Celebrations and Surprises!

Tomorrow is my birthday and I can’t remember the last birthday I had that was full of so many surprises!

Neil and my soul sister, Amanda had thrown together a celebration in my honor last Saturday. I knew we were going to Amanda’s, but what I didn’t know was that she had made me cake, (2 in fact) or that she had decorated the place to match my personality! She is such a sweet soul, and I am so blessed to have her in my life!

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She also had lots of my favorite snacks ready for us to munch on while dinner was being prepared. The delicious spread included, a variety of cheeses, crackers, (including rosemary which are my absolute favorite) dried mango, cranberries, and dates, pistachios, and wassail!

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Neil fixed a few of my favorites for dinner: Pulled pork, homemade macaroni and cheese, and homemade coleslaw.

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Of course there was wine. Our friend’s Khristyn & Jordan joined the festivities later in the evening and we all played Cards Against Humanity!

And of course, we had cake. Amanda made homemade vanilla cake with buttercream icing and sprinkles, just like my momma used to make when I was a kid, before I started asking for Pumpkin Spice. It was so sweet and thoughtful, and they turned out beautifully!!

Why two cakes you ask? Well, Amanda couldn’t decide between two recipes, so she just made both, and had us play a little game to figure out which cake was which.

It was sweet, and fun, and thoughtful!! ❤ And I love her all the more for it!!

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I was gifted with books, lavender tea, a new coffee mug, and a gift certificate to my favorite book store. My friends know me so well!!

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The surprises don’t stop there!

Whenever I write a blog post where I mention a celebrity or any topic relating to a specific person, I always try to share it on Instagram and tag them in it.

Well….last Thursday I shared my post about Justin Long’s podcast and I tagged him in my Instagram story.

He wrote me!!

He thanked me, called me by name, and told me it was nice of me to do! I was taken back, and I fan-girled so hard. It’s little things like this that make me giddy, and I’m like a teenager all over again with a silly celebrity crush, but I really do admire this man. He’s a fantastic actor!

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We’re Not Finished….

Neil is surprising me with a weekend getaway this weekend to celebrate my 35th birthday! I know we are going to Pittsburgh, I was told I need to bring a dress for one of the events, I know nothing else. This is my first surprise trip ever, and I’m absolutely elated to see what he has in store!! ❤ ❤

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A few more people shared songs with me and I have added them to the playlist. I have also been discovering some new music, so stay tuned for an upcoming post about that.

I am not going to share any poems or songs today, but please feel free to share yours with me. Again, I can’t say thank you enough to those who have already shared music and recipes with me. I will be doing an official thank you post some time after my birthday. There’s still time to share your favorite music, poems, quotes, and recipes with me! It really would make me day, so make like Justin Long and message me!!

Here’s the playlist if you are interested:

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Also – Keep your eyes out for another podcast teaser. The editing process took a lot longer than we anticipated, but it’s coming along, and we officially recorded some usable content yesterday! We are so excited!!

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Thank you in advance for sharing your favorites. I’m looking forward to celebrating my birthday will all of you!! 🙂

* All images were taken by yours truly

Love & life lessons,

Kristian