TDOC: day 21-24

Whew, let me tell you, it has been a whirlwind of celebrations these past few days. After this weekend, I very much feel like I have had my birthday and could "call it a day" at this point. The crazy thing is, it has only just begun. I have only seen the tip of the iceberg, but gosh, I feel absolutely spoiled knowing it's not over.

(**Recently edited to add a TON of pictures taken by my fousin, Elisa.)

Day 21

I celebrated day 21 with the "fab four" which happens to be the last four members of my first community group. We took advantage of our flourishing downtown art scene and strolled around the Nasher. They actually have a pretty sweet setup on Friday nights with a band and movie outside on their lawn. However, we did not stay for the movie and merely took a quick perusal of the sculptures. I must say that nothing really spoke to me, but I suppose I just don't have the vision.

The weeping willows, however, definitely did speak to me. How great are these?

We also took a brief stroll through the Crow museum before heading to dinner at Cafe Izmir. We enjoyed Greek tapas, but I think the highlight was their hummus and pita which was dubbed "the best in Dallas." I don't know about that, but it was pretty tasty.

"Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others."
Philippians 2:3-4

Day 22

My 22nd day of celebration was a veritable bonanza, containing so much good and happiness, that I almost couldn't handle it. My dear fousin, Elisa, was in Texas for a visit, so Michelle and I took a little road trip to Waco to meet her for lunch. When she walked into the restaurant, it was apparent she brought the party with her. In one hand she was holding a giant bouquet of balloons and in the other, the most rockin' plate of custom cupcakes you have never seen. (No, that's not a typo. You literally have never seen anything like these.)

We enjoyed our lunch at the Olive Branch and also enjoyed a little side of Roma as I brought one of my maps for us to look at. Elisa generously pointed me towards the "best gelato place ever," so between that and the Vatican, I think we have it pretty much covered.

We shut the place down and proceeded to take our party outside. We enjoyed the beautiful weather and sat outside for a good 2+ hours. There was much laughter and overall celebration between the three of us. As if the cupcakes and balloons weren't enough, I was also gifted with flowers, lipgloss, nail polish, coffee (from Trianon!), cava, AND earrings and flats (also from China) I had pinned on Pinterest. Hello, much too generous. I was overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness and love that went into everything. I felt like the Lord was giving me a giant hug and His love was overflowing.

After ALL that, I got to blow out the candles on my cupcakes and we all shared in the deliciousness lovingly prepared by Elisa. (Not to worry that one of the decorations caught flame during the serenade, but we caught it before the whole thing went up in flames.)

Because Elisa has some serious photog skills, Michelle and I got to have a mini photo shoot right there in the middle of the Waco square. I absolutely love these pictures and couldn't help but sharing.

(*All photos above taken by Elisa*)

I cannot thank Elisa enough for each and every detail she put into my pre-birthday celebration. She went
ALL OUT and I was humbled by the love she showed me. The only thing missing was China (and Li, of course). Many thanks to her, as well, for the lovely earrings and shoes.

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me."
Galatians 2:20

Day 23

My 23rd day was celebrated with my parents and sister. I spent the afternoon at my parent's house and my mom gave me a little early birthday gift. It was much needed makeup and very timely as I needed it for my trip. Many thanks to them for getting me exactly what I wanted! (No pics, but who needs another pic of me?)

"For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete."
Colossians 2:9-10

Day 24

I got to celebrate the 24th day of my birthday month with my favorite 5-year-old in the whole world: the one and only Haylee Grace. Since I will be out of the country on her 6th birthday, I wanted to do something special with her before I left.

So...we went to "one of her favorite places" which happens to be the mall. She got to pick out her dinner and this girl chose Sonic grilled cheese with fries and lemonade. Can't say I blame her as their grilled cheese used to be one of my dietary staples.

After dinner, we headed to Forever 21 where I told her she could pick out any necklace she wanted. You would have thought she had died and gone to heaven and we spent a good 20 minutes on our knees in front of the display. But she finally made a decision, so we made a beeline for the register to make our purchase post haste as she could not wait to put it on. (If you look in the last picture, you can get a good look at her choice which was a chain with a large crystal heart pendant.)

Since we were celebrating, we obviously had to get dessert and she had her pick of any cookie at the Great American Cookie Co. She chose the one covered in sprinkles (without any hesitation, I might add). After that, it was time for the grand finale which was her birthday present. Her Mimi and Paw-Paw went in with me to get her the costume from Brave. Suffice it to say, the gift was a hit.

I'm so glad I got to celebrate with my little Pearl and hate that I will miss her birthday, but I cherish the time we got to spend together.

"He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
2 Corinthians 5:21