Once Upon a Birthday

I turned 34 yesterday.

(happy birthday, Sarah!)

(oooohhh, thank you!)

There's just so much about the birthday.  To understand the amazingness of yesterday, we have to start with last Thursday.

Thursday I went with Amber to the hospital for the induction of her baby boy.  The next 27 hours were the most amazing hours I've experienced.  To be with Amber during her labor and delivery was the honor of a lifetime.  You think you love someone, but I don't think you realize how much, until you watch them labor in love for the birth of their baby. I wanted so much to take the pain away and make it my own, even if just for a few minutes for her to have pain-free rest.

Her delivery story is beautiful.

Amber is beautiful.

I'm forever grateful to her and Chris for allowing me to be there.

Immediately following the birth of my new little boyfriend, Josh and I headed out of town to meet Jim and Emily and their family at my friends Jim and Betty's townhouse a few hours from here.  Before leaving Josh had rigged up a way to feed and water our chickens while we were away.  He was worried they would peck each other to death while we were gone so he left the coop open.

Our weekend with Jim and Emily was incredible (and will have its own post tomorrow or so) but coming home was painful.  We found that out of seven chickens and two ducks, we only had two chickens remaining.

My heart broke.

There's no evidence of what went on while we were away, but even after a couple of days home, no bird has returned.  I haven't written much about my love for these birds, but let me just say, it's a little ridiculous.  I sit out in the dirt and just watch them.  I talk to them.  I hold them.  I'm pretty smitten.  So to come home and find nearly all of them missing.  It was almost too much.  It was miserable and my heart, I just couldn't deal.

I go from sad to angry and then back to sad.  Oh my poor (not so) little ducks.  And my chickens.  Ugh!

On Monday we found out that we have the privilege to have Josh's best friend, Jim (of Jim and Emily) staying with us for the next couple of months.  He's working near us and after much threatening of his life, he agreed to stay here.  :) He said he'd stay with us, but he'd have to have a shower (you know, that thing I don't have in my house?) and he immediately went into the bathroom to survey what needed to be done. That evening the poor guy had to listen to me whine about my birds.

And now we are to yesterday.  My birthday!

My mom brought me coffee and then took my girls for the day.  This has been somewhat of a tradition the last couple of years, and I'm so thankful for her.  My friend PW took me to lunch (mmm...burgers and beer) and when I got home Josh had bought me flowers and more coffee.  I took myself to Tri-Cities in running shoes and skirt and ran along the Columbia River.  I ran four miles in 85 degrees and that was quite enough.

After a few errands I went home.  I came home to find that Josh and Jim were working on my bathroom.  Such a beautiful sight!  Those boys.  They had worked so hard all day, had not eaten dinner, and were STILL working at 10 pm on a dumb bathroom!  (they ended up working til nearly 11)  When I walked in Josh told me that Jim had something to show me.  I gave Jim a look.

What did he do?

He smirked that smirk he has and if you know him, you know the one, and shrugged his shoulders.

"Your chickens came home."  he says.

Huh?

The three of us go outside to the barn, to the coop, where just my two remaining chickens are and I find (I'm starting to cry right now) chickens!  Six new chickens!  And ducks! Two little ducks.  Jim and Emily bought me new birds!  My goodness, I can't even begin to describe my joy.  They are so beautiful.  And noisy. The boys also did a ton of work to secure the coop, nothing can get in or out.  I was out of bed at 5:30 this morning to go talk to them and hold them and feed them.

I just don't deserve a day like yesterday.  I really don't.  But my word am I thankful for the love of friends.  My heart is overflowing.

Absolutely overflowing.

Chickens!  And ducks!  I'm just so happy.  So very happy.