While last year I was enjoying sunshine and warm weather on my birthday in Peru, this year it was back to the familiar cold weather that I'm used to for my December birthday. But it was a very happy birthday nonetheless! It started off with breakfast and tea in bed (yes, tea - a startling departure from the Swedish tradition of coffee that we blame on our assimilation to the culture here). Tony labored early in the morning to provide breakfast in bed - a black bean breakfast burrito, my favorite! He came in singing and bearing gifts, the breakfast burrito, a cup of tea and several cards from back home.
After a full day of work, we met back at our flat to discover a "Sorry we missed you!" card letting us know that my birthday package had arrived on time, but needed a signature for acceptance. We had 1 1/2 hours to get across town by bus to pick it up before closing, so we rearranged our dinner plans and hopped on the bus. We could've waited until Monday for the redelivery, but we had enough birthday excitement to make the decision an easy one. We ended up in an industrial park, walking in the rain without an umbrella, and once again being berated by the Edinburgh wind - but it was all worth it when we got our package 20 minutes before closing!! Here I am back at the house with my birthday gifts (minus the bag of Peanut Butter M&M's that my brother sent which were half consumed on the bus ride home and subsequently stashed away to keep us from eating them all in one day!). I was overwhelmed by the generous and thoughtful gifts that my family had sent - I love every single thing. One of the only benefits I can think of that results from living far away from family is the extra sweetness of opening gifts that have been purchased, packaged and sent with such thoughtfulness as an extension of their love.
After the gift opening, we were off to our 9:30pm dinner reservation at this gourmet vegetarian restaurant we've been eyeing since we arrived. While Tony and I are both fairly laid back people and will eat most anything that is served to us, we are particularly passionate about finding and creating
good food together. This restaurant was a real treat and gets our full endorsement - delicious hummus served with equally delicious bread, my plate of butternut squash ravioli and Tony's plate of spicy udon noodles were deletable. We put off brownies and ice cream for today because we were so full!
I went to bed feeling so grateful for the many wonderful people in my life, so thankful for the opportunities I've been given and for the gift of another year of life. I got so many sweet emails and messages from people, including a musical e-card from all the kids at New Hope. I can't wait to see what this next year holds. Here's to being 28!!
After a full day of work, we met back at our flat to discover a "Sorry we missed you!" card letting us know that my birthday package had arrived on time, but needed a signature for acceptance. We had 1 1/2 hours to get across town by bus to pick it up before closing, so we rearranged our dinner plans and hopped on the bus. We could've waited until Monday for the redelivery, but we had enough birthday excitement to make the decision an easy one. We ended up in an industrial park, walking in the rain without an umbrella, and once again being berated by the Edinburgh wind - but it was all worth it when we got our package 20 minutes before closing!! Here I am back at the house with my birthday gifts (minus the bag of Peanut Butter M&M's that my brother sent which were half consumed on the bus ride home and subsequently stashed away to keep us from eating them all in one day!). I was overwhelmed by the generous and thoughtful gifts that my family had sent - I love every single thing. One of the only benefits I can think of that results from living far away from family is the extra sweetness of opening gifts that have been purchased, packaged and sent with such thoughtfulness as an extension of their love. 
After the gift opening, we were off to our 9:30pm dinner reservation at this gourmet vegetarian restaurant we've been eyeing since we arrived. While Tony and I are both fairly laid back people and will eat most anything that is served to us, we are particularly passionate about finding and creating good food together. This restaurant was a real treat and gets our full endorsement - delicious hummus served with equally delicious bread, my plate of butternut squash ravioli and Tony's plate of spicy udon noodles were deletable. We put off brownies and ice cream for today because we were so full!
I went to bed feeling so grateful for the many wonderful people in my life, so thankful for the opportunities I've been given and for the gift of another year of life. I got so many sweet emails and messages from people, including a musical e-card from all the kids at New Hope. I can't wait to see what this next year holds. Here's to being 28!!
3 comments:
what a wonderful and memorable day. 28 is a good year. enjoy every moment of it!
happy birthday!
How fun to share every moment of your day through your blog! It does sound like you had a wonderful day!
Hi Alece - thanks for the birthday wishes! For some reason, 28 has always sounded like a good age to me, so I'm excited to be here. : )
Mom - thanks for all you did to make my birthday so special. I saved the message of you and dad singing, and am still just loving the thoughtful gifts you sent. Thank you!!
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