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Best Birthday Ever!

Started my day in a snit. Housekeeping cannot seem to get together on getting my clothing into my dresser drawers, instead packing shorts, tank tops, and pajamas into the closet on hangers. Those closets get so overstuffed the clothes end up in a pile on the floor where nobody bothers to pick them up. Then an unsuspecting aide arrives and asks me what I want to wear. I respond, "What do I have? " I get asked the same question as though I never answered and I blow a gasket.

Woe is me, nobody greeted me with a smile and a"Happy Birthday! " Nobody surprised me by cleaning out the closets nor did they lay out my Birthday clothing. I refuse help until my closets are clean. I've been waiting for weeks for my regular aide to catch on to my routine. God knows she can't understand my requests between my ALS accent and her Ethiopian one. But, today I make my stand and have the Resident Care Manager making order so I can make some logical decisions. A waste of her valuable time but I hope she passed on the instruction to my aide.

Soon I get a delivery from ProFlowers that the staffing agent graciously and expertly arranged. But she never said "Happy Birthday". Are you getting what a shitheel I'm being?  So I feel better that my daughter loves me but I think to myself, where are all the people that proclaim to love me here at the facility?

Next, I get a very special delivery from a great friend. A riot of balloons and a magnificent bouquet of yellow roses, sunflowers, and lillies hand-delivered personally and noisily. Now the cat is outta the bag! It's my Birthday! My friend must beg off for dinner (his son-in-law is being deployed and his wife expects him to be there. Well yeah! Dude, you gotta be there and you wanna be there! I am now so over myself!!!

.So I'm snapped back to reality once more.No more "Woe is me". There are more important issues demanding people's attention. My day goes much better now that I have apologized for being a pain. The Birthday wishes are humbly received as they should be. Nobody owes me.

My husband arrived early to take me to the dinner as we had planned. We were to meet his daughter, Angelique, as well as my parents, and sisters. What I got was practically the whole damn family. Angelique, her fiance', Shawn, his daughter, Lizzy, the grandson, Brandon, my mom and dad, my sister, Renee and boyfriend, Dan, my sister, Dawn, and husband, Mark, my sister's best friend, Bev; my husband's brother, Stephen, and his wife, Emily; his brother, David and his wife, Joyce; his sister, Liz; and one of my best friends, Judy Gale. I guess that makes eighteen of us! And by far and away the largest birthday party I've had as an adult that wasn't a drunkfest.

I was floored! What an outpouring of love and support. I got stacks of cards, handfuls of balloons, flowers and gifts, many hugs and kisses, lots of laughs, and an embarrassing rendition of the birthday song and free ice cream. We also had birthday cake, cupcakes, Trophy cupcakes (which are the best cupcakes ever). I could scarsely ask for more...Except the right to go home.
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Location: Federal Way, WA, USA

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