Happy Birthday To Me

My 27th birthday was yesterday. I wasn't expecting a ton of celebration this week, since we sort of already celebrated with my family over Labor Day weekend. But it turns out I have some great friends here in Augusta. Ruth, Kelly, and Rosie treated me to a DELICIOUS Italian dinner at Taste of Italy on Tuesday. I'd never been there before, but I'll definitely go back - it was excellent! Thank you guys; I had a blast! Yesterday, my actual birthday, Cline treated me like a queen all day and cooked a tasty shrimp scampi dinner for us, complete with candles and a cake. Tonight, he is taking me on our first "date" since the baby was born. We'll be leaving Christa with a non-family member for the first time. Not because we wouldn't enjoy a meal with her, but because at the mention of the word "date" she feels an irresistible urge to cry all through dinner, requiring separate meals for mom and dad. It kind of kills the romantic ambiance. I'm not worried about leaving her one bit - I know she'll be in good hands (thank you, Ruth). I have also received some very sweet cards in the mail, and when we go to Rome next weekend, we'll celebrate with Cline's family. So basically, the entire month of September is a celebration of me this year!

Also this week, we mourned the loss of the South Carolina game on Saturday. I hate losing games so close to the beginning of the season, especially to teams with a chicken as a mascot. I mean come on! A chicken? Seriously? What's so intimidating about that? Or is it supposed to remind us of all the redneck, illegal cockfighting that goes on in SC? (Cline actually wrote that part - we're obviously handling this loss with class and maturity:) We just hate to lose because we like to hold on to that National Championship hope as long as possible. Oh well - maybe next year.

Cline and Christa are doing well. Christa slept 11 hours the other night! She's trying hard to find her thumbs, and will sometimes soothe herself back to sleep if she wakes up. She's like her mom - knows when it's time to wake up, but HATES actually getting out of bed. She'll go from a soft whimper to an all-out scream when I pick her up, until I get her settled again in my arms. It's pretty funny.

Have a great day!