Thirty-Four

Yesterday I entered my mid-thirties. It was much less painful than I expected. Typically, birthdays have been disappointments for me, starting at around age 6 when I was blown off by the cute boy I'd invited to my party. (There is a humiliating photo my mother took of me attempting to hug him - he looks pained.) My distaste had grown by age 16, when awkwardness, acne, and general hatred of the world resulted in my shunning a 16th birthday party. It peaked at age 24, when I spent my birthday without power or cake due to Hurricane Fran. At 30, I threw myself a fundraiser party to raise funds for a charity race I was doing and wound up spending more on the party than I received in donations.

In comparison to years past, yesterday made me question my hatred of birthdays. I came into the office to find a bunch of e-greetings, including one from my Prius car salesperson. How's that for service?! In the afternoon, some co-workers took me out to lunch. Then, Craig had a flower cake delivered (since he was in the field all day). I must confess, I thought it might be edible and dug my finger right in, hoping for frosting. :) Thankfully it wasn't, with all the food I ate. Later, Craig and I went to dinner at Starlu, one of my favorite Durham restaurants. And I got phone calls from my Mom and best friend. All in all, a very nice day. Who knew?