A belated birthday post

This is me on April 28, 2009, otherwise known as my 30th birthday.

Considering I felt like I'd been hit by a truck that day, it's a miracle that this snapshot exists...and another that I'm willing to publicly post it.

You see, I got the flu for my birthday. The achy-fevered-sore-throat-screaming-pain sort of flu that honestly made me question my will to live. (And made me ever-so-slightly more dramatic than usual.)

However, like so many things in the last year of my life, I survived this unpleasant experience. It wasn't Strep or Influenza or a kidney infection; according to the lab I just got a random, crippling virus during my 37th week of pregnancy. I'm so happy to be on this side of it, especially because today, while discussing lab work on the phone with my doctor, I literally got marching orders. That's right -- I can march! Bed rest is officially over. Yeehaw! I might move up my freezer meal extravaganza, just because I can.

But back to my birthday. It really was quite lovely, as were all the people who made it that way.

Lydia, a kind soul in my ward, spent most of her day at my house. She kept busy sweeping the floor, cleaning the kitchen, scrubbing bathrooms, and doing four loads of my laundry. She brought us bananas because we were out and left a stack of movies for us to watch. Seriously awesome.

Paula stopped by with a lovely bouquet of tulips. Melanie brought me a pie. I was delighted all day with emails and phone calls and Facebook notes from family and friends around the country. I opened gifts and cards from family and friends, sported adorable earrings from my sister (they complemented my sweats quite nicely), and enjoyed a yummy take-out dinner that satisfied a long-held craving for Applebee's oriental chicken salad. (Garry provided my "real" birthday dinner on Sunday, which was amazing in its own right...soupy pie notwithstanding.)

The boys spoiled me with fabulous gifts, too: a fashionable purse, spatulas for the kitchen, and a new "triple combination" of scriptures. (Garry also reminded me how delightful our new dishwasher is -- it's our present to each other and from our parents for both of our April birthdays. The joys of being homeowners!)

And then, because I didn't have any sort of communicable symptoms at the time, I went out for dessert with a wonderful group of friends. The apple crisp was delicious, of course, but I especially enjoyed just talking with the girls...even though we couldn't escape the usual subjects: pregnancy, potty training, child-rearing adventures, etc. I suppose that speaks to our stage of life and the universality of motherhood.

I'm not the sort of person to get all funky about entering a new decade of life. Although I wouldn't say I'm "thirty, flirty, and thriving," I'm very happy with my life and family and the way things have worked out for us so far. So here's to another thirty great years...and the hope that I'm not bedridden with flu or pregnancy when I turn sixty!