twenty-six

today i turned 26. well, technically, yesterday (seeing that it's 1 am!). matt had to go out of town for an interview this afternoon, so we decided to get the festivities started a little early & celebrated on sunday... and monday, too. i have some fun photos from our weekend, which i'll for sure share here on the blog. seeing that being alone on your birthday seems just wrong, i spent the evening hanging out with some really dear friends (holler, summit ladies small group!), including, one kendra hancock who also turned 26 on monday! happy (belated) birthday, kendra! we ate cupcakes, popped open a few bottles of wine & had some good old fashioned girl time. it was wonderful. based on how i ushered in "26" i have a feeling this year is going to be fabulous.

for being so far away from my "homes" (florida & illinois), i felt such an outpouring of love today. birthdays are good for that. for being reminded of the people you love & who love you back. i love the phone calls (7 people sang "happy birthday" to me today). i love that i got to chat with my little brother, who rarely picks up the phone to call me, but makes an exception for birthdays. i love opening emails & cards from dear friends & family especially when they include mini-updates on their lives. heck, i'd be lying if i said i didn't like checking the out-of-control facebook wall or getting a sweet shout-out on someone else's blog (does it count that she's one of my bffs?)! most of all, i love having an excuse to catch up & spend time (even if it's just "phone time") with some of my favorite people.

i guess what i'm trying to say is ..... thanks for the love today, folks ..... love you back.

(p.s. matt made that cake for me! all i had to do was snap the photo! have i mentioned i have the sweetest hubs?!?)