A blessing in my life

For the past week (literally), I've been celebrating my birthday. The actual day was Thursday, but I celebrate for the full week. Which is utterly baffling to Gerald. Every year he says things like "I thought your birthday was Thursday" (when we're celebrating on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc.). Then in April he asks Shulamith the same question during her week-long celebration.

But you see, I think birthdays are important, really important. My friend Jay said it best in her Facebook message to me this past week:

"I consider you a blessing in my life, so I am grateful for this day."

Yes! That's it! When I celebrate a friend's birthday, what I'm really saying is "I am glad you were born. I am so grateful that with the many possible times and places of eternity, you were sent to earth at this time and in this place, so we could walk the journey together.

That's why I celebrate. And when people celebrate my special day, I feel their love in return. So thank you, Jay, for explaining it so well in just a single sentence. I feel the same way about you, by the way.

My week began last Sunday when Eli and Amanda were here for the weekend to attend Eli's mission reunion. It was so great to have them here. Amanda made me dinner, yummy shepherd's pie, and Shulamith made a cake, and it was the perfect family celebration.

Eli and Amanda even brought me a present, this adorable sweater!

Tuesday I went to lunch with several friends from our ward at Five Guys, which turned out to be a great choice because all of these women have small children, who could run around and eat peanuts. I left with a gourmet cupcake from Sweet Tooth Fairy (thanks, Kara), which I ate the following morning for breakfast. You know it's my birthday week when I'm eating cupcakes on a Wednesday morning. Amy gave me a gift card to Straws, which I still have, but don't you worry; I will find the perfect time to redeem it.

Thursday, the actual day. I woke up at 5:00 a.m. (because my dumb anxiety doesn't care that it's my birthday) and couldn't get back to sleep, so I looked at my phone. A text message! Who would be texting me that early? Isaiah! He was in Spain, so eight hours ahead, and he sent me my first birthday greeting of the day, complete with electronic balloons. Love you, Isaiah.

Shulamith and I went to our favorite breakfast place in the entire Salt Lake valley: Park Cafe. French toast foolishness, anyone? You don't even know. That evening, she and I went to dinner with our friend Lacey at LongHorn Steakhouse and feasted on a delicious filet mignon. After dinner, Lacey went home, and Shulamith and I went to see the movie Girl on the Train, which proved just as scary and sad as the book, though actress Emily Blunt does an incredible job in the lead role.

Friday we ate lunch at Cheesecake Factory downtown (do you see a pattern here? Celebration = food fest), and Saturday we watched the first half of Finding Dory at the dollar theatre. I hated kids' movies even when I was a kid, so now.....ugh! But it was pleasant enough to sit in a theatre and eat that delicious movie popcorn that we were too full to eat Thursday night.

Today is the end. It's over. A full week of celebrating is now past tense. That said, yesterday I got to host a fun baby shower for a mom-to-be, and Monday night I'll go to dinner to celebrate two more babies on their way to earth, and then it will be almost Halloween! Let the celebrating continue.

Birthdays, brides, babies! Holidays, one and all. They are worth celebrating. Because life is worth celebrating. We are worth celebrating. As we celebrate together, the love grows.