quarter-of-a-century.

I realize my birthday is almost a month and a half gone but I never posted on how fun it was! Early in our marriage, Seth learned (the hard way, rather) how important birthdays were to me. Since then he seemingly attempts to "top" the previous year's element of fun and surprise. I love to have fun, but I don't always know how to make it happen which is one reason why Seth is good for me- he comes up with great ideas & is able to carry them out well.

I had been complaining/joking for a couple of weeks how old i'm getting (some of you may laugh at this, but turning a quarter of a century is a monumental year)...it's like "official adulthood" from this point on. It's the small things really...I can't blend in as a college student anymore and am entering that season of life that is full of a lot more...responsibilities. I fall into a new age category on surveys...the 25 and older group. I found 2 gray hairs the other day...definite sign of aging. Something about turning 25 just seems so defining...to me anyways. (mom & dad, if you're reading this, i'm sure you are laughing hard at my dramatic emotions & yet are not surprised one bit, haha :) ). 

Yet there are alot of great things about getting older. And I am excited for these seasons and years to come.

With that said...I had a wonderful birthday, thanks to my buddy.

On thursday night (my birthday day)...he cooked me a super delicious dinner...salmon & veggie stirfry coupled with an AMAZING apple crisp from scratch complete with blue bell icecream (thanks to jake & jen) for dessert. THEN after dinner he told me to bundle up because we were going to go stargazing. He had his truck full of blankets & an airmattress to put in the back of the truck. So we made some hot beverages, bundled up & drove to the middle of nowhere & watched the stars for a couple hours....the night sky was a-m-a-z-i-n-g. And we even saw some shooting stars. pretty awesome.

Then  that weekend he surprised me with a weekend getaway to Mt. Magazine St. Park...about 2 hours from Little Rock. We went hiking, played board games, explored the surrounding town of Paris, AR (very, very small town Arkansas to say the least). My favorite part of the weekend was how we just talked alot...with me being an emotional/feeler/talker/need-to-process-everything-outloud-type-of-personality this was the best gift he could've given me. Poor guy was probably emotionally/mentally drained by the end of the weekend. Favorite memory of the weekend would have to be our saturday morning breakfast: we ventured down the mountain to the small, quaint town of Paris, AR on a mission to find a place to eat breakfast. After driving around the whole town about 3-4 times (took about 5 minutes total) we decided on a place called "The Grapevine". We walked in the restaurant and literally everyone stopped what they were doing and just looked at us. Yes, kids even turned around in their chairs, put down their forks and just starred at us. We awkwardly found a table and then everyone resumed their usual saturday morning breakfast...it was obvious we weren't one of the "regulars". haha. I love living in the south just to have experiences like these.

Here's some pics:

                                                              I woke up to this on thursday morning! 

        

                                                                      Making veggie stirfry!

                                                          Getting the airmattress inflated in the truck for stargazing 

                                                                We've got our hot beverages!

                                               Probably one of the best apple crisps i've ever eaten. 

                                                                   on a hike. 

                                                      One of the tallest points in Arkansas 

                        This was the lodge we stayed in...the back of it (here) over looks the valley below...it was beautiful!

I am and feel so blessed. Not in a suzy-sunshine kind of way...but in a true, deep, and honestly speechless kind of way. God is good and so faithful and keeps teaching me that every day i'm on this earth. I get to experience His steadfast love & His unending grace. I don't know what this next year will hold but He does & His plans are good. He does not grow weary or faint (as seth reminded me of this morning- Isaiah 40) as I sometimes do but He gives us strength. What would I do without my Jesus?