So, as I've mentioned more than a few times, I was in the hospital, heavily medicated I might add, trying not to have Addie last year on my 30th birthday; so, in my mind, I got to be 29 for an extra year. (There have to be some perks to a birthday like that.) I know Philip had wanted to do something big for my 30th, and sure enough, he did. With two years to plan one party, he managed to pull out all of the stops this year. He planned dinner with 3 of my favorite couple-friends at Lakeside (conveniently near the house since this would be the first time I would be leaving Addie with someone other than Philip). I knew it was going to be a little bigger than that, but I thought it would just be the addition of a few more couples. Little did I know that he, along with a few friends, had planned what can only be described as a birthday bash at a local restaurant - not Lakeside - complete with the band that played at our wedding reception. Andrea and her boyfriend Matt picked me up at the house - a little late, I might add, which is SO not like Andrea. ..suspicious - and delivered me safely to Baker Peters. Philip and I used to go there some when we were dating to listen to live music, so it was neat to be back there after several years. They have this great covered porch out back, and that is where the band was set up, and where most of my amazing friends from church, the NICU, and my best friends from over the years Jenny, Joey, and Andrea had gathered. It was so incredibly special to see all of these people taking time out of their Friday to celebrate with me. I hadn't seen most of these people in at least 6 months, and for many it had been over a year since this new journey began, and yet they took time to come out and have some fun with us.
Philip did an AWESOME job. He made sure there was plenty of food and drink for everyone that was there, and he even brought in the fruit tarts that I love from the Fresh Market. He also understood that I was incredibly nervous about just going to dinner with our original small group of friends (I feel incredibly socially awkward after a year out of circulation), so he made sure there was no "scene" involving everyone looking at me. No grande entrance, no singing of happy birthday, no toasts, just a nice, casual scene where I could mix and mingle with dear friends. On top of all that, he made sure that things wrapped up in time that he could get home to feed Addie, and he arranged for Kelly and Kary (new, amazing friends from the NICU that I have missed so much since we came home) to take me to dinner afterwards since he knew I wouldn't eat at the party. I am so, so blessed to have such an amazing husband. I know my quirks and OCD have made his life incredibly challenging since all of this started, and yet, he stands by me, and I am so, so thankful.
It was a great evening, even if it technically was all about me (which I am not a fan of, generally speaking). It was so nice to see my best friends (minus Sarah who couldn't make it, which I totally understood) together in one room. Andrea and I have been best friends since college when she used to let me stay with her on the weekends at UTK so I could spend the weekend with my college boyfriend. She was a big part of the only other surprise celebration I've had, which was for my 21st birthday. I can't tell you how much it means that she was there for both of my biggest birthdays. My 21st, much like my 30th (ok, my 31st if we're technical here), was spent with amazing friends and people that I cared very much about. Andrea is an amazing friend to so many people, and I am just so glad that 10 years later, we're still incredibly close and still in Knoxville together. Joey started off as my incredibly intimidating boss (seriously!) when I took my first "big girl" out of college job at Landair 7 years ago. Somehow over the years that I worked there, we became great friends. When I met Philip and moved to Knoxville, we were able to really become "just" friends and drop the "Director" and "Manager" titles we carried. She has taken such good care of me over the years, and I honestly don't know what she saw in me that made her want to be my friend even after I left Landair. She is truly the (slightly) older sister I never had, and I love her to death. She has cheered me through this, coached me through tough moments, and known just when I needed to see her in person for a hug and a pick me up. I think she knows me better than I know myself (and loves me anyway!). I met Jenny when I moved to Knoxville, and again, somehow, I managed to get adopted into another amazing woman's life and family. Her girls are my nieces, and I love them to pieces. Bradley is ok, too. :) She is my sister-friend, and she has carried me through every day of this journey. She was there the night I was admitted to Ft. Sanders, and she was there the night I had Addie. She sat with me through most of Addie's surgeries, holding my hand and helping me keep it together. She has cried with me with relief when surgeries have gone well, and she has cried for me when things have gone terribly, terribly wrong. She loves Addie like she was her own, and I love her even more for that.
Even though the celebration was about my birthday, it was a wonderful chance for me to look at my friends and remember how incredibly lucky I am to be surrounded by so many amazing people. I could write for days about how much each person there means to me and how they've touched my life, especially this past year. From Amy Tucker who continues to surprise me with sweet notes and treats in the mail and who sent Addie a Valentine and me a Mother's Day card, to Miquela Hales who was there the night I was admitted to Ft. Sanders and who sent me sweet, encouraging notes as the months in the hospital dragged on and on, to Rachel Hodges who is a hero among my NICU family because she not only went through the rigors of breastfeeding her own son for a year but who also pumped extra every day for a year so that Addie would have enough breast milk to get through her first year and beyond. There was Dutch and Kerry who visited me in the hospital and brought me the best hospital treat basket ever - I still use the foaming handsoap that was in there! Dutch helped carry Philip through the dark days of this adventure, and I am so thankful that Philip has had him to go exercise out some of his anxiety, fear and stress with. It was so special to see Kelly, Kathy, and Kary there. They were two of our primary nurses and one of our nurse practitioners in the NICU, and they became incredibly amazing friends while we were there. They are family to me, now, and always will be. They are the only friends we have that really know everything that we and Addie especially went through. They lived it with us. They were there for every brutal, ugly moment and for every triumphant victory. They understand even better than we do what a miracle Addie is. It was so nice to see that they wanted to come out and celebrate with me, even though they wouldn't know anyone else there. I love it when friendships start out somewhere like the NICU or at work and transition into something so much more once you "graduate" and move on. Again, I could go on and on about every person that was there, but for everyone else' sake, I will wrap up now.
So, to everyone who was a part of that evening, thank you! To those who couldn't make it, I completely understand, and I love you anyway. :)
I am generally pretty good with capturing pictures of events like this, but I am apparently sadly out of practice. So, I only have a few pictures to remember the evening with, but I have a lifetime of memories.
Here are a few of the pictures I did get:
Posing with the next birthday girl before I headed out.
I'm really hoping I can survive in these heels after a year in flats!!
My Jenny!! And I think I'm actually paler than her for the first time ever. ..oh my!
Love these girls so much!
Sisters! Love her.
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