My School Mom, Whit & T-Money!

I'd like to give a shout out to 3 birthday girls today. First, how many of you can say that you have a coworker who will stand on a chair and cook you breakfast on a griddle at 8:00 in the morning? Well, meet Jane :). Jane is my teammate, and this is a picture of her at a 3rd grade team meeting a few weeks ago making us omelets, turkey bacon, and asparagus. I call Jane my "School Mom" because she took me under her wing my very first day of work (and by that I mean the first thing she did was take me to the book room to steal books for my classroom library) and we have been the greatest of friends ever since. She listens to me, she cracks me up, and she makes me a better teacher. It's a great feeling to work in an environment where people always have my back. So Jane, for that and a million other things, 10+.

Today is also my cousin Tara's birthday! While Tara and I are in fact "cousins", my extended family is so close that in my head we are friends first and cousins second. If I could describe Tara with 1 word it would be hysterical. Her imitations are genius, she has a laugh that makes you wonder if she's gasping for air (which, by the way, perfectly matches her mother's :) ), and she can whip out a harlem shake and step routine that would make Channing Tatum jealous. She is beautiful and smart and INCREDIBLY loving. So here's to you, T- I know it's going to be an awesome year!

Last, but certainly not least, my precious friend Whitney turned 26 years old yesterday. Whitney and I met my sophomore year at East Carolina, and within days I knew that we would always be friends. We laughed (and cussed) through aerobics every day (especially step, given her lack of coordination), talked for hours on end, danced the nights away, drank countless bottles of wine, and even rooted on Jess and Nick through 3 full seasons of Newlyweds (and really thought they were going to make it!) In the last few years I have watched her become a wife, a mommy to 3 beautiful children, and start her own business. She does it all with such grace and I'm really proud of her. LOVE. xo