Birthday #26

The events leading up to and including the day I turned 26 years old.

• Feb 7, 1:00am: Outburst of tears as we get ready for bed and the dread of the coming school week gets the best of me.  I tell Kyle that I don't know how I'll ever survive this semester.  He comforts me and prays for me right then and there.
• Feb 7, 1:00pm: Major outburst of tears after a horrible therapy session where I fall flat on my face.  My terrible performance as a speech therapist is well-documented and pointed out to me by my clinical supervisor.  Cue sobbing.
• Feb 7, 3:15pm: Have my first laugh at how badly I just failed. It was bad like whoa.
• Feb 7, 3:45pm: Arrive home and begin reading birthday cards in which multiple members of my family write that my hard work will pay off and I will make a great SLP.  Cue another 45 minutes of tears.
• Feb 7, 5:03pm: Kyle offers to do anything I want for dinner.  I pick Cheesecake Factory accompanied by a trip to Macy's to scope out mixers.  Sadly, I wasn't even excited.
• Feb 7, 8:00pm: Return home feeling moderately better, but still rather crummy.
• Feb 7, 11:42pm: Decide that though I've been dreading turning 26, it's really a good thing.  It's one year closer to 27, when I'll graduate, to 28, when Kyle will graduate, and then to my 30s, which I am praying will be much less angst-y than my 20s.
• Feb 7, 11:58pm: Cue Peter Bjorn and John "Nothing to Worry About," and let the solo living room dance party commence.
• Feb 8, approximately 12:15am, end said dance party and go back to homework for another hour. Mentally prepare for the upcoming day of being on campus from 9am to 8pm.  Wince. 
• Feb 8, 7:42am: Robin singing in the tree outside my bedroom window puts tears in my eyes. I haven't heard a bird sing like that in months, and it feels like it is a gift just for me.
• Feb 8, 8:43am: Leave home.  It's cold outside but the sun is shining and the sky is blue.  Feels like it's going to be a good day.
• Feb 8, 11:15am: Walk to the law building to meet Kyle for lunch.  He surprises me with Chick-fil-a.  He walked all the way to the student center (far from the law building) in windy, 10 degree weather to get it for me.  I color worksheets for my afternoon client and get odd looks from law students. 
• Feb 8, 5:07pm: A few classmates sing a slap-happy "Happy Birthday" in the dungeon.
• Feb 8, 5:10pm: Sweet classmate, Megan, delivers to me the most delicious chocolate raspberry tort thingamajig I've ever tasted. 
• Feb 8, 5:19pm: Whole class sings at the insistance of Dr. Fuller.  Blush.
• Feb 8, 6:03pm: Give the wrong answer to a question in class for about the 123rd time. Shrug.
• Feb 8, 8:09pm: Finally arrive home after 11 hours on campus to find that Kyle surprised me with one more gift: a Kate Spade case for my Macbook that I've wanted for a long time.  
• Feb 8, 8:10pm: Find out that even though is says it's for a 13" Macbook, mine doesn't actually fit in it.  Bummed, but not that bummed.
• Feb 8, 9:36pm: Kyle surprises me again and breaks into the living room singing with a Mrs. Fields cookie cake he ordered days ago and picked up today.  He put candles on it and made sure the cookie decorator used a lower-case b in birthday, because he knows that birthday should never be capitalized, and it's an ongoing joke/pet peeve we have. 

• Feb 8, 11:20pm: Finish responding to all 181 Facebook messages, wall posts, tweets, emails, texts, and phone calls.  Feel very loved and blessed that 181 people would take the time to wish me a happy day.  
• Feb 8, 11:38pm: Decide that there's no way I can finish all that needs to be done for tomorrow.  Decide that I'll take a good night's sleep over an A+ on tomorrow's quiz and call it a night.

Thanks be to Jesus, my husband, my family, and my friends who all made this birthday so incredibly special.