Happy Birthday, Amber!!!

To Amber, on your 26th birthday:

Settle in, this is going to be a long one.  I am bad about sending real birthday cards in the mail.  But this was going to be the year I finally did it.  And then I sorta lost the card I was going to send.  And I realized I don't actually have your new address.  The best laid plans and all that.  But then I remembered I have a blog.  So, I can harness all the power of the interwebs (thank you, Al Gore) to wish you a happy birthday.

Twenty-five was a heck of a year, my friend.  What can I say?  At least it's over sounds too pessimistic.  It was character building?  A little too self-help aisle.  I don't really know what this year was all about, but for every blow it gave you, you gave one right back.  Twenty-five didn't know what it was getting into.  At the end of the day, you were kind of a rock star. 

But this year wasn't all about the crazy.  Let's review, shall we?  We went back to the Gulf for our 4th Annual Road Trip.  Nothing like the beach and some boiled peanuts to say vacation.  Traveling together is the true test of a friendship.  I'd say that we did okay.  I mean, no one actually ended up kicked out on the side of the road, right?  (And I'm including DOTTY in that!)  We may eat dinner with the geriatrics, sing Mandy Moore on repeat and spend our nights watching Bravo, but there's nothing as much fun as vacation. 

 In other news, you totally won the best present at the baby shower award.  Gold star!  And you even held Macy Jane without freaking out.  I'd call that progress...

 And we were finally able to reinstate Tuesday pool days.  (Nothing goes with gossip like nachos and chlorine!)  We never used enough sunscreen (and there was that whole wasp thing), but those hours were some of the best of this summer...

 Well, with the exception of this movie (Ryan Gosling shirtless--hello!)...

 And this night (hello, Captain!).

 There aren't enough hats in the world to hold in all the awesome that is you.  (But we can keep trying.) 

 Of course, since we've been friends for 100 years now, I knew this year wasn't going to keep you down for long.  And I think twenty-six stands to be the best year yet.  Dare I say, super...

 And if all else fails, we can totally run away to the beach and never come back.  (But we'd have to take Butters and Lilah and while we are complementary travel companions, I can't say the same for them.)

 You are the best kind of friend a girl can ask for.  You have excellent taste in music,  have watched every episode of Gilmore Girls and you believe we are just as funny as I do.  And so today, I wish you a very happy birthday!  And I can't wait to do it again on Saturday in our ugly Christmas sweaters!  I love ya more than my luggage!

 P.S.  Maybe 26 & 30 will be the years we finally figure out the art of the self-potrait!  Ha!