Birthday Goods

I am just now getting to the post about all the great things I got for my birthday! It's only been 3 weeks right?



Here are some birthday cards I received from Kaylyn, Stacey, and Claudia.



When I went out to lunch at the Thai place with Kaylyn and Stacey they surprised me with these gifts. I got a nice CD with piano music by Paul Cardall (I think he's fabulous) and a cute book with short stories for women. Thanks Kaylyn and Stacey! I appreciate you treating me to lunch as well.



Jill sent me this cute set of note cards and a birthday card that matched. I don't know how she always gets these things to arrive on the right day. I guess she knows the system so well by now that she can calculate it exactly. I love the cards Jill, thanks!

On the Friday after my birthday, I went out with my Provo friends for dinner. I posted a cropped photo on a previous post as a joke, since some of the girls complained that they didn't want their pictures on my blog. After seeing my edited version, they relented and begged me to put the rest of the photo on my blog - the top half- so here it is! I am glad that my evil plot worked (insert wicked grin)



That night Britney gave me part of my birthday present. It was a cute set of bookmarks. Each one had a different background paper and quote on it. My favorite one was, "One word frees us all of the weight and pain of life; that word is love." Sophocles. Britney always makes me great gifts by hand. She made the most adorable apron for me as a Christmas gift. I am lucky to have such a great friend. Really that is my gift.



On Saturday night (Apr 26th) our family got together to celebrate my birthday and Olivia's birthday at Adam and Amy's house. I just love this part of our birthday traditions. While we lived in Australia I really, really missed this. It always felt like my birthday hadn't really happened since I hadn't celebrated with my family.



We had great food; Lori's fruit platter was a highlight and Amy's guacamole was also fabulous, along with all the other food. Jill made me angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream for my birthday cake. It's my favorite. I really appreciated it b/c I know it's not everyone else's favorite, but it was my pick.



For Olivia's 'cake' she piled chocolate donuts up high on a plate and topped with a candle. The kids loved it and I have to say it sure made the serving process very easy for the kids. Plus, my kids never eat cake, it always gets wasted. This was a great idea!



Olivia was very pleased with all her gifts. She got a set of Pet Shops from Jill, Randy, Landon and Whitney, Play Doh and infinite bubbles machine from Adam & Amy and girls, Pet Shop house from Nana and Papa, and a Hello Kitty bag, Olivia pencils, and some candy from Lori.



I got some money from Mom and Pop, The Office DVDs from Jill and Randy, 30 Rock DVDs from Adam and Amy, a cute shirt, flip flops and summery bag from Lori, and of course, the spa voucher from Jared.





It was a good evening with the family. I sometimes wish we all lived closer together, but then I realize it could be much worse! Like 17 hours time difference! I guess 45 minutes isn't so bad, right? Thanks to everyone for making great food, giving nice presents, and helping Olivia and I to feel loved on our birthdays.



This past week, I have received some good mail and cards from Claudia, Jill, and Laurie M. Thanks so much! I just love getting a card with my name on it. It makes my day! On with Good Mail!