36!

So yesterday was my birthday.
I am 36 now.

What might I be doing on the first night of slumber as a 36 year old?

Not slumbering sadly, but instead up, looking at facebook, not doing work work or school work like I should be (why not be "productive")? Instead I am FINALLY blogging again after months.

Larry woke me up and now cramps are keeping me up, so i figured there is no time like the present to get present if you know what I mean.

the rest of summer was really very good. i worked a lot and then played on the weekends either at the pool, working in our yard, or going on bike rides with jes and angie b. it was seriously the most relaxing summer i have had in a long time because i didn't have some "project" that i was working on like my dissertation, a revision of my dissertation, finding a house, etc. even though we did work a BUNCH on our yard and such, it didn't feel as burdensome as some of those other projects. i feel like i got to spend time with friends more than i had in a while and that was really nice. i guess that was my "project" this summer: learn how to relax and connect with friends. good one, dt.

horace is scampering across the floor like a sidewinder snake. i think he is hopped up on catnip. we celebrate his bday with mine. we are both libras. then we celebrate larry's bday with jes's. they are both scorpios. go figure.

even though i had cramps for a good part of the day, it was an outstanding bday. i got so much facebook love, text love, voicemail love, and also IN PERSON love. it was sort of ridiculous. i am still trying to soak it all in and savor it. my co workers got me cupcakes from this local place. i had a banana bread one and it was GOOD. then i had a meeting with the ESL working group and they sang happy bday to me over a chocolate brownie with a candle in it. we had dinner with the crimmins and i got lots of giggles and snuggles from becker while nolan slept and got real sweaty. they got me this card, well really an envelope shaped like a boom box and when you open it, the song "the right stuff" by the new kids on the block plays." i couldn't stop opening it. i think jes was getting annoyed. i thought it was hilarious.

also, when i went down to move the laundry from washer to dryer I found my bday present from jes: a wheelbarrow (!), a push broom (!) and TWO PLANTS for my office. it was pretty much the most perfect gift ever. i have wanted a wheelbarrow since we moved in and now i have one. i think it is going to make the raking of our dead front lawn so much easier.

i also got THREE serenades today: first my sister and nephew ben sang happy bday to me. zach sat by quietly wishing he knew the words. then azad called and sang a stevie wonder version of happy birthday. it was very extensive and sort of ended in a rap, but i couldn't understand all the words. and then right before bed i got a piano serenade from rolita with finn in the background yelling "donna" or "donald" (what he calls me) and maybe some other stuff i could not make out. totally adorable. it helped me go to sleep very happy.

we lost the cord that connects the camera to our computers to download pictures, so hopefully we can get another one and i can download some photos from various things we have been up to the past few months.

until then...