Highway 29

I think everyone is officially ready for my feast week aka my birthday to end.  If I eat one more sweet or fried piece of delicousness I might as well kiss my months of training good bye because I will likely not move from the couch for a very long time.  Needless to say...birthday 29 was pretty epic and I've been thinking all week on how to capture it all into an epic blog. 

Turning 29 was not nearly as traumatic as I thought it would be.  I remember when I turned 25 I was almost depressed.  Hitting 25 meant I could no longer claim I made stupid mistakes because I was young and dumb, and I was no longer in my "early 20's".  I was ever so much more closer to the dreaded 3-0.  Just like that song, "... I remember when 30 was old."  I had been married, working, and doing post-graduate studies work for 3 years.  I joked with my friends in graduate school that I would turn 25 again every year until I turned 30.  This past Tuesday I opened my arms wide and embraced 29 wholeheartedly.  I have had 29 wonderful, blessed, challenging years and I'm looking forward to seeing what God has in store for me in the next 29.  30 is going to be even better.  :) 

This year my birthday fell on a weekday and unlike last year I had an important meeting scheduled for work that night.  Everyone asked if I could take vacation or have someone else cover the meeting, but it just wasn't a responsibility I could blow off.  I took the morning off to basically hang out and do some things that I wanted to do.  I had breakfast with Katie Murray, I did a 4 mile run, had lunch with my mama and brother, took a nap... and maybe most importantly I let all of the stress and anxiety of the past few weeks fall to the wayside.  When it came time for me to head to my meeting I didn't dread going or wish that I was anywhere else but there.  My night was spent with the Board of Directors of the Caswell Co Farm Bureau.  Years ago before I ever dreamed that I would work for the Bureau, this same group of men and women supported me financially and otherwise in most of my high school FFA experiences.  My family was poor.  I didn't play sports, wear namebrand clothes, drive nice new vehicles, and we didn't have money for me to trapise off on school related trips every few months.  Without the support of this Board...and some others... I wouldn't have had many experiences that have totally shaped me and placed me where I am today.  Tuesday night wasn't work... it was going to spend time with a very important portion of my Bureau family...my home folks.  The ones who knew me and supported me before I became their field rep.  They bought me a beautiful cake and we had a smooth meeting.  Other than a bellyache from all of the crazy food I ate that day... I can't remember a time where I felt more blessed and divinely favored.

Caswell Co Farm Bureau Board of Directors and me on the Birthday :)

 

Chicken Cake

Over the years I've had other great birthday experiences.  When I turned 16 I had just competed on the State winning Poultry Judging team for FFA.  My Mama thought it would be fun to put a chicken on my birthday cake.  The lady who baked and decorated my cake gave my chicken 4 legs because drumsticks were sold in packs of 4 at Food Lion.  We laughed and laughed for years about that.  When I turned 18 my suitemates put flyers all over NCSU campus about me turning legal.  At 26 my office wife and company (Michael Coley) seran wrapped my desk and filled it with balloons.  Some of the best birthday celebrations I've had were not actually held on my birthday.  Several birthdays have been celebrated at National FFA Convention, the State Fair, group dinners, coffee dates, lunches, and get togethers.  For the past 2 years, my office wife has come up the weekend after my birthday and we've had family dinner with my Mikey, Mama, and Phillip. After 2 years of skyping on birthdays my boo was here to join this year too. My family will hold it's annual Octoberfest next weekend to celebrate all of the October birthdays with cake, skeet shooting, maybe a little beer, brunswick stew, and BBQ.   

Suites on my 18th Birthday :)

Epic little Birthday prank by my grad school fam year 26!

Every year people give me junk about not knowing what to get me as a gift.  I'm here to tell you that after 29 years the common theme is cake and quality time with the people I love.  I received so many, many Facebook posts, phone calls, texts, tweets, messages, and e-mails from people wishing me well throughout the day. You have no idea how much those sentiments mean to me.  Those are the only gifts I could ask, want, or hope for.  No jeans, earrings, gadgets, thumping music, expensive dinners, or fabulous trips can compare to the love and memories I've been blessed with.  Thank you :)

Year 29...best yet!

       

Taking Inventory

Guess what... I'm procrastinating.  Procrastinating from writing mounds of thank you notes.  I've already penned 20 and have at least 20 more to go...oh thank you notes.  I've been putting off writing the thank you cards for the family and friends that brought food, made a memorial contribution, sent warm thoughts, visited, or prayed for us through Mikey's mama's illness and death.  There isn't a how-to manual to help you prepare for the necessary etiquette that should take place when an immediate family member dies.  I've never been much on etiquette anyway but I've learned that in the traditional backwood south if there is a wedding or a death then it's mostly up to the women to take care of writing the thank you's and taking care of the formalities.  I've spent more than one night leading up to and during the week of Mrs. Johnson's death.... sitting at the the kitchen table crying because I feel like such a kid and that no one should have to face such a thing... especially my sweet sensitive husband.  And I cried over how blessed we both are to have God given amazing friends and family to support us through something like this. So why can't I get the gumption to write these cards?  I'm just not sure.

Approximately a week after we put Mike's mama to rest I was standing at the front of a church serving as a witness as a dear friend pledged her life to a great man in the presence of God and His church.  We were all wearing our cowgirl boots...the most comfortable shoes I've ever had for a wedding.  None of the dresses matched...no tuxes...nothing about the ceremony was excessive but everything was laced with divine love.

All these life events...coupled with multiple surprise pregnancy announcements... have made me want to stop and take inventory.  Yesterday as we drove home from my office wife's wedding I had 8 long hours to reflect about pretty much everything.  I thought about how often in the past 4-5 months I can only see how things are going wrong, how people have slighted me or someone I care about, how hurt I am over things that happened in the past, how people have changed and our relationship is no longer the same...and it hit me that there was a common theme... the word "I" and that my friends is a problem.

I've been taking a disciple class on Monday mornings with a group of women at church.  I am the youngest lady in the class but you would never be able to tell by the way the other ladies act towards me.  They are so inclusive and encouraging and being with them is such a blessing.  We happen to be studying the Holy Spirit and one thing I've learned is that the Holy Spirit can not fill me up and use me if I am already full of myself.  I can't be the wife, family member, and friend that I want to be and God intends me to be if all I can focus on is myself and my self righteousness.  I used to think that I was selfless and that when bad things happened or people hurt my feelings I was strong enough to handle the pain and pressure and move forward.  After multiple face plants, tears, blessings, and finally in big bold print at study hour I am learning that the strength to move forward and to truly love others is only through the power of the Spirit.  As we study about being bold in our witness to others I have to say that the love, support, and kindness of the many people... especially my closest friends and family... and all others that I've visited with whether it was in the memorial line or in the wedding receiving line, have been a testimony to His divine love and and truly an inspiration for me to want to be better than I am.