The Blanch Herd: Birthday! Birthday!

When I was typing the title of this post, I got this song in my head from an old e-card I used to love to send to anyone and everyone I knew on their birthdays. This was a long, long time ago. In the beginnings of the internet, probably, and I thought it was so fun and funny. Alas, I cannot find any evidence of said card in existence anywhere but my memory. So you'll just have to imagine with me, and take my word for it that it was fantastic and amazing. (Ha!) Picture this: the animated e-card opens with a scene of a stage with a closed curtain. The curtain opens and you see three (I think?) pigs in bow ties on stage. They start singing (in operatic voices): "Birthday! Birthday! It's your special day! Birthday! Birthday! We just want to say, it's your birthday, It's Your Birthday, IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY we say! It's your birthday, it's your birthday, it's your birthday todaaaaaay!" And then the pigs collapse in a heap, heaving and gasping for breath since they just sang their hearts out. The curtain closes and the card moves to a personalized message from me to you, wishing you a wonderful day. (Phew!)

Speaking of wonderful days, that's exactly what my birthday was this year. We went to church since it was Sunday. After church we played and relaxed and hung out. We visited with my parents and Mugs from the Columbus airport (thank heavens for FaceTime!) as they were waiting (and waiting and waiting and waiting) for their flight back to SLC after a weekend of apartment hunting and exploring Meg's new town (as of May). For dinner, we ate coconut shrimp curry, naan (from the Our Best Bites Savoring the Seasons cookbook), and asparagus (YUM!).

Then we chatted with Paul and Kim (everyone is in Ohio these days!) and I got to open up my presents. Cal and Sam had gone shopping with Gregg sometime and they each picked out such fun, awesome presents: a painting and button string made by Cal (my fave!), a new whisk (which I had asked for, so I was thrilled about), new socks (also a need, but man, they're darn cute!), and some yummy treats (salsa, cheetos, and tim tams). My parents gave me a darling new skirt and shirt (I should have opened them before church, darn it!), my visiting teaching partner, Liz, gave me a cute flowery beach towel (which she had left on the piano bench in the primary room and I wondered all through primary who it was from because I didn't notice her name till I was leaving church - fun surprise). Paul and Kim had sent me some money to buy new shoes (which I still need to go shopping for) and my grandparents sent a card and money, too (so I need to think of something fun to buy with that, too!).

After presents came birthday cake! I have often chosen strawberry shortcake as my birthday cake (probably more often than not) though I have started to branch out in the past few years with blueberry lemon cake, lemon lime bundt cake, molten lava cake, and german chocolate bundt cake. But this year I went back to my roots. I chose to make Mel's Classic Strawberry Shortcake recipe and it was divine and ginormous and delicious. And we had it for breakfast the next day, because: Birthday! (It was the best decision I have made as a thirty-three year old, hands down.)