Quarantine Birthday Ain't All Bad
I'm usually one to let my birthday slide on by with as little pomp and circumstance as possible. It's just not a big thing to me. I think people who actively forget their age are like that. Please don't ever do the math.
But, this year I was truly sad coming up to the day. I share the same day with my friend Adam and we were all supposed to be in Vegas celebrating his 40th. Not my 40th, again, please don't do the math.
Instead, I got up at 5:30 AM on a Sunday to do a 4 mile walk through my neighborhood. So. Not. Me.
But, leave it to my family and friends whom I don't deserve to make this a fantastic day.
But, this year I was truly sad coming up to the day. I share the same day with my friend Adam and we were all supposed to be in Vegas celebrating his 40th. Not my 40th, again, please don't do the math.
Instead, I got up at 5:30 AM on a Sunday to do a 4 mile walk through my neighborhood. So. Not. Me.
But, leave it to my family and friends whom I don't deserve to make this a fantastic day.
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| Card Barrage |
Starting a few days ago, I started getting cards from people I've never gotten one from before. It was only a few and I thought maybe they were taking the COVID-19 pandemic as a reason to stay more connected.
My letter carrier rang my doorbell on Thursday because this box didn't fit into my mailbox. She told me "Happy Birthday!" and said that it made her day to deliver a bunch of cards. That comment made my day that I was somehow an instrument in making her happy. Most of this batch were from my "regulars" so I still thought nothing of it.
I didn't get any mail on Friday but the mailbox was full of cards on Saturday. That's when I knew what was what. I texted my Bestie Jim and said "So, you asked everyone to send me birthday cards."
He tried to play dumb but I saw through it. In fact, he had created a Facebook event - Kathy Pfister's Birthday by Mail Party - with a bunch of our mutual friends. Boy, did they come through.
So far, the #terrors haven't knocked one card over.
Also on Thursday, my friend Steve made a drive by on his lunch hour on his way to deliver to Adam and Yvonne (who also had a quarantine birthday). The gift from Steve's family was a bottle of wine (how did they know?) and a post card of one of my favorite pictures. The picture was bittersweet because we had planned on attending the Cubs @ Diamondbacks game that night before heading to Vegas on Friday morning.
On Saturday, my dear friends (since high school - please don't do the math) The O'Malley Babes, dropped by a wiped down bag of gifts. Because they don't give just one gift. They also made sure I got a Happy Birthday song on our club Zoom phlocking that night.
On Sunday (today), Shorty and Steven picked up Manuel's and brought it over for lunch. I haven't had Manuel's since mid-March. I ordered the shredded beef chimi (letter A on the lunch menu) and it was all that I remembered it to be. Side note - I told my standing Friday Manuel's lunch pal months ago to never let me order A again because it's so filling that it makes me uncomfortably full. Still true. Man, I wanted a nap.
I'd made myself a vanilla confetti cake and ate a small corner piece for breakfast. Steven bought me a carrot cake so we switched out. He went home with the confetti cake and I kept the carrot.
Because I'm not a child, I'd waited to open gifts until after lunch. Steven was proud that he guessed Jim would send Peeps (duh). He was also excited about Mary's cookies and ate enough to make him uncomfortably full.
The Babes included a gift for the #terrors and Samwise happily played with the stuffed llama. Jim also sent a plush Peep that I'm sure they will love.
But, wait, there's more! As Crash and Jim and I were on our standing 3 PM Sunday Zoom, Crash told me, "I just got a text. You're getting a delivery at your front door."
I looked out the front window and saw several familiar cars pull up at my house. I picked up Crash and Jim and answered the door to a group of friends doing a stop by birthday call.
They sang me Happy Birthday and brought me gifts: brownies, blondies, pudding shots, banana bread, balloons and a 12 pack of cold PBR.
I'm actually surprised I didn't cry. To be honest, I rarely cry except at movies when a parent dies or books whenever but, dang, these are crazy and emotional times.
Thanks to everyone who reached out with birthday wishes via Facebook, text, email, cards, gifts and in person. Despite everything going on right now, you made me actually love having a birthday.
Again, please don't do the math.
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| Thursday's Haul |
My letter carrier rang my doorbell on Thursday because this box didn't fit into my mailbox. She told me "Happy Birthday!" and said that it made her day to deliver a bunch of cards. That comment made my day that I was somehow an instrument in making her happy. Most of this batch were from my "regulars" so I still thought nothing of it.
I didn't get any mail on Friday but the mailbox was full of cards on Saturday. That's when I knew what was what. I texted my Bestie Jim and said "So, you asked everyone to send me birthday cards."
He tried to play dumb but I saw through it. In fact, he had created a Facebook event - Kathy Pfister's Birthday by Mail Party - with a bunch of our mutual friends. Boy, did they come through.
So far, the #terrors haven't knocked one card over.
 |
| Pic of our gang at a previous Cubs-DBacks game. |
Also on Thursday, my friend Steve made a drive by on his lunch hour on his way to deliver to Adam and Yvonne (who also had a quarantine birthday). The gift from Steve's family was a bottle of wine (how did they know?) and a post card of one of my favorite pictures. The picture was bittersweet because we had planned on attending the Cubs @ Diamondbacks game that night before heading to Vegas on Friday morning.
On Saturday, my dear friends (since high school - please don't do the math) The O'Malley Babes, dropped by a wiped down bag of gifts. Because they don't give just one gift. They also made sure I got a Happy Birthday song on our club Zoom phlocking that night.
On Sunday (today), Shorty and Steven picked up Manuel's and brought it over for lunch. I haven't had Manuel's since mid-March. I ordered the shredded beef chimi (letter A on the lunch menu) and it was all that I remembered it to be. Side note - I told my standing Friday Manuel's lunch pal months ago to never let me order A again because it's so filling that it makes me uncomfortably full. Still true. Man, I wanted a nap.
I'd made myself a vanilla confetti cake and ate a small corner piece for breakfast. Steven bought me a carrot cake so we switched out. He went home with the confetti cake and I kept the carrot.
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| Gifts from my Bestie (Peeps always included) |
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| Gifts from The Babes |
Because I'm not a child, I'd waited to open gifts until after lunch. Steven was proud that he guessed Jim would send Peeps (duh). He was also excited about Mary's cookies and ate enough to make him uncomfortably full.
 |
| Llama! |
The Babes included a gift for the #terrors and Samwise happily played with the stuffed llama. Jim also sent a plush Peep that I'm sure they will love.
But, wait, there's more! As Crash and Jim and I were on our standing 3 PM Sunday Zoom, Crash told me, "I just got a text. You're getting a delivery at your front door."
I looked out the front window and saw several familiar cars pull up at my house. I picked up Crash and Jim and answered the door to a group of friends doing a stop by birthday call.
 |
| When you can carry your friends via computer. |
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| The Gang's all here at a safe distance. |
They sang me Happy Birthday and brought me gifts: brownies, blondies, pudding shots, banana bread, balloons and a 12 pack of cold PBR.
I'm actually surprised I didn't cry. To be honest, I rarely cry except at movies when a parent dies or books whenever but, dang, these are crazy and emotional times.
Thanks to everyone who reached out with birthday wishes via Facebook, text, email, cards, gifts and in person. Despite everything going on right now, you made me actually love having a birthday.
Again, please don't do the math.
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