Turning forty six was anticlimactic. I’m thinking fifty might cause my head to spin a little but this one, not so much.

I did enjoy a birthday dinner Friday night and a birthday lunch on Sunday!

Friday night was supposed to be a business dinner. My best friend, Kerri, is helping us with my next book – a children’s book on anxiety. She works for Prisma and spent most of her clinical career in pediatrics. She has since climbed the proverbial ladder and holds more of an administrative role these days. I’m thankful for both her expertise and connections! When we were planning the night, she messaged to say, “umm, Andrea, did you realize that Friday is your birthday?” The answer to that question was no. We invited our other friend + the boys and turned the meeting into a birthday dinner. We met at Cheddars on Woodruff Road. I can’t say that I’ve ever had a bad meal there, but I doubt you’ll see it featured in Southern Living any time soon. It’s rarely crowded and has plenty of space, making it a decent hang out for larger groups who plan to linger.

I didn’t take a picture (can you believe it) of my meal. I ordered the Monte Cristo sandwich with fries. Mom ordered the same thing but called it the Monte “Crisco.” Thankfully our waiter was young and kind and a bit intimidated – he didn’t even act like he wanted to laugh. The rest of us laughed plenty.

You’ve probably had a Monte Cristo before. This was my first one. I had no idea what it was. I panic ordered when I learned that the chicken wrap I wanted was spicy. I loved the taste. To me, it was basically ham and cheese wrapped in a funnel cake. I don’t think I would order it again. I’m not a fan of mixing sweet with regular food. Does that make sense? Simply put, I love funnel cake and I love ham and cheese. I do not want to eat them together. If you enjoy that sort of thing, definitely order the Monte CRISCO from Cheddars – you’ll love it!

Sunday afternoon, our friends had us over for a small birthday celebration after church.

Gail’s cooking is to die for. I devoured everything you see on this plate, and then some.

I don’t feel older. I do grow more and more thankful each year. For life, for family, for friends. I’m careful not to take anything for granted. We’ve lost several close friends over the past year and a half, reminding me that we’re not promised tomorrow.

I’m sitting here waiting on JP to get out of therapy. Due to the busyness of summer and conflicting schedules, it’s been almost two months since we’ve been. JP’s been dying to get back into the monthly routine. If I could afford it, he’d come once a week. Another thing I’m thankful for – he needs this.

Preston needs it too, but to hear him tell it, he’s “graduated” from therapy. He’s absolutely not graduated from therapy. We’ve been trying to figure out a time for him to go now that he’s back in public school. Our therapist has young children, so she doesn’t hold (late) afternoon appointments. When I told Preston we were gonna have to skip this month, my words somehow translated into him not going back. He isn’t a fan like JP. Bless him.

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