Goodbye 40----HELLO 41!!!

***UPDATE****

Here's the link to the recipe for these beauties.

Well, I have loved celebrating my 41st birthday today.  My man made these to.die.for.cupcakes this afternoon and we shared them with great friends who hung out just for kicks today.  I found the recipe on Pinterest** this summer and have wanted to try them.  I had no idea they were soooo involved! I just handed my man the recipe that I printed off and asked for them for today.  They are totally from scratch and he did a GREAT job.  They are lemon cupcakes with raspberry/blackberry buttercream frosting. ( I have gotten so many great ideas from Pinterest** and have already done several things that I found on there that I'd otherwise never have even known about!).


Yes.


I said TO DIE FOR!!!! and I'm a chocolate girl!!


I must say that I woke up this morning ecstatic that 40 was OVER and 41 has been ushered into my life. Though I've have some GREAT moments in the past year....I also have to say it was in my top three of the worst (read that as MOST DIFFICULT) years in my life.  


- Many emotional roller coasters that made me want to puke my guts out
- learning to deal with this deaf doggie
- wondering if we were EVER going to get PandaJOY in our home
- dealing with the reality of it when she actually made it here
- dealing with PandaGirl adjusting to life with a sibling
- dealing with the mind-numbing stress of the foster system
- still having to make biological visits for PJ 
- sitting on our hands as we wait on the appeal for PJ's case
- parenting two children with adoption issues
- some heart-breaking personal family issues
- weighing more than I've ever weighed
- natural aging of my body and it not working exactly the way I think it should
- raising a very demanding 2 (now 3) year old with her own heavy baggage and no real way of disciplining her.....all at the ripe of age of 40!!
- more wrinkles
- watching my precious Man start to age and deal with his own health issues (though I think he is HOTTER than ever!!!)
- our gorgeous tree in the front yard being blown down in a storm
- several costly vehicle problems
- a summer FILLED with 105 degrees plus days of horrible heat (got up to 114 and MANY at 110)
- and pretty much the feeling of not being young anymore. 


Now, with all the yuck out there let me say that I've had some of the most wonderful moments and experiences this year as well:


- finally getting PJ in our home!!
- I LOVED going to New York City in April with a fellow 40er friend!!!
- my weekend in January with my colleges BFFs that will go down in my history as one of the BEST weekends of my life!!!
- having a precious dog as a part of our family that truly does NEED us
- being blessed as the MOM of two gorgeous daughters who are orphans no more because God chose us to parent them
- being a family of four
- driving a Tahoe that we got for a song from my in-laws (though the A/C still needs fixing!!)
- LOVING my in-laws amazingly gorgeous new home they built on their retirement land
- life changing godly counsel
- precious friends all around me
- watching PandaGirl GROW just from having PJ around
- the countless times that PJ has made me laugh hysterically at her antics 
- purposefully getting myself more organized
- finding an online group of women who are focused on health and exercise and motivate me greatly
- my Man re-doing my kitchen for me
- getting to see my BFF from Across The Pond for a night!!
- getting to see another BFF whom I hadn't seen in person in over five years!
- having a fabulous church and church family
- the most awesome fun-filled vacation with my PandaFamily in August!!!!!!!
- honing my skills as a photographer and seeing fruits of my labor with more to come!!
- drawing close to my God who created me for more than I've allowed myself to be


When I look at the good of the year I do see that it was wonderful to turn 40.  I also know that it has been a major struggle to get through it.  I am looking so forward to what 41 holds and know that my God will carry me.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Galatians 5:1