Birthday Wishes, Cards & Letters

First card to arrive
SA's card - a menagerie of animals lining up to greet a teddy bear, filled with good wishes. We've yet to fix a dinner date, but I hope it's soon. Haven't seen her in a while.

Drinks at Cafe Ig
Hola! Strawberry magaritas and Mexican fare as the sun sinks with the zany bunch at work.

Surprise birthday party & Cake #1:
A sudden blackout at cell group, while I was chomping merrily on an egg roll half-way. The dining room was lighted up by the warm glow of 2 candles (it's Andrew's birthday too), stuck on a chocolatey fudge cake, followed by a very chirpy, animated birthday song. :)

And Krispy Creme doughnuts all the way from Sydney! Pineapple Coconut Doughnut! Yum!

A loud birthday cheer
From the SFG gang, courtesy of Enid.

Coffee and Cake #2
Esther, Kat and Oi Leng bought coffee and cake. Mmmmm....

Dinner & Cake #3
The retreat gang bought me a simple dinner, with a slice of tiramisu. To top it off, warm words in another card and a bouquet presented with a flourish. And Noi came by, just to celebrate with me.

And several SMSes and email greetings, both near and far, from friends and family alike.

Noi was saying that as one grows older, perhaps the number of well-wishers will decline over time due to shifting priorities. But she did agree, that as life goes on, we must continue to make new friends, and nurture old ties. That, she says, makes life more vibrant.

Indeed, I've much to be grateful for. Thank you for making my day, such a special one.