Happy Birthday To Me ...

The past few days have been rough, but not as rough as they could have been. I really think that my brother is watching out for me, perhaps pulling a few strings, so certain things have fallen into place to help soften the blow of Losing Kona. My brother has always looked out for me, even more so in death. It's hard to explain it any other way than that but just read about how the last couple of days have been for me...

Wednesday evening was a somber one. Kona had only been gone for a mere few hours. His sitting post still sits next to my end of the sofa where he used to sit. I am not ready to move it just yet. Soon. Just not quite yet. Mom and I were watching the news, I wasn't even knitting, and my phone rang. It was a very excited Dilshani on the other end of the phone. She told me that early this morning, around 9am, she entered a contest Popejoy Hall was having on Facebook. The contest was to email Popejoy Hall and tell them why you would like tickets to see their production of Hello, Dolly! starring Sally Struthers. So she did. She read me what she wrote them as tears ran down my face...

"...I would love to bring my best friend Claudia.  We have both sustained deaths in our family and suffer from depression, yet we choose to move forward every day! We share a love for musicals and theatrical productions.  She has been a huge blessing to me and continues to help me deal with the recent loss of my mom.  This is an experience that I would love to share with her and a way for me to give back to her for all the love, encouragement and support she's given me.

Thanks for the chance to enter this contest!..."

Well, she won! And knowing what I know about Dilshani now, I am not surprised. I am just not surprised. The funny thing is that she enter this at 9am, long before she would know what my Wednesday would bring with the loss of Kona. The show was for opening night the very next evening. Historically in the past I have always celebrated my birthday for days, not just the one single day but several. I love my birthday! I think this was a way to begin celebrating my birthday which, given the circumstances, I would likely not have done on my own. So, I thank Dilshani who wrote such a lovely email, and I thank my brother, her mother, and the Universe for pulling all the strings to place us together in Popejoy Hall Thursday evening. We started the evening with a gigantic dinner at Saggio's which is across the street from Popejoy. When we were done we walked across the street and picked up our tickets at Will Call...

It was a fabulous show! Sally Struthers added so many of her own little nuances that were so perfect. I thought she did such a wonderful job in the role!

Friday continued to be a surprising day. I was in the middle of talking to Mom in the afternoon and my phone beeped the way it does when I get emails. I checked my phone and couldn't believe it. Several days ago I entered a contest on Facebook on the Jessica Knits page. (Side note: Jessica Knits is a wonderful knit shop in Scottsdale AZ where my Mom and I used to visit when we were there a few years ago when I was being treated at the Mayo Clinic. After long days there we just wanted a nice place where we could go and knit and Jessica's was the place. Late last fall they even bought up over $400.00 worth of my patterns so that they could carry everything of mine in their shop. I have followed their Facebook page ever since). The contest was to win an Offhand Designs Knitting bag valued at $120.00. Well, I won! I couldn't believe it! Here is a pic on the bag that was from their Facebook page...

 

Doesn't it look awesome! I contacted them to give them all my info they needed to send the bag. They called back to confirm a few things and I was able to speak to the owner Tammy. They even want me to come and teach a class on one my shawls! I think probably the Scottsdale shawl would be the most appropriate. I was so excited! This is my Scottsdale Shawl...

 

Friday evening was Valentines Day and we thought we would go out to eat to celebrate that and my Birthday and all this wonderful good news since we have plans for Monday evening which is my actual Birthday. We were going to go to Pappadeaux's but their wait was an hour and a 1/2. No thanks. We went next door to Texas Land and Cattle who had a 40 min wait. That was much better. We checked around at other restaurants and everything was a terrible wait. Probably not bright on our part to want to go out that evening without a reservation but there you go. Texas Land and Cattle it was. While we were outside waiting I took a picture of Mom and I...

This is a great pic of my Mom and not so much of me. She is so funny. I love that lady more than life itself and there isn't anything I wouldn't do for her. We had a lovely meal. I had filet minon oscar with asparagus and 2 blood orange margaritas...best margaritas I've ever had. They were fabulous!

Saturday was the Wooly Wonka Trunk Show at Village Wools and we were all excited to go there and check everything out and finally meet Anne who is the magic behind the label. I had partnered with Anne last year and designed my Petit Jardin shawl pattern...

I even wore it to the store so she could see it in person. We had such a wonderful time. We talked and talked and talked and really got a chance to know each other better and it was really nice. I finally asked Ann if she minded if I took a picture of the two of us for my blog and she didn't mind at all...

Dilshani also came to shop which was awesome. Something you need to know about Dilshani....she loves the production/show Wicked. I mean, she loves it and lives it. She has often told me that she'll refer to herself as Elpheba because its a character she really relates to in the show. I have not seen it...yet. It is coming back to Popejoy the end of this coming summer and Dilshani is going to take me to see it! She carries a Wicked Kitting Bag. I have one too but its not my go to bag. Hers is her go to bag all the time. End of story. So knowing all of this...I nearly dropped my teeth when I found a skein of yarn in Anne's baskets with the colorway called Elpheba! I carried it around the store until Dilshani got there because I knew she would have to have it! And she did. She bought it and also a skein of green that matched to go with it. I told her she should make a shawl with the body the green and use the Elpheba for the edging. She likes the idea. 

And bless her heart, my Aunt Betty gave me my birthday gift certificate early so I could shop. God Bless her. So shop I did. I had been eyeing a few things for a while that I was able to pick up while I was there. Coincidentally, I also got some yarn that was very similar to the Elpheba yarn that Dilshani got only mine was true sock yarn. And by true sock yarn I mean I will make socks out of it, not a shawl. There are many hand died yarns like madelinetosh and Malabrigo that are sold as sock yarns and are so wonderful but I would never make socks out of them. That yarn is reserved for shawls regardless of how its marketed. Really, nowadays, sock yarn often refers to it being a fingering weight yarn rather than a description of how it should be used. Anyway, I got some true sock yarn in the same colorway as Dilshani's Elpheba....

Isn't it fabulous! I think it will make awesome socks. I also got some other sock yarn of which I really liked the colors...

With all of the fingering weight shawl yarn I have been acquiring I have neglected my true sock yarn section so I am trying to build that back up a bit. But there was this Malabrigo you see....I have been eyeing this colorway for weeks and I had to have it. It had to come home with me...

This is Malabrigo sock in the colorway Archangel. I think its rather appropriate since Dennis, my own personal angel, has been really looking out for me for the past few days. I had to have this. Everyone says it goes good with my hair :-) After we were done at Village Wools we went to Flying Star and killed ourselves with Southwest Bennie's and giant eclairs. It was another good day. 

I am so blessed by the family and friends that I have. And this was all Pre-Birthday! For my actual Birthday which is tomorrow, several of us are going out to eat. Monday night is usually Stitch Group night except that Sidney and Lisa are out of town at a Ren Fair in AZ. So we called Lori and Melanie and a few other knitterly friends and asked if they wanted to go out to eat to help me celebrate! I think we are up to 9 people now, it will be wonderful! Then we are all coming back here to the house for cake and ice cream and knitting. Could a Birthday get any better than that, I ask you? It will be wonderful. I am so excited.

Today, today is a relaxing day for me. I have a chance to write, which is always good for me. I couldn't wait to share all of this with you guys really. After losing Kona, which was so hard, all of these wonderful things fell into place that kept me from wallowing. It kept me falling deep into the corners of my mind when it was the easiest time for it to happen.The fact that these events, the death of Kona, then all this wonderfulness, coincides with my birthday which is 2-17, is remarkable. Its just another reminder of the importance of my own life. More importantly...to actually live it. I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend and are looking forward to the coming days. I am. Especially tomorrow night! Happy Birthday to me!