Cyndi's Birthday

On February 15th, I turned 38. I am not ashamed to say it. I am what I am. Sunday was a busy day. I was finally feeling up to snuff after a bout with some stomach ailment the last night we were in Switzerland. I had hit the ground running when I got home...but still not willing to eat much, so my body was like a sinking ship. A short little bug ended up wearing me out until about Sunday. Joe was in Aberdeen...Lily, Rich and Tim were up in Haugesund (2 hrs north of here) for a basketball tournament, and I stayed in Stavanger to go to church and serve my ministries there (EMHC, RE coordinator & RE teacher for K/1st grade). It was raining...after all those days of snow and the roads and sidewalks were a mess. I arrive 30 minutes prior to Mass starting to unlock all the outward buildings (4) and turn on the lights and the heat in the Sunday School rooms. I get the supply buckets out for the teachers, etc. By the time I got home, it was after noon. I busily started baking for the NATO American wives social that I was hosting at my house the next night...all the while sludging through mounds of laundry from our time in Switzerland and what the boys wore for the 5 days we were gone. I took a break mid-afternoon to pick up Joe from the airport. It was great to chat with him about his experience there and also what went on while we were gone. He had left about 14 hours after we returned and so hadn't really connected much for over a week. Once Rich got home with the other members of the family, I made manicotti and we splurged and ate in front of the TV (normally never done here), watching the replay of the NBA slam dunk and 3 pointer contest. (because evidently even after 10 games between the two of them in the previous 48 hours - there can never be enough basketball in the Messina family).
Rich made me a cake...and I could hear him using the electric knife to cut it (which made me wonder what in the world was going on). Lily had been crying during the night several weeks ago and Rich got up with her. The only way to get her to stop crying in the night is to talk with her and get her in a conversation. The topic for said conversation was what kind of cake they were going to make for Mommy's birthday. She suggested a TaeKwon-Do cake....and they talked about it for awhile before she went to sleep. You really have to be careful what you talk to Lily about because she has a memory like an elephant and will hold you to it. She told me last week that I was getting a TaeKwon-Do cake for my birthday. Rich was more than flummoxed by her piping up and saying that. She had remembered and now he was stuck. I think he did pretty good. He made a gi (dobok) top. I don't like white anything so he made a chocolate cake with chocolate icing and doused it with powdered sugar to make it white...(what a man! I love him!) Anyhow...it was fabulous and I couldn't stop laughing about it. The white furry thing on me is a sheepskin...they are very popular here for babies in prams, especially. Mine is on my computer chair keeping my 38 year old derriere warm. :o) Thanks to everyone who sent birthday wishes! It may have been a hectic day, but it really was a great one!