Happy Birthday to Me!

Yes, I did stay up until midnight last night. David and I were downstairs in our "cave" and when it was exactly midnight, I pulled a chair over to the vent that leads directly into Kirstin's room, and called "Kirstin! K!" "What?" "Happy Birthday to Me!" Kirstin came racing downstairs, with my present in her hand. She gave me a funny card and a really beautiful head scarf; white with pink spots. It's nice and soft and I'll be able to use it in a variety of different ways. Chelsea made me a really beautiful card, as did Becca who also wrote a poem for me. I've saved them both.

David and I were out the door by 6:15 a.m. because I had to be in Duluth for an MRI at 7:30. That was an interesting experience. It would have gone much better, I'm sure, if I didn't have spoon chest and the resulting protruding ribs. As it was, I had to lay on my stomach, propped up in different places (you get the picture) by foam thingies, attached to an IV with some sort of contrast medium, and then hold perfectly still for 24 minutes while squeezed into a giant metal tube that made a ginormous amount of noise in spite of the ear plugs I was given. Oddly enough, however, I dozed off during the last few minutes. I had a dream about Ben. He was opening the refrigerator, while holding a bottle of beer in his hand and he said "Dad said that whoever is holding the beer is in charge." Ooooooookay then. We stopped at McDonald's on our way home, for breakfast, and then later in the day, I got my hair cut short. My kids think it's really cute. Personally, I think I look a lot like the actor who plays Miley Cyrus' older brother in Hannah Montana. I tried to take a few pics of "the new do," but wasn't happy with any of them. I still look enormously over-weight, even though I've lost 30 pounds in the last couple of months or so. Maybe I will have better luck tomorrow. I guess I'm still vain enough that I want to look at least half-ways decent in any pictures that I publish.

The mailman brought me two cards today. One was a birthday card from a very dear friend (thanks, EllaB!), and the other was a Mass Card from my Auntie Judi. She's so awesome! I do love my aunties. They're really amazing people. My mom is one of 8 girls; she calls herself the "baby of the first half" because she's #4. My aunt Bonnie, rest her soul, was the oldest, followed by Sharon, Lanay, Marilyn (my mom), Lorna, Judi, Mary, and Eudean. There are no brothers in the family. My mom and her sisters are the type of people who would give you the shirts off of their backs and then ask if you want the pants, too. They know how to live, laugh (ooooh, boy, do they ever! hahahaha), and above all, they know how to love. So in a previous post when I said something about my Aunties being one of my happy thoughts (I can't help but smile every single time I think about them)...they really are. If any of my aunties are reading this post...three words for you: "I love you!" Blessings!