Tis The Season For Opening Birthday Cards!

I have now reached five cards and it is not even my birthday yet! I am a huge card lover! Like really HUGE. So receiving birthday cards in the mail really makes my birthday a hit. They always get displayed in a prominent place for all to see. One year, I had soooo many cards (it helped that my friend made me the amount of cards as the age I was turning) that I was able to cover my entire bedroom door with them. It hasn't happened since, but I do enjoy each and every card I get.

A couple of days ago I received a lovely card from my best friend in Chicago. In it were a few absolutely adorable stickers for my wedding scrapbook that she knows I will be making. She always knows the best things to send! Gotta love that girl! She too is a huge card lover! 

That same day, I received a really cool card from my "cousin/friend" (our families call each other Aunt and Uncle but we really aren't related by blood, so I don't know exactly how to explain her relationship to me - I love her dearly and that is all that matters though!) with a removable princess crown. So, I will have a cute little crown to wear on my special day!! Two great cards from two very special people! 

Then today, I received three cards! Yes, three in one day. So we are up to five and I still have a day in between now and my birthday. Card number one was a wonderful card from a friend with a note of her prayers for me. She spent a set time in prayer offered for my intentions. How special is that!? Thank you dear friend. I will cherish those prayers and her card. 

Card number two was from my sisters!!! It is a totally cool card! It's with glittered cupcakes with little flags that spell out "Happy Birthday!" It's so me. Of course they'd know exactly the type of card to get me. They are truly the best sisters a girl could ask for. They always write such a happy and heartfelt message in the card. I love those girls to pieces! I just wish I could eat the cupcakes that are on the card… They look so yummy! And my sisters are amazing bakers so if they made them, they'd really be good. Seriously good. 

 And the last card for today was from my Grandparents. Nana always bought the cards for a while, and now Popa has taken over. I can tell by their writing and Popa always has a funny side to him. I love each of their card choices whenever they pick them out and their messages are always from the heart to be treasured. Nana and Popa's card came with the annual scratch tickets. Now let me take a minute to tell you about them...

I have a serious love-hate relationship with scratch tickets. There is always that anticipation when you are about to scratch off the last bit of metallic silver covering, unveiling that one number that could be the ticket to a nice winning (note: "winning" said in the Charlie Sheen voice - j/k I'm getting a little tired of all that hype)!! It doesn't come as a surprise when I open a birthday card from my grandparents, to find one, or a few, scratch tickets in with it, but the excitement has never worn off. If it has not worn off in 25 years, I don't think it ever will. I absolutely love getting mail. Not much beats it for me (Bills do not count. - You can keep them!), but getting mail from my grandparents… not much beats that! Ever since the day I called them to tell them I was engaged, my Popa has been sending me wedding clippings from their local paper and basically anything, anywhere, wedding related. There was even a clipping in with my birthday card. I will treasure each handwritten note from him and my Nana forever. They will be safely tucked away in a special box to look back on in the years to come. So, with all that being said. I had three scratch tickets in my birthday card this year (I wonder how many $1 tickets Popa has spent on us kids all these years!?!) but, none of them were winners. That's okay though. My heart did come close to stopping when I thought I had won $50 and $100, but I survived and smiled just at the thought of receiving another round of scratch tickets this year. 25 years later and Pops is still going strong sending those rectangular little cards out to us kids. Gus was even inducted into the club for his birthday this past year. :)

Scratch tickets, prayers, stickers, tiaras and cupcakes… all sent along with wonderful cards with such heartfelt messages. Another year has come that I will certainly not forget all the people that I am blessed to have in my life.