Birthday
Last night, I was sitting at a dinner table surrounded by Sweets, his parents and my aunt and uncle. My zuegra (mother-in-law) told the story of Saint Nicholas. And how one version said that on the night between December 5 and December 6, Saint Nicholas would either deliver a small present or a lump of coal to all the little children showing whether they’d been naughty or nice. For those who received a lump of coal, it was a warning to shape up before Christmas.
My aunt chimed in perfectly, “Oh, so Nilsa’s parents got their lump of coal on December 6,” which is my birthday. Laughter filled the room.
I’m not here to argue whether I was a small present (duh!) or a lump of coal to my parents in the wee early morning hours 36 years ago. What I am here to share is my weekend? My birthday weekend? Was full of small presents and not a single sign of coal (well, so long as you skip the story of my uncle trying to make a fire at Thanksgiving and getting covered in soot – let’s just ignore that little reference, m’kay?!).
I started the weekend on Friday night at a Brand About Town party. I’m sure you’ve been to or read about their Nintendo DS and Gap parties. This party was a Wii Fit Plus party. It was a lovely chance to hang out with old friends and meet some new ones. At the end of the night, I walked away with a pretty cool Wii Fit Plus workout jacket and, oh yeah, a Wii Fit Plus. Hello winter workouts when I don’t want to leave the house!
Saturday morning, Sweets and I went downtown to have lunch with friends we met while honeymooning in Costa Rica. They were in town for the day from Indianapolis. More luck with meeting this couple – they are truly lovely and make us look forward to going to Kokomo, Indiana. Where? Exactly!
Saturday evening, a friend from Madison and a host of local friends (mostly my bridesmaids and their significant others) came to our place for a pizza party. One of the highlights of the night was when a friend’s two-year old walked through the front door saying Happy Birthday! Priceless! Again, so very lucky to be surrounded by such warm friends.
Sunday morning, a friend from Los Angeles was in town visiting her boyfriend and we all went to a mutual friend’s home for brunch. These friends had no idea it was my actual birthday. And it was quite honestly lovely to spend time with them without the pretense of celebrating me. Instead, we celebrated the collective us over mimosas and eggs. These friends? I’ve known them for over a decade. I’ve gone to their weddings. Been there for divorces. Watched children come into their lives. Gone camping with them in Big Sur. The memories are long and wonderful. I’m so lucky to have them in my life.
Which brings me back to Sunday evening. An evening spent with family, old and new. An evening that could’ve gone any direction. And yet, I spent it amongst wonderful conversation and lots of laughter. Including the commentary about coal. Oh, my dear aunt, I’d like to argue against my lumps of coal this weekend. Quite the contrary. There were plenty of little (and big!) presents awaiting every turn. I am one lucky gal.
December 7th, 2009 at 8:47 am
I am so glad you had a great birthday! I was thinking about you yesterday but never actually sent the happy birthday email that I meant to.
December 7th, 2009 at 9:43 am
Happy Birthday Nilsa!
December 7th, 2009 at 9:44 am
It sounds like the perfect weekend. I love getting together with friends just to celebrate the “collective us.” Time spent with dear family and friends is so precious.
December 7th, 2009 at 10:10 am
Glad you had such a lovely birthday weekend! It all sounds divine =) We have birthday weeks at my house so I hope you have a lovely birthday week too full of as many special moments!
December 7th, 2009 at 10:13 am
Happy Birthday! Sounds like a great weekend!
December 7th, 2009 at 10:14 am
What a lovely weekend. It sounds wonderful. Happy Birthday.
December 7th, 2009 at 10:22 am
Happy Birthday! I hope this year is better than last.
December 7th, 2009 at 10:22 am
Sounds like a fabulous weekend. Happy Birthday.
December 7th, 2009 at 10:30 am
I’m so glad you had an awesome birthday weekend. I was thinking about you yesterday.
December 7th, 2009 at 10:44 am
sounds like you had a really great b-day. awesome!
December 7th, 2009 at 11:09 am
Happy birthday!!
And I’ve heard Wii Fit is good, but I have EA Active for the Wii and it’s insane. I can’t do anything beyond the ‘easy’ workouts or I literally can’t do stairs the next day. Something to consider renting! =)
December 7th, 2009 at 11:12 am
Awww! Sounds lovely Nilsa! You so deserve it lady. :)
December 7th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
So fun! You are lucky and I’m glad for you. Happy birthday!
December 7th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
aww i’m glad it was so great! happy birthday again!
December 7th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
Not necessarily relevant to this post, but you often seem like the most well-adjusted person and I thought I should share that. Truly. I would like to be you when I grow up.
December 7th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
Glad you had such a fun filled birthday weekend : )
December 7th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
What a lovely weekend filled with lots of love! (P.S. Does the Wii fit actually replace a workout?? If so, I may need a Wii in *addition* to a PS3…)
December 7th, 2009 at 9:12 pm
Sounds like a great birthday weekend! Glad you had a good one and got some nice stuff.
December 7th, 2009 at 11:51 pm
Oh, Nilsa! That sounds like the most perfect birthday weekend. I’m so happy you had such a wonderful time with friends and family. That’s the way it should be :-)
December 8th, 2009 at 7:15 am
What a fun weekend! I love it when my actual birthday falls on a Friday or weekend so I can spend it with loved ones! :)
December 8th, 2009 at 4:58 pm
Awe you’re not a lump of coal! If you were, you wouldn’t have had such a great birthday. Happy 36th!
December 9th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
I’m glad you had such an awesome birthday weekend :)
December 9th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
Happy birthday! My little sister turned 18 on December 6th. I’d say it’s a good day to be born. :)
December 10th, 2009 at 12:19 am
Happy (LATE) Birthday! I have been swamped with finals but don’t mistake that for not caring! Hope it was a great one!