Age Is Just A State of Mind!

"Age is something that doesn't matter unless you are cheese...It's all in the attitude"  -Billie Burke 

This quote is on my birthday card from my sister Michelle and it is going to be my mantra for life.  Birthdays have never really made me reflect on my attitude ever, but this whole turning 30 thing has really made me think.  By nature I believe I am a negative thinker.  It's way easier for me to dwell on the negative and be a bit of a complainer.  This is going to age me beyond any other factor in my opinion and just because I am now 30 years old does not mean I have to start "aging."  I'll still blog about and voice my frustrations, but I need to balance them with the joys that are all around me!

My birthday really was a great day despite being on Friday the 13th!  (although a plate fell off my wall, put a whole in my wood floor and broke :( see I do have to add the frustrations still!) I woke up feeling a bit like my birthday was anticlimactic as I went about my normal morning routine with Hayden who had no idea it is my birthday, let alone my 30th!  But then I went to meet my friend Ali Mendenhall at her house for lunch and she had planned a whole surprise luncheon.  I was totally caught off guard and floored by their love and support.  All the moms parked far away so I wouldn't see their cars, so when I saw them all I was so shocked!  The food, cake, and company were amazing and made me feel so appreciated and special.  Then the emails, facebook messages, texts, and phone calls made me again feel valued and important!

That night my friend Stephanie and her daughter Lizzie watched Hayden for us while Paul and I went to Maggiano's.  It was delicious and they have the best deal there:  an appetizer, two entrees, dessert, and wait for it....two more entrees to take home for $40!  Isn't that amazing???  It was a nice restaurant and a fun way to celebrate my 30th birthday.

I am truly blessed to have such wonderful friends who take the place of my family while we are far from home.  And I am also truly blessed to maintain relationships with family and friends all over the country.

I didn't take any pictures until the very end of the night dang it!

We probably took 8 pictures trying to get Hayden to look at the camera, but she was much more interested in holding onto the gift bags!