The end of the Birthday line

When there seems like too much to post and not enough postage, I like to begin with a simple anecdote about something that matters little in the grand scheme of things.  Like the presence of a gaggle of flies in the (for lack of a better word) porch area between my front door and the gate that keeps out the columbia heights riff raff.  I have taken to the back alley entrance (rife with riff raff) to avoid this flying party of the swamp variety.  D.C. is a swamp, did you know?  Which ends up being just another great excuse for a milkshake is what it boils down to.  

Anywho, these flies get me in a big tizzy as you may imagine, but every time I try to make like the wind and get through there at top speeds, I end up snagged on the riff raff blocker and then I can’t get the front door open, and the fact that I am also trying to remember to keep my eyes and mouth closed and not let them in the door when I get it open causes a whole big flurry of blamming and usually the entrance of a fly or two into the hobbit hole. Welcome, Summer in the swamp!  It’s going to be a doozy, I can feel it.

But the really truly great news is that I caught my first glorious glimpse of the true announcers of summer tonight and I was appropriately psyched about it.  The Fireflies.  Oh do I love those magical things. Fireflies are natives of birthday land.  They belong to summer twilights, breezes under a canopy of stars, and children’s barefooted rompings through a field full of flying twinkle lights.  Watermelon and cold beers also play a role in this scene.  Welcome, Summer!  It’s going to be a doozy.  So say the fireflies and the flies flies, and so say I.  

Sooo the Birthday.  

Yeah, I’m still on the birthday.

Don’t worry, I will move on once I have had my proper spiel on the old bloggo.  

“Who fills your days with good things,

so your youth is renewed like the eagle’s”

Psalm 103:5

That about sums it up.  My Birthday week I soared on wings like eagle’s (like eagle’s y’all, like eaaaggglesss y’a’allll--Remember the Titans anyone??? Rev! His voice=buttah).  

It started with getting the job.  The job that dropped out of Heaven, road a shooting star into Lisa Frank world to play with the unicorns and the tye-dyed dolphins (I cannot be the only girl who had a Lisa Frank sticker collection on the side of her book shelf PLUS a LF trapper keeper, now can I?!), took a slide down a rainbow through Care Bears land, and road a cloud right into my lap.  

Providential is the only word for this job getting that went down.  

Bless the LORD, my soul;

Then I got to resign on what I now affectionately call “resignation day”.  It has become a national holiday in Lisa Frank world and the Care Bears are putting it to a vote. Grumpy is being his usual persnickety (can anyone BELIEVE that is a word) self.  

And Rachie sent me a great and a half pair of earrings that I have sported at least thrice since opening (see below photo for evidence).  Thanks, Cheeches!

THEN WEDNESDAY, my dear, sweet, adorable chocolate-covered Lizzie (this description completely, accurately describes her in the best way) took me out to dinskis for my Birthdayskis.  It was awesome-skis.

AND THEN IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY.  And, as we all know, I am obsessed with my birthday.  If I tell you what happened, you will have to believe me.  I almost don’t, but it’s all truer than true.  I definitely could not have made this crazy boppin stuff up.

My night went a little something like this:

11:00 PM-hit the hay

12:00AM (BIRTHDAY)-woke up thinking it was morning (yeah, i’m a 5 year old and this is my personal Christmas)

5:00 AM-woke up AGAIN praying it wasn’t morning (back to my old lady self who wants sleep like it’s going out of business)

6:40 AM-Alarm off, snooze button hit (with the sweet satisfaction that after my snooze my BIRTHDAY happens)

6:50 AM-Momma calls me, tells me how the dew sparkled in the May sunshine the day they brought me home from the hospital and how happy she was to have me.  I know, she IS so the best ever. And then she prayed a birthday prayer with me. I layed in the dark, in my hazy daze, and smiled to myself with joy that this was my Momma and this was happening right now on my birthday.

all my being, bless his holy name!

7:00 AM-get my birrrthday girl game face on and go out into the living area to find the house transformed by my top shelf roommate.  

How did she know I am down with some Garfield? Magical awesome roommate powers probs

You know, the Tierney of whom I speak.  The one who gets her radliest self up at really unattractive hours of the morning to decorate in the rainbow Lisa Frank fashion we all know I love.  Oh, and what was she doing when I walked out?  

She was making me funfetti birthday pancakes.  

And yes, she cookie cuttered them into hearts and stars shapes (my 2 favorite shapes), put a dash of sprinkles and  I didn't want to eat them because they were too much of a party to end

It. Happened.   

All of this before 7:30 AM.

Bless the LORD, my soul;

I did not want to leave the warm kitchen ringing with early AM punch drunk birthday laughter.  I mean the air smelled like funfetti pancakes for corn’s sake.  Who would want to leave that????

I pressed on in determined birthday fashion, opened the front door, and sitting ever-so-birthdayish on my front steps was a bag of goodies from my dear neighbor, frissa, and friend love of my life. 

 It was filled with some of my fave trader joe’s sweets (girl knows me so well).  And it upped my birthday high to new and unforeseen heights.  I was ready to Dr. Laura it and go take on the (birth)day.

and do not forget all his gifts,

THEN.  Alejandra made me the best card. 

Yes, it featured a party with Jesus, Mimi, my guardian angel, me, Lorenz and Ale, and a lot of googly eyes.  It gave me such a glorious birthday laugh.

THEN I had lunch with my two fave co-workers. Margs in the middle of the day can only mean one thing. Best. Birthday. EVER.  

All throughout the day, by the dubs, I was sprinkled with voicemails of song, texts of love and messages of happiness.  China totally rocked the house and sent me 28 of her favorite memories with me. Because she is so bomb dig like that.  

this was one of the memories and it is a really good one

And Mom and Dad, because bringing me into the world and loving me my whole life wasn’t enough, sent me gorgeous flowers.  

Who fills your days with good things,

so your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

And then, the sweetest most perfect most wonderful gift was given to me.

Mass.  I got to kneel before my Creator and bless Him for having created me.  Thank Him for my life and for giving His life in exchange for mine.  For making my life worth living.  He is the only reason for it all.  

And then He allowed me to receive His Body in the Eucharist.  After all I have done and failed to do.  He still wanted to be with me, so close to me.  

Best. Birthday. Ever.

He has not dealt with us as our sins merit,

nor requited us as our wrongs deserve.

For as the heavens tower over the earth,

so his mercy towers over those who fear him.

As far as the east is from the west,

so far has he removed our sins from us.

After that, it was all over but the Birthday.  I came home to a beautiful flower delivery from my fuzzy fuzzz Shella bella (thanks my lovin fousin!)

my roommate (you know, funfetti girl), gave me ANOTHER gift.  And then, Red Rocks.  With people I love and who love me so beautifully.  The ones that show me Jesus so clearly.  And pizza and Bubba made amazing cupcakes and momma commissioned China to bring me balloons which are my favorites.

What I saw when I walked up to Red Rockers

As a father has compassion on his children,

so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him

Then, I hit the old Birthday hay.  Because Friday was coming, and operation YOT28O was far from accomplished.  

Friday was the other B-Day.  Bowling Day! Gotcha! Oh the birthdays and how they go straight to my head like the bubbly.

To put it mildly, I was ready for this.  And the Lord made it more wonderful than I was altogether prepared for.  So many of my favorite people were there

the playlist was hilarious (i.e. bills bills bills) there were delicious tye-dyed (true story) cupcakes (thanks Sarah and Brigid!)

an AMAZING cake (big time props and thanks, LiliVB875!!!)

really small beers in a bucket

car searches (you know, military base bowling) 

dancing in the alley

bowling like nobody was watching

losing like I didn’t care because I really really won big time on this whole existing thing

And so much thanks to Alyssa mah Frissa who put this whole shindig together for me. She even got Abdul, the lane manager, to put "Happy 28th Birthday Elisa" up on all of the bowling screens. It was a magical, happy, wonderful night.

Love you, Frissy! 

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the grooviest part of this whole Birthday scene is that I have done nothing but exist to earn it. And I don't even exist by my own power or merit. It's all the Lord. And like the prodigal son, He rolled out the red carpet and threw me a glorious party and made me feel so completely loved by Him and all those He has put in my life even though I have time and again proven myself as sinful as they come. My words fail me.  Psalm 103 will carry me home.  

But the LORD’s mercy is from age to age,

toward those who fear him.

His salvation is for the children’s children

The LORD has set his throne in heaven;

his dominion extends over all.

Bless the LORD, all you his angels,

mighty in strength, acting at his behest,

obedient to his command.

Bless the LORD, all you his hosts,

his ministers who carry out his will.

Bless the LORD, all his creatures,

everywhere in his domain.

Bless the LORD, my soul!

until next birthday week, stay rad like this my peeps.