This past week was my birthday and there has been a lot of celebrating around here. I am decidedly spoiled. Now I feel just the littlest bit guilty that all James got was a trip to Pittsburgh.  Here’s how we have been celebrating:

1. Because he is sneaky and wonderful, James threw me a surprise wine and cheese party on Saturday. Surprising me is hard because I spend every waking moment anticipating and searching for surprises. But succeed he did, despite the fact that I started Saturday in a foul mood and almost ran into some of the surprise guests in the park near our house. He created a distraction, but he needn’t have worried as I was totally absorbed in instagramming an artistic photo of a bench.
2. Nothing says “Happy Birthday to me” like wearing the primary colors all day long. Because on what other day do you get to look like an extra from Sesame Street? My awesome outfit was probably what inspired my students to sing me a “Happy Birthday.” Have you ever noticed that “Happy Birthday” is a song that sounds terrible approximately 99% of the time, as most people sing it off key. This one sounded like a funeral dirge. Really, I am just spoiled, because when I taught in KY the students were freakishly amazing at everything, but especially music, and the birthday song was a production in multi-part harmony.
3.  Fall came in time for my birthday this year and so James and I got to take a beautiful and COOL birthday walk past the Capital at sunset before arriving at…
4. … Bistro Bis where I had the most delicious birthday dinner. (If you live in DC, go to Bistro Bis as soon as possible for the lobster bisque. It will change you. Or at least change how you feel about creamy blended seafood soups, which for me use to be pretty negative.)  The waitress found out it was my birthday so she surprised us with a dessert sampler on a plate covered with impressive chocolate script. 

Birthdays are the best days.