A Successful Birthday

I Blow out the Candles
Originally uploaded by Prairie Brown

I'm now officially a thirty-something. I've moved into my thirties. Of course, I must still look pretty young, because I still got "carded" when I bought the pink champagne for the birthday celebration.

I had an absolutely lovely birthday. We started off yesterday with a birthday brunch when Mom got here bearing a big bouquet of flowers and some darling new shoes (Danskos!) in just my size, along with a card and a fun book of poetry by one of her favorite contemporary poets. Hope came with a singing card that played "The Bear Necessities" when I opened it. After we ate, Michael and Mom and Hope took me birthday shopping to find a collection of perfect birthday presents.

Hope concentrated on keeping me warm this winter, and got me new flannel sheets for the bed (blue, with fat little penguins waddling all over them) and adorable new gloves to keep my fingers from freezing (they match my everyday winter coat).

Dad (who sent birthday money my way) got me beautiful earrings with little stones that sort of pick up the color of whatever I'm wearing and shimmer with that color. They have all the colors of the rainbow in them. Dad also got some salt and pepper shakers from Williams Sanoma, a store that I love to browse, but in which I can rarely afford to buy anything. Did you know there is such a thing as pink peppercorns? My new pepper mill is full of naturally bright pink peppercorns!

Mom got me a new watch, a sort of birthday tradition. I've worn the last watch she got me since my 16th birthday, and it was starting to look a bit shabby, so we decided it was time for a new one. It's absolutely the most lovely watch I've ever owned, silver with gold accents, and a dark blue face that is reminiscent of the night sky. It has only a 12 and 6, with tiny star-like dots representing the rest of the numbers.

Michael concentrated on things I wanted for the kitchen, most importantly a new teapot. I've been complaining for a while that our teapot wasn't big enough for two people who like warm drinks on cold mornings, and Michael found me the perfect replacement for the one I'd had for years (perfect for one, not big enough for two). The new pot is silver and has a pretty, antique shape that I really like. Michael also found some wooden salad tongs (similar to the ones my mom has that I've wanted since she found hers) and some pretty new serving spoons in sizes we didn't have yet.

Kima is planning to come up to Seattle later this fall for a sister shopping trip, so she just sent her love with Mom. My grandparents send a card and a birthday check that next week will be turned into another pair of birthday earrings (I had trouble deciding in the store, and now I can have both pairs).

After shopping, we stopped back home with the loot then headed out to the Chinese restaurant Michael and I discovered in Shoreline a few months ago. It's a very typical American sort of Chinese restaurant, with place mats with the Chinese zodiac printed on them, where they serve a multi-course pseudo-Chinese dinner that is always yummy and fun to eat.

We came home from dinner for birthday cake and a movie (As You Like It--the newest Shakespeare movie from Kenneth Branagh). The cake, while slightly lopsided, was really delicious, and the movie was thoroughly enjoyable (I'd highly recommend it).

Thanks everyone for making it such a great birthday!