My 30th Birthday

A week after the fact, I'm finally getting around to letting you guys know about my 30th birthday haul.

This is what Cam got me:

I love it.  I should love it, I asked specifically for it, so it'd be weird if I didn't like it.  Haha.  He also bought me this tin sign:

Let's just say, he's more excited about this one than I am.  It is cute that he tried so hard.  It's also funny because it's true, but her face scares me.

My mother-in-law and sister-in-law were driving through town on their way from UT to MO a few days before my birthday, and brought me presents, too.  My MIL brought me this:

I had been wanting one for a while, and had a perfect place in my kitchen for it, so that's awesome!  My SIL got me these round boxes with green lids and a cute owl print from Ikea.  I couldn't find a picture to show you from their website, but, trust me, they are cute.  I didn't have a place in mind for those, though, so they are slowly making their way around the living room, my bedroom, and bathroom, until I find the perfect place for them.  I'm about halfway there, I think.  

My mom got me this:

Again, this is something I asked specifically for, so I'm extremely happy with it.  I love drinking out of ceramic, but those weird silicone lids on most ceramic to-go cups makes my coffee taste super weird, so I'd been telling everyone I wanted this for my birthday for the last three months.  Just in case.

Katie claims she got me this cookbook:

I say "claims" because I haven't actually seen it yet, she's supposed to bring it when she visits next month.  Sure, sure.  I'm actually really excited about it, if it turns out to be real.  I love good cook books with good pictures, and I especially love them if the recipes are organized seasonally.  But, yeah, since I haven't seen it, I'm trying not to get my hopes up, yet.

My MIL also gave me $20 to go towards a new pair of shorts, because my mom told her I needed some, but I spent most of it on coffee already.  As my sister so eloquently put it, after I explained to her the situation: "I think that coffee is a better use of your money, because you can make shorts out of pants, but you can't make coffee out of pants.  You CAN make coffee out of plants, but you can't grow those plants unless you live closer to the equator.  I rest my case."  If that's not enough of a reason to justify over-buying Starbucks on your birthday week, I don't know what is.  Also, we live over an hour from the nearest Gap, and it's been about 80-85 here at the hottest, so shorts seem less of a priority.

I've probably mentioned this before, but I find it impossible to bake here in Laramie, between the altitude and the dry air, and I was worried that my birthday would be chocolate cake-less.  Fortunately, my birthday needs and wants were more than anticipated.  My MIL and SIL, after driving 6 hours from Utah and anticipating another 12 hour drive the next day, still stopped to buy me a chocolate birthday cake before coming to my house.  I mentioned this previously as well, but my friend Aja made and brought with her a 4-layer chocolate ganache cake from MO, too.

There were lots of leftovers of both, and I don't mind telling you that nearly every afternoon for nearly two weeks I cut myself a rather large piece of chocolate cake and ate it while the kids were resting/napping upstairs.  Before and after Aja was here, this routine also included a large cup of coffee and an episode of Bunheads.  I'm out of cake and unwatched Bunheads so I guess it's all over, but it was nice while it lasted.  I guess I'll have to come up with something new for "mommy's quiet time."  I'm willing to take suggestions.

The long and the short of all this is, I have never felt more generally loved in my entire life.  Despite being officially OLD now, and being isolated in Wyoming, having amazing people in my life makes everything awesome!