Life Update and a Special Birthday Greeting

First of all, I'm doing very well after my emergency gall bladder surgery February 2, and life is pretty much back to normal if a little more slow-paced than usual. I know gall bladder surgery is pretty common fare these days, but I've only every been sewn shut, not sliced open (stitches twice before kindergarten and one brief ER visit in college). So the past month has been a little traumatic for me. I'm really not used to feeling helpless and being so dependent on the kindness of others. Good thing others are generally very kind, and I was well taken care of by some truly amazing friends. Plus I got this awesome pair of socks.

My little brother in Hawaii also happened to have eye surgery exactly two weeks after my surgery, which meant we spent a lot of time on the phone together complaining about how tired we were, recommending movies and audiobooks to each other, and comparing notes on how Vicodin gives us both bad dreams. Why wallow in self-pity when you can wallow with someone you love?

By some small miracle, I was able to get the last of my grad school application material in the mail less than 24 hours before I ended up in the hospital. And I'm starting to hear back from them. I'm excited to say I'll be going to school again this year. I'm still not sure which program I'll commit to, but I'm blessed to have a choice as well as some scholarship offers to help in the decision making. If you would have told me even a year ago that I'd be excited to head back to the classroom, I would have laughed in your face. But now, I can't think of a place I'd rather be than studying children's literature and creative writing. So rather than talking about books and literacy only from experience, I'll have some credit to my name. I'm still not sure if that's a good thing.

One final note: today is a very special someone's birthday. And while it is indeed the birthday of George Washington, it is also my dearest friend's birthday.

Tammy (right) and our friend Yuri during a visit to Mt. Vernon, George Washington's home and plantation.

Tammy is my sister by choice, in part because she's the sweetest, most caring person I know. Though she lives 2,000 miles away, I feel her love and friendship every day. (I also miss her terribly every day.) Happy birthday, Tammy! May this year bring you joy and success and hopefully on a plane to see me. Also, your gift is in the mail but might be a couple days late because, you know, it's been a bit of a rough month.