28

I turned 28 yesterday.  It was an all around great day, too.

I woke early with Matt and I confess rather straight away opened my presents:  a Simpson’s themed board game, a tea kettle, a basket for my bicycle, a sleeping pad for camping.  All excellent gifts for me, things I will use a lot.  Matt had developed a few disposable cameras that I’d never gotten around to having developed over the years. They said “best if processed before 2004” on them.   They contained photos from my high school prom and graduation and lots of hanging out with friends.  I always wondered why I never really ended up with many photos of prom and of me and my pals posing in our caps and gowns.  This explains it.  There were also some great photos from college and just in general lots of good memories.    I was completely surprised. 

Matt prepared a simple yet delicious fresh greens, garlic, and potato burrito for breakfast, one of my favorites after we puttered around in the garden for a while.  

I got a touching card signed by all the students who work for me and some yellow irises from my boss when I arrived at work.  My mom called and sang to me.  I enjoyed my lunch watching the tiny bunnies slurping up dandelions in the sunshine.

I got to duck out of work early because it looked stormy and my boss suggested I should, since it was my birthday and all.  (He didn’t have to tell me twice.)  

I rode my bicycle home under the lightest sprinkles of rain and had a white flour roll that Matt had baked the night before.  Yum.  We rarely have all-white bread.  It is almost shockingly delicious when we do.  I sat on the porch (and it was not stormy by then) and watched the birds.  Hung clothes to dry outside, one of my favorite household “chores.” 

I hoped back on my bicycle and rode down to the brewery (a splendid 5.5 mile cruise almost all downhill) where my friends’ bluegrass band Ted Ness and the Rusty Nails and another bluegrass group The Maverick Sting Stretchers just happened to be playing a show on my birthday.  Awesome.  A concert on my birthday is possibly the best way that I could spend it, the best birthday party I could ask for.  (In 2009 I got to see The Dead play at The Gorge in Washington and it is still one of the best birthdays I can remember.)

I danced barefoot.  I am so happy when I dance barefoot.  I even did a little jitterbugging, something I really don’t do.  I’m much more of a solo, freeform dancer, but at that point in the evening no one else was dancing except me so I figured I’d take him up on it.  He flung and twirled me all over.  It was fun and strange.   I still like dancing by myself better though (To be clear, I like dancing by myself in a crowd of other people dancing….not me by myself in the middle of the dance floor.  I will do that too.  I just have to dance.  If it is bluegrassy or Grateful Dead-esque I just can’t stop my body from moving!   And really once one person starts to dance usually others follow.  I don’t mind being that one person.) 

Lots of my friends were at the show and there were birthday hugs and toasts and beers shared.  Caleb filled my growler for free.  There was a dancing dog (video below).  There were dancing children.  I smiled just about the whole time, I think.

Matt got off in time to come down and hook up with me as I was chatting with the bands and other friends after the show was over and things winding down for the night at the brewery.  He put my bicycle in the back of the car and thus I didn’t have to ride back up hill to home.  It not a terrible uphill ride, but I wasn’t heartbroken to skip it. 

I listened to sweet birthday messages on the answering machine and returned a few calls while Matt fried up french fries and (bean) burgers, served on those delicious all white flour rolls.  Yum….  Burgers and fries might not sound like a decadent birthday meal, but I just about never eat them so it was a special treat for me. 

Derek and Josh came over and we had vanilla cake with buttercreme frosting and polished off the growler and visited.  Derek gave me a George Orwell book I’d never heard of.  Another excellent gift for me.  People know me so well.      

Around midnight Matt and I went to bed and we hit the snooze for an hour before we got up today.  I didn’t sleep in on my birthday, but after such a long, full, fun-filled day I sure wanted to today.

I’m excited about where I am in life.  I feel good about it and am looking forward to the year ahead of me.  28.  Excellent.  Here I go!