It Was My Birthday!

So my birthday was a bit of a four day thing, mostly due to my work schedule and the changes I've experienced. I'm going to go a few weeks back and then move on up to current events. A couple weeks ago, my ward had a talent show, and it was loud, but fun. I chose to sing in it. There were multiple awesome acts, lots of guitar, some dancing, and some rap (eugh). Two girls did their interpretation of the life of a raindrop, another girl broke an apple in half with her forehead (no really), and then there were the prizes themselves. First place was a disapproving stuffed bulldog. Second place was a ceramic golfer statue, and man was it creepy. Third place received a small trophy for baseball. I could tell they went to DI for their prizes, lol.

So, I won! I sang "Til There Was You" from the Music Man, and my pianist was really good. We only needed a little bit of practice to get used to each other's timing, as we'd both performed the song before.

I still have all A's in my classes and still have a 4.0 gpa, so nothing terribly new on the school front. So, that brings me up to this week on important events. Sunday was Easter and I went to church early for choir practice. We were performing. To my shock, myself and one alto were the only girls there. I had eight men. So, we performed with me being the only soprano, and conducting, my lone alto trying her best to be heard over our eight men. We sounded alright to me, but I wasn't sure. The bishop afterward mentioned to the ward that we needed ladies. LOL! After that I went and called various family members to wish them a Happy Easter, then went on to Rosslyn's family's home, because they had graciously invited me over for dinner.

Dinner was spectacular, with ham, scalloped potatoes, an amazing salad with avocado, rolls, deviled eggs, and artichokes. So yummy...We had an Easter egg hunt, then dinner, and then we went downstairs and watched "He Is Risen", a new bible video put out by our church.

Take a view if you haven't. After the video, Rosslyn's parents bore their testimonies and, as they did, I began to think of my future life. Someday, I might get married and have children. I hope I can testify my faith to them when that day comes.

This week, on Tuesday, the day before my birthday, I received a call from one of the businesses I had interviewed at during the beginning of March. They wanted to hire me and could I possibly start Monday morning? I froze a bit. I prefer to leave my jobs with two week's notice, but if I couldn't start right away, I couldn't have the job. They were understanding, of course, and would have preferred the two week notice themselves, so they said they'd be willing to work around a modified schedule for two weeks, depending.

My boss was gone for the day by the time I'd gotten that call, so I talked with her the next day, on my birthday. She was perfectly fine with me going (not in a good riddance kind of way, but in a "good for you" kind of way), and said not to worry about the two weeks. She could survive until a replacement was found. So, I called the new job back and...said ,"Yes! I'll see you Monday!" After I got off work, I went home to take a break before I went to my birthday party thingy, and when I arrived I found this waiting for me:

There were balloons, as you can see, on my door, and a note from the activities committee in my ward, reading, "Happy Birthday! Have a day as wonderful as you!" They had also left me a present on the floor outside the door and under the balloons. 

Cute, it even came with its own candle.

A chocolate "Better than Whatever" cupcake from a local cupcake shop! It was delicious, btw.

After relaxing for a little bit, I went to the guys' place. There, Josiah, Rosslyn, Camilla, and Andrew had been preparing a lovely steak dinner. We had more great salad, roasted mustard potatoes (yummm), and they made me a chocolate cake with rainbow chip frosting. My favorite! Rosslyn was very adamant on explaining to me that it had taken her going to two whole stores to find this icing and that was a testament to how much she loved me. LOL. Then, I received gifts!

I received three packs of stickers, a card that proclaimed that "We're at that perfect age--somewhere between sweet sixteen and 'none of your business'! Have a wonderful birthday!", two balls of yarn: one hand-dyed by Camilla to match the other one (it also smells of orange oil, mmmmm citrus), the book CryoBurn by Lois McMaster Bujold (YAY), and the odd green thing you see there. It's called a theracane (I think) and it's a massage tool. Bleeding wonderful, that's what it is.

We then sat and watched the Secret of Moonacre for the first time. It's a lovely movie--I wished they had put it out in the US. Loved it. Had to go home by then and spent the next two days at work being antsy. Normally I prepare for the next week, but I wouldn't be there...It was kind of surreal. Normally, a two week notice is also a benefit, as it allows you time to make the mental and emotional adjustments. Instead, I am speeding through all that, so there was some crying saying goodbye to my bosses. They've been a family to me and I will miss them.

When I came in to work on Friday, my last day, a card and a box of six donuts waited for me.

But now, I'm off to my new adventure. I went to SCA Collegium yesterday, and it was a lot of fun. I'll post about that later, however. This has gone on long enough.