The Birthday Post

A log of birthday week-

• Ma sent me a knitting book and a cook book.
• SecretarySandy gave me a good friend card.
• Several friends and students responded to a facebook request of reminders of when we laugh together.
• It was election day and I went to the Ville of Steuben to meet with the financial guy- he's going to take care of my money too- and find out when I can retire.
• I voted.

             

• Coloring book and colored triangle pencils arrive at my door to complete the moms present.
• Knit night met at Sarris'.  Instead of the banana split I went for 3 scoops (vanilla chocolate and butter pecan) covered in chocolate sauce, nuts, whip cream and a cherry on top.
• Knitnight Tara brought some homemade cupcakes from earlier in the day at her polling booth. They were much more beautiful when they were fresh from the refrigerator and first presented.

• When we got home from knit night there was a message for a 2-hour early dismissal for kids on the birthday due to an emergency planned unplanned electric outage.  Who knows what that means
• This morning I woke up to this lovely message from the parent of 2 former students (I don't even have her kids anymore.)

• I went to school, knowing teachers would have to stay after the kids left.
• Second graders came into the room and sang to me- we practiced for the winter program.
• Kids left, singing over the bus dismissal walkie-talkies and also as they passed.  
• I had 2 hours to kill. In the dark. In a room with no windows. With a few flashlights. (the principal advised us to prepare our rooms for parent conferences next week and work on lesson plans on our charged chrome books- that rely entirely on the internet for saving materials that we would not have access to- the electricity was out.)
• I spent the time on the floor (on my purchased mats for comfort) wrapping the rest of my cousins Christmas presents. In the mostly dark.
• Once finished I turned a pile of wrapped presents in a bag into a pillow.  
• And on my birthday I spent an hour on the floor in the office in my classroom playing microsoft card games from the app.  I thought I was going to be mad at wasted time or pathetic activities but instead it was silent and relaxing.  It was lovely.
• I left 45 minutes early and came home to balloons, a birthday card and a boston creme pie birthday cake.
• We went to an adorable Italian restaurant that we love that's about 40 minutes away.

• And on the way home we stopped at the furniture store that we love to go to and found a side table for the Aunt.  They guy asked what we were looking for.  I said I need a magic table that's not too big but has plenty of flat surface for er stuff.  We laughed and when I walked up to the next one, opened the top drawer, there was a "cover" for the top drawer that extends so you can put your drink on it. So there was a magic one.
• The Dog climbed from her chair to my lap with no coercion and without me picking her up. She stayed cozy for about 30 minutes and it was lovely.