My brotherâs birthday fell in the middle of this past week, and because many of his friends and family were on travel or had to work, including himself, all of us couldnât gather together on that specific date to celebrate with him. However, my mom and his best friend treated my brother to dinner on Tuesday (and we set aside time yesterday for his âfamily party,â which I shared on Snapchat!).
His best friend came up with a brilliant idea during the afternoon of my brotherâs actual birthday, and he contacted those of us with work conflicts to involve us in that eveningâs festivities. Thanks to modern technology, the plan worked!
When they arrived back at my brotherâs apartment after dinner, my brotherâs best friend quickly set up his laptop while my brother was still in the parking lot. When my brother walked into the kitchen where a homemade birthday cake sat on the table, the group of us out-of-towners all exclaimed, âHappy birthday!â from where we looked on in a Google group video chat.
The biggest smile Iâve ever seen spread across my brotherâs face, and his eyes light up like a five-year-oldâs on Christmas morning when he saw all of our faces on the laptop screen. We joined in singing the âHappy Birthday!â song before he blew out the candles, and it was obvious that our interactions and conversation with him was his favorite birthday gift.
The same is true here on my blog⊠My interactions and conversations with YOU are the best gift I ever couldâve asked for!
It may sound a little corny, but itâs completely true. Your interest in my recipes has enabled me to turn Amyâs Healthy Baking into my full-time job, and Iâm so grateful! Every time you browse through my recipes and save them on Pinterest⊠Every time you try one of those recipes and share it with your family and friends⊠Every time you give them the link to my blog when they ask where you found it⊠Every time you leave a sweet comment here or on Facebook⊠Every time you post a picture of one of those recipes on InstagramâŠ
My heart just melts. It truly melts. Those things, although they sound fairly insignificant, all add up and are what have allowed me to blog full-time. Iâm incredibly grateful for each of those actionsâand every single one of you.
So to say thank you, Iâm putting the spotlight back on you today! Here are some of the recipes that youâve tried and pictures that youâve shared on Instagram. I truly appreciate each and every time you do that; it really means the world to me! â„
If youâre interested in starting a blog too, I have an easy guide on how you can start your own blog here! (And it takes less than 30 minutes!)
I canât wait to see what you try next! â„
Would you like to see your picture in my next Sunday Spotlight? Then share it with me on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tag @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself. (That guarantees that Iâll see your picture! ?) I canât wait to see what recipes you make!
The video chat was such a lovely idea! It must have meant a lot to your brother on his birthdayâș. I’m going to have to try those cinnamon rolls like ‘@choopsw’ did – they look so yummy!! All of us readers love you and your blog, and it’s a pleasure to share your recipes etc. Thank YOU for all the work you’ve put in to the blog and all your delicious recipes!? x
Awwww Katie, you’re just the sweetest — thank you SO much for your comment!! That means so much to me! ? I can’t wait to hear what you think of the cinnamon rolls when you try them! (And they don’t require vanilla creme stevia, so you can make them while you wait for that to arrive! ?)
My pleasure?. I’m on holiday at the moment, so the stevia should be arriving for when I get back! I’m really looking forward to using it (and making the banana brownies!), but I’m absolutely going to make the cinnamon rolls as an ‘after-holiday’ healthy treat, haha?! x
How fun — enjoy the rest of your holiday Katie!! I hope you have some bananas waiting for you on your counter when you get back home too! đ