mamasoup

Another year older

    Today I turned 37 years old.  It was an unusually wonderful day considering the circumstances.  I started the day with some sweet gifts from my husband that I had to open at 5:45 AM because he had a meeting at 6 am.  I then was woken up by Abi, my 9 year old, with two birthday cards that she had made. 
    After getting everyone to school, Emma went to Grammy and Dan-Dan's house and I went to Bible Study where I enjoyed Kelly's wonderful cheesecake!  Thanks.  I also received cards, flowers and gifts from my friends.  I had to leave early because I had a ROOT CANAL scheduled for 10:30am.  Nothing like a root canal on your birthday. However, it actually turned out to be a gift in disguise.  I have been in so much pain for the last two weeks that it was a relief to have the work done. I also can now highly recommend Dr. Bruchmiller. He did such a good job on my root canal. It felt like he was just flossing my teeth.  I have been able to eat today and I am experiencing very little pain.  Thank you Dr. Bruchmiller!
    Tonight I was treated to a special gift of the District -Wide Strings Concert at the Municipal Auditorium.  Jordan and many other students were on hand to serenade myself and a thousand other people.  It was more enjoyable than I thought that it would be. It is such an amazing program.
    Thank you to everyone who called me and emailed me today and sent cards. It really made me feel special. As you get older and older and further away from the "Big Birthday Bashes," it is the little sentiments that really count.  I felt very loved and appreciated today.  And I don't think I mind getting another year older.

Old Friends-Good Times

    Tonight my family and I spent an evening with some old friends.  By old I mean friends that I have known for a very long time, not people who are elderly.  Although, we were belatedly celebrating David's 37th birthday, so we are getting up there in age. The two families who were there with us are people that we have known since before we all had kids.  We have been through major life changes together. And now that our kids are older and at different schools, are paths don't cross as much as I would like.  There is something special about being with people who have known you for so long.  I felt so comfortable and at ease.  I can really be myself and not worry about what anyone will think. 
    I got to hear about one friend's recent trip to Uganda and see all of her wonderful pictures.  I got to catch up with my other friend and hear how her life as a home school mom is going.  We have nine children between us, but you wouldn't have know that there were more than three in the house. They have all known each other since birth, so they get along very well. 
    I had lentil soup for the first time and really enjoyed it. I did not try the Cuban sandwiches since the only ingredient I liked was the bread.  I will post another day about my eating issues.  Anyway, I assigned several categories to this post because when we get together we cover so many different topics.  We all used to go to church together but now we worship at 3 different places, but we still share a common faith in Christ.  I think that is what carries this friendship along year after year.
     I am thankful for these friends and I pray that we would find the time to continue to fellowship together for many years to come. 

I grew up a little tonight

I had a real, grown-up evening for first time in a long while.  Paul and I went to a dinner for the Ecumenical Center for Religion and Healing.  It was a nice event. I got dressed up and our neighbors watched the kids.  I ate food I had never eaten before.  If you know me, you will be blown away by what I ate.  I had a salad that had the lettuce that looks like weeds on it. It tasted pretty bitter. Under that was salmon. I had never had salmon before, because I assumed I wouldn't like it. It tasted pretty good. There were also some sweet onions that I ate. The only thing I didn't like was this cheese that tasted like goat cheese only worse.  I was so proud of myself for trying something new and liking it.  I even enjoyed a nice glass of white wine for the first time, too.   I felt like a normal person tonight instead of the girl who doesn't like anything.  It was a big culinary step for me.