Team Schuurman: Birthday Blog

     Well, it turns out that 30 isn't as bad as advertised. In fact, it's fantastic! Yesterday, I got up and babysat a 5 year old from 7:30-11:30am. While there, I asked her about age and she said she thought I was in my teens. Good girl!
   When I got home around 12, Marcus was on the front porch by himself and the front door was wiiiiiiide open. I was semi-concerned, but when I started walking up the stairs a girl from our Sunday School class was in the doorway, watching him. "Oh hey! What are you doing here?" I questioned. While she stammered for words, I noticed another girl from our class pulling up into our driveway. It all started to click! As I walked inside, Mark was quickly scurrying around the house displaying a PLETHORA of my favorite foods. He had ordered & picked up chick-fil-a chicken nuggets, BBQ, chips, cookies, and all types of drinks (including a case of CODE RED! - The man knows how to get to my heart...). All KINDS of women poured in with their children and then our friend Dustin even arrived, bringing a tray of different dessert crepes from his restaurant, Twisted Crepe. It was incredible. There was nutella on all of them, but one had strawberries, one had bananas, and one had peanut butter. They were WAY better than a birthday cake!
     It was quite the surprise, but I'm glad Mark pulled it off! It was great because Mark had the day off and all these people could come in the middle of the day. I never expected it. All and all, there were 8 adults and 8 children and in a 910 sq ft house, it was LOUD! Marcus (and all the other children) absolutely loved playing with each other and pulling out every toy. I enjoyed just BEING and talking with all of our friends, who I lovingly call our "church family." They are great and I'm so thankful to have them.
     As the get-together was winding down, our best friends Matt & Mary Clark Hauser showed up with their 7 week old baby girl, Madison. They briefly got to see Marcus, but by this time he was soooooo tired, so I put him down for a nap and he fell asleep almost instantly. He slept over 3 hours! We enjoyed the rest of our afternoon talking with the Hausers and holding Madison. It made Mark and I both think about baby #2 pretty soon. She was just adorable, so we'll see!
     In closing, I forgot to mention the biggest birthday present yet! The night before my birthday, Mark, Marcus, and I drove to Winston Salem to pick up our new vehicle! Well, it's new to us, but it's a 2003 Toyota Highlander! Our sweet Camry has done us well with 268,000+ miles on it, but it was time for an upgrade. Mark got a great deal and I couldn't be more pleased with our new ride! It's nice to have a little more room yet still not have to pay $80 every time we fill up. It seems to be absolutely PERFECT for our family.
     Thanks again for all the birthday wishes, calls, and cards. It, by far, was my favorite birthday yet.