Happy Birthday Edward Mark <3

Today is my Ed's birthday!! :-) He is 28. We were still up at midnite so I got to be the first one to wish him happy birthday (usually Lynda calls at like 5am or something so that she can be the first). I also joked to him that now he is 2 years older than me again instead of just one, haha. Just before I fell asleep I thought, wow, he was 19 and I was 17 when we met...we've known each other for a long time! And for those first years when we were "just friends" we had no idea that we'd ever be married someday. It's amazing. I love to do that sometimes, just think back on a certain year or period in my life and think how I had no idea what God had planned for me. Like back when I was 13 and I had to get glasses and had just started developing and I felt so ugly and fat, I didn't think boys would ever like me, or that anyone would think I was pretty, and now I have a husband who tells me I'm beautiful every day. Or when I didn't get to graduate from high school on time, and consequently didn't get to go to college right away and I thought I never would, yet now here I am just a couple semesters away from my bachelors degree. God is good! And I'm very happy to be celebrating another one of Ed's birthdays with him :-) He has brought so much happiness to my life, and truly made me a better person in every way. He's one of the ones who helped lead me to Christ, he helped me learn to trust people again, and he has always just loved me for me. I remember before Ed, I couldn't imagine letting a guy see me without make up on, or just grunging around the house in sweats or something. I couldn't imagine talking to a boyfriend about personal things. Now Ed sees me every morning and every night without makeup and still calls me pretty and we grunge around in sweats together sometimes if my parents or Tom & Lynda have the kids. And I talk to him about everything, even the icky personal things (well, maybe not all of them!), because he's my best friend. And I thank God every day for allowing me to marry my best friend.
TJ got an A on a spelling test yesterday!! I almost hugged her to death until I heard a muffled little "Mom, please let go!" She is doing so wonderful in school this year and I am so happy. It is definitely an answer to prayer. For the little girl who hated school last year to be sad on Fridays now because she has to go 2 days without seeing her teacher is awesome. Of course TJ never ceases to amaze me anyway. Theo Jane means "gift from God" and that's truly what she and her sisters are to me.
Yes, I'm having a counting blessings day! I woke up feeling pretty good today, just focusing on all the positive. I am very blessed.