21

     Yesterday wasn't much different from any other normal day, but it was a good birthday.

     Woke up at seven and spent about forty-five minutes with the kittens, then checked Facebook, Twitter and email before eating some toaster waffles for breakfast. Read a book and cleaned until everybody wanted to open presents. Books are always terrific gifts.
     I got three Agatha Christies that I hadn't read yet; the other three straight-up non-mystery novels she penned as Mary Westmacott, and then three Jan Karons, two of Father Tim's quotes-notebooks and then a collection of highlights from the series. Also a S.H.I.E.L.D. T-shirt and a gift card I'm probably going to get a pair of those Chaco sandals with.

      Worked out with Mom, Trevor and Courtney, then we began snacking on the cookie cake. Trevor and I practiced our target shooting with his new Nerf pistol(a 21-gun salute?) on pop cans sitting on the ping pong table. He and Caleb needed help with one of their video games, and after that got a bit farther along on a short story about soccer that's coming along slowly. (Not much time to write during the school year, and also working on an Indiana Jones-ish adventure story with Ash.)

     We got Chinese for dinner and finished up the day with a game of Ticket to Ride. There was ping pong, of course; and I listened to the Thunder game on the radio; that was rough. (Spurs won by 28, now up 3-2 in the West finals.) FB-chatted with Amanda and Jessica.
     There were a ton of "Happy Birthdays" on FB, my phone kept buzzing with new notifications and emails all day. It was really something. From church, YT, camp, the homeschool group, BCM people....it was really awesome. Also phone calls from Nano and Dayla, a card from Grandpa and Robbie and a text from Harry. Felt very loved. Tim said that he wanted me back as a counselor again if possible, so looks like I'll head back to Missouri in July.

     Today has had more time with the kittens and Rags, reading one of my new books, doing laundry and getting my twice-a-year haircut so far. Tomorrow everybody else will head to the Buckmasters for a chicken-slaughter, and I'll skip that and go to a writer's conference in Wagoner instead.