Thirty-one

I officially became a thirty-something last week, 

and spent a gloriously-mellow Saturday at home making a lemon meringue pie-

teaching so many cake classes of late required a slight shift from birthday tradition!

I'm sure it would make some sad to slave away in a kitchen over their own celebratory dessert, 

but I really do love it- something I repeatedly told my sweet husband with a broad smile to assure him it really is just fine that he doesn't cook.

That night the kids headed out to a sitter's and Ryan whisked me away to a surprise party of a few 

wonderful friends where we chatted and laughed and they each performed a bongo drum solo 

accompanied by a sentence or two of something they loved about me.

It was all very artistic and hilarious, and we pretended to be beatniks as we snapped our fingers to applaud.  

It ended with a spread of delicious pies they'd baked for the occasion (word of a birthday girl's preferences travels fast!), 

and so the lemon meringue would instead be an after-church treat the next day.

So here's to birthdays and extra slices of pie,

wonderful friends and family who remember us and make us laugh,

and the sweet kids who sang more rounds of Happy Birthday than I can count 

while gladly helping me devour a soggy lemon meringue pie!