The Great Two-Eight

I know a girl is never supposed to reveal her age, but I've never been very good at keeping secrets or, you know, lying. This past week I celebrated my 28th birthday. There. I said it. Now the whole world knows my age. Or at least the handful of people who read my blog. But I'm okay with that because so far being 28 has been great!

The main event of the week was a small dinner party with friends and family the day before my actual birthday—which was also my parents' 35th anniversary. Thus, I dubbed it the Anni-irthday Party. And it was grand. I thought you might enjoy a photo journal of the evening, so please excuse the inordinate number of pictures of ME. I know it's my blog and my birthday, but I still very strange posting all these pictures of, well, me.

The party was hosted by Dave and Carol, whom I often refer to as my "second parents." Good friends for more than 15 years, they are definitely part of the family. Carol decorated beautifully for the occasion:

Here I am in the Birthday Chair:

After eating our dinner of take-out Thai food—what could be better than peanut sauce, fried rice, and not having to cook?—we moved into the living room for gift opening:

My dad, the photographer for the evening, decides to add his feet to the picture for interest:

I decided to join in and show off my cute Christmas socks--just one of the many pairs I own:

My brother Carrington and his girlfriend Melissa anxiously wait for me to open my gifts:

First up, the gift from Dave and Carol:

Along with a 50$ gift card for purchasing art supplies (woohoo!), Carol also made two pairs of earring for me--in pink and purple, of course.  Yep, I'm kind of a girly girl.

Next, a funny card from Carrington and Melissa:

And an even funnier gift:

Okay, it wasn't really a Swiffer WetJet, but Carol thought it was and that made it even funnier.  The real gift was a super-soft scarf.  Here I am looking rather confused about what to do with it:

But don't worry, I figured it out eventually:

The special Swiffer box also contained TEA!  Here I am giddy with excitement:

And for the final gift of the evening, my parents gave me this:

In case you don't know, I'm a bit of a crockpot addict.  I use mine almost every week.  And this new one is a huge step up for me.  See how excited I am?

Dave and Carol also gave my parents this gigantic box of fancy chocolates for their anniversary:

While Carol and Mom get dessert ready, Dad and Dave hang out on the couch:

And Momma Cat joins in the excitement:

While Barney makes mischief under the tree:

Here comes homemade strawberry rhubarb pie!

Yep, it's great to be 28!