Carmella's Hang Out

So it happened. The day I have not been looking forward to, has come and gone. It is very odd for me not wanting May 31st to come, for, since as long as I can remember, I have loved that day. However this year was different. Kade asked that I please try to look forward to that day, as she was sure she could make it the best of the year with a gift she has had for me since March.

Yes, thats right. May 31st was my birthday. My 24th birthday to be exact. It is not that I was afraid of getting older, it was the fact that I was getting older and did not feel I was in the place I wanted to be as far as my life goes. To put it bluntly, though this will probably not come as a surprise to most of you, I did not want another birthday to pass for me as a single girl.

Kade is a good motivator though! I must give it to her. With as much as I was trying to downplay that day, she was able to break through my ’sorrow’ and get me excited about it!! By the time Saturday was here, I was actually giggly and happy about it all. {not the single part…..just the birthday}

The ‘gifts’ both birthday and otherwise started early!! I will not, nor do I feel the need to, go into details, but an event that took place Thursday night, broke a great deal of stress and ‘hardship’ going on in my life. I woke Friday morning breathing easier, smiling more, and with a clearer head than I have felt I had in a long time. It was even noticed at work,when a fellow Timmy’s employee remarked that I seemed in much better spirits and happier than I had in awhile. I think I am even sleeping better. I would not have said I was unhappy before, but I am much happier now.

Friday I took food in to work with me as a midway through the year birthday party for everyone. I over plan food nearly every time I do something like that!! I took in four packs of hamburger buns, meat, cheese, a green salad, a pasta salad, a large tray of pinwheels, jello, and a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. Today, I brought home three and a half packs of buns, and all of the lettuce salad! I was told by one of the guys there that he had taken the left over pasta salad home and would bring my bowl back at some point in time this week!

Later that day, we went to a long time friends house so that Mum could plant a garden!! After dinner, Kade and I went out and played in the rain! There was a major storm that was rolling through our area, and it seemed a fitting end to my year as a 23 year old to be out there dancing around, doing some gymnastics {can you believe it?!} and just being GOOFY. It was of course, caught on tape!!
That night…as we were all watching the storm and its great power….we lost ours! The storm blew out one of the transformers nearby, one that often goes out when we have too much commotion in the weather.

Even though we were told by the electric company that the power would be back on in about three hours, it remained gone {with many more mini explosions from the transformer as they attempted to fix it} till about 10am the next morning.

My big sister dropped off a bag full of birthday goodies for me including a cool new brush!! Sadly, I was not home when she came by. But I think of her every time I see the pretty pink gift bag in my room….holding the delectable strawberry sticks!!!

MY BIRTHDAY started out, as I said, with no power. The biggest downside for me personally was that it was so sticky hot, I got up at like 6 rather than the sleep in I had planned on! In very little time, however, the entire family was up and I was presented with a ton of really cool gifts!!

My parents gave me money which I combined with the gift of money from my Canadian grandparents, and got myself two new pair of shorts {I had next to nothing for this summer in the way of cool/temp correct bottoms} and three ’so cute’ tank tops!! I am very excited about all of them!! I also got some hockey cards with the money. heh.

My brother gave me a beautiful frame for the poster I bought a few weeks ago!! He is THE photo guy so he picked just the right one to perfectly frame Andy Mac, Chris Prongs, Jiggy, Scotty Neids, and Getsy!!! Its awesome and I can’t wait to get some help in hanging it!!

The kids gave me some very nice hand made crafts!! They also gave me a Penguins hockey puck in a plastic case. I had a very hockey birthday, its so cool!!

Kade got me three ultra cool cards, one of which is the Rookie Kent Huskins card I had my eye on!! The other two are what is called a Jersey card, meaning that it has a piece of a game worn jersey in it from the player on the card. She got me one for ARMY!!! {Colby Armstrong formerly of the Penguins, now of the Atlanta Thrashers. The card is from when Army was a Pen} The other is of Teemu Selanne!! w00t!!! {Teemu is a close second for being my favourite hockey player, being edged out by Husky lately.}

Being that she is…well, Kade….she wrapped the three cards in a T-shirt! Sweet of her, right? New shirt along with the cards? Yeah. Sure. Cept, this one is red. BRIGHT RED. And UGLY!!! Well….least wise the photo on it is! Would not be nearly as hideous were it not for the fact that it has a large RED WINGS symbol and the portrait etc of Chris Chelios. *shiver* I am very much not a Wings fan, and of all the players….that is my least liked. He is the one I like to dislike the most. But of course, she got me the shirt…and she made me put it on….before presenting me with the rest of the gift.

Yes, there is more.

I told you, she said she had the best gift of all. True, Husky, Army, and Teemu would be more than enough….but she had been planning something else since March.

With some help from an new online friend {a girl she met on a Ducks fan board, who lives in Cali and goes to the Duck practice games, etc} Kade got me a signed photo of Kent Huskins himself!

More than that though…..the photo says “Happy Birthday Carmella!!! Kent Huskins 40″ {Ok,…..so you can’t really tell that it says Kent Huskins…you can see the K and the H and 40, the rest you have to guess at.} Note the three exclamation marks there. I did not put those in just for emphasis! Kent wrote those on the photo. According to the girl who got the autograph, he first put one, paused, and then added two more! TOO FUN!!!

Its awesome! I framed the cards and they now grace the wall above my bed. The autographed photo {which Kade beautified with a mat and frame} sits in front of me here on my desk, along with my Pen puck.

The rest of the day was full full full!!

Kade and I went down to see a friend at her work. {we work together, and her second job is just down the street}

We played Apples to Apples in the morning, and Bocci Ball in the afternoon.

MUCH food was eaten all day, and was finsihed off with home made graham cracker for the smores we had around the fire pit that night!

. Most noteworthy of said food was the cake my mother made. It was beautiful!!

For my cake, she learned how to make and use fondant!! The cake top was designed as a hockey rink and over top of that she placed two logos which she had hand panted with chocolate frosting and fondant!! One was the Ducks logo and the other the Pens! Amazing!! She also placed cala lilies in two of the corners! My favourite flower! I loved it,and was partly sad to have to eat it. Only partly though, since the cake was chocolate, it had chocolate frosting on top, and then the edible fondant made with marshmallows! I am sure you can figure out how long the sadness of eating that cake lasted!!

My entire day was, of course, documented fully in photos!!

Album one
Album two

Kade got a video of my reaction to Kent.

Thanks to everyone who helped add to the fun of my birthday with the birthday greetings and well wishes!!!