Lauren Michelle: My 20th Birthday!

I got word about a month ago that my best friend Elizabeth who lives in Wisconsin was going to be able to be in town for a couple of days before my birthday. I wanted to show her a good time, and wanted her to meet some of my closest friends. Since a couple of my friends including Elizabeth weren't going to be able to celebrate with me on my actual birthday, we decided to celebrate a little early. I reserved a karaoke room at Shokitini and invited around 15 people. We all had an amazing dinner and sang all night long! The pictures truly crack me up! It was one of the most fun nights of my life.

The day before my birthday I found out that my grandmother has a tumor on her pancreas which is 95% cancerous. She will be having a 6 hour surgery to remove the tumor on September 1st. After surgery they will discuss radiation and chemo treatments. This really upset me to the point I didn't want to do anything for my birthday. I was so upset, sad, hurting, and fed up with bad news. My mom, Granny, and Mary always come up to Athens to spend the day with me before my birthday and I was so sad that it wasn't going to happen this year. Amanda and Mrs. Wanda came to the rescue and invited me to lunch and some wedding planning. We were visiting the Taylor-Grady house and when my mom called. The three of them were going to be able to make it for a late lunch if we could wait. Of course we waited and I was so thankful to have the 5 people I love the most all sitting at one table. Blake, Mom, Wanda, Mary, Granny, and Amanda and I all were able to eat lunch together at Jason's Deli. We spent the whole lunch laughing and exchanging gifts.

After lunch, we went to GiGi's cupcakes for a little birthday treat. We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out before my dad, brother, and sister in law came up for dinner. Dinner was excellent. I was finally able to eat at Porterhouse, and it was definitely worth the wait. I recommend the crab stuffed tilapia if anyone ever decides to go. New favorite for sure! I turned in early for the night to reflect on a day of ups and downs. I knew that it made my grandmother's day to spend the day with everyone. She had an amazing day, and laughed constantly. Laughter truly is the best medicine and I know with prayers and laughter Granny will get through anything!

The next morning I decided to go to the lake and spend my actual birthday with all my family including Blake. When I came to pick up Blake he had the most beautiful set up sitting on his dresser. A half a dozen red, black, and white roses with two UGA vs Boise State tickets sitting in the flowers. He also got me an amazing Tory Burch bracelet and a PGA championship shirt. He made my birthday turn all around... especially with what the card in the flowers read. Once I picked him up, we were off to the lake.

It was the perfect place to relax and forget about everything that had been going on in my life. We rode in the boat and anchored out to cook. We grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, and the calmness of being in the middle of the lake was perfect for me. We picked up the rest of my family and went out for a sunset cruise. We stayed out on the lake way past dark singing and dancing... oh and eating birthday cake. It was the perfect turn around to a not so happy starting birthday. All in all, I enjoyed my birthday. I am thankful for another year and cannot wait to see what this next year brings for me.

My sexy boyfriend modeling ;)

I think sometimes when you're down... just look up into the sky. I honestly believe my grandmother sent me this beautiful sunset to wrap up my birthday with.