Another year to be thankful...

Four years ago, I was dutifully performing my Matron-of-Honor duties at my best friend's wedding albeit major jetlag.
I kept telling the husband that I was ready to call it a night, well before midnight but for some reason, the newlyweds were nowhere to be found and I didn't think it was nice to disappear without letting them know that I had gone up to our suite after a long day.
At around midnight, the band stopped the music and announced that not only was it a wedding celebration, but that as of midnight, someone was celebrating their birthday. Now mind you, I was very tired and very jet-lagged and the thought that came to my head was "oh how neat!" when I heard them announce that.
The next thing I knew, my BFF and her husband, my husband as well as all of the wait staff were coming up to me with a candle-filled cake, confetti streamers popping left and right and everyone singing and greeting me. Turns out I was the celebrant. Go figure - blonde moment! I was totally caught off-guard and to top it off, the husband gave me a pearl necklace which was to die for. I was just regretful that Jake was already up in the room sleeping - but he was only 9mos old and there was no way he could have stayed up that late.
So yeah, that was how my 28th birthday went.

Four years later, we were sitting in the living room watching tv when D said he left something in the car. He walks back in the house with my birthday balloon, and everyone was around me singing happy birthday. BFF had a make-shift cake made of Ding-Dong's which she and Jake put birthday candles on and made me blow. I got my gifts and cards, and hugs and kisses. It was a smaller version of what happened 4 years ago, but it was amazingly surreal, having the same people around me again on my special day. Too bad Baby E was already sleeping. She pulled a Jake on Ninang's birthday.

The celebration continues tonight with a dinner with the family, and again this weekend with my sister throwing me a fete.

At 32, I am once again a year older, a year wiser, and definitely a year fruitfully blessed with wonderful family and friends.

Thank you for all the birthday greetings, phone calls, emails and texts. You guys ROCK!!!