Attitude FAIL

I try to hide it. I try to erase it. I try to melt it. I try to surrender it.

Yet still, my attitude haunts me. It comes out whenever I let my guard down... and my guard finds all kinds of excuses to take a break. When it does, my fiery tongue flickers its way out and I end up saying something I shouldn't. More often, I say something I mean but in a tone or manner that is not very becoming of a Christian.

I wish I could say that I immediately notice my behavior and correct my ungracious words. This is almost never the case. Instead, I continue in that fiery attitude until I talk it out with my husband or in my head. Usually, this ends up being the next morning in the shower. As I rinse yesterday off me its words run through my head. I cringe as I realize the disrespectful tone I used with my boss, or the frustration I might have let escape to an elderly resident with dementia. Sometimes I hear words I said in the moment of laughter and I realize the foolishness of them. So many unguarded statements weave their way through my head as I reflect on the previous day.

I remind myself of the words of Paul in Romans 8:1 and the words of John in 1 John 3:20 about not letting our heart condemn ourselves. I humbly confess with a repentant heart and prepare for this day to be different. I have tried to memorize this verse to help me: “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29).


Yet, another day will come and go and I’ll look back and see the times, particularly through the distraction of work, that my words did not edify or impart grace... again.

I can’t tell you how good it is to read these words from Paul in Romans:

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I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate ... I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway … I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. Romans 7:15, 18-21
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I am so relieved that Paul has the same internal struggle as I do. I’m not going to delve into too much conjecture, but it encourages me greatly to think that dear Paul the Apostle might have put his foot in his mouth once or twice. He too might have encountered an attitude FAIL.

I will continue to follow Paul’s example of picking myself up, dusting myself off and moving on with joy. Paul is known for rejoicing in the worst of circumstances. I think that the longer I am walking with the Lord, the more sensitive I am to the gentle prodding of the Spirit. It is encouraging to think about how far Paul himself came- from being the persecutor to being the persecuted and rejoicing. Surely, I too can to grow from these situations and the mighty God I serve can use it all to his advantage.

He can take me and my attitude FAIL and make us into something better.

Bread

My quest lately has been to make bread instead of buying it. Fortunately, I am the one who eats sandwiches most often, so it is mostly me that is affected by the unreliability of available bread. This week I made two loaves. The trouble with homemade bread is that it is so darn good. We end up eating it faster than store bread and then I don't have any for sandwiches.

I am using recipes from the book Peter Reinhart's artisan breads every day (pictured left) and the two I made yesterday were his whole wheat sandwich bread (I reviewed this book here). It was delicious. It still is delicious and will still be delicious for another day or two, hopefully.

I love the recipes in this book because they incorporate overnight rises. I have the hardest time working bread into a weekday because I'm not around enough to punch it down, rise again, punch it down and proof. I needed to find bread that tasted good (flavor develops in the rising) but also wasn't going to be ruined if I didn't pay attention to it. The recent bread I made, for example, was intended to be baked on Friday, but Friday got too busy, so it stayed in the refrigerator until Monday. Which is how long Peter says it can be left. One loaf's worth I took out on Friday, let it rise and then realized I didn't have time to bake it, so back in the fridge it went. That bread did bake up significantly fluffier, so I'm wondering if that out of fridge time helped. Anyway.. 'museings of a want-to-be baker' is what I should call this post.

The real purpose of this post is to say that whenever I think of bread, which is frequently, a few phrases or verses come to mind:

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Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, Moses didn't give you bread from heaven. My Father did.
And now He offers you the true bread from heaven. The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
  "Sir," they said, "give us that bread every day."
Jesus replied, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. John 6:32-35


But Jesus told him, "No! The Scriptures say, 'People do not live by bread alone, but
by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" Matt. 4:4


Give us this day our daily bread. Matt. 6:11

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I need these reminders when I think of bread. Making bread is just the first step in self sufficiency. I am so tempted by the notion of being self sufficient. Anything I can do myself I try to do it: grind the flour, grow the yeast (sourdough), knead by hand (okay.. I let the mixer do that most of the time). If I could I'd grow the grain, raise chickens for the eggs, cows for milk, bees for  honey etc. Now that would be a feat in an apartment!

I'm sure that all of this would be exhausting, and I am so grateful that if I did do all of those things, it would be a hobby for fun and not my only source to supply food. I can drive seven to ten minutes in any direction and find a grocery store and I am thankful for this, SO thankful. It is a blessing to be able to have the time and resources to make something homemade. This means that I have a roof over my head, a stocked pantry and kitchen appliances galore. We live in a blessed nation, for the time being, and I am daily reminded of it and thankful for it.

I am also reminded that, 'in my weakness, He is stronger' (2 Cor. 12:9). It is human nature to be independent, but we are to be dependent on God for our daily bread and for the bread of life. I can work hard and scrape together my existence on my own, or I can submit to my Father's provision and be fruitful. I can fight to let my desires and personality shine, or I can die to my sinful nature and be a slave to Christ and be blessed!

I was listening to an interview with Christian music artist Matthew West in which he was discussing his recent experience talking to Billy Graham. Matthew asked Billy for his advice on how to stay strong in the Lord through so many years of public ministry. Matthew says that Billy told him to protect his quiet time. Matthew quotes Billy in saying that 'your time alone with God is the most important thing to your ministry, your family and you: it will be what sustains you. Even Satan knows that daily time alone with the Lord is important, and he will do anything he can to keep you from it.' (paraphrased).


It is a daily task to be sure. Much like the daily tasks of keeping a garden, farm or field; so it is a daily task to stay growing in the Lord. A steady, growing, fruitful relationship with our Savior does not happen without labor, but it is a labor of love, joy, peace and hope. So much so, that it does not feel like labor at all.

We cannot live on bread alone, we need to feast daily on the Bread of Life.

LBB '11: Sunday

Sunday was just as gorgeous as the day before. We had saved some of our favorite things for the last day. We love to start one of our mornings off with a visit to the Cottage Bakery for a delcious diabetic coma.

Doughnuts and the most delicious
cream cheese cinnamon roll.

After our sugar intake for the day, we went to our favorite bookstore/coffee shop: Adelaide's Books and Coffee. This is the cutest shop (I also romanticise bookstores btw). I just love the atmosphere of the old but restored building and the service and coffee are the best. The bookstore gal is finally starting to remember us :). Last time we asked her if she could try to find a wild game cookbook worth purchasing. We said that we'd look for some titles and she'd look for some titles. Well, we both looked and were disappointed with the selections out there. She is encouraging me to write my own wild game cookbook.. and I am thinking that it might be a fun project... someday! I'll add it to the list.

So with cookbook writing on my mind, I didn't see any cookbooks in her selection that were tempting enough. I am still working my way through the one we purchased on our last trip. Instead, I picked out this book that had caught my eye several times before:

Source

This book is certainly introductory level on the idea of small farming. I just really liked the concept and thought I'd read it to get ideas for when we are ready to own a home. I love how the editor gives examples of what you can do with one-tenth of an acre, a quarter acre and a half acre. What a fun dream!

The quarter acre layout

After the bookstore, we went back to the cabin to clean, pack and close up shop. There is a very detailed procedure/list for closing down the cabin, and we like to keep our perfect track record.

Blake reading outside while I was showering.

The neighbor's house has beautiful flower beds!
The entire house is beautiful, but these flowers
were too tempting not to photograph.

On the road again. After a fantastic, relaxing and gorgeous weekend. We started the five hour trip home, with stops in Astoria for their Sunday Farmer's Market (yes that's three in one weekend) and at both of our parents houses.

What a blessed life. Thanks Jesus for these memories!

LBB '11: Saturday

Saturday was gorgeous. GORGEOUS! I started off wearing shorts and a tank, but the wind just wouldn't let me get some sun on my legs so I gave in and changed to pants. This was the first time I'd ever imagined wearing shorts at the beach though! It was in the seventies both days and sunny the whole weekend~ amazing for the Washington coast! Here are some photos of our day:

Started the day with the Ilwaco Saturday Market

Breakfast/Lunch at my favorite cafe. Their clam chowder
is tied for my favorite at the beach. Their real claim to
can be seen in the next picture.

This unsuspecting, if not cluttered doorway
may seem like nothing special, but I am sitting
at my table, enjoying my delicious food,
and taking this picture of the adjoined yarn store.
Yes, you read that right! Cafe and yarn store in one.
It's the most perfect set-up you could find!

After eating and yarn shopping, we went to an antique store.
This was one of my finds. I'm not sure where I'll put it yet, but
I thought it was cute. Also probably not an antique, but whatever ;)

Now, what happens next is something quite special. The moments captured in the following photos will supply my warm-fuzzies bank for quite some time. Blake's Grampa's beach cabin is three houses from the 'beach', which really means this long expanse of grass that leads down to the beach. There is a trail that Blake remembers from his youth that leads to the beach. We attempted to walk this trail last year but were stopped so very rudely by a new neighbor that would have nothing to do with us walking on her driveway. Well Grampa couldn't have this! So he talked with the other neighbors and made sure we could walk through their driveway and instructed us to try the trail again this year.

I am so glad we did. I hadn't looked past the few trees that lined the start of the trail to realize the splendor that was down that path. Now I will ask you to forgive me as I severely romanticise these next few events.

It was one of the most glorious walks! I imagined us frolicking walking through a Yorkshire moor covered in heather on the coast of England. You could hear and smell the ocean, there were little flowers and wild strawberries who's sweet smells competed with the salty air of the ocean and little animals scurrying about. It was perfect. I'm sure that if we were in England it would have been cloudy and gray, but this would have been okay with me too. SUCH a felicity to walk the path through this marshy meadow, hand in hand with my sweet husband :)

Looking back toward the houses.

This is where my romanticism stops. We had a pleasant walk along the beach with bare feet, clasped hands and light hearted conversation. I was glowing from the felicity ;) of my walk along the English moor the marshy meadow but the warm-fuzzies meter slowed at the sand. The beach is not romantic in my view. Furthermore, I don't understand why people romanticise it as much as they do. It is dirty and windy, snot runs from your nose regardless of your good health, your ears ache from cold, your hair gets blown into knots never to be considered attractive again until it meets a brush and probably a shower, and most of the sea creatures you see are dead. All of that said, it was beautiful :)

*warning*




 

Case in point: dead sea lion... or is it a seal?
Either way... gross!

After another glorious walk back through the meadow, we settled into the cabin and worked on our puzzle until it was time for dinner. My first birthday dating Blake (2008) he took me to this restaurant and we had such a romantic evening. Of course we didn't get any pictures of that date, but we took pictures this time. We even sat at the same table! This restaurant, The Depot, used to be a train depot in 1888 and was a tavern before it became a lovely restaurant. We were not disappointed as the food and atmosphere were wonderful.

The Depot has my other favorite clam chowder.

Same spot we sat three years ago :)

Dessert: Flourless chocolate torte with a pecan crust.
Even more delectable than it looks!

We walked home after dinner with almost painfully full tummies and the most pleasant breeze. We went back to the cabin and enjoyed a bottle of wine, watched a movie and worked on our puzzle. Believe it or not, we also went to get ice cream at Scoopers (a beach tradition) between movies. Blake's grandparents recommended Somewhere in Time with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. We however, would not recommend it! Oh well ;). We trepidatiously scanned for our next movie from the somewhat scary beach movie collection and chose Atonement with Keira Knightley and James McAvoy. This was a fascinating romantic drama. It appeared to have been nominated for several awards and was a fairly modern and recent addition to the beach movie selection. I'm not entirely sure I would recommend it or watch it again though, just because of some graphic/vulgar content that kind of ruined it for me. Without the unnecessary content, it would have been an intriguing movie.

We finished the puzzle (always a 1000 piece jigsaw) around 1:30 am and hit the sack!

: : :

Long Beach Birthday 2011: Friday

What a weekend! I've broken this into three posts, Long Beach Birthday 2011 (LBB '11) one for each day. Here is Friday:

The weekend started with Friday being really busy, partly by choice. We had my cousins, Macey and Danielle, and their friend stay the night Thursday and saw them off Friday morning. They were headed to Seattle to run a marathon! After our guests were on their way, Blake and I went to the Richland Farmer's Market. I stocked up on my favorite granola, got some cherries for a road snack and we picked up some other produce. We also grabbed lunch and headed home so that I could be ready for my phone interview. The interview went fine, pretty generic and kind of anti-climactic. I have an in-person interview on Thursday.

After my interview we packed up the car and hit the road to Pendleton. I had to work for a few hours and Blake was kind enough to come with me so that I didn't have to back track and so we could get going toward the beach sooner. This is really a gracious thing for him to do because it isn't particularly fun for him to sit in my office for two-three hours!

Finally, we are on the road! It was a gorgeous drive through the gorge and we had a nice conversation.

We got into Astoria and wanted to grab a bite to eat and a drink. We decided to go to Rogue because we like their beverages and enjoyed the pub in downtown Portland. The pub in Astoria is in a really cool old cannery building. It was a little scary getting there because the signs telling us where to go lead us to this bridge (pictured below), which really didn't seem safe for driving on! We made it, both a little white knuckled! Once we made it over we had a wonderful time relaxing after our five hour drive and settling into weekend mode.

Scary bridge.

What a gorgeous night! In the background we heard
seals or sea lions saying goodnight ;)

Lots of character in this old building.

Our 'happy to be on a weekend getaway' faces.

: : :

Felicity

fe·lic·i·ty 

\fi-ˈli-sə-tē\

noun

• 1a : the quality or state of being happy; especially: great happiness, marital felicity
  1b: an instance of happiness
• 2: something that causes happiness
• 3: a pleasing manner or quality especially in art or language felicity with words
• 4: an apt expression

Other forms: plural fe·lic·i·ties

I love this word. Mostly because I love old British novels and movies and this word is used frequently in their dialogue. 

It describes how I feel inside as I'm riding through the gorge and seeing the brown hills get swallowed up by all that green. I wish I could capture the beauty that lays before me. The blue-gray water, the misty clouds just barely hovering around the tops of the tree covered mountains and the sea of every shade of green flowing between the river and the sky. 

I wish I could see what Lewis and Clark saw as they came around the bend in the river toward that untouched landscape. I can only imagine what they were thinking after the miles and miles of desert and dry land. Were they apprehensive about what was waiting in those forests, were they happy for the change in climate, did they know that it meant they were near the end? 

I think they actually traveled this portion of the Columbia in October and November, which means they didn't see what I am seeing. They were probably more worried about surviving the rough waters of the undamed Columbia and making treaties with the natives. I like to think that at least for a moment, maybe on the return trip in the spring, that they stopped and looked at the change in landscape and appreciated the beauty that lays before me now. 

It sure is breathtaking. What great felicity it brings me to sit here and chat with my sweet husband, holding his hand and drinking up all this green. What a blessing from our Father to enjoy life's little felicities.

Mobile blogged from my iPhone.

Wind

Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother's womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things.
Ecclesiastes 11:5 NLT

This verse popped up on my News Feed the morning after I'd been up late praying for wisdom and guidance about a work thing. It really spoke to me and this situation because of how unexpected my considerations were. I love little encouragements like that. I really love Ecclesiastes for some reason, especially chapter eleven. I even posted with the title chasing the wind (Ecc 6:9 although I don't know why I titled that post that way) back when I didn't really blog much. I think I just love how existential Ecclesiastes can be.

The verse also got me thinking about wind.

Wind used to be something I rarely thought about. Maybe it crossed my mind when it rained sideways. Or when I was driving across the state and got out of the car to get gas in Ellensburg... the wind about knocking me over... but that was about it.



Wind is interesting. It's a nice example of faith: you can't see it but you can feel it and can watch the effects of it. Of course, there's nothing like a slight breeze on a nice day or a cool breeze on a hot day. Just like the Spirit in our lives is an unseen force that can provide gentle peace or cool relief.

Wind is also used in other metaphors like: 'the winds of adversity', 'the winds of change', 'winds of destruction', 'punishing winds' and 'roaring wind'. I could go on but you get the idea. For something that can't be seen, it is certainly used frequently to paint a word picture.

Wind is now part of my everyday life. My 70+ mile commute is often spent dodging sagebrush and firmly grasping the steering wheel to keep my car in my lane.

On really windy days the DOT changes the electronic reader boards to say: "MOBILE HOME MOVEMENT RESTRICTION ON HWY 82 BETWEEN EXITS X AND Y" It's so funny to me, and a little sad, that this is what really quantifies a windy day.

It's sort of an inside joke with myself that, "you know it's a windy day in Tri-Cities when they restrict mobile home movement on 82." It's probably only funny to me and the five other commuters and truckers that drive this rural highway every weekday, but I chuckle every time I see the sign and think to myself... just how many mobile homes are we moving around here that it warrants dedicated use of the signs!?

One of my favorite memories of first moving to Tri-Cities, (probably my favorite memory because it was the first time I had a good laugh about moving there) involves wind. My brother is still traumatized by the wind storm that convinced him this wasn't the greatest place on Earth (that story here).

Now the wind doesn't drive me nuts like it did when I first moved here. I'm used to the fact that it's just always windy. The worst part about the wind now is when I have to pump my own gas. Usually that only happens when I am running late (of course) and was having a perfect hair day. The absolute worst wind experience I'll never repeat (a third time) is the time I stood downwind of the gas nozzle as I was taking it out of the car. You know how it usually drips once or twice.. well if it's windy, it flies straight onto your clothes. So now you smell like gas for the hour and fifteen minute drive to work. Yes, this is why I ALWAYS try to get gas in Oregon, where they pump it for you.

I'd definitely rather have rain than wind but usually wind brings clouds, which is a plus. I guess that's why we need wind actually. To keep the clouds moving in from the ocean. It certainly isn't to 'clean the earth' like some people say. That's just erosion. I also wonder, where do all those sage brush end up!? I've seen that many of them get caught in fences, but what about the rest. Where to they stop!? I'll let you know if I ever find out.

Life can feel futile sometimes, like 'chasing the wind,' but like the weather that is just a season of life. When I was in my senior year of college this was my favorite verse to pass on to freshmen:

Young man, it's wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do. So banish grief and pain, but remember that youth, with a whole life before it, still faces the threat of meaninglessness. Ecc. 11:9-10 NLT

I also like the verses before that but they don't apply to college freshmen, although they do apply to my current caseload:

Light is sweet; it's wonderful to see the sun! When people live to be very old, let them rejoice in every day of life. But let them also remember that the dark days will be many. Everything still to come is meaningless. Ecc. 11:7-8 NLT

Anyway. I don't feel like I am chasing the wind these days, nor do I feel like my days are meaningless. It's funny how these different verses spoke to me at different points in life. Right now I am loving that 'just as you cannot understand the path of the wind ... so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things.' I love God is actively working in my life in unexpected ways. I love that I don't need to try to understand His will, I can just trust it.

"Next stop... Crazy"

*ding* Stop requested.

Yes. I am getting off the train at Crazy for a moment and considering a possibility that I never thought I would ever consider again.

Working in the public school system.

Ahh! I left the schools for some very good reasons. I also made the mistake of saying that I would never go back. I should learn to never make absolute statements because I inevitably end up eating my words. At this point I'm leaning toward, I don't know.

I don't know if this is a good decision. I don't know if I'll even get the job. I don't know if I'll lose my mind from the paperwork, parents and progress reports. I don't know if my perspective is skewed. I don't know if the added stress this setting caused me is going to haunt me again.

There are some things that I do know. I know that God is in control and will lead me. I know that I am stronger in the Lord, than when I first worked in the schools. I know that I have matured as an SLP and this will help. I know that I love working with children. I know that there is no perfect job.

After doing so much soul searching, praying and reading.. I asked my staffing manager to ask for an interview and the district has decided to interview me, this Friday.

Now for the really crazy part. I'd still work in Pendleton a few nights a week. This is mostly a money thing, but also a loyalty thing. I feel obligated to avoid letting them down. I'm also just hitting my one year mark with them.. and that is a record for them and having a speech therapist. I know the residents, I know the staff and they know me AND they have finally come to trust (and follow) my recommendations. Also, I have invested in the lives of the people I work with.

For the last year, this has been my mission field. I have prayed for, witnessed to and tried to encourage these women in any way possible. I have turned down other jobs in the past because I felt like this was where I needed to be. However, if I get a school job I will only work in the evenings and I won't see these women anymore.

I trust the Lord that he can reach these women without me. I also trust the Lord to sustain me if school plus Pendleton is what I need to do for a year, until I return to just Pendleton.. or move on to somewhere or something else. I trust the Lord to provide for us and to guide us.

This crazy consideration first came up during a discussion with my hubs on the way home from visiting our families this weekend. Usually my husband looks for jobs closer to family on the drive home. This time I was the one looking for a job.

I just feel like I am spinning my wheels. I love, love, love certain things about my job in Pendleton. I love most of all that I can't be late, because I make my own schedule (being on-time is a HUGE challenge for me). I also love the flexibility of working a Sunday afternoon to take a Friday off (Blake has every other Friday off). I also love that I get paid to drive there and I do really enjoy my time in the car to think, pray and listen. I also love the paperwork. So simple and impossible to take home.

What I don't love though, is the lack of hours and the feeling that I'm not doing what I need to in order to provide for my family and goals. If I could get 6.5 hours a day.. this would be the ideal job. Unfortunately, I can't seem to drum up enough of a caseload to get more than 3-4 hours. No matter how hard I try, I just can't make patients with therapeutic potential appear out of the woodwork. Not without compromising my ethics and integrity anyway. SNF therapy seems like such a fine line as it is, which is a post of it's own.

So. *ding* Crazy it is. We'll see what happens!

Happy Summer!

Today is the summer solstice. This is the longest post day of the year! Today we get to enjoy the maximum amount of daylight and I have the special honor of enjoying my birthday.

When I was little and people told me that my birthday was the longest day of the year I was pretty excited. I thought that meant more hours for me to play the birthday card, have my friends over longer and have time for a second helping of cake. Later I learned about the solar system and realized that there were the same number of hours in every day. This day just has the most daylight hours, I felt a little robbed as a kid. What good are daylight hours when you still have to go to bed at 8:00pm? 

Fortunately, I made it to adulthood and can now see the value in the longer daylight hours.

Unfortunately, the days also get shorter from now on... oh the pangs of reality! At any rate, I hope that this summer brings joy, blessing and hope!

Here is a picture smorgasbord in honor of my 28 years of birthdays:

June 21, 1983
9lbs 8oz
12:45 AM

Happy BIRTH day!

1984 - One!

Why would they put the whole cake in front of me!?
1984 - One

Traditional small first birthday cake.
It was a three-cake year. I couldn't pick just one!
1984 - One

1985 - Two

1986 - Three

1986 - Three

1987 - Four

I was so cool ;)
1987 - Four

1988 - Five

1989 - Six

1990 - Seven

1991 - Eight

1992 - Nine
My first themed birthday party.

The family party
1992 - Nine

1993 - Ten. I'm missing a picture of my 10th birthday. Nowhere to be found! 

1994 - Eleven

  

1995 - Twelve
(The year I first met Blake)

1996 - Thirteen

1997 - Fourteen, is also missing!

1998 - Fifteen

1999 - Sixteen
(Only picture I had, those were my gifts)

2000 - Seventeen

2001 - Eighteen
Blake made it for the picture this time.
He usually came for food and left!

2002 - Nineteen
Birthday dinner at Outback, a rare treat back then.
Afterwards we went putt-putt golfing at
Steakburger Golf-O-Roma in Hazel Dell, Wa.

2003 - Twenty

2004 - Twenty-One
(Also my undergraduate college graduation cake)

2004 - Twenty-One
Family Birthday Dinner - Blake again showing up for the food!

2005 - Twenty-Two

2006 - Twenty-Three
My first birthday away from home.
These friends from Grad school were kind enough
to bring me a cake and celebrate with me :)

2006 - Twenty-Three
The weekend when I finally made it home.
Also, the first birthday Blake missed all together.
He made it up to me though
(see: Our Story)

2007 - Twenty-Four

2008 - Twenty-Five, missing!

2009 - Twenty-Six
Overlapped with my bridal shower... no cake pictures for some reason.
This is me opening my great-grandmother's teapot, a gift from my great-aunt.

2010 - Twenty-Seven
At Long Beach for my birthday, again, no cake picture :(

2011 - Twenty-Eight
(I know my mom is blurry, but it was the best of several attempts!)

That's it! Those are all the birthday pictures I could find! Here's to not quite being almost thirty!