Multiple surprises... multiple posts

As you may have heard.... I turned 30 last week. Well, my family got together and pulled off some ginormous surprises. First, Brendon and I packed up our stuff and went to TN. I got to spend the afternoon with my friend Carlee. She is doing really well after brain surgery this summer and it was wonderful to spend the afternoon with her. I know many of you have prayed with me for her... so continue to do that as life with two kids while you deal with brain cancer *always* needs prayer.

We went to the Cocoa Tree and had a few pieces of some *yummy* chocolate, but mostly sat and talked....well, there was a slight run in with a bird who wanted in on our conversation...but it was so meaningful to spend that time with Carlee.

After that we made our way to my mom's house and later on at night my sister and her *entire* family came and surprised me. They had *flown* in... yep, with 3 kids for my birthday and my sister's high school reunion - I'll let you guess which year :).

Friday was fun playing with her kids and going to lunch with my sister and mom and grandmother. When my mom started cooking dinner she was making a *ton* of potatoes though and I started to think she had lost her mind. We all sat down to dinner and people started showing up.... my brother and his family, and my step-sister and her family. For those that are counting, that's 22 people in one house.... crazy!

We had some of my mom's yummy sour cream chocolate cake

and opened my gift from my mom...it's a lovely sapphire ring that she has had for years and bought from an estate of a friend's mother. It was her (the friend's mother's) engagement ring from the 20's.

After all that excitement, I started to think that we should just pitch a big tent in the back yard for everyone to sleep, but we managed to stack the kids somewhere and find some air mattresses for the adults.

That was Thursday and Friday... I'm not even to Saturday, so I will have to save that for the next post....more pictures then...