Happy 34th Birthday, Kelly!

Woah - I'm 34 years old today. It is amazing how quickly the birthdays roll around these days. It wasn't that many years ago I remember thinking that my birthday would never arrive. Now it seems like I finish with one and next thing you know - it's time for another!

Even though they are coming faster, I still get excited about my birthday. There is just something fun about your special day. This year was no exception. The kids are old enough now that they really help Jim with birthday cards and presents (instead of just "signing" their name). It is always fun to see what they pick out. This year they gave me some sweet pictures and cards as well as some bath goodies from Bath and Body. Jim gave me an airbrush and some "trial" paint. (Random, I know, but he knows me well.) :) It will be entertaining to see what I can do with it after all the Christmas rush is over.

On the kids' birthday posts I posted things they have accomplished during the year. I suppose I'll follow that lead for me..........This past year I was convinced by a friend of mine to train with her and run a half-marathon. I said, sure - why not? I actually did it! Now, by no means was I fast, but I did run it and finish it! (I finished all of one minute before the marathon winner.) I must admit that it was a great feeling to train for and accomplish something like that. My next venture will be a duathlon in April, hopefully with that same friend..........During this last year, I was able, along with my mother-in-law, to plan a family reunion for Jim's side of the family. That type of thing is always a lot of work, but it is worth it to get to see so many family members together in one place. It was here in town over Easter weekend and it snowed! The kids loved that!..........Let's see, I also managed to really, truly get sick. I don't tend to get sick real often and when I do it is usually just yucky sinus stuff or strep throat which is easily kicked with medicine. However, this year I came down with - get this - mono. Yes - mononucleosis - the kissing disease - usually contracted by teenagers and young adults. That stunk. Apparently, much like chicken pox (which I also got at a much older than average age my senior year in college), mono is worse the older you are. And contrary to my belief, it is not just about feeling tired. It is a miserable illness. It took me several months before I was feeling over it, but thankfully, I have a bunch of friends and family who took very good care of me. In fact, lots of my friends got together and brought dinners over for us three times a week for six weeks! How is that for true friendship! My parents, in-laws, and brother and sister-in-law also helped out with cleaning and kid-watching. We also had some friends come take the kids to their farm for a morning so I could rest. And my sweet husband did more than his share of work around here while I was recuperating. I can now say that for the past month or two, I feel totally recovered............We started our 3rd year of homeschooling with two of our four officially being "in school." This whole adventure has been a blessing and a challenge. I love being a mom and the primary teacher for my kids. It has taught me a whole lot and even though it is a ton of work, I'm glad that it is what our family is doing............I have been able to do a little more at BikeTown this year thanks to some wonderful babysitters. It is much easier to get my weekly work done in a few hours time at the store instead of trying to do it all at home. It has also been nice to have that small break in the week..........There are lots of other things that happened this past year, good and bad, but this is getting long and I need to wrap it up. :)

This last year has been full and, mono excluded, fun. I am truly blessed with an awesome husband, great kids, and terrific friends and family. I found out first hand how dear and loyal my friends and family are. They really care about me and my family and they take the time to show it! Even with the hard parts, this past year was great and I pray this coming year will be even better.