Birthday in Shanghai

I meant to post about my birthday on my actual birthday but things have been strange recently. I haven't been particularly busy but somehow my days keeps flying by and I can't seem to get everything done I want to.

So this year was my first ever birthday outside of America. I decided I wanted to do something fun. Since my birthday was on Wednesday (the 27th) and I knew a lot of people were leaving around then, I decided to have the celebration the Saturday before. Teppanyaki is a popular choice for celebrations around here (all you can eat and all you can drink Japanese Food), so I was boring a decided to go for that. I tried to get a head count before the night of and I got a lot of maybes so I decided to just wing it with 15. Turns out that was EXACTLY how many people showed up. How good am I?

In this picture you can see everyone but John, who leaned out of the picture. From left to right there is Kelly, Kate, Lotus, Lucy, Me, Curt, Elizabeth, the cook, Ibrihim, Fleur, Michelle, Bronwen, Stephanie, Sarah and Ned. Most are from work but there are also some Improv folks, some people I met at Century Park (and then went to Huangshan with, remember?), and of course Lucy my pen pal! Dinner was delicious and lasted for over two hours. I was worried the whole time about being having fun and getting along (I worry too much, don't I?) but people seemed to be in a good mood and I was sure to flit around and hang out with everyone for a while.

I got a few nice gifts from that night and also later including a necklace, a pretty mirror, a stone jar, a book about Zac Efron (which was a JOKE I SWEAR), some candy and a little purse. Two of the best have to be the ones from Lucy and Michelle. Lucy got me a mug that was personalized with some of the pictures of us over the last year and half of hanging out together. Michelle got me a SUPER USEFUL travel notebook for Beijing that includes three different maps. I have now filled it up with (hopefully) everything I will need to be a good tour guide in Beijing.

On my actual birthday DAY I cleaned my apartment a bit. Then I went and had a Shaanxi style lunch with Stephanie and Michelle. Afterwards we went to get foot massages and pedicures. For a while I had one foot being massages and one being pedicured...I felt so pampered. I bought some more yarn and needles (making a hat for Lucy's dad). Then I went to Improv. Altogether a good birthday.

I am 24 now. Shouldn't I feel more responsible and adult like? By my age my parents were married with two children and owned a house....

Anyway. I am nervous and excited about my mother and Bethany coming to visit. I am going to go scrub my bathroom floor.

Loves!
Stephanie