A lovely night...

I've just had one of the best birthdays that I have had in a long time. The last two years were very lack-luster, so I was trying not to expect too much this year.

When I walked to my desk at the office in the morning I saw lots of things. My manager, John, had given me a potted calla lily flower that was pink. There was a card signed by all of the VISTAs as well as some other folks from the office. And then the biggest item on display was a card about half the size of a poster board with pictures all over it. These were pictures of nuns, nuns with dogs, and dogs dressed as nuns! Molly and Emily, two of my VISTA buddies, had found these pictures online and had made captions for all over the poster. I almost peed my pants with laughter and smiles. It was a wonderful way to start April 2.

That evening, Jumpstart held their annual Scribble to Novels benefit at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Boston. Four authors, including the woman who wrote "The Red Tent" and the man who wrote "Election" and "Little Children" were invited to sign books and talk to about 200 guests. The ticket price for the event was $500 per person. Two of the board members spoke, as well as the president to Jumpstart and two Corps members who are twin sisters working through two different Boston colleges. I helped with the registration table, so my job was done pretty quickly. After my job was done I was able to enjoy the program and the open bar. If there had been tables with empty seats, I would have been able to sit with the guests and eat dinner with them. Most of the seats were full, though, so the hotel served the Jumpstart staff in a room off to the side of the ballroom. After the party, all of the Jumpstart staff went down to the hotel bar for an afterparty. The event went off without a hitch and it seemed like everyone had a good time. I had a good time and felt very fancy-pants and proud to be a part of this organization.

Knowing that I probably would get home late on Thursday night (1:30 as it turned out) I took Friday off as a birthday present to myself. After a lovely sleep-in, I went over to Jess and Amanda's house where they had made dinner for me and decorated the place for my birthday. Their team mate from last year, Jen, was visiting them, so it was nice to see here as well.

It was a really great way to ring in my 26th year. All of the calls and text messages and cards really made me feel loved and thought of. Thank you everyone for your well-wishes.