Wednesday, July 25, 2012

On Turning 33

On Monday, July 23, I turned 33 years old.  It was an incredibly special day as we 
celebrated not only my birthday, but the fact that we are together and Shawn is 
feeling better each and every day.  My family and friends filled my weekend with 
love, making me feel like the most cherished girl in the world.  My aunt hosted us on
 Friday night for a special birthday dinner, Shawn's first night out since coming home 
from the hospital.  We went to the movies, had friends over for swimming, and ate dozens
 of desserts.  My best friends, Jolie, Ashley, and Jessica, came over to visit us, bringing 
with them homemade soup, cake, hand made earrings, and my favorite beauty 
products.  My mom cried as she retold the story of my birth for the 100th time, my dad
 told me how proud he was of me, and my husband gave me the most thoughtful card I
can not stop reading.  It was a birthday filled with love and inspiration, a weekend 
spent acknowledging the friends and family I have so graciously been blessed with.
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I have always loved celebrating my birthday, welcoming a new year with enthusiasm as 
I imagine all the things I will experience and the ways in which I will grow.  Who am I at 
33? What will I do differently?  I know that, at 33, I am more aware than ever of my 
courage and strength.  I believe in myself and my capabilities, fully accepting of life's
 most recent challenges and open to the ideas they will teach me.  At 33, I understand that 
I know even less than I once thought I did.  Part of me will always be headstrong 
and stubborn but, I have learned to bend with the wind, learned to calm my inner voice
 and become more open to possibility.  I know that I am constantly evolving, growing 
and changing.  Life is precious and unexpected and I am celebrating the fact that 
my family and I have been given a second chance.  
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I welcome you, 33, with open and waiting arms.  Thank you for a birthday filled with
 the sounds of children laughing, dancing in the rain, best friends and beloved family.  
Thank you for crayon colored cards and ice cream in bed.  This year promises to be 
an important chapter, for that I am sure.
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23 comments:

The Suttons said...

What beautiful friends and family you have!!  Thank you for sharing these gorgeous pictures. :) -Mia

Anonymous said...

Love the pictures ;). It was so good to see you and your family last weekend. Hopefully it'll be again soon. Love you always!

Deanna Fike said...

i need the info on that bathing suit cover up. it's gorgeous! :) and it looks like you had an incredible birthday!

Kara said...

Happy Birthday! You are one fine lady!!!

ashleywomble said...

Happy Birthday Mama!  My son's birthday is the 24th.  And what an awesome way to spend a birthday!

Hilary@BabyMooHoo said...

happy birthday, lovely!  xoxo!

Mama said...

Happy Birthday! At first I thought, she is one lucky lady to have such loving family members. But then I also realized - they are also lucky to have you - you are the love they surround. Love that last picture. So glad your husband is on the mend.

Marie V said...

Reading you words I feel the joy and happiness of this special day. A bit late I wish you a Happy 33 Birthday Olivia!! May this year be filled with love again and again, it's what I feel when I come here visiting you. XOXO

Salma said...

beautiful pictures...Happy Birthday.

Randalin said...

This looks like the best weekend ever. It's so great to see Shawn with the girls and able to do more and more. You, of course, look amazing. I'm looking forward to 33 too - less than a year away! 

Oh - and I LOVE that your mom tells your birth story. This is something I plan to do on Kale's birthday for many, many years to come. 

kristy said...

Sounds amazing! happy birthday. 

Olivia said...

Thank you!  I am blessed with love indeed!

Olivia said...

Thank you!  I got it for a steal at JC Penney of all places!

Olivia said...

Thank you and happy birthday to your son!

Olivia said...

Thanks, mama!

Olivia said...

you are the love they surround: what an incredibly kind thing to say.  I will use that phase as mantra for sure!  

Olivia said...

Thank you, friend!!  I hope that love continues to take center stage!

Olivia said...

Thank you!

Olivia said...

Thank you!  Yes, she tells it every single year and we all love it.  My dad tells it, too: how he raced to the hospital in his bread delivery truck, how the waiting room was full of his fellow bread men coming to see the new baby.  Their favorite part: at over 10 lbs, I was the biggest baby there.  They are so proud of that fact:)

Olivia said...

Thank you!!

Caitlin A. said...

Happy (late) birthday my love! Glad it was so awesome :)

Jodi Hall said...

Happy Belated Birthday Hun, such a beautiful post.. :) 

Olivia said...

Thank you!!