Happy BirthWEEK to me!

What a whirlwind week! I felt like I was going from one party to another (when in all actuality, i WAS going from one party to another) for my birthday. As most of you are well aware, birthdays are special events for me....whether it's yours, mine, or the neighbor down the street doesn't matter....I love birthdays! I'm not going to lie, I was a little worried about being 2,000 miles away from everyone who knows how much I enjoy birthdays...but I've come to realize through this week that worrying just wastes time, and I didn't really have anything to worry about anyway.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I can honestly say this birthday is one of my most memorable...not because I did anything outlandish or crazy in the wild wild West (like my 21st birthday party at a Civil War battle re-enactment) but because of the outpouring of love from all my friends and family. I am SO blessed beyond belief. Case in point:



Monday and Tuesday were volleyball nights. I've been playing on Tuesday nights with a co-ed group of locals (mostly over age 40) which is a lot of fun. We always have really competitive games which is great. I was asked to join a women's team who needed an extra player...so I've added Monday nights to my schedule. We've won the last 2 weeks in a row....it is so nice to be able to reach the top of the net and contribute with hits and blocks again. I've had a lot of fun with that. So Monday and Tuesday were out to do any celebrating since I was at volleyball.

Wednesday was my birthday (for those of you who happened not to notice my countdown), and Carol (the lady I live with) organized a little get together with the Evans (Bo, Coy, and Hazel) at a local restaurant. I was just expecting to be there for supper, but sneaky Carol had gone out and gotten a cake to surprise me with.

I spent most of the daytime answering messages and skyping with Mom and Dad in Florida at Spring Training (wish I could have been there!). After supper and cake, I opened my gift from the Evans. Talk about sneaky....I got 5 cans of Sundrop!! Since it is pretty much non-existent here, except for the depleting stash in my closet, it has to be imported. Coy's mother had come into town for the week for Hazel's 1st birthday and had tucked 5 cans into her suitcase in St. Louis!! That was a HUGE surprise to open!! I can only imagine what my face looked like.



Thursday was a planned trip to Billings with Jonene (choir director at church) and her husband and mother. I woke up to a bunch of snow on the ground and a phone call to cancel our trip because of bad weather. About 45 minutes later the weather had cleared and our trip was back on! We went up to Billings for SHOPPING! After a trip to the mall and another shopping center we had supper at the Olive Garden and then headed back home. It was a great day!

Friday night was another dinner with a museum friend at a local restaurant where we could watch the UNC game together. Thank goodness for a Tarheel victory!

Saturday brought a trip with the Evans to Thermopolis (which had been postponed from a couple weekends ago) to soak and be lazy in the hot springs. What a weird place! I'm not sure what I expected, if anything, but it wasn't that. It was a mix of an ancient Roman public bathhouse and rotten eggs. I really can't describe it any different from that. The water was super nice because it was warm in the middle of winter. There was an indoor and an outdoor pool. The air was freezing, but the water was very relaxing. I poked into the "vapor cave" (no lie, that's what the sign said) which was a sauna type place where super hot water shot into the air of this very small cave area (I was a little claustraphobic/couldn't breathe because of the steam in the air and close quarters) and spent the majority of the 2 minutes I was in there inconspicuously staring at this woman who was doing stretching exercises in the "vapor cave." I quickly escaped and dunked myself in the "lobster pot" (that's what that sign said too!) of a hot tub. I didn't last long there either...it was really nice and relaxing, but I wanted to get back to playing with Hazel. She had an absolute BLAST in the hot springs. She had a little float and kicked and splashed and laughed and had the best time.




Despite the weirdness of the building with low ceilings built in the early 1900s, the water slide suspended from the ceiling (I didn't try it out), the woman who brought her 3 week old baby, the muted rotten egg and gas smell, and outrageously pruny fingers and toes, we had a good day. There were certainly a lot of laughs shared by all. And a stop in Meteetsie for chocolates at the chocolatier's store certainly put a chocolate covered cherry on a fantastic week of birthday celebrations.

As usual, I'm not done. Although this isn't for my birthday, it seems like it could be. I'm going over to the Evans tomorrow to watch the next round of basketball games (GO HEELS!) and make homemade Chickfila nuggets and oatmeal cookies.

I truly thank you all from the bottom of my heart that is so filled with joy and love for making my birthdayweek so special. I am so blessed by you all and feel your outpouring of love beyond belief. I have found tears in my eyes so many times this week. Thank you ALL!!

Next week also looks pretty good....I start my new JOB on Tuesday!!!! Be ready for updates!

and as always....GO HEELS!!