THIS IS....

well.....more like 43!

The best part of this birthday.....the ability to stretch the celebration throughout the entire month.  I spent my actual birthday by myself and enjoyed shopping and getting freebies.  Getting a late start out of the house, I went to lunch at Liberty Market.  I enjoyed the picnic sandwich and roasted sweet potato salad.  Next up was my FAVORITE FREEBIE - a car wash from Genie Car Wash.  This was seriously the best gift ever!!!!  Already thinking about it for next year!  It was not close by, but just a couple of miles from Scrapbooks Etc. my next stop.  After some shopping, I went to buy myself some new garments (yes....I'm getting that old that I would do this on my birthday) and finally to Bahama Buck's for a shaved ice.

 The next day I went shopping with my mom.  I was able to buy lots of clothes, a necklace, fabric to make napkins with and new shoes!  OK....I wasn't looking for pink and silver shoes, but it was better than the alternative.

 This was the other color scheme.  I makes me think of the Circus Circus Hotel in Vegas!

 My new necklace from Charming Charlies.  I liked it in the store, but I like it more everytime I wear it!  My birthday celebration kept going throughout the month with a variety of lunch dates with friends and ending with dinner at The Keg on Memorial Day.  I loved every minute of the extended celebration.

 In between all the birthday celebrations was Mother's Day.  I loved that I not only had a photo with my boys, but 3 willing boys!  I love them all so much and can't imagine life without them.

 They boys even took a photo of us.

 Asher!  He had to really duck down to be this short!

 My birthday necklace and a Mother's Day corsage (that I requested over and over......and they listened!)

This last month made me realize how much I love to be spoiled! (Tony, did you and the boys hear that?!?)

GIRLS CAMP DEVOTIONAL

After an almost two year break from Young Women's....I'M BACK!!!!  I'm so excited to be serving the girls again and really excited that I get to go to camp with them.  Thinking of camp has brought back so many memories.  I can't wait for our late nights, crafts, food, chatting, singing, etc.  I've even thought about a devotional I gave just before leaving camp in 2011.  Our theme was the Wizard of Oz and my devotional was on HOME and (with a request for what I said) I thought I would share. (I didn't have a talk written, but this is basically what was said)

We've spent the week with Dorothy and her friends.  We've talked of using our brains, having a heart and showing courage and now it's time to go home.  I'm sure we miss our family and can't wait to get there.  Remember how Dorothy loved her home on the farm.  She loved her aunt and uncle and her dog, Toto.  When her dog was taken, she was beside herself until he escaped and ran back to her.  Dorothy, thinking only of saving her precious Toto, left the comfort and security of her home in an effort to save him.  She had great intentions, but didn't understand the potential danger she put herself in leaving the safety and protection of her home and those who loved her.  After meeting up with Professor Marvel, she realized how important her family was to her and she ran home.   Unfortunately, she had made herself vulnerable to the storm outside and could not get home in time.  After landing in Oz, her goal to get home was her top priority.  This time she would brave a wicked witch, fire, a dark forest, lions & tigers & bears, winged-monkeys, poisonous poppies and nothing would deter her from reaching her goal.  Glinda teaches Dorothy at the end that she only had to click her ruby slippers to find her way back home.  Today, we long to get back home to our Father in Heaven.  It's not as easy as clicking our heels to get there, but there is a path we can walk.  If we stray from that path, we can be caught up in the storms of life and be thrown further off course than we would like.  My prayer is that we stick to the path that our Heavenly Father would have us walk.  That we stay close to our family and their protection.  That we choose each and every day to be obedient to the Lord.  As a reminder to you, I have a gift.  (then I pulled the ruby slipper out of the box - followed by a collective gasp from the girls......IT MADE ME HAPPY!)  This ruby slipper is to remind you of that heavenly home you are walking towards.  Put it somewhere you can see it everyday and always remember the path you are on.

Again, it's not my talk verbatim, but pretty close.  I loved that theme!  This year our theme is Super Heroes and I'm sure I'll love this one too.  I promise it won't take two years to share my devotional this time!

Here's my original post of Girls Camp 2011,

which just happens to be my number #1 viewed post ever:

 

 Girls Camp 2011 Post and Directions to make the Ruby Slipper

And my all time #2 viewed post:

Warning: 80's Wedding Photos!