Surprised--and Happy :-)

So, this weekend is "birthday weekend"-- which is always both fun and a challenge for Mate and I. My birthday's on the 30th, his is on the 1st, and there's a daughter and an aunt and a mother all thrown in there somewhere too. This year, I didn't expect a big deal, really-- the year has sort of kicked my ass in a lot of ways, and I was just getting very happy that it would be over.

But, as usual, people both surprised and delighted me--which is wonderful. It's always good to enter the next year of your life remembering how awesome most people are, and that for the most part, we really do wish kindness on one another.

I started getting FB Happy Birthdays yesterday--and thank you to everyone who's been so kind.

And I got stuff in the mail today!  (And Mate's bday present too-- heeeeeee!)

And at Yaoi-Con, I got an AMAZING gift from my friend Karen, who stopped by to have lunch with me on her way through SF. (She brought this on the plane--I was boggled! And it was whole and perfect, too!)

So here we go-- pictures of my bounty, and you must believe me when I say, this birthday has already been amazingly happy, and it hasn't even started yet.

Thank you :-)

Okay-- so from Chicken, I got a "Barb" T-shirt from Stranger Things. For those of you who watch the show, Barb is like, my teen doppleganger. An old high school friend even verified this--I looked just like her when I was young.

From Karen, I got a yarn bowl!  I haven't started a new project yet, so it's not quite appropriately used, but I can't wait until I start the sweater I'm planning for Chicken, and I can put the yarn through the bunny's mouth and GO!!!!  I love this yarn bowl-- it has been my knitting companion for a week, and it will keep me sane for many projects to come!

From my sister, I got the Dr. Seuss's knitting coffee mug-- you may have to enlarge the photo, but it's got a great lyric on it, to the patter of Green Eggs and Ham. "And I will knit on a boat, and I will for a goat!"

I love this cup, and I really love that she gave it to me--we haven't done bday gifts in forever, and it means the world :-)

Julianne, darling Julianne--she sent me the llama/alpaca mug (which I should have taken a better picture of!) and the fox lipgloss for Squish. (She says thank you, Julianne-- she loves the lipgloss, and definitely loves the fox!)

Now, Mate is getting me something--which I didn't count on, I told him he didn't have to, and I've upped the ante with him. I stenciled "Coach" on a white T-shirt, and I'm going to have his kids--both teams-- sign the shirt with fabric pens on Saturday. The kids did this for him extemporaneously during last banquet when they found out the age range got split up and a lot of his kids were getting reassigned. He really treasures that shirt, and I wanted to give him a good memory of this more than hectic year.

So there you go--my birthday is off to an auspicious start, and my faith in mankind has been renewed.

Thanks, woman and man kind! I needed that!