The Happiest Birthday on Earth!

STEP ONE: SURPRISE PARTY!

When you aren't looking forward to something, you can either be super sad, or you can make the most of it! I would like to hope I tried to do the latter. To start... it's not often that people can pull a fast one on me. I have special magical powers that help me uncover surprise plans... but the ever wonderful LORI WONG was able to actually surprise me! What a great night of awesome food, fun friends, and balloons it turned out to be! Lori brought 15 of my favorite people together for such a fun night. SIDENOTE: - Trish, Thanks for the balloons. There is just something so great about balloons. That was one of my favorite parts about that night! Lori, I am really excited to post some pictures from that night (including the weird guy that sat behind us and wouldn't stop talking to us). Thank you for making me feel so special. You have such a great way of doing that for everyone you love. I don't know why I am so lucky to have you in my life, but I sure am grateful! It was so much fun to look around the table while everyone was chatting and getting to know each other better and to think "All my favorites need to know each other... they'd like each other!" I really hope we can make our big trip down to see "Wicked" in L.A. happen this summer. I already know it's going to be a blast!

STEP TWO: THE LION KING

This leg of the partying took us to Hollywood - The Pantages Theater. SIDENOTE: My $17.00 upper balcony nose bleed tickets were still awesome. The theater is so cool inside and I learned that there isn't a bad seat in the whole place! My good friend Karli Hall and I planned this as our first stop in our favorite location of Cali. Here are a few things we learned from this leg of the trip:

1) You know you are close to someone when you can say to them "Would you please pass me my nasal spray"? (We both have these stupid colds that won't go away and make you tired all the time... but that doesn't slow us down!)

2) When the transvestite who is wearing a MINI mini-skirt (that he doesn't fit in anyway) bends over, make sure NOT to look

3) Hollywood Blvd/Highland (where we were shopping and where the cheap parking was located) is NORTH of Hollywood Blvd/Vine Street (where Pantages Theater/The Lion King was located), not SOUTH of it. We would like to dedicate the 30 minute haul-bootie sprint and barely making it to the doors of the theater as they were shutting them (while we were both sick) to the policeman who didn't know North from South. Here's your sign...

4) My new Merrell shoes are a great option for running shoes if my other ones wear out

5) Hollywood Blvd. IS trashier than the Vegas Strip, especially after dark. As we were walking back to the car (while I was searching my Mary Poppins bag for my can of Mace) an old lady spracked out on drugs grabbed a nice, clean looking girl behind us by the throat, shoved her against the wall and started screaming at her "I gave up my life for you. I gave you everything and you have never been grateful. You are the worst daughter in the world. You don't deserve to keep living!" The girl, through her gasps of air, kept yelling "I don't know you, lady!" That's when we decided to start running again. I never found the Mace.

STEP THREE: DISNEYLAND

I have to preface this leg of the partying by saying that I went to high school with a bunch of band and drama people who LIVED Disney. I made so much fun of them. I thought their obsession with the "kiddie ride place" was the stupidest thing I had ever heard. I STILL think that of them. Why? Because, unlike them, I will NEVER be found whistling the latest Disney cartoon song, I do not have Pooh pajama's with footsies in them, and I don't own any Mickey ears. But... I do enjoy going to a place where people don't get beat up by old ladies who are wired out on drugs. Here's what I learned from this leg of the trip:

1) 3/4 of those people in wheel chairs are just milking the "go to the front of the line" courtesy Disney offers (I plan on milking this someday)

2) I feel lots better at the end of the night when I haven't eaten the whole place

3) If you go to Disneyland during your Birthday month, they give you a Happy Birthday badge to wear. All employees of Disney are REQUIRED to tell you Happy Birthday. I heard it about 400 times that day! Although it sounds like it would get annoying, I found it fun to work on my "surprise face".

4) Some experiences in life, whether good or bad, are always better when you are experiencing it with the right person. Love you Karli!

STEP FOUR: FAMILY

As tired as I was when I got home, a birthday is never fully a birthday until my mom packs my belly with good things to eat. She has always been so amazing at making me feel like a million bucks on my birthday. We went to Matt's house and combined my birthday with Christmas Eve festivities. We had really yummy food and my whole family was way too generous to me, once again. I love going to my bother's house because I love the feeling there. There is such a sweet spirit that resides in that home. I am so happy that a new little boy will be blessing their home shortly (in April). He is so lucky! I can't wait to meet him.

STEP FIVE: PACKAGE FROM THE LAND NORTHWARD

Sometimes someone comes into our lives and changes our world as we know it. After the first day I met you, I came home and wrote on my quote chalkboard "Be Inspiring". That was my special chalkboard that I changed weekly. I haven't changed it since and it's almost been two years (yes, on purpose). Everyone that I meet that knows you feels the same way about you...in awe. That's the beauty about who you are... people don't just know and love you, but they are forever changed by you. I still don't get why I am so lucky to be a part of your life, but I sure am grateful. I am trying to stay good enough to stay in it! And about the package..."Life is to be measured not by the breaths you take, but by the amount of moments that take your breath away". That's what this birthday package did! It was the perfect combination of funny, personal, endearing, memorable, edible, and touching. I think it's my favorite gift I have ever received.