A Couple of Great Gifts

Not that birthdays are all about people giving you stuff or anything, but I did get a couple of really great gifts this year.

Julie did a portrait of me and her from a picture taken two or three Christmases (sp?) ago. It is beautiful. And if you knew all our family history over the last two or three years, you would have an idea of how extra special this gift was. I cried. Not just a slightly misty-eyed, one tear trickles down. Oh no, like sobs burst out uncontrollably.

My good friend Alice also gave me a more comical, but also awesome birthday present. She made me a t-shirt. This is a t-shirt that I once mentioned to her I would love to have made. When she gave it to me I jumped up and down and screamed (in a good way). I'm not going to tell you what it says, but many of you will have to opportunity to see it. I plan on wearing it almost everywhere I go, except work and probably not to church either (some people just wouldn't appreciate my sense of humor).

Also, thank you to the friends who went out of their way to wish me a happy birthday. Thank you for all the goofy voicemails, blog comments, and emails. I really was bumming with the whole "another year gone by and what have you accomplished?" feeling. And that feeling is still there a little bit, but just being around people that were happy and happy to see me did lift me out of my brooding, self-pity mode for the most part. So thanks a million.