Yesterday, April 23, 2013, I turned the BIG 33. (Notice my super amazing hand signals to tell you that) I remember when 33 seemed very old. I remember when 33 seemed very far away. Now, I’m living it and embracing it! I absolutely was transformed when I truly got the revelation that life happens in seasons and you better stop, smell the roses, and enjoy each season as it comes because eventually that season will fade away. The 30’s have been very good to me and have truly been some of the most life transforming, God honoring years and seasons that I have ever walked in. Watch out world because Jessica hasn’t changed an ounce. I still am full of optimism, vitality, spunk, the Holy Ghost, and now I’ve got all of these things combined with a teeny tiny bit of maturity 🙂

My day started out amazing with 3 homemade cards. Ok. This actually is a lie. In the interest of truth-telling while trying to maintain a vestige of privacy for my family all I will say is that at 3 AM someone came in our room and invited us to a party at their crib. Only their crib was a bunk bed and the party was the fact the bunk bed, sheets, blankets, mattress, pillows, and stuffed animals were covered in urine. Yes folks, I partied my birthday in with some fun PJ changing, sheet washing, febreeze spraying, laundry washing, and frustrated rambling.

Back to the cards……..Everyone of my boys made me a card, including my 31-year-old boy. This meant the world to me! My main man wrote me a love note with 33 reasons why he loves me and my 2 little men showed me their love with a Football themed card (literally EVERY woman’s dream) and a poem about playing games and naming names and how much fun that will be in repetition. I also had a gift that I love. It is the cutest little 26.2 marathon charm for my key chain or rear view mirror or any other place that I choose to show my love and adoration for the self flagellation and torture known as long distance running. The . for the .2 on the charm is a little tennis shoe. My men know me.

The goodness of the day just kept coming. I got my free Starbuck’s Rewards birthday drink. It was a triple grande extra hot skinny peppermint mocha of which I drank outside on the patio at Starbuck’s because God showed me favor by giving me a day in the 70’s and sunny, of which we have seen maybe 2 such days in the entirety of 2013. I know God loves me more than he loves you if your birthday is today, because it is back in the 30’s and rainy today. Sorry, I’m just that amazing.

Also, that afternoon I got a call on my phone from Edible Arrangements that my neighbor had signed for a delivery for me. I was so pumped and told myself that I would have to put a serious smack down on my neighbor if she even looked at my arrangement with lust in her heart. That puppy was mine! I was super shocked and excited and couldn’t wait to get home and check it out. Turns out that my Bridge Church family, the greatest people in the world, chose to honor up, down, and all around by sending that amazing bouquet to my house and celebrate my big day. I also got countless cards, texts, Emails, and words of encouragement from these dear friends of mine. I am so #blessed!!! Every single comment meant the world to me.

Before I could go on my birthday celebration run, I had to deliver my little men to school. I walked Reese to the bus stop and as soon as the driver pulled up, the entire bus stood up and sang “Happy Birthday” to me. My heart melted. Little Reese looked on with his friend Josh in delight because he had pulled off the surprise of the decade!

After taking the boys to school, returning home and running 6 miles/walking 1 mile for a total of 7, I showered and raced to get Gentry from school so he could go to my business lunch with me. Usually on a day that I know is going to be incredibly hectic and fast paced, I like to get up at 5 AM and get my run done before the morning madness and ahead of the day’s tasks. However, my sweatband twin hubby had an equally as hectic, if not insanely more hectic day on the docket than I did. Because of that I let him have the honor of the pre-dawn run while I tried to snooze an extra 2 minutes.

Nothing says LIVE LONG AND PROSPER like a deep-fried Monte Cristo sandwich and 78 pounds of fresh-cut fries. Folks, that is what I had.  If you are ever in the Cleveland area, you must eat at “Melt Bar and Grilled”. It will change your life once you recover from the triple bypass surgery you need from eating there.

My night ended with a 2 hour church staff/strategic team meeting and one of the most adorable birthday cakes I had ever seen. Thanks to my mom for having them design an avatar on the cake that looked exactly like me. Hopefully since the icing girl was running hard, she ran all the calories right off of it before we dove in.

Full disclosure:

I know you are thinking I look crazy in all of my birthday pictures. I really did want to fix my hair nice and look good on my birthday, but I’ve found that maintaining a consistent exercise regime (read #runstreak, of which I celebrated Day 526 on my birthday and 527 this morning, strength training, and marathon training) while church planting, raising 2 kids, and saving the world takes a lot of time. I’m just grateful to have clean hair and smell like body wash and not sweat.

Disclosure:

Is there anyone else that eats horrible for a whole week around your birthday? I’m starting to feel the digestive negative side effects. The part-time vegetarian/want to be clean eater that is also embracing without remorse her love for ice cream as long as it is balanced with the reality of my terrible FAT GENES is coming back out swinging today. I’ll update you on that soon.

Does anyone else have it determined in their heart to embrace life, getting older, and to enjoy every season of life making each one amazing for what they offer?

Have you ever eaten at Melt Bar and Grill (It has been featured on the travel channel and Food Paradise. I’m not going to lie, it is my favorite Cleveland institution)? What do you order there?  http://meltbarandgrilled.com/