Known and loved
Birthdays.
Some people love them, some hate them, some ignore them, some wish they wouldn't come around so often and for others waiting 365 days is too much.
Where do I fall?
I LOVE birthdays!
I love the excitement, the love, the friends, the memories, the celebration!
This year I was fortunate enough to spend my 23rd birthday in Uganda!
365 days before I knew I would be spending my birthday abroad, but I had no idea where! I figured it would be a good birthday, but i had no idea that i could be loved so well!
I woke up earlier than usual, excited like a child on Christmas!
I spent a great time with Jesus, dedicating this year to Him! Jenni dropped in to give me my breakfast 'appetizer,' fresh homemade banana bread!
Then it was time to get ready for the day, starting with a HOT SHOWER! I can count on my hands the amount of hot showers I have taken during the Race, so this was a huge blessing!
Afterward I blow dried my hair AND curled it! Something I hadn't done since New Years Eve in Thailand! And I topped it all off with make up (a rarity) and the special sequence birthday dress curtesy of Micah!
I walked into the kitchen ready to take on the day and found that my sweet teammates had slaved over a full breakfast taco buffet! The counter was full of platters of fresh tortillas, eggs, tomatoes, potatoes, guacamole, onions and fresh fruit! It was such a treat and anyone from Austin, Texas knows breakfast tacos are the way to a girl's heart! 🙂
My breakfast was interrupted by a phone call from my sweet old teammate Tiffany! We spent the first 6 months of the race together and even though we didn't get to send our birthdays together, it was such a treat to actually get a birthday phone call!
I then got to open all the birthday cards my mom had brought from home when I got to see her in Kenya. I was overwhelmed by how many people had so many sweet things to say. When you haven't gotten to see some of your best friends in 9 months, even the little things like their familiar handwriting can become a sweet treasure.
Then Abby, Sarah and I headed out to get pedicures at the spa! It might sounds silly, but pedicures are such a treasure to me. In high school it was something special to do with my mom, has always been a good girls day outing with my best friends, and was a common reward after finishing a big project with my colleagues!
I returned home after the most relaxing 2 hours of the race ( I sprung for a manicure too!) to a complete surprise! There on the kitchen counter was a homemade fresh carrot cake!!! My favorite!
My sweet teammates had found a box of the mix in Kenya and brought it all the way to Uganda! Jenni made a cinnamon icing and topped it with shredded carrots and even candles indicating that I was turning 900 years old! 🙂
The afternoon continued with more surprises as I was given a bouquet of white lillies tied together with a teal bow!
Everyone was called to the living room as the stove-popped popcorn was served, because there was a video presentation.
My eyes were glued to the screen for the next 9 minutes as sweet friends and family members wished me happy birthday from the states. I got to see familiar faces, hear familiar voices, and see some of my favorite places. All this to say it was a definite tear jerker, but so perfect!
After a touch up on the make up, Abby, Jenni and I headed out for my birthday surprise… Latin dance class! This is when I felt so known and loved. After living with the Sheilas for a mere three months, they knew what I enjoyed, some of my old past times, and wanted to do it with me! Especially Abby, as she is NOT a dancer, but knew its something I loved. But to Abby's advantage, the classes ended up not happening so we went shopping instead!
When we had gotten our fix of shopping we headed to MishMash, our favorite hang out from this month. It is an art gallery, restaurant, and lounge that has a tree house and a giant chess set with pieces the size of small children!
There was an unusually good Internet connection and perfect timing, so I was able to Skype my mom during her extended break at work and my sister during her early lunch! My inbox was full of sweet messages from friends and family back home, as well as some from my new friends from around the globe!
Everyone else showed up and it was time for dinner! All of my teammates, Abby, Jenni, Sarah, Shayna, Micah, and even Meg made it out! We were also joined by some sweet squad mates, kaitlyn and Stephanie, as well as our contact Sarah Mae! A table full of missionary girls, looking like normal Americans 🙂
After eating a delicious dinner (grilled chicken pesto baguette!) I headed off to the larger than life chess board for a game with Micah. Lifting the pieces was a work out itself and Micah won, showing me that the student has passed the teacher, or as she would put it, "you just move pieces around."
As I laid down to sleep that night, I was overwhelmed with how blessed I am. For those of you that know me well, you know my team couldn't have loved me better, even when it came durn to the small things like the teal bow on the flowers or the banana bread appetizer.
Thank you Sheilas, squad mates, and sweet friends and family for making my 23rd birthday one I will never forget!
Now for the cherry on top: rafting the Nile river and bungee jumping! I love Ugandan birthdays!
