Check out my new baby

Yeah. She was my birthday present from GH, and I have named her Flip Mino Camcorder. Or maybe somebody else named her that. I forget. Anyway, turns out that ever since I mentioned, months ago, that it might be cool to one day get something like this, GH had been watching the deals websites and came across a gorgeous refurbished one for a ridiculous price. Which I find insanely hot. The thing weighs less than my cell phone and is tiny and fits easily in my purse. (Or in my knitting bag, which I may or may not have taken to work so that I could show off my bunny and then left sitting underneath the information desk with the video camera inside it. Not that we are ever telling GH that part. Ever.)

Thank you to everyone for their lovely birthday wishes, I did have a great day. Friday night GH obliged me with a screening of Julie & Julia (Meryl Streep + France + food + bloggers = fab). Truthfully I was more interested in the Julia Child half of the movie than the Julie Powell half, but whatevs (as my sister Spitfire would say).

Mom and Dad sent a package with a really cool bag and some Bday money. My dad sent me flowers and told me that no one had prepared him for the trauma that comes when one wakes up and discovers one is now old enough to have a 30-year-old child. So . . . everyone please feel sorry for my dad. Because it was a hard day for him. The flowers are amazing, though.

GH's sweet family got me gift cards to Knit Picks, which means that soon, oh so very soon, I will own the set of knitting needles I have coveted ever since Daltongirl taunted me with hers. Now I can join the ranks of People Who Perhaps Enjoy Their Knitting Needles A Little Too Much.

Jenny & Co hosted an afternoon birthday event, complete with chocolate-raspberry cake, fresh raspberries, and vanilla bean ice cream. Special guests included Daltongirl, Daltonboy, Cicada, Murray, and baby Gulliver. Both Daltongirl and Cicada made me delightful, thoughtful birthday gifts (a knitting needle organizer and a very cool desk calendar). Cicada's desk calendar might be one day available for you to purchase and enjoy. But Daltongirl's gift was just for me.

Me, GH, and a too-cool-for-this-picture Savvy

Jenny and Ed

Cicada and Murray. Realized too late I did not have a picture of Gulliver. Please go here to see his sweet face. (Note: Once you see these pics, your birth control might stop working. You have been warned.)

Coolboy and the very cool Aubrey. She will need to tell me if she wants a sweet code name. (Note: Not their baby.)

Heh. Ethan, who was very invested in me getting good shots of him enjoying his cake.

After the cake and ice cream, GH and I went to dinner at Tucanos (story coming) and then hit the Laughin' Nite of the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival. We ended up sitting near the lovely Marie from Make and Takes, who was soon joined by Ali from Petit Elefant. And she sat right next to me and was hilarious. Because awesome things happen when I turn 30. Ali and I met at Cicada's wedding but I hadn't seen her since. And during that moment of Hi, I'm so-and-so, Cicada's friend, yadda, she said, "That's right, and you're Jenny's sister!"

Friends, I called Jenny as soon as I could to tell her what just happened ("and then she said, 'Oh, you're Jenny's sister!'") and if the triumphant donkey-braying I received in response is any indication, that pretty much made her Middle Child Syndrome year.

It was a Birthday Miracle.