I am SO blessed!

Today is my birthday. Sometimes birthdays just feel like any other day, nothing special, just another day. That was NOT the case for me today! Today was amazing! God has blessed me with some really amazing people in my life, and they made today super special for me.

First of all, my students threw me a "surprise" birthday party. (I say "surprise" in quotes because they sort of told me about it yesterday and then told me to make a surprised face today. I LOVE 2nd graders!) The party was complete with a cake, Cheetos, confetti, posters, singing Happy Birthday, and tons of birthday cards. Oh, and hugs, I can't forget the hugs! My favorite hug was at the end of the day when my whole class crowded around me and gave me one gigantic hug! :) Thinking back on my day, I'm getting teary. They were SO excited to give me this party. They couldn't wait! I think they were more excited that it was my birthday and that they were throwing me a party than they have been when it was their own birthdays. That is so neat. That is really something for a child to be more excited about someone else's birthday than their own birthday, because when you are 7 years old, there's nothing better than your birthday. That really touched my heart, and I'll never forget that my first year of teaching my class threw me a surprise party. I am SO blessed! That would have made my day special enough, but that's not all.

My kids had Art today, and Jenny, the Art teacher, knew it was my birthday so she had my kids make cards for me. I LOVE cards that my kids make, it's one of my favorite things, so that was the best gift Jenny could have ever given me. Then Darcy, the other 2nd grade teacher, had her class make cards for me too, so I had a HUGE stack of cards on my desk and it grew throughout the day. It took quite awhile to read them all, and they are all so precious! I am SO blessed. That would have made my day special enough, but that's not all.

I got to SKYPE with my family for a little bit in the very small window between when I got home from school and when they had to leave for church. It's always good to talk to family, especially on your birthday. I am SO blessed! That would have made my day special enough, but that's not all.

Countless people wrote on my wall on facebook, sent me cards, sent me e-cards, etc. There's just something fun about getting little messages like that. Thanks to all of you! I am SO blessed! That would have made my day special enough, but that's not all.

My friend Linda, who is pretty sick right now, called me to wish me a happy birthday. (You could pray for Linda, she just got out of the hospital. She has bronchitis.) Then my neighbor Janna called. It meant a lot that they thought about me and wanted to call me. I am SO blessed! That would have made my day special enough, but that's not all.

Some of my friends took me out for a special birthday dinner. We went to a really neat little Italian place, and it was a lot of fun! It was just fun to get out and do something that I don't do very often, and to go somewhere I hadn't been yet. It was great to spend the evening with friends! I am SO blessed! That would have made my day special enough, and I think that's about all that happened. :)

Today was so special for me! Someone gave me a card and said that she hoped I felt loved and special today, and I think that is the perfect way to describe how I felt today. People went out of their way to make me feel loved and special. I am SO blessed! Thank You, God, for putting all these people in my life! I love them dearly!