In lue of a party...

So tomorrow I turn 26.

I know that I'm going to become an adult because for the first time in my whole life I did not do a count down to my birthday, and I did not tell everyone, including strangers on the street that my birthday was in *so many* days for an entire month...and I have not gone on and on about it on my blog.

Of course, as much as I would like to say that the reason for this change is that I have become super mature in the last year, this is probably not the case. Instead, I'm going to point to the incredible amount of LIFE going on around me that I do not have the time to stop and celebrate such blasé things as my birth.
*psssshhhh*

Haha! Just kidding! We're going to celebrate anyway! We're going to celebrate in newest fashion: By starting a brand new season of life and by counting the blessings of the past and present.

Tomorrow Brett and I will be crossing the border into Georgia and begin a new life there. I admit I'm scared. And I admit that I've never been more homesick than I am right now. Its on your birthday that you miss your friends the most ( and as we all know friends and family are our home). But I count my blessings too. I have Brett home from Afghanistan and I thank God every day that He got us through a year long deployment. If you believe in miracle, just know that a successful deployment is the longest drawn out miracle that you can ever witness....

And for the past four days we've spent some lovely time with Brett's family in Texas ( and a teeny tiny bit of my family scattered in for bonus)...and I am struck yet again by how blessed we are to have such supportive families. ( Oh, and a big shout out to Jillian who I am TREMENDOUSLY glad to count as part of that family now that she's finally an official Vermeulen-not to mention a fellow army wife! YAY!)

I am also glad that we got to go to my church for prayer meeting on Wednesday and thank God for those lovely saints there who prayed for us and supported us while Brett was deployed. I am glad that they are as much our family as anyone....and speaking of such "family"-I am also thankful for the beautiful last day in Washington-where we got to spend the day with Judy and with Bethany and Amy and Karissa and Ash and Lindsay and Isaac and the Strouds and the whole STS gang....it was pretty much the perfect day. Perfect.

And I am thankful for all the many wonderful wonderful friends that I carry with me wherever I go....even so far as Georgia.


So here's to the year 25. It was a doozy.

And here's to 26 no doubt it will be JUST as interesting.