Thursday, June 30, 2011

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

My birthday was earlier this week! That's right! My birthday! Not to mention, it was my first birthday in Illinois. I initially expected to spend my celebration of birth alone in my apartment watching movies and being bored, but my new friends here saw to it that I enjoyed every moment of my big day! By the end of the night, I was crying tears of joy simply because they all cared so much about this new stranger from Virginia. (There aren't many Virginians around  here.) 

If you're curious, here's how my birthday turned out. I woke up bright and early after getting a birthday phone call from one of my sisters. After talking with her for a little while, I decided to stay awake and get dressed for the day. It came as such a surprise that one of my cherished Oberlin friends contacted me from Europe only a few moments later. He wished me a happy birthday and told me that I'd be receiving a postcard in the mail really soon. Since I hadn't spoken to him since mid-January, the simple gesture helped me to be a bit more optimistic about my birthday. 

It just so happened that a new friend of mine joined me for lunch. I ate a tasty stir-fry meal with rice, broccoli, carrots, pineapples, green beans, a dozen other yummy foods. Shortly after lunch, I went to work, which was also surprisingly fun. Every since the summer of my ninth grade year in high school, I have been so blessed to work at the most wonderful places with the most fun-loving people. Spending the day at work on my birthday wasn't any different. Actually, being with my co-workers ended up being one of the highlights of my day. Once our work was complete, many of us went to sing karaoke as a way of celebrating my birthday and bonding outside of the office. I can proudly say that I have no voice today after performing, encouraging others, and singing for nearly three hours. Three songs were dedicated to me - the birthday girl - even from complete strangers. I ended up singing Respect by Aretha Franklin and Ain't No Mountain High Enough. All in all, we had so much fun that we may make karaoke night a summertime tradition, but only time will tell. 

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