Happy Pink Birthday!

So apparently my birthday gift this year was a...

hurricane!

Yes, Hurricane Joaquin decided to crash my party...

well if we had actually planned a party that is, cause it is Fall soccer season and if it is a Saturday...

we are at soccer and this Saturday was no different...

we had soccer, lots of soccer...

cause they did not ask me if it was OK to schedule games on my birthday!

The nerve!

*grin*

So, we had already planned to spend the day, 2 hours away at 3 different soccer games.

Happy birthday to me!

However, Joaquin had other plans and thought that I needed to stay home that day...

so instead of doing this with the kids...

I was doing this with the Pioneer Woman...

complete with this...

from Hubby and the girls...

yum

After my wet but yummy, non soccer, morning, my eldest informed me that he and his girlfriend were going shopping...

in the middle of the monsoon...

on my birthday!

The nerve!

*grin*

I have to admit, I fussed a little and was to later regret it.

You see, he was going shopping with his girlfriend, in the monsoon, on my birthday...

for me!

My sweet child had seen the condition of my running shoes (not good) and decided that I needed a brand new pair.

So, with the help of his sweet girlfriend, my wonderful Christian went out and bought me just that...

a brand new pair of pink running shoes!

Love that kiddo!

So now, I can do this with the Pioneer Woman...

OOPS...

I mean this...

which is needed after this...

and this...

and this...

which is the direct result of this...

*grin*

So while we ended up with a 5 day weekend from my birthday present the storm, I am very thankful that we are safe and relatively dry, except for those of us who chose to be wet!

Boys!

Please, however, pray for those who were not so fortunate as there were many.

I have been reading stories of such loss, just 2 hours up the road from us - just 2 hours...

I was here for Hurricane Hugo and I understand the shock and sense of loss they are feeling right now.

We are helping out locally but there are a few larger agencies helping as well.

If you feel so led and would like to donate, here are 2 of those agencies.

Samaritan's Purse

and

Red Cross Disaster Relief

So 52 has been relatively uneventful.

*except for that whole hurricane thing*

*wink*

What has come from my 52 years on this earth is a knowing that the Lord is where true happiness lies...

not pretty little packages or the latest procedure to help you look less 52ish...

divine happiness comes from a love and a peace that can be difficult to adequately explain to those who continually look to the world to find their way.

It has taken almost all of my 52 years to understand this...

it has taken struggle and trials and trust to truly understand this and I still have a ways to go but I am closer today than I was yesterday and I will be closer still tomorrow.

So while I have gotten used to the AARP offers...

*kind of - grin*

and the Retirement Planning letters...

*phffft - good luck there*

I have to admit that I am still so not OK with the fact that my boys can now outrun me!

Maybe, just maybe, the power of the pink will prevail...

or maybe they will just let me win!

After all, it was my birthday!!!