Whitehall Bay, MD - One Year Older

So today I am officially "in my thirties" instead of just "thirty". You know, I would have thought I'd feel panicky at getting a year older but I don't feel any different. I guess that means I get to postpone my midlife crisis at least another year. Today was wonderful though. Kevin made pancakes for breakfast (apple cinnamon, even) and they were fantastic. And he grilled up a fabulous steak birthday dinner. I basically didn't lift a finger today except to eat and read. And open my present, which was completely unexpected.

Earlier this week, while Jess and I were busy shopping, Kevin had secretly bought a necklace. And not just any necklace. It was called a "wish pearl" and it was actually a kind of necklace "kit". In one part of the box it had a necklace with a cage where you would put a pearl. In the other part, there was a small see-through can (like a tuna can, only transparent plastic) that contained an oyster immersed in isopropyl alcohol. So you actually opened up the oyster to find the pearl that had been cultured, then you washed it off and could put it in the cage-type locket. It's a surprise because you have no idea beforehand what shape, size, or color the pearl will be. The pearl inside my oyster turned out to be a very pretty cream/peach color. Surprisingly, the oyster did not smell fishy, instead it smelled like alcohol. Not surprisingly the instructions in the box said very explicitly in several places: "Do not eat the mollusk. If ingested, contact a physician immediately." I can't imagine someone thinking, "Hey -- jewelry plus a little snack!" but I guess they had to cover their bases, right?

Thanks to everyone for the phone calls, letters, gifts, and emails. And of course thanks to Kevin for being the wonderful husband that he is and making my birthday such a special occasion.