Just 29?

Most people say they feel younger than they really are, with the possible exception of their physical body not feeling like a spring chicken.  So I guess I'm an oddball this year:  today is my birthday, and somehow, I feel older than my new age:  29.  How can that be!?  Maybe it's because Matt turned 30 this year and I feel it should have been my turn this year, too; maybe it's because mentally, I just want to skip what a lot of people feel is the dreaded last year of their 20s and just accept that I'm headed into a new decade of age; maybe it's because most of my close friends in Austin are already in their 30s and it feels weird for me to still be in my 20s; or maybe it's because my mental and emotional state the past year has aged me more than I thought and surely, I shouldn't be in my 20s.  My body, also, has sure shown its "maturity", if you will:  on top of my hurt ankle (by the way, how can I be so out of breath climbing a set of stairs when I haven't been running for just a few weeks!?), I found two grey hairs recently!  Matt went through his list of reasons why I don't need to color my hair (which I started a year ago and not because of grey hair), but after no consideration to his comments, I applied my trusty Garnier reddish/brown tint to my own heart's content.  Some of you are chuckling, thinking to yourselves, "This girl has no idea what aging is.  I'll show you aging!"  But seriously, I'm just 29!?

Oddly, I didn't really feel like celebrating too much today.  Matt tried his darndest to get me to "par-tay", and I'm sure he would say it was like pulling teeth from a whiny 5 year old. I just really didn't feel that up to it.  For one thing, I thought of my friend Becca, who didn't see her 29th birthday.  I also thought of the ways life quite isn't what I expected it to be.  But as I started receiving e-cards, messages on Facebook and Ink Pots, and phone calls, the thanksgiving for my friends and family, and especially my husband, overflowed into joy and celebration of the day.  Also, opening some presents helped, too.  I love presents!  Thank you to those who have made me feel so loved!  It has been a very special day.  Let me share some of the highlights (you can click on a picture to see an enlarged version):

For breakfast, Matt took me to a wonderful, eclectic restaurant called Chez-zee.  He ate enough for 4 people:  A Belgian waffle with pecans, whipped cream and strawberries; eggs with cheddar cheese; and home-fried potatoes!  He devoured every bite!  I was lucky to get one nibble of waffle (slight exaggeration there).  I had, what my sister-in-law, Julie, says is, "an old lady meal":  quiche.  It was yummy, but I will agree with Julie:  it was boring.  I should have gone for the creme brulee French toast!  Even so, it was tasty and a delightful date with my hubby, who has planned each part of this day so well! 

We stopped by one of Austin's best grocery stores, Central Market, to pick out some burger patties for tonight's bar-b-que.  I got one with jalapeños and cheddar cheese!  On our way home, we stopped by Chris and Jill's home and had some good laughs and played with the kiddos for just a bit.  Look at those cheeks of Haddie's!  Harrison is such a big boy on his motor bike.  He said the most precious thing when his momma asked him, "Harrison, who made waffles today?"  "God makes waffles."  Precious!  It reminded me of a story my friend and neighbor, Leah, told me recently about her son, Evan.  She asked him, "Evan, where does Molly live?"  Usually, he points over to our house.  But on this special occasion, he took his hand and pointed to his heart, which is where he points to when Leah asks him, "Evan, where does Jesus live?" 

This evening, Matt bar-b-qued burgers on the new grill he got for his birthday.  It was his first time grilling and he did an excellent job; the burgers were perfect!  Below are a couple of pictures of flowers in our garden.  There is one of the Knockout Rose that is absolutely fabulous!  You'll see there are more than 5 blooms already on one stem, with at least 5 more buds ready to blossom.  It's a gorgeous cluster!  The other yellow flowers are from the Esperanza Yellowbell.  Before you think our newly planted garden looks great, let me say that one small Cherry Laurel tree that was here when we moved in has suddenly turned a dark brown with crispy leaves, and, it seems as though our Lantana is also sickly.  We're trying to figure out what is ailing our plants, and the enigma of it is what stresses me out.  Gardens are meant to be somewhat calming and relaxing, right?  Well, not for me.  It's what probably caused the 2 grey hairs to sprout.

And I just have to share these with you!  They are of my little Miss Molly, and I think they are beautiful.  They are some of the only pictures we have where her gorgeous eye color shows.

Pretty Puppy

Miss Molly