(age 11 months)
It is my age as of today! At 10:16 am if we are going to get technical. The big three five!
Why am I struggling with turning 35? Maybe because many of my friends here are quite a big younger than I am - most haven't even hit 30 yet. Maybe it's because now 40 doesn't seem so far away. Maybe it's because my thirties seem to be going by in just a blur.
But my birthday is here. There is no slowing down time or turning back the clock. I need to embrace this year and make it a great one.
In honor of my birthday I am going to do my first giveaway! To qualify for the giveaway you need to leave a comment telling me about your best birthday or favorite birthday memory. I will do a random drawing for the giveaway on Friday July 11 after 6 pm MT (my mom's birthday)!
So what am I giving away???
- $35 gift card to Barnes and Noble because I love to read
- $35 gift card to Target because who doesn't love Target
- $35 gift card to Starbucks because my (four or five) faithful readers enjoy Starbucks (I am not a coffee drinker)
Good luck and I can't wait to hear about your best/favorite birthdays!
You are always sweet to celebrate others on your occasions, Kristen. The 3-5 was tough for me, as well as the 2-5. However, I have survived. Birthdays are special. I always think of them as a personal holiday, no matter whether they are celebrated big or small. My best birthday memory is probably this last year because the kids got into it without being directed. They made cards, crafts and were excited to give me presents. So sweet. I hope your day brings you special suprises. You are a great friend and a blessing in my life!
ReplyDeleteHappy, happy birthday, Kristen! I hope you have a wonderful day!!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite birthday memory: When I was 10, my mom took me out by myself (a rarity w/ 8 siblings) to pick out a b-day gift, go to choir practice with her, and get ice cream. I'll never forget it.
AND, what an awesome giveaway. Very, very generous! Starbucks? Who likes Starbucks? :):)
Happy 35th Birthday-Kristen! Remember most of your friends in Minnesota are older then 35...hopefully that helps! God has blessed you with 35 fantastic years...celebrate each of them.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite part about birthdays as a child was my Mom decorated my chair at the dinner table and I picked out my favorite foods for supper. My birthday also falls in summer so I often celebrated at our family cabin. I guess I just remember being surrounded by a family that loved me and made my day special.
We miss you and hope your day is extra special and filled with love!
Happy Birthday Kristen!! I hope you have a fantastic day!
ReplyDeleteI think that my favorite birthday was this year's birthday - the big 3-0. We always celebrate with a bunch of people, but this year on the big day, my husband planned a surprise dinner and got me a Disneyland pass - that I had been begging for :)
why are you giving away stuff on your birthday for goodness sake??!!!!! Kristen, that is not how it goes...just ask Addy. :)
ReplyDeleteok, so my mom threw me a surprise birthday party when i turned 22 - yes, 22. she tried to be sneaky and have people park their cars around the neighborhood - but i of course knew what was going on. it was quite hilarious - having 35 or so people jump out of different places of the house to shout, "happy birthday!" i was pretty embarassed, but that is what mom's do, right?
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! i hope this day is so lovely for you. you mean the world to so many people!
Happy Birthday Kristen!! Don't worry about your age...just remember what you able to accomplish at this age. I may be younger, but in no shape to run a marathon! You are an amazing person inside and out! Thanks so much for opening your home to my family yesterday...all day!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite birthday memory was my 16th birthday. My parents through me a surprise party that REALLY surprised me! I also received my first car for my birthday (83 Nissan Sentra). I loved that car and I drove it until I graduated college. I then gave it to my brother and he drove it for a few more years. It was a wonderful car!
sorry...I used the wrong through/threw...my parents threw me a party!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday! I just love birthdays & I think your turning 35 is just wonderful. I'm just so impressed & proud of you for just recently doing that awesome race! You're still so young!
ReplyDeleteI loved so many of my birthdays, but I'll pick one from my childhood...when I turned 13. the night before our birthdays my dad & I would just go out together to celebrate. It was special to us kids. I so badly wanted my ears pierced and had begged & begged. We happened to be at the mall and my dad surprised me by letting me get my ears pierced. I has been a special memory & every time I put in my earrings I think of that time with my daddy.
Happy Birthday Kristen!!!
ReplyDeleteI love ALL my birthdays. I think my favorite memory is right after Jason and I were married I turned 19 and had never really celebrated my birthday before, Jason rode his bike up Capital Blvd to the Albertson's on Overland and got me a strawberry rubarb pie and picked roses from the Depot to suprise me. It sure worked!! The pie was disgusting, but I think it was the nice of Jason because I like strawberries!!! Ahhh.
happy birthday - and great idea!
ReplyDeletemy favorite birthday was my 19th. i was in college and i went with all of my friends to a barn dance. i had mistakenly bought maternity overalls at goodwill the day before but wore them anyway.
while there my friends surprised me with a cake (with a monster's inc. cake) and we all took turns doing piggy back races.
i know that is random, but it was so incredibly fun.
hmmm...I think my favorite would be my sweet 16th. I had two parties...one I planned with a good friend (who's 16th was the day after mine) (because I am just that much of a control freak) and one my mom planned for me as a surprise. The surprise party was a huge shock...and I am hard to surprise. I loved it! It was in a gym with volleyball and food and friends from all different parts of my life.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your especially generous giveaway...and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
You are soooo fun! I hope you have the best birthday ever! And you look AWESOME for 35 girl!!! I'm so dreading my 40th - and I have never cared before!
ReplyDeleteI should probably say that my favorite birthday was one of the surprise party's that John threw for me (30 & 35) which were great, or the one last year (39) that all my friends and the girls in my family threw me (which was awesome also - we had lunch at my aunts then went to see "Wicked") but I have to say that my favorite was when just my family had a picnic at the lake and John sent me 3 dozen roses - a dozen a time through-out the day = the first card just said "I" and the second card said "love" and you can guess what the 3rd said! I still have those cards and they mean more to me now then ever - It is the thought that counts!
Have a super fantastic day!!!! :}
Happy Birthday Kristen! Do you have any special plans for today? Hope you have been able to enjoy your day!
ReplyDeleteSoooo, my favorite birthday memory??? I've had so many memorable ones, but I the one that comes to mind is my 27th birthday. Dave and I had been trying to have kids for some time and on that morning I took a pregnancy test and it was positive! It was our first pregnancy (the twins) and I was beyond excited. We met at a Chinese place for lunch and talked about all our plans for the new baby (since we didn't know yet that they were twins). It was the beginning of a completely different life for us, so it stands out as such a memorable day.
happy birthday to you, you live in a zoo, you look like a monkey (not really) and you smell like one too (only when you sweat like i do);) hee hee! birthdays are a big deal at any age and i hope you are having a great day! i love you so much and think you are absolutely wonderful! i would have to tell you that my most memorable and meaningful birthday was july 18th 2006. therese rogers and a few other sneaky sneakers planned a suprise birthday party for me. i was prego with rylahn and remember not feeling well at all and really not caring much about another dumb birthday. after the suprise, i teared up and remember feeling so special and grateful for all of my wonderful friends. no one had ever done anything like that for me. anyway, i hope your day is filled with God's wonderful blessings kristen! i love you tons!
ReplyDeleteYou are such a dork!! But an extremely creative and thoughtful one at that!! Happy Birthday Friend - you are so wonderful and I feel so blessed to have you a part of my life. Love you lots!!
ReplyDeleteBirthday favorite: Probably when I turned 16 and my daddy took me out for pizza and gave me a purity ring. Then I came home and celebrated with family and friends - games and laughter!! Fun! Fun!
Hope your day was wonderful!!
Hey Kristen!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday! Congrats on your marathon! That is awesome. I am doing my 2nd triathlon this summer in Annandale next weekend so wish me luck!
My memory is from my 30th birthday. I still remember you, Karla and Laura sitting on my brown gross couch in my classroom asking me what I was doing for the weekend. I was going on about going to Buca and meeting my dad there. You couldn't make it but it was a surprise party that Jeff and my mom had planned. I still can't believe they all pulled it off behind my back. I am usually so on top of those things!
Your kids look great!!
Happy Birthday! What fun--a giveaway. well, my fav b'day memory was when my husband surprised me with an overnight stay in the madonna inn. the restaurant doesn't do take out and the inn doesn't have room service. so, the only way to get dinner in our room was to order through an independent delivery service that seriously took the food from the restaurant and brought it to our room. friday is my birthday, but don't let that influence your decision! :)
ReplyDeleteBirthday wishes all year long! What is it about 35? Despite the weirdness about that number, I think 35 was one of my favorite birthdays--partly because it snowed on that day in September for the first time in my 35 years, but mostly because I came to the realization that life is unfolding with purpose and meaning, even if I can't "envision" exactly what that will look like in the long term. It's here, in a LONG birthday post: http://brendabird.blogspot.com/2007/10/thirty-five.html
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Kristen!
First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
ReplyDeleteSecond of all. I totally get you on the 30's going by in a blur. The other day I was talking with a group of friends and we were discussing how old we were. And I said, "I'm 32, I was born in January of 1975". Then they all looked at me and yelled, "ALANA, YOU'RE 33!".
Oops.
Okay, favorite birthday memory was probably my 30th birthday. My sweet friends got together and planned a surprise birthday complete with a sleepover. SO MUCH FUN!
GREAT giveaway!
Happy Belated... sorry I had the date wrong. But I wanted to let you know I am so glad I have you to blaze the aging trail... however you are setting the standard to high!!!! (I hit 35 next year and I don't think I want to train for a marathon!) But the alternative is to be young and have to learn all of those hard lessons over, no thank you!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite birthday was my 30th, because craig turned 35(next year he will be 40 HA) - yes we share our birthday, anyway, we went out in downtown denver with some close friends and had a wonderful time!
Love Ya! Michelle
Happy Birthday Kristen! Congrats on making it to the big 3-5! I'm right there with you girl-only I'll be 36 this year in September. AAYYY!!! I have a lot of memories about birthdays-our family is very close and we always try to make a big deal about them. We grew up having home-grown parties- homemade birthday cake, playing games in the backyard like the egg and spoon game, water games, and so much more. We were so happy! It's odd because we've tried to do the same with this generation and they're just not into those games and homemade cakes-they want video entertainment and fancy cupcakes. But I still love the old-fashioned birthday parties and I love that our family tries to keep those traditions going-even in this very "modern" age!
ReplyDeleteok- I just re-read this and realized that I needed to put my favorite birthday memory-oops! There are so many to choose from....I think my 30th birthday-Donald and my family threw me a surprise party at Shannon's and it was a dress-up party! Everyone was dressed as a celebrity (but me, of course) and it was fabulous! I still remember my mom being Dorothy, my friend Cath was J-Lo, Shannon was Tammy Faye Baker. I was completely surprised and loved every minute of it! :)
ReplyDeleteYou simply amaze me with your creativity and giving spirit - on YOUR birthday!
ReplyDeleteMy best memory is my 30th - when my hubby and best friend and her hubby surprised me with a helicopter tour and champagne flying over the Las Vegas strip! It was the best way to celebrate turning 30! Another great birthday was my 25th - when I got engaged! So perhaps a good one comes every 5 years - which means this next year will be another GREAT one! (tell Pat that)!