Post-Birthday

Thanks for all of your nice wishes. I had a great birthday yesterday, and it was so nice to have birthday blog posts, and phone calls. It was so nice to talk to a couple of my sisters yesterday. The only thing that would have made it better is if we could have all gone out to lunch!! You're right Shauna, we can only dream!

Most of my birthday happiness I owe to Mark. He really went out of his way and all OUT to make sure I had a good day. He started making plans weeks ago for finally finding a responsible babysitter (who is not Mormon) by calling around to people he works with that live in Tonica. Luckily he found a great girl and everything went fine. We went out to dinner at a nice restaurant, and were able to leave the girls at home (where they had more fun anyway.) He also called and made an appt. at a new salon I found in LaSalle to get me a Spa Pedicure. When it fell through at the last minute because the girl called in sick, he made alternate plans for me to get my makeup done. He did all of this because he wanted me to feel pampered and pretty, and special on my special day. And I really appreciate all of his efforts and his interest in making me feel good about me. Thanks Mark!!

While we were at dinner, we were talking about some of my past birthdays. My Mom had reminded me of a couple that I had kind of forgotten in her birthday blog. When I was 9, she and I went to the stage production of Annie. That was a great birthday. I also remember having a Barbie birthday party one year and my Mom making a fancy dinner at our house for me and all of my friends. And who could forget my 12th birthday--the Mall scavenger hunt. That was incredible! I was also remembering on my mission when I celebrated my 23rd birthday. I was with a companion I didn't like very much and the only way to get away from her my Mission pres told me was I needed to finish passing off my discussions (in Czech). I did so on my birthday and called to tell him about it personally. I capped off the day by buying myself a little birthday cake (okay, a whole cake), and eating the whole thing by myself right in front of her (to spite her I guess)!! Mark couldn't stop laughing at the visual--HA!!

The other memory that Mark brought back for me had me rolling all night long. When we were living in Twin Falls, we bought one of those coupon books for some kind of sports fundraiser. It was actually full of pretty decent coupons. Many of them were for free or reduced charge oil changes, buy one/get one dinners at new restaurants, free passes to movies, etc. One of the coupons was for a free Mary Kay makeover. I loved Mary Kay from the time that Shauna started selling it out of her tiny little house in Chelsea (those were the days, right Shauna?). And I thought it sounded great! Mark set up the appt. for my birthday event. He gave me the rep's number and we made arrangements for my birthday. First off, she gave me directions out into the middle of freaking nowhere rural southern Idaho! Seriously, turn after turn took me deeper into the country and I started to get a little nervous of getting lost or possibly never returning. I got there, and her house was pretty ramshackle. I don't say that out of judgment, merely observation and just to let you know what I was getting myself into. The woman greeted me at the door of her home and invited me into her "salon". Basically it was one of her upstairs bedrooms that she had made over to look like a makeup studio. She had an old kitchen table and chairs set up in the middle of the room, a desk against the wall, and lots of fake floral arrangements and teddy bearts for decor. I grew more uneasy. But she was very friendly and sincere about wishing me a happy birthday, so I played along. She told me that we could get started when her other guests arrived. What the?!? So we chit-chatted until the doorbell rang and more women with free coupons streamed into her upstairs bedroom salon!! AGH! She gave us her spiel on Mary Kay products and let us use the skin care products to clean our faces. Then she gave us each a personal consultation on what shade of foundation and colors to use for our makeup. It was a trip!! We all had a little hand-held mirror to apply our own makeup with (they were trial size pieces, so it wasn't completely ghetto, but still!!). Afterwards she made her sales pitch, and I felt so sorry for her (she was a SAHM with a million kids living out in the country and doing this for extra income), that I bought the skin care line, and a few pieces of makeup. I thanked her for her time and she (and all of my new friends) wished me another Happy Birthday!! as I made my way downstairs and out to my car. I got in my car and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It was the most bizarre experience of my life! (Well, maybe not the most bizarre, but HILARIOUS nonetheless!!)

And I had completely forgotten about it until Mark reminded me that yesterday wasn't the first time I had had my makeup done for my birthday. And it all came back. How could it not!?! What a birthday!!