Happy Birthday to Me!

Most of the time I don't title these blog entries but today is a special occasion. It's my birthday! And I am so happy right now I think I might burst!

I have the bestest, most awesomest boyfriend EVER. Period. End of story. There is absolutely NO ONE on earth who is cooler than him. :)

My birthday has always been an important day to me. I think the earliest one I can actually remember is my fourth -- at least bits and pieces of it. We went to Minnesota that year to visit my aunt Kristie and uncle Bob. I have a vague recollection of sitting in the way back of our station wagon with my birthday presents. I had my first birthday party when I was six. I was never the type of kid to have a party and invite the whole class though. Only my closest friends... the people I WANTED to share my day with. When I turned nine my mom's side of the family threw a combined birthday party for me and my little cousin Dana, who was turning three (her birthday is September 16, and she's not so little anymore... she just turned 16). My grandparents gave me my very first porcelain doll that year, which made me feel immensely grown up since I was the first girl to get one. I mention this because my mom brought the doll out a few weeks ago, and she currently sits atop my bookcase in the living room. :) In high school I had a couple little get-togethers, and since I went to college it's been all up to me. Well sort of. I have many cool friends who probably would have remembered my birthday even if I DIDN'T start counting down to it at the beginning of August. ;) But I have always liked the idea of people making a big fuss over me. I always attributed it to my birthday being so early on in the school year, no one remembered it because they were too busy doing, well, school. So I started causing my own fuss. :D Two years ago I was on my way out for dinner, abruptly changed my mind, and went to the grocery store instead -- I made macaroni and cheese (from scratch of course) and invited people from my dorm upstairs for dinner and cake (cuz my mom is so cool she actually MAILED me a birthday cake, 2 years in a row!). :) Last year I threw my own birthday party and made my own birthday cake. ;)

And you know what? I'm not saying this because I'm bitter about any of it. I'm not looking for pity or something. "Oh poor her, she's always had to plan her own birthday! No one cared!" That's not true at all! I wasn't upset about making my own birthday cake last year, I actually enjoyed doing it. I had a ton of fun inviting people over. Like I said, I caused my own fuss, but I like fuss. :D I love my birthday. I guess I don't quite know why I like it so much. It always surprises me when people don't really care about their birthdays. Everyone deserves a big fuss made over them. I like to make a big fuss. I like the words "big fuss". Say them with me. "BIG FUSS!" Isn't that fun? Big fusses are fun! So like I said, it always surprises me when people don't want to have a big fuss made over them. Maybe I just like to be the center of attention. :D

I still have every single birthday card I've received since I was twelve. Okay, give or take a few. All of them except last year's are stored in a box which used to be under my bed. (As far as I know it's still in my room at home, but it's definitely not under the bed anymore because the bed is no longer in that room! :P)

Hehehe... even God is making a big fuss over me today. He's sending Isabel up our way to blow us around and get us all wet. ;)

So today is the first birthday of mine since I-don't-know-when that I'm not making my own fuss over. It's the first one since at lease eleventh grade that I HAVEN'T been counting down to in my AIM profile for the past month. I have been a very good girl. Not an annoying birthday-craving fuss freak. :) I didn't make my own birthday cake this year. I'm not making dinner tonight. In fact I really have no idea what's going on tonight at all! Joe will be picking me up from work at 4:30... and then... I don't know. I LOVE not knowing. I RELISH not knowing. I am completely the opposite of Molly, who wouldn't be able to stand it. The suspense is sweet and juicy and a lot of times the suspense itself is just as fun as whatever it is I'm waiting for. This is why I've never been the type of person who likes to open presents all at once. I go one at a time, open one, check it out, enjoy it for a few minutes, then examine the next one, open it slowly... I think I drive other people nuts. ;) Two years ago my parents sent out a big package for my birthday that arrived the day before. I refused to even touch it until the day arrived (there have been years where someone has given me a wrapped present as I headed back to school, which sat patiently in my closet for about a month, since I refuse to open things early). Anyway, today I don't know what's in store for me this evening, and I love being in the dark. Because I know it's gonna be fun, whatever it is. :)

Joe, being the awesome, cool, splendiferous, fantastic, spectacular person he is, brought me to work this morning. When I lived in Dunkirk that happened more... he'd stay the night at my house and we'd ride back up to Buffalo together, where I'd drop him off before heading in myself. Car trips are fun. :) So he came to my house at 7:20, where I was running late as usual, and made me a sandwich while I did my hair. And I got big hugs and kisses and stuff too. :) And on the way in I got the "Happy Birthday" song from each of his personalities. :D Hehehehe, he's so darn cute! I couldn't stop smiling the whole way here. So we arrive around 10 till (and he's gotta be at work at 8 too) so he says "I'll just walk you to the door and kiss you goodbye, cuz I gotta run." And he walks me to the door, gives me a kiss, opens the door... and there in the hallway is a pile of stuff, waiting just for me!!!!! A birthday card, smiley-face playing cards (cuz it's the smiley's birthday too!), the birthday Beanie bear for September, flowers!! And another gift bag, which turned out to have a Precious Moments figurine. AND, our Bills tickets. I was so surprised I don't even remember if I gave him another hug and kiss before he left. :P I hope so! I guess I'll have to give him LOTS when he picks me up this afternoon!

Incidentally I think this might be the first time he's been able to give me a present without my wrecking the delivery. Like Valentine's Day when I guess he had a work of art hidden under his coat in the back seat, and it ended up all over the car. And graduation when he gave me my Scrabble board and had spelled out "Congratulations Leslie Love Joe" with the tiles in the box, and naturally what's the first thing I do but shake it before I even unwrap it. :P *sigh* What are we ever going to do with me... Not today though. Everything was perfectly set up for me and I probably should have taken a picture of it! *dreamy contented sigh* Joe, you're one in a million. No... you're one in six billion. How did I ever manage to find you in all of that? :)

Last thing before I go back to pretending to do work. This morning in the car I remarked that this is the first time, like, ever that I haven't planned my own birthday. And Joe said, "Well hopefully from now on you'll never have to plan it again... think of it as a new beginning." Is that not the SWEETEST thing you've ever heard? *melts into a gelatinous puddle of love mucous* (Isn't THAT a pretty picture!)

So now what? If I'm not causing my own big fuss for myself anymore, what on earth shall I do instead?

Hehe.

Your birthday's coming up, isn't it my friend?

Wait and see...