What's In A Birthday?

June 4th.

This has always been a special day for me. Why wouldn't it be. It is my Birthday.
It has also turned out to be an interesting date as well.

When I was in college, my uncle died unexpectedly on that date. He was a great man, and is sorely missed by his wife and 5 kids.

Last year, on my Birthday, I was rushed to the hospital via ambulance after passing out at home in Ben's arms from a miscarriage (at 16 weeks) gone very wrong. I lost over 35% of my blood (and possibly more) in about 4 hours that day. I spent my Birthday in surgery, going back and forth in between consciousness, getting a CAT scan from passing out in the hospital and hitting my head, lying in a hospital bed, and mourning the loss of what could have been. It was a terrible day and is still hard for Ben and I to think about.

This year, yet again, June 4th will have great significance. For three reasons so far.

First of all, it is my Birthday, which means a good reason to celebrate...right.

Second...it is the due date for our little bundle in my belly. It was confirmed again at the last ultrasound a month ago. I do not believe in any way, shape, or form, that this is a coincidence. Even though the odds are slim that he will actually be born on my Birthday, it is still so wonderful to me. It gives me a reason to look forward to a date that had potential to bring back horrible memories. A date that I had decided to erase from my mind. Now, it will be full of fun anticipation, or maybe even, an infant in our home.

Third....it is the date we will close on our home in Utah!!!!!
That's right, we found a home this weekend that we absolutely love. We are already under contract. We are pretty excited about the tax credit. We didn't even really think about it or know about it when planning the trip. We didn't even realize the timing of it all, so it is a great perk. Another blessing.

We looked at 40 homes in two days. Yup, 40 homes! 25 the first day, and 15 the second day. By the end of the second day, my feet were so swollen that we literally couldn't see my ankles. Ben and I were exhausted, but so excited! We LOVE the house. It is perfect for us, and we knew it right when we got to it.

There are so many awesome things about it. It has the whole package. It is just the right size for our family. It has new carpet, new paint, and it looks just like new on the inside and outside. There is a nice, big yard. There is a park literally on the other side of the fence. (basically in our back yard) It is at the end of a very cute and well kept cul-de-sac. There is a path on the side of the house that goes forever. Perfect for the kids to ride their bikes away from the road. It is in the spot that we were really hoping to find a home in. We really like the area, ect. For our family, our taste and our phase of life, it is just right for us. We feel so blessed to be able to find a home in such a short amount of time. We didn't have a choice, because of the pregnancy being so far along. We did our best to prepare as much as possible before we left for Utah, and it paid off.
I am not going to write the area it is in, or the address, for safety reasons, but just ask if you want to know.

Our trip getting there was nuts. A random snow storm (in late April) slammed Colorado and Wyoming. We drove about 15mph in horrible weather, in the dark, for an hour or so before pulling off in Laramie. We ended up stuck in Laramie because of the freeway being closed. It didn't open until 2:00 the next afternoon. Luckily, our realtor and Ben's work were both very flexible, so it all worked out. We were pretty frustrated for a while there, but glad that we were safe.

My mom had the kids (who had so much fun they didn't even care to see us when we picked them up) and Ben and I stayed with some great friends. It was so nice to not worry about the kids and to spend time with good friends. We house hunted ALL day and then stayed up really late laughing our heads off and telling stories. Thank you Ben and Megan. We had a great time and we will miss you when you move.

We are absolutely exhausted today, but we are happy and so grateful for a successful weekend.

So, what's in a Birthday?

For me...a lot more than a Birthday.