36

I celebrated a birthday last week and it was really fabulous...not because of anything big but because of a whole bunch of little things.  The day before my b-day, Tod surprised me with an afternoon date.  He had gotten the babysitter and everything and told me to wear active clothes.  We enjoyed lunch at our favorite Mexican spot and then drove to the bike store where he bought me a beautiful bike.  I have been wanting one for so long!  Then we did our first mountain bike ride and also rhode down by the river.  It was so much fun and just to spend time together was the best part.  We always have a good time.

The next day I got several dear phone calls from family and friends, also emails and face book messages.  My amazing visiting teacher stopped by with a yummy treat.

That afternoon, we headed to Nauvoo for the pageant.  I was so excited when I heard that the pageant was going to be held through the first week of August.  I couldn't think of anything better for my birthday than a trip to one of my favorite places in the whole world.  It is just an incredible place and for me it is because I consider my time there (when I spent a semester there during college) as life-changing.  It was during that time that I made some significant decisions and really decided what direction I was heading.  As I watched my own family enjoying the beauty of Nauvoo, I couldn't help but feel so thankful for the experiences I had there that have impacted my life.

The activities before the pageant are always so much fun.  Regan wanted to wear her pioneer dress for the festivities!  We went with some of our good friends and the older girls were happy to wander around on their  own.

 Cole absolutely loved the puppet show.  He never sits this still!

It was a beautiful evening and the perfect ending to a wonderful birthday celebration.  Here's to loving "36"...looking forward to a great year.

(We had left our house open so some friends could watch the Olympics- when we got home there was a delicious birthday cake sitting on the counter that they had baked!  It was a great surpise and so yummy, especially the frosting!)