birthday love.

After yesterday, I was reminded why birthdays are the best thing ever; we should make people feel like it's their birthday everyday! I received several cards, phone calls, text messages, facebook posts, and friends exclaiming "Happy Birthday" and it never got old, each one just reminded me how loved I am. My mom took the time to make Blake and I each our own jello poke cake for our birthdays before she left for California and my grandma made us a cake that we devoured on Easter. I have received cards from family and friends, each one including wonderful little messages. My coworkers had some snacks and appetizers in honor of my birthday yesterday afternoon which included beer bread and rum cake with fun candles, and there just so happened to be a KSSLHA end-of-semester potluck last night-- more celebration! Not to mention we won our sand volleyball game which was followed by a few drinks. So thanks to all of you who made my birthday extra special, you're truly amazing!

 My yummy personalized strawberry jello poke cake from my very thoughtful mother.

 Four adorable little bowls from my aunt Cherie purchased at Pier1 Imports.

The candles my coworkers put on my rum birthday cake-- beer and golf...

My good friend and classmate from grad school, Mikki, gave me this fabulous cookie from Eileen's but unfortunately I made the mistake of putting it in my bag and it got slightly ruined. Luckily you still get the gist that there are zebra stripes and hot pink which is totally "us". I told her the frosting got messed up in my bag so I started eating it without taking a picture of it's cuteness and she said, "oh well, it's kind of like our friendship, a little messed up at times!" (We like to give each other a hard time with a little harassment once in a while, it's just how we work.) Perfect frosting or not, the cookie is delicious!