How I celebrated my birthday...

* On Friday the 10th, my parents and brother called from Kunming, China and wished me a happy birthday on the speaker phone :).

* On Saturday morning I got to sleep in. Then, I checked my email and got a few more birthday wishes. I did a few things around the house but mostly enjoyed the sunshine and the day to relax.

* My Farmor and Farfar Stokland came down to Lacombe for birthday lunch. Marco made soup and sandwhich fixings. For dessert we had homemade coconut cake that Farmor brought with fresh strawberries, whipped cream, and coffee. It was wonderful! After lunch, we drove around Lacombe to show my grandparents a bit more of where we live. At about 3pm they headed back to Edmonton.

* For my birthday, Marco gave me a card and a Starbucks Coffee gift card that said "to help you unwind in the days and weeks ahead in kindergarten." This was my first birthday since we've been married so it was special to spend all day with him.

* Then Marco and I went into Red Deer to meet my Aunt Laurie, Uncle Gary, JD, and Amy. One of their gifts to me was tickets to the Red Deer Rebels WHL hockey game. It was a great game...the Rebels won 2-1 in the last minute.

* After the game we went to Moxies for drinks and birthday dessert. I had a Hawaiian Hunny margarita and the Banana Carmal Xango: "Creamy. Light banana cheesecake wrapped in a pastry tortilla. Dusted with cinnamon-sugar and served with warm caramel, ribbons of chocolate and French vanilla ice cream." So yummy!

* My sister Erika and boyfriend Arden were waiting for us at Moxies. They had driven down from Edmonton after work to help me celebrate. It was supposed to be a surprise, but even though they were very stealthy, their cover was blown half way through the day. It didn't bother me at all because I was glad I could spend the day with part of my family. I couldn't stop smiling.

* Erika and Arden spent the night at our house. It was a good visit but too short. They left Sunday morning after breakfast.

And that is how I spent my 24th birthday!