We had a marble party today where the kids could do what they wanted. Some of my students used their time to sew these little hats for their tiny bears. I'm tellin' ya. These kids are so cute!

Say, it's my birthday.

So, today is my birthday and it's Monday, but my cute little children at the Nevada City School of the Arts have made it great. In this photo I am sporting a lovely button ring made for me by sweet Nora, and holding a wand made for me by the beautiful Delphine. Because their good behavior has earned them a marble party, and I don't feel like working on my birthday, this afternoon my students and I are going to play board games, knit and talk. I've got to say that as this year progresses, my love for this class just grows and grows. They are the sweetest children ever and I think they are making me a better person.

Birthdays are weird though. Last year I spent my birthday in the car coming home from San Luis Obispo. My unwrapped gifts were handed to me from the back seat in a bag with the receipt still in it, seemingly purchased as an afterthought. I was crying, as was everyone else, and it was horrible. We had just spent the weekend with my good friend who was having her first Thanksgiving without her husband who had died of brain cancer the August before.

This year, my birthday weekend was quite different. I went to a great party for me and 5 other people with birthdays in November and December, and photos of that are on Kirstie's site. It was so much fun, and I am always reminded when I spend time with my friends how much they all mean to me and how lucky I am to have them in my life.

I don't know, I am convincing myself as I get older to not freak out on my birthday. It's always been a really big deal to me for some reason, and only recently have I been able to ditch the childlike expectations I used to have for what really amounts to a random day on the calendar. This year has been a flashback to those younger years though, with surprises arriving for me at work, etc...and I even have my very own stalker who keeps leaving notes on my car when it is in town. I have always wanted a stalker, and now I got one for my birthday! Woo Hoo! Ah well.

I try not to think of what next year will bring, but maybe instead of being weirder or more depressing, my birthdays will actually evolve into more and more beautiful gateways to what's next.