red heart socks, a lei and a birthday hat!!!

I am blessed! I AM SO BLESSED!! You know that heart swelling, going to pop kinda blessed feeling? Well, I got it! I just got home from housegroup and my very own surprise birthday party!! Some very thoughtful and amazing people put together a birthday bash and fooled me into thinking that we were going down into the lower level of the house to pray after housegroup...yea, not so much. We went to party it up!

Christina opened the door and yelled "Happy Birthday" as I walked with my mouth hanging open into a balloon decorated house! I was so surprised!! They even had a painted sign that said, "Happy 20th Steph" strung above the kitchen table! I had no idea what was going on! I was in an excited shocked state for a few minutes...so overwhelmed with how truly blessed I am to be loved and cared for! (Yeesh...teary-eyed!)

They pulled out a cake, some ice cream and the party hats and we were ready for a real party! For some foreign country's tradition (I'm not sure which country!?!) I had to take a bite of the cake before we sliced it up. It was fun! I had icing up my nose (sorry guys!) and actually made quite a dent in the poor, but amazing, cake! It was a wild time! I'm still wearing my lei and party hat! I just want to revel in this feeling of love and friendship for as long as I can! Not that the love of friends will disappear with the setting sun or discarding (actually saving) of my party hat and accessories, but I am enjoying savoring this moment!

We ended up going back upstairs where Jac had a lovely song picked out for me! None other than the Napoleon Dynamite theme song! And, man, I didn't know that Cam had the moves in him! He was dancing up a storm and doing a mighty fine Napoleon Dynamite impression!! Good on you, Cam! Now all you have to do is bust those moves out at church! = )

Then came the prayer! Wow! Isn't it awesome how God can come and minister so gently and unobtrusively!?! (I don't know if that's the word I'm looking for but I'm too excited and too tired to care) What was prayed over me was bang on and so encouraging! Thank you guys! You have blessed the socks (yes, red hearts socks) right off of me!

So, maybe 20 isn't so bad?!? This has definitely been one of the best birthdays of my life and it has only begun! My birthday isn't until Sunday (Feb 13) and my schedule is full with birthday dinners, lunches and party hat fiesta's! All I have to say is BRING IT ON! Then after the birthday comes Kansas City and a whole lot of GOD! Once again, BRING IT ON!

I AM SO FLIPPIN' BLESSED! The socks, the lei, the hat, the card, the Valentine's card and chocolate bar, the gift certificate to Hulls, the cake and the ice cream mean a whole lot to me! But the friendships that I have found in my church/housegroup amaze me and mean a whole lot more! So, thank you for all that you guys have done for me! I am SO BLESSED! (I wish I had more words to tell you how blessed I am but I'm all out and it's after 12:30 and I work tomorrow morning....so, this will have to do!)

Thank you, God, for all that you are doing in my life and for those you have brought into my life! Would you bless them and bring such joy and peace into their lives! THANK YOU GUYS! I love ya'll!!