Birthdays, Beaches, Familiar Faces, and Voices From Home...

This past weekend, I turned another year older. I am 31. Hard to believe, really. But, here I sit...31 years of experience. I don't know if I have wisdom just yet, but, maybe I do.

I got to work on Friday, my birthday, and my desk was all decorated. There were little pieces of paper (that looked to be from note pads, maybe?) in shapes of clowns, cupcakes, birthday cakes, etc. There was also a computer print out that said, "Happy Birthday, Julie-Anne!"

I had a birthday card from a church friend back home waiting for me on my desk. Thank you, Kimberly, your card was a pleasant surprise. :)

There is a new worker at JAF named Rochelle, and we found out earlier in the week that we are, in fact, birthday twins! We refer to each other as "Twin!," and it is super fun. I visited with her, and gave her a small gift. I was not as engaged with work as I probably should have/could have been, but, in the words of Ben Rhodes, "That is what Friday Birthdays are all about." Nothing is really expected of you!" Now, he has a PhD, so naturally, any and everything he says goes, right? :-)

Right before lunch, one of my oldest friends, Andrew, arrived from Alabama! He toured the facility, and had lunch with a select few from the office. We had Greek food catered. I love Greek food, so that was a really nice touch to the birthday.

During the birthday celebration at lunch, I was presented with some very sweet gifts from fellow interns. Jean gave me my favorite kind of chocolate bar! She insisted that I open her gift first, so that I would not be disappointed (haha). Jane gave me a pencil drawing from the outing in Hollywood where I "held hands" with Jimmy Stewart and the Chinese Theatre. Such a great gift. I cannot wait to frame it when I get home!

After lunch, "Twin!" invited me to share her birthday cake with her. It was delicious, homemade and pink-ish. :)
After lunch, I was free to go and do as I pleased! So, Andrew and I set out to have fun. We played with Bedford a bit, then he got all settled in his hotel room, and a wee bit later, we went to an Irish Pub for dinner. The service was less than stellar, but the experience gave us something to laugh about. :)

I was blessed to hear from every single person that means the most to me on my birthday. My mom, Phillip, my Aunt Char, my Brother, SIL, my best friend, Taylor, and, yes, even my dad.  You see, I have an old radio show of my dad's in my iTunes, that was recorded on my 18th birthday. Pretty special stuff. :)

The remainder of the birthday weekend was fun. Went to the Reagan Library and had lunch, and then went to the beach in Malibu, and then out to dinner. The weekend was fun. So glad Andrew was able to come out for a visit. :)

My fourth and final Kids' Corner blog post went up on my birthday, too.

Another cool element of the birthday (weekend)? Making Joni's blog!

All in all? Good Birthday.