to North Greenville University where her son and daughter are students.  It's beautifully located in the mountains of northern South Carolina.  Fall is my favorite time of year to go to the mountains because you can see red and yellow leaves for miles! 

So my first flashback was eating a meal in a college dining hall.  The wide variety of food, unlimited supply and seemingly all of it for free (Greta treated us but I remember never handing over cash when I was in college; just scan my ID, thank you!) brought back many memories.  However the differences were extremely apparent too.  Never at my days at Winthrop University did I ponder, "Can my 8-month-old eat that?", "Where is my four-year-old?" (with Greta at the waffle iron), "Will my 6-year-old hurt himself as he does pretend karate on a makeshift stage area?" and last but not least, "What I wouldn't give to be able to walk in here and eat everyday instead of staring into my fridge and pantry trying to find something healthy/tasty for my family to eat!" Our friend Suzanne, who also came with her 11-month-old son, and I did discuss just staying through lunch too as we don't eat that good at home, but reality kicked in and it was time to drive home.  It was a nice visit and we all decided that we'll visit again in the spring and maybe spend some time wandering around campus. 

On the way home, I stopped at the park at the lake (just a mile from our house!).  The kids had done a great job at the college so I thought it would be fun to enjoy the pleasant fall weather.  We had the park to ourselves and so I enjoyed another favorite flashback... swinging as high as I could!  It was exhilerating to be on that swing with the fall foliage surrounding the beautiful lake in my view.  Swinging could definitely be the next fitness craze as it really does work your ab muscles!

After that, on to the house and Kim's grown-up, real life once again.  My birthday afternoon was spent making lunch, nursing Juliet, teaching Philip and Braewyn as school-time was pushed to the afternoon, and washing a load of laundry. 

Life is good and I thank Jesus everyday for which all He has blessed me.  I pray I might use my next 36 years to glorify Him more than I have with my first 36.