I'm a fan of birthdays

As long as I can remember, I have always LOVED birthdays. I love picking out the perfect gift for someone or surprising someone by sharing in their birthday. I love birthday cards (my sister and brother in law are the best at this) and I have a major weakness for birthday cake. I love birthday traditions (Big Eds) and I love party hats. I love getting to see individual personalities come out in someone else's birthday celebration, and inviting others into your own.

Perhaps I am thinking about this too much.... but I have always loved birthdays. This year, however, I was a little bit anxious about the 10 year anniversary of my sweet 16. It was better than I could have ever expected.

I have the sweetest friends in the world. My birth"day" turned into a birthday WEEK! It started when I was home in Knoxville for a wedding shower. They planned a birthday dinner and then a night out on the town. The whole day was just so much fun from the shower to shopping to celebrating. I felt so loved.

I am not sure why, but we pretended it was my 21st birthday. I don't think we fooled anyone!

The birthday week continued when I got back to Nashville. I was wanting a "low-key" night; dinner and drinks at whiskey kitchen (my FAV). I was so shocked that so many friends came to help me celebrate. Especially my sweet roommate who made the day extra fun! She even baked a cake for us to take to Whiskey Kitchen. It was amazing and so delicious.

I have been wondering why I care so much about birthdays. And I can't really explain it. It is the feeling of excitement I had on Saturday night. It is the feeling of surprise I felt on Tuesday. It is as simple as a text message or a facebook message. I just feel so loved and I am so thankful.