i will try to post more detail tomorrow, but for now....today was the single most amazing day of my life. truly, i cannot think of an entire day that has meant so much to me. my surprise birthday party was absolutely overwhelming. i'm still processing all the emotions. there was such an incredible spirit of love there.....it honestly was amazing (too many adjectives?) (the same one too many times?) there is no possible way to describe it. on a superficial level, the food was beyond wonderful...the cake - oy vey....4 layers - raspberry fluffy stuff interspersed with chocolate cake, all covered with more pink (PINK!) fluffy raspberry stuff and then AND THEN a coating of shiny, smooth chocolate that dripped down the edges. orgasmic. there were people there that wouldn't normally mingle - my art friends, my friend friends, some neighbors, some people i knew through Bill. everyone so enjoyed everyone. and gifts...! i never expected gifts! my neighbor commented to me that every single gift was clearly given with love and thoughtfulness of who the recipient was.....there were no gifts that were "re-gifts" from Christmas, and nothing that someone grabbed at the sale as they grabbed stuff for themselves. honestly, i wouldn't have cared anyway. not that i don't totally love & appreciate every single one! she said "Girl, you are so lucky to have such incredible friends!" (actually she said it a few times). i then reminded her that she was in that same company. and i realized, for the zillionth time, what a great good gift i have been given in my life - the friends i count as dear. and each person there was so very special to me in so many different ways. they probably don't even realize how special, or the things great and small, that they've said or done that have helped me become the person i am. and will continue to become. so to the friends who are reading this - thank you with all my heart. you are the art in my soul that gets expression with my hands. thank you. just a quick side note...now you all know gail? the one with the husband-who-shall-be-worshipped? well, here's a teeny few secrets i have to tell you before i tell you what i'm going to tell you. we met at a "quilt till you wilt" type of event about 16-hundred years ago and caught on instantly. she quilted, i roamed the room and talked incessantly. she, being the only one who can keep up with my talk talk talk, and stream of consciousness-can't-follow-this-conversation style. okay. we realized we have the same wedding anniversary date (different years though), same wedding ring/band, and we dated the same guy 14 billion years ago - although neither of us is checking the date too closely, lest it be at the same time. okay, now, i told you that to tell you this: part of Gail's gift tower to me were some books. very nice, you say. so what? well, we haven't exchanged christmas gifts yet, so she had NO WAY of knowing that i had bought her THE SAME books for christmas. (cue twilight zone music). how bizarre! so tomorrow, gail if you're listening, i will be returning the books i got you and taking a whole different tack. there were some other items that will remain snugly wrapped, but sheesh! so it's a good thing i'm overwhelmed and unable to talk, eh? so goodnight, my friends, and thank you for the most special day....and thank you for making my day-to-day life more specialer still. and i apologize, georgia, for slaughtering the english language. by the way, georgia's new book of haiku (haiku's?) is coming hot off the press at http://www.mainstreetrag.com/store/ComingSoon.php ! whoo hoo! linda