Belated Birthday Blog

This past Thursday I turned the big 24. Unlike my childhood birthdays, the world did not pause and allow me to be a princess for a day. I did not get to take cupcakes to school to share with my friends or have people fighting over who got to sit by me at lunch. But even though the world continued to turn, I did enjoy my 24th birthday. I happen to have some amazing people in my life who made me feel pretty special :)

Let me rewind a little and share how much birthdays mean to me. When I was little, my Ma-Maw made each of our birthdays very special. No matter what day of the week it was, she and Pa-Paw drove down from Red Rock to spend the day with us. I always looked forward to sharing that special day with her. And when I look back on my childhood birthdays, I don't think about the presents or Disney-themed parties. I think about Ma-Maw.

My Ma-Maw died when I was a freshman in high school, and birthdays haven't been the same since. For several years after she died, I didn't even want to acknowledge my birthday. That day was just another reminder that Ma-Maw was no longer here.

I don't think I enjoyed a birthday again until I turned 20. That year my best friend, Courtney, surprised me and came to Austin to celebrate with me. We all went to see Aaron Watson, and I finally remembered what it felt like to be happy on my birthday. Thanks, Court for that fun surprise! And Kayla, I think you planned the Aaron Watson thing?

My best friends Kayla and Courtney with Aaron Watson on my 20th.
Love you girls!!

Now back to my 24th... The day started with an early morning birthday call from my sweet Pa-Paw. Even though I don't get to see him, he continues to make each birthday special by being the first person to call. I don't know if it's harder for him to actually remember my birthday, or to wait until a somewhat decent hour to call! I was in Yoakum that morning, so I felt like a kid again when my parents woke me up and told me 'Happy Birthday'. Kayla took me out for a yummy birthday lunch, and then I headed back to Corpus so I could spend the evening with my hubby. Brandon took me to P.F. Chang's for dinner, which was so fun! I loved having him to myself for the entire evening!

Our yummy dessert at P.F. Chang's

All of the calls and texts that I got were so sweet, and just knowing that people were thinking about me meant so much. My family gave me some great gifts, and I have to share Michelle's. Part of her gift was a t-shirt from Maudie's (my absolute FAVORITE place to eat in Austin). When I opened it she said, "Now you can have a little bit of Maudie's with you in Corpus!" Being away from her has been tough, and now I can wear this shirt and imagine sharing a big plate of 'sausage migas con queso' just like we used to :)

Thanks, Shell!!