quarter of a century.

Oh, yes, it was my birthday last week.

Twenty-five years old.

Doesn't that sound old?

And yet young?

Sometimes I still feel 16.

Actually, a lot of times I still feel like I'm 16.

Where has the time gone?

I suppose in my 25 years I've managed a happy childhood (ok, that was my parents' doing), formative school years with friends and fun, a college degree, a happy marriage to a wonderful man, and 1.4 kids. I'll take it.

My birthday was a fun albeit simple one.

Chris gave me the most superb gift I could ask for:

he came home for 5 hours in the middle of the day.

It was a dream come true.

[Chris took over the "this day in history" on my bday. he is so blinded by my charm.]

He came home after his morning class and we headed to Bob Evans for breakfast.

I still can't stop thinking about it.

And Carly downed 5 blueberry pancakes and a sausage link like it was nobody's business.

Don't come between the girl and her pancakes.

[in the zone. she didn't look up or make a peep the whole time.]

After that we headed out and perused a furniture store (its a long story, but no, I didn't get the couch I wanted for my birthday. poor me), then headed home and put Carly down and Chris and I just hung out. A novel idea. We'll have to try it more often.

Then Chris was off to his night class, and I took a birthday nap before Carly woke up and we headed outside  for a sidewalk chalk extravaganza where I was required to draw 5 kitties.

Dinner was my very favorite enchilada casserole.

No dessert.

I've found sweets make me sick.

I'm just not into them right now.

Isn't that sad?

I make up for it with chips and guacamole, don't you worry.

Then we settled in to watch the Penguins season opener.

Isn't that sweet they started the season on my birthday?

I thought it was a kind gesture.

[darling family portrait.]

Like my present from Chris?

A Sidney Crosby jersey.

Some girls gets flowers, I get sports apparel.

I was way excited and surprised because they are kind of expensive.

We have been really wanting to take a getaway trip to Pittsburgh and see a game, but with how sick I've been this pregnancy, the timing of the baby, and finances, it just wasn't going to happen this year like we hoped.

So this was a good replacement.

[the 2-year-old and the 25-year-old.]

I was actually spoiled with gifts, and have shopping money to get my fall style on whenever I have time to go by myself. One of my favs was this print from my sister-in-laws:

[lovely dark phone picture, sorry.]

I saw it on Pinterest, and thought it was so cute.

Of course, it will make more sense when we are no longer in Michigan, but you get the point.

Michigan has really become our home in a way that other places never really were.

We love it here, and I wanted a little memento of that.

That was it.

My simple yet fabulous 25th.

I am blessed.

Here's to year 26.