Big Surprise!

The absolute best part of my birthday was a surprise visit from my dear friend Nate. We met in 2008 when he came to St. Louis for orthodontic training. He moved to Tucson in December 2010 after he finished school and has been working there ever since. We Skype a few times a month, and while I'm very thankful for modern technology that allows us to keep in touch, there's just something to be said for face-to-face contact!

Nate Skyped me on my birthday and he asked me how I'd spent my day. I filled him in on the details and told him how Chandra and I went to the move to see Man of Steel. I told him that she and I were going to be going to the movies again on Saturday to see World War Z. I said that I wasn't sure how I would like it since I'm not really a fan of zombie movies, but that I would email him and let him know how it was.

On Saturday morning my mom and Chandra got me ready for the day and Chandra took me out to the garage when it was time to leave for the movies. She pushed me up the ramp into the van and my dear friend was sitting inside. I was absolutely shocked! Even though it probably only took a second for my brain to realize what was going on, it felt like it took a lot longer! Chandra said that she wished she could've seen my face (but she was behind me pushing me into the van). I said that I wished that I could've seen my stunned reaction, too!

The three of us went to the movies together and it felt just like old times. When we got home from the movie I had another surprise in store for me. A bunch of my friends had come over for a surprise party. I've never had any sort of surprise party before, so that was fun. Truth be told, I'm usually not a fan of surprises, but the surprises on Saturday were okay because I was presentable. (Part of the reason why I'm a little leery when it comes to surprises is because a) I don't like to be the center of attention, and b) I don't like to be taken by surprise when I don't feel like I look presentable.) My mom and Chandra know this, so they made sure I had my hair fixed and makeup on.

My mom made a Butterfinger cake which was really good. We put two candles in the cake; one for me and one for my friend Ben whose birthday is two days after mine.

It was a wonderful day. I appreciate the work that my friends went to in order to surprise me and make me feel loved. I especially appreciate Nate taking time out of his busy schedule to fly into town to be a part of it. Being surprised by Nate will surely be one of my favorite birthday memories of all time. Feel free to come back and surprise me anytime! ;)