25th Birthday!

This month I celebrated my 25th birthday! I was so glad that we were able to get my family together at the houseboat, spend time together and celebrate for an entire weekend!
Here are a few highlights from the weekend.

Friday was my actual birthday and I woke up early to work out (which I've decided I should get an extra gold star for working out on my birthday!) and then my roommate Jenni treated me to breakfast! I picked Denny's since it was close to home and we enjoyed hanging out before I headed to my parents house to leave for Austin. We got on the road about 10 AM and made a stop at McDonald's for lunch. I chose a Cheeseburger Happy meal mainly to minimize my portion, and then laughed that I chose a happy meal on the day I turned 25. Cool!

Friday evening Greg, Gina & Ava came out and brought a giant tasty cake with them! They were so sweet to bring me all sorts of sweet smelling Bath & Body works gifts and we got to hang out and play with Ava! Unfortunately Ava was just getting sick and later we found out she had whooping cough, poor baby girl! It was so sad to see such a happy baby feel sick. Good news is that she's making a quick recovery and is back to her smiley self! Thanks for coming to help me celebrate Greg, Gina and Ava!
Saturday I got to sleep in, then woke up to have some birthday cake for breakfast, then enjoyed some swim time while we waited for Scott, Jessica, Emmy and Hayden Kate to arrive! The girls showed up looking so cute in Aunt Sarah outfits that I had mailed them and had a sweet gift for me! I not only got pictures of the girls, but two REALLY cute headbands, as you can kinda see below! One has a cute flower, the other jewels. Thanks girls, you know just what I like!!

We headed out to cruise the lake and enjoy some time in the sun, and I was so proud when Emmy decided to join us swimming in the big lake! Plus she just looked so cute in that life jacket, which she originally referred to as her 'lice jacket'....too funny!



After a chicken cruise dinner we went back out on an evening cruise and got to enjoy sitting on top of the boat to enjoy the breeze and great views of the lake. Here's me and Willow on top of the boat...she loved all the smells out on the lake!!

It was so nice to have everyone together, and we of course all enjoyed extra play time with the nieces! Karo had Emmy entertained all weekend with stories, toys, and beverage umbrellas, while KBob had Hayden Kate fascinated with balloons and driving the boat!



Of course Emmy enjoyed helping me out with my dog care duties...it was so cute how she always asked me if she could help 'carry Willow around'. Now I know Willow's favorite thing isn't walking around a small space on a leash, but How could I resist?

I had so much fun with those girls and wish they never had to leave! Thanks so much everyone for taking a weekend out to hang out with me and let me be spoiled by your kiddos! My parents truly outdid themselves planning a relaxing weekend, and were so sweet to even give me a pink iPod shuffle to use when I work out. And although I don't have any pictures of him, Brad took half of his working weekend to come hang out too! It was all in all a great birthday, and I am so glad I got to spend it with my family! Can't wait to see you all again soon!

I'm really looking forward to the 25th year of my life, which I started off by journaling a recap of some of the most exciting things I did in my 24th year, including: buying my first home, adopting Willow, getting promoted to CLS II, going to Boston, losing 20 pounds, and becoming an aunt to two more nieces! It was a great year, and I have a feeling the best is yet to come! Stay tuned to see what this year will bring!