My birthday~ I am VERY blessed!

I celebrated my 32nd birthday yesterday and it was a great day. Jayten and I took Emma to school, then ran errands to the postal place and the bank. Then we went downtown to drop off some clothing at a women's/kid's consignment store. I also found a couple new-to-me items-new dark khaki pants, a cool black jacket and a fun brown plaid hat. I also found a pink corduroy skirt for Emma. It was the perfect find to go with some new-to-her funkie tights she got from friends of ours. A couple weeks ago I found a silver/gray vest for MJ. She had been wanting a puffy vest, and this one fits the dress code so she can wear it to school. Consignment store shopping can be annoying as you never know what you'll find, but it's also super fun when you find exactly what you were looking for in the right size, gently used or sometimes new and priced right. We stopped by to see a friend who was working nearby as well and had a nice chat. We picked up a few supplies at Staples, grabbed a quick lunch at Burger King, then went to the DMV to renew my driver's license. It had been eight years since I had a new one! After that, we made one more consignment store stop. Little J was such a good boy. He just sat on a rocking horse and hung out while I tried on a few items. The only time he whined was at the first store when the candy dispenser was at eye level and mom wouldn't give in. Other than that, he was great. At home, we waited for the bus, then took MJ to jazz (she started last week), then to a friend's to leave for religious ed. Josh had gone to town for groceries and when we got back, I started working and he prepared a delicious birthday dinner. He had baked a cake-yellow with chocolate frosting! (He's never baked me a cake, so this was a real treat.) He also made Caesar salad, breaksticks and shrimp alfredo. And he'd cleaned the house (not that it was that dirty to begin with) and did my laundry! I give him a bad time about not cooking dinner much, but he is really good at helping clean up and do laundry. After dinner, everyone sang Happy Birthday to me. The girls picked out a Denver Broncos zippered sweatshirt and J & J gave me some new shoes. Mackenzie made a very sweet little card. It was a wonderful day. I spent most of it thinking about how truly blessed I am. I also am wondering what this next year will bring. You know we are put on this Earth for a purpose-to know and serve God and others. I have been thinking a lot about where I am being called to serve. Of course, my family first, but where else might God want me to be using my talents? I will have to keep praying and discerning about it. Whatever this year brings, I am so thankful for my family, my great friends, my health and all we've been given. The older I get, the more I want to make sure I'm giving back as much as I've received. Here's to another 32 years!