Yesterday was my Birthday...again, for the 31st time.  Although I've done it several times, this day was still different than all the other birthdays.  Got up at 6 am to go to the gym with Adam.  We made it through the "torture chamber" (pull-ups, dips & roman chairs), bench press, bi's, tri's and push-ups, and then I rode my bike home as usual.  Something was a bit different in Adam's voice as we parted from the gym, and when I rode up to our house I noticed his truck!  He got out of the truck with a huge cake tupperware in hand.  Lenore had made the chocolate cake the night before and he had been up at 5am making frosting from scratch.  What a treat! 

Waiting at home for me was a package and nice card from Miguel.  He found this beautiful green stone necklace and earrings for my birthday present.  What a guy.  He sure knows how to shop for a tricky-to-buy-for gal.  I picked an outfit that matched the necklace and got all dressed up for work.  Over breakfast I received an email from my excellent friend Heather B who is also newly married and living in Texas.

When I arrived at work and everyone found out it was my birthday, Karina surprised me with slice of an apple almond torte from the local bakery that we all shared.  Then, I got a beautifu bouquet of flowers from my mom & Phil.  My desk is quite a sight at the office now.

Finally, I made the ride home at 5pm and met Sam and Miguel & the dogs for our weekly night run on Galbraith Mountain.  There was a happy birthday call from Chris, my new brother-in-law on the answering machine (although I'm not sure why he thought anyone would be home at 2pm on a Tuesday:).  It was a beautiful clear night and we had a good time trudging through the pudding-like mud in the trails.  When we got home, we enjoyed leftover chicken dinner while watching another episode of "The Office" on www.nbc.com.  I was very pleased to see that Pam came back to Scranton to re-unite with Jim.  We topped the night off with a call from Mom and Dad & Margo, and a slice of that excellent chocolate cake. 

Thanks everyone, for such a great day!

For Miguel's birthday this year, we had our first oudoor BBQ potluck.  We started off the day going to the Master Gardner's Plant sale and managed to buy several more plants than expected.  Apparently we missed the "grand opening" where people push and shove to get to the front, as the clock counts up to 9:00.  At exactly 9:00 the fences come down and everyone rushes in, carts, wagons and wheelbarrows in tow.  This sounds like it would be worth it to come again next year, just to be a part of all the hype.  It's been almost a week and I still haven't managed to plant all the things we bought there, but I'm looking forward to getting to it on Sunday.

Back at our house, about 6pm people started rolling in with all kinds of casseroles, salads, desserts and things to "swap" at our mini garage giveaway.  I'm not sure why I keep having these swaps.  Generally I just end up having to make the trips to the Re-Store and the Goodwill for everyone else.  It seems like a good idea at the beginning, and truth is, I usually end up getting something out of the deal.  It was pretty fun to see everyone together again and to show off our chickens and bees and raised beds (albeit fairly empty still).  Many people were excited about the wedding plans, and had received their invitation.  All the comments are so great to hear, and I think almost everyone was surprised.  Dad said he was confused by the map and Miguel's grandmother thought it was "interesting", but overall I think it was received very well.  Now if everyone can just keep it visible and not lose them, that will be the next success.

We had the bonfire going until about midnight when the last few people strolled out the door.  We managed to have only 2.5 bottles of wine left at the end, which is pretty good considering everyone was supposed to bring a bottle.  I try to re-use all the plates and plastic spoons, so I left myself quite a mess to clean up in the morning.  Luckily mom was up visiting so she helped with it all.  

To finish off the birthday weekend, we bought fresh scallops, shrimp and steak to grill up on Sunday night, which went down well with a bit more of the wine.  

Way to bring in a new year, Miguel, and happy 32nd!