The big 2-6

Thanks everyone for the sweet birthday calls, cards, facebook messages, and comments! I am very blessed to have you all.

Sweet LB asked for a birthday update, and though at first thought, 26 seems very boring - somewhere in the nowhere-land between "still cool and young" and "grown-up and 30", this birthday has actually been a very good one.

It's been good because of events and things - a friend surprised me with a delicious cake at community group on Thursday night, Brad took me to our favorite restaurant this weekend, my parents are coming for breakfast on Wednesday, and I am using birthday moolas to buy some new photo editing software that I've been researching and wanting for some time.

But, besides the events and things, this birthday has mostly been good because looking back and looking ahead, there is much to be thankful for.

For me, this past year has been one of acclimating to a new place and of finally feeling at home, and this coming year will be one filled with good things - with weddings, with friends, with travel, with family, with sun, with dogs, with anniversaries, with new goals and ideas, with deepening community, and certainly with trials and lessons that will help me grow up in personality and in faith.

And so, this year, instead of thinking of the big 2-6 as a little boring and somewhere in between "young" and "grown-up", I'm thinking of it as a good place where much has happened but where there's still much room to grow. And, I'm very excited about all that's to come before the big 2-7.