A Wonderful 57th Birthday

To know me is to know that I love celebrating my birthday.  In fact, most of the time, my birthday becomes a weeklong celebration.  Thankfully, this year was no different.  My parents started the party this past week, and it carried onto today and doesn't plan on ending until I open Cal's gift during Thanksgiving break.  I appreciated everyone remembering and making a big deal about my 57th.  It made the number not feel as old as it sounds like.  

By far, this was the best year for birthday gifts that I could ever remember.  My started it off with a framed picture of Cal and Cameron from the UCLA with Hoosier the Bison and the words "The Bison Boys" printed at the bottom.  Then my mom gave me extra birthday money to help with my travel expenses this week.  Next, Brett and Karen presented me with a statue of Mary last night that I loved, and Cameron topped it off with a surprise gift this evening at dinner - an Elijah Sarrett t-shirt that I will proudly wear on all game days the rest of the season.  Meg promised me the best gift that I have ever gotten when I arrived back in Florida tomorrow and Cal had his and Maggie's gift already packed for his trip down next weekend.

The best part about my birthday, however, wasn't the gifts.  It was the love that I felt from my family and friends.  Spending the day at Memorial Stadium with Doug watching the Hoosiers defeat Wisconsin on a beautiful, sunny afternoon was fantastic.  Seeing Cameron work B-Town Boulevard and catching up with him after the game outside Assembly Hall made the time in Bloomington even more special.  Calls from Cal and Meg on our way to Nashville for dinner were very much appreciated as were all of the text messages that I received from close friends and family.  Finding a new place to eat in a very crowded downtown Nashville that had just enough room for Brett, Karen, Doug, Cameron and I was absolutely fantastic.  The dinner, the conversation, the gift from Cameron on an uncharacteristically warm November evening was "icing on the cake" for a perfect birthday celebration, one that I will never forget.