Wonderful Friends

Today (Wednesday, December 29, 2010) was a fabulous day. I woke up, played with the kiddos, and had a great time. We played Headbanz with Grandpa Brad, made blizzards with Uncle Ryan, ate Grandma Vickie's mac and cheese...It was all around a good time. Wilson of course watched football and updated us on all of the scores. Elly made a card for Lynne (and a paper chicken leg), as well as other artistic creations. We watched How to Train Your Dragon while snuggling on the couch. Man I love those kiddos! :) Ryan also helped me work on my resume. He got it down to one page. Hooray! He's pretty much a pro when it comes to editing/proofreading anything. I'm lucky to have him take a look at my stuff before I send it in. I'll be sad when he leaves to go back to Hawaii. :(

At 4:30, Lynne came to the house. She gave me my Christmas present (which I loved!) and said hello to the family. We drove to Webster and headed toward Milagro (one of our favorite restaurants). She said there was a surprise she hasn't given me yet, and was pretty tight lipped about it. Walking in, she said she had reserved a table for us in the back. I turned the corner to see some of my best friends from college. Erin Craden, Erin White, Alex O'brecht, and Jill Williamson were all sitting there and said "Surprise!" I was completely shocked and so happy to see them there. Lynne was pretty good at organizing a surprise for me, I must say. Atta girl. :p I had balloons on my chair, a sweet "hot tamale" lei to wear that lit up, and presents to open from my friends. We ate a delicious meal, shared teaching stories, and enjoyed each other's company. I was sooo happy to see those girls and felt blessed that they had come just to wish me well for my surgery. If any of you are reading this, thank you so so so much. You made me a very happy girl, and I am lucky to call you friends. :)

After dinner, we went to Crestwood to bowl. Lynne had brought cupcakes (super tasty) from Whipt Cream. They were so good! Erin C., Lynne, and I bowled two games while chatting with Alex and Erin W. I stunk at bowling as usual, but it was a great time. It made me realize that I won't be able to do fun stuff like bowling for a while, but I'll eventually be back better than ever. It sort of hit me that a lot will change in the next week. However, it will all be over sooner than I know and I will be happier as a result. Thank you ladies for helping me keep a smile on my face. :)

Lynne drove me back to Gretchen's, where we played with the kiddos some more. Gretch broke out the home videos of Elly and Wilson when they were little babies. Soooo cute! Lynne was nice enough to stay and hang out until the kids went to bed. I planned out the weekend for Amber and I, and now I'm headed to bed. What a night! I seriously had a fabulous time with people who mean so much to me. I am one of the luckiest people, having a great support system and loving family that have never let me down. This whole surgery process is going to be rough, but I know that everyone I have here (and especially my Daddy up there) is holding me as I go through it. Just remind me of that when I'm complaining next week. :p Love you guys!