Happy Birthday To Me

So three hours and two minutes from now I will be exactly 26 years old. Twenty-six, to me, doesn't have a feel, really. 25 seemed like something of a milestone and was the beginning of a mild quarter-life crisis...where I evaluated what I had to show for my years and where I was headed from there. But this year is entirely different...like 180 degrees different. And not in a bad way at all. I've always gotten very excited about birthdays. Not just mine, but other people's too. I think everyone should get at least a dessert and candles and birthday plates no matter how old you get. I'm a proponent of VIP treatment for the day and things to unwrap no matter how small and sometimes balloons or flowers. I like making birthday plans and ordering birthday cakes and thinking up birthday surprises. But this year, I have to admit, the approach of my birthday failed to evoke any real emotions at all. I didn't dread it, I didn't feel old, nor was I excited. I suppose it's a natural consequence of getting older and I'm pretty sure it had something to do with the recent shift in priorities. But I know it had something to do with the fact that it's the first birthday in my whole life I didn't get to celebrate in person with my parents and Ross. I didn't ask for anything, I didn't expect a cake, I refused even to discuss plans for the evening with Josh. I'm happy to report, however, that I had a truly wonderful birthday in spite of myself! We started the celebration yesterday with a really great day brought to me by my in-laws who really went above and beyond for me! It began with cinnamon rolls and ended with birthday cake (both from The Butcher Shop- home of my FAVORITE bakery!) And there was PIZZA in between (stuffed crust pizza and cheesesticks which was a big deal for me because they're equally favorites and I rarely get them both at once). We also tried a Tuscani pasta which, by the way, was very good. But not as exciting as the pizza and cheesesticks. Here are pics of my cake which Debbie ordered to specifically have these cute polka dots...which perfectly matched the 26 candles! And, naturally, there were gifts, too- which, considering the wealth of culinary gifts they gave me, was totally unnecessary, but was nevertheless a collection of stuff that all looked like things I'd have picked out myself! So BIG THANK YOUS to the Andersons for making my day! :)

And that was all before my actual birthday! So today, Mae Mae and Pop were over for an excellent lunch in and leftover birthday cake (which was just as good today as yesterday). It was really, really nice to have birthday company for the afternoon, and they came bearing fabulous gifts as well! Then we all assembled for a birthday ichat with Mom, Dad and Ross and they got to see me open my presents from them which Mom had brought over before she left- which were excellent (thank you, thank you!), but I'd have gladly settled for nothing if it'd meant they could be here with me. Anyway, thanks to the ichat it was almost like they were here. They just didn't get any cake...which I really hate for their sake. It's amazing cake. And finally, Josh topped off the evening with a sesame chicken dinner from my favorite chinese restaurant...Magic China. Frazier, unaware it was my birthday, was unusually awake (which really wasn't a bad thing) and was a little more fussy today than usual (which is still ridculously little). But I did get a few of these... ...and I can think of no better gift.

In the end, it turned out 26 did have a feel. I felt very loved on my birthday this year...and I definitely feel different at 26. Not just because this year on my birthday I'm somebody's mom, but that's a big part of it. The best part of it, I suppose.

And had someone told me on my 25th birthday that this is how things would be on my 26th birthday...I'd never have believed them. Not for a minute in a million years.