feliz cumple a mi

good thing Facebook reminded me
it was my birthday today!

Thirty three years ago my mom had her first baby girl... me!

Today has been a really nice day and I have felt very loved and supported! Being 32 was not an easy year for me, to put it mildly, and I am actually sort of relieved to pack it away and begin another year.

Every year electronic communication gets more prevalent on birthdays!
I got texts from all my siblings and some aunts...

I got about 70 comments on my Facebook wall...

But as loved as I feel from all the well-wishes on-line, in person communication is awesome...

I got sung to by my two English classes today (I have a student teacher and currently only have 2 of my 6 classes) after I gave them mini-cupcakes and ended up with a whiteboard full of drawings...

One of my best teacher friends gave me a little key lime cake with a card she'd made and had the English department sign...

One my way out of the building today I got sung to by some students who'd heard it was my birthday and then the cheerleaders hid behind the wall and jumped out and yelled "Happy Birthday" to me as I passed by...

Some of my student body officers wrote notes on mini-post it notes that I found on my door when I went back to my classroom at some point today...

Even the student loan people sent me a birthday card -- shoot-- I send them enough money, I should have gotten one in the mail!

the boyfriend (yes, we're back together- the break up didn't work out so well) made me dinner and a cake and gave me a Hyundai iPod cord (now I can connect and control my iPod through the stereo -- have I mentioned that my car is freaking amazing?!!). His dad came into town today so he arranged to have his kids as well, so it was a regular little family birthday-- with no one who is actually my family!

When I got home I found cookies from my visiting teachers on the doorstep.

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My mom and me when I'm 31 and she's 51

It wasn't until the boyfriend and I were chatting on the phone tonight, talking about the day, that I realized why today has felt different from all my other birthdays. I should have realized it sooner, but there is one glaring difference that I forced myself to ignore/pushback until I was safe at home wrapped in "my mom blanket" and realized what I had been waiting for all day... this was the first time in my entire life - other than the mission- that I didn't talk to my mom on my birthday. Somehow the thought that the woman who gave me life isn't here, "ruins" isn't the right word, "tempers", maybe.. I don't know... changes it. What's weird is that she stayed at 52 while I moved from 32 to 33 and for the first time ever we aren't 20 years apart on my birthday. They say the first of everything is the hardest so next year this should be easier.

My mom and me when I'm 2 and she's 22

I am grateful that of all the sisters my birthday is first so now I know how it feels to not have Mom around and maybe I'll be able to help them through it better. (Both of the brothers' birthdays are in the fall so they already went through this; I think it's different for sons.)  For Erin's birthday later this month, I'm taking her, Tara and Will to see the midnight showing of "The Hunger Games" opening night-- her birthday is two days later.