You Say It's My Birthday

Well, another birthday has come and gone. As I told my first graders, I turned 29 again... for the fourth time. It was a good birthday, a low-key one, and I'm happy with that.

Violet is diligently doing her best to help me blow out those candles.

Matt and Violet snuck out early Thursday morning and came home bearing doughnuts from my favorite shop in town, which was a fun surprise. My school kids were SO excited and couldn't wait for me to open the presents they brought. I was showered with chocolate, Starbucks cards, and a few gems I won't quickly forget.

I had two students who brought in jewelry which they unabashedly confessed had belonged to their moms but been deemed unwearable - but perfect for regifting! In one case, I'm still not entirely sure the mother knows her bracelet is now in my possession!

But the best gift was the basket from the whole class, filled with books for the classroom library. These are books I've used throughout the year as mentor texts and teaching tools, and it will be so nice to have them at hand next year, rather than scrambling to borrow them from the media center or fellow teachers.

I wasn't the only one receiving gifts at lunch - check out the matching SI jackets!

Then today we spent a lovely lunch with my family in Peachtree City. And I'm now the proud owner of an ice cream machine! It's one of those splurges that I would never be able to justify making myself, but the perfect thing to receive from someone else. I'm looking forward to trying it out (and slightly scared of knowing the ingredients it takes).