28

I turned 28 yesterday.

The change in age wasn't too upsetting as I've referred to myself as 28 for the past year and now the math I have to redo in my head every time someone asks my age is finally accurate.

Landon was super excited about my birthday, though he was concerned about the fact that I wasn't having a party with all of my friends (or all of his friends, he generously offered, perhaps at a bounce house?). When I stepped out of our room yesterday morning, he raced over to me with a small wrapped box yelling, "Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday! Here, open this! It's a necklace!".

Good thing I already knew that.

I had picked the necklace out at the Embellish nail salon last weekend and my outfit was designed to showcase both it and The Shoes (which is why I informed JP I really needed to open my gift before work. I can't say he understood the fact that my clothes had been picked out a full 5 days ahead of time, but he indulged me). My new jeans were purchased off the Ann Taylor clearance rack for $18 last weekend. They fit perfectly and look super cute cuffed up with heels for a non-work day. The top is from the AT sale rack as well. This has been a month of looser spending standards; I will not be shopping again for a while. (Well, I'm going birthday shopping with my mom in Houston this weekend, but after that, no more.)

It was a good day. My co-workers took me out to lunch, where I ran in to our very own Academomia! She was out and about on her own with all three of her little boys, including brand new baby James, proving that she is as brave and awesome as she seems in her blog. I picked up the kids from daycare and came home to a kitchen table all decorated for my mini birthday party, with my very favorite white funfetti cake all baked and frosted with love by JP. Funfett is an important LL birthday tradition- he said he had to go to four stores to find the proper rainbow chip frosting.

We headed to the patio at Polvo's for some tasty margaritas and queso (there's entrees too, but I was in it for the tequila and melted cheese). While at dinner, with Landon sitting next to me, being sweet and well behaved as usual, happily dunking a tortilla in queso, and Claire sitting across from me, smiling at the table next to us and chasing gerber puffs across the table with great concentration, and JP on the diagonal, making funny faces at his baby girl, I just had one of those moments where everything feels so right. Perfect, really. Not in every detail- we have some stresses and big decisions to make regarding jobs and loans and potential relocations- but in the overall. I am so happy and so blessed and sometimes it's all I can do to just try to take it all in and feel every bit of it.

Yes, I'm 28 and life is so good.