Three Kids and a Dog: Cheers to 44!

The spot where we got engaged 15 years ago

Forty-four just sounds old. In fact, I can remember when my mom was 44 and I was almost a college graduate by that time! My oldest will be only 11 in a few months. I can't possibly be that old?!

I used to love celebrating my birthday and I have to say the last 2 years I've almost wished the day was over. Maybe because it's so much less fun celebrating your birthday when everyone you'd celebrate with is at work and school. Or maybe it's because I'm getting older. All I know is even if I am then I want to celebrate with people. I don't want the day to go by celebrating by myself at the spa or traveling by myself on an airplane. I want to celebrate a whole 'nother year lived. Because another year lived is a gift in this crazy unpredictable world. It's a year to be celebrated. So that's what I did this year and that's what I will do moving forward.

It was just turning a bit cold when my college friends suggested we all go back to IU during the first weekend in November. It's hard to cram a weekend away in between all the sports we have but somehow we had no games that weekend so I ended up celebrating my bday weekend with my college friends and our families at my alma mater. I hadn't been back in a decade and it was even sweeter to share my love of IU with my kids. We started with a dinner on Friday followed by a pre-football game tailgate and then the actual football game. After the game, we walked over to my newly renovated sorority for a tour then walked around campus before settling in for dinner. It was a short, quick trip but it was still great that I got to see my friends and reminsce with them. I still love IU and have fond memories of my time.

It was a nice present to take a little roadtrip (down memory) lane with our kids (who were great) and they loved IU. Austen said he wanted to go there but don't tell Daddy. Hailey said she wanted to go to Daddy's Indiana. And, Peyton, well Peyton has always said she wanted to go to IU because I went there. If I get one of the three to attend I'll be happy!