25 again?

One time my friend Amber (who I have totally lost contact with . . . so sad) called me on my birthday. I was walking around Target and when I answered she just said, all aghast and surprised sounding, "Can you believe you are 25? Man, you are so old!" I totally cracked me up because I think that year I turned 29 or something. I don't know why it caught me so funny. Maybe because I never feel any older than 25 (or 19 for that matter) and all my friends seem about 25 too. It's kinda making it weird that our kids are now 10, 14, 16 years old (which makes us teenage mothers), but still . . . Anyway, my most favorite sister in the whole wide world turned 25 this year (I know, can you believe it? For the 6th time. It's amazing.)

(Erin and Jerolyn celebrating Erin's birthday at Zaba's)

So, to celebrate this momentous day in her life, we met for a yummy friends lunch at Zaba's. I'm sure she wasn't totally shocked as she arranged a couple years ago for lots of my friends to meet us for lunch there, but that was this year's plan for her and we had a great time. Our friend, Sandi, manages the place and she reserved a bunch of tables for us and we filled them best we could with burritos, bowls, and chips and guac.

And birthday brownies. Oops, should have gotten the 2 & 5 candles.

Thanks to all our friends who came to celebrate with us and a special thanks to Erin for being born. I'm pretty sure she knew exactly what she was doing when she jumped to the front of the gonna-be-born-right-after-my-sister line. She has always been my best playmate and friend. If there were horrible news to tell my kids that I couldn't tell them, or fabulous times that I couldn't celebrate with them, or secrets to share that they can't tell me . . . I want them to tell them to Erin. There are days when I talk to her a billion times, we text a million more, and then we sit up and chat on facebook just to make sure we have it all covered - and sometimes that's not enough. I feel her pains and worry about her happiness. I still think I should protect her and help her even though she's completely capable and has a wonderful, funny, supportive husband in Kevin. Bottom line, she's "my person" and I love her. Lots. Here's some of us that celebrated her birthday, because they think she's great too.

Later that night the family gathered for some yummy Metro Pizza dinner and then some friends' families joined us for cake, ice cream, and homemade scones. Oh yeah, and blueberry crumb cake that nobody really ate. Thanks to the folks' for doing all that; they think she's pretty swell too.

Here's to lots more 25th birthdays! Love you, Erin!