27th birthday

Yesterday was my 27th birthday. The first time that an age sounds and feels old to me ... and I went to bed by 9 p.m. Partially because I was getting sick (blah), but mostly I am just tired.

I think it's having a kid that has taken such a toll on my body more than "getting old," but my body is definitely different. I now need to stretch. I have back pain. I used to be able to work out like a champ, and I never understood the necessity of stretching before/after, or felt the benefits. Same with foam rolling. Now it pains me to foam roll, and I see what everyone was talking (groaning) about back when I first tried it in my Crossfit days. And stretching is difficult but necessary.

This is getting a little too upbeat, huh? MOVING ON.

Lance made my birthday a wonderful day. He planned surprises all day, and he watched Dax. Just having time to myself was g-l-o-r-i-o-u-s.

{I'm not a selfie person, but this was my attempt at capturing my hair and some of the amazing decor.}

I got my hair done at a sweet salon I'd been wanting to check out, had lunch and read/journaled at a cafe, did a little shopping downtown, and had a massage at the nicest spa. They had a "rain shower" you could use after your massage. I can't stop thinking (or talking) about how amazing it was.

{Can you guess how much this pillow costs? I love it. I'm a fan of  hooked pillows too, but I can't figure out why they are all so outrageously expensive. This one is $158.}

All planned by Lance. I love, love, love when people plan things. I am a planner, so it means a lot to me to have other people plan things. Plus I'm all about experiences and atmosphere, so his plans were perfecto! He really is the king of birthdays and celebrating in general, and I appreciate it so, so much.

Birthdays make me contemplative. (As do Christmas, New Year's, and just about anything I want to.) It's wild that last year on my 26th birthday, Lance had just returned from his deployment. I'll always remember that night, and how good it felt to hug him and to laugh at him in person. Knowing full well there were a lot of wives and girlfriends who wouldn't be so lucky, and who were probably being hit even harder with the realization that their husbands really weren't coming back.

I was pregnant with Dax, and as usual Lance made me feel like a million bucks when he told me that I looked great, and I didn't even look that pregnant! And that so-and-so thought so too. WHAT? I love you.

Now we are in PA. Lance is out of the Army, has a new job, and finished his first semester at school. Dax is almost walking. It's scary how much can change in a year. My 25th and 26th years were (relatively) hard years, so honestly it scares me to think about what could change this year. But all of the transition I've had the past two years has brought very high "highs" along with the lows, and some of the best friends and memories that I could ask for. Good relationships are the best gift.

This year, I want to be a person who makes other people feel special. Those are the people I love to be around. It's been an ongoing process to surround myself with people who build me up, and who I want to be like. I still find myself pursuing relationships that leave me hurt, and I'm unsure why I do that. I also want to concentrate on writing, and on getting back into great shape.

{I was sick today, so this morning when Dax figured out how to open this piece of furniture and started throwing plastic spoons everywhere ... I just let him. It was the only one in the kitchen he hadn't figured out yet, so it kept him occupied for a solid 10 minutes.}

{I love this kid.}