Surprise Celebration!

My friend, Alyson, invited me to dinner last Thursday night to celebrate my birthday. I must admit, I thought it a little weird that she wanted to take me out to dinner, just me and her, in celebration of my birthday, but I thought Hey! She's the best friend I've got here! Maybe its a Texas thing and went. She was so sweet! She had picked a restaurant that was known for its cheeseburgers because she knows its my favorite! So anyways, I digress. Michael had been teasing me all week about my "date" with Alyson on Thursday night. I was excited to get to hang out with her out of the school setting and just relax. So she picks me up, and we chat all the way to the restaurant--which was named We continued chatting on the way in, and as we're walking in I can't get the door open. She is just standing there laughing. I think she's laughing at me, but no she's laughing at our FRIENDS trying to hide themselves from me. As I look up, they're all shouting Surprise!! I felt so loved!!! Three other girls--Leah, Courtney, and Debra--I've met at seminary joined us for dinner. We laughed at the "adult drinks" list that Leah thought just meant they were large! (to her credit...a kid's drink is small!) We discussed serious topics like child birth and issues recently preached in chapel as well as just laughing and enjoying getting to know each other! We had a fabulous waitress who took great care of us, and we got free deserts because they dropped the ice cream cake they brought for me!

These girls are a testimony of answered prayer. I prayed all year before we moved that he would bring godly friends into my life, and these girls are just that!