Birthday. like WHOA.

Greetings!

I know I know I know it has been way too long since I last updated (thanks, Nicole!) and I am sure that all of you are waiting with bated breath to hear the amazing goings-on of my life. Well, I would love to tell you now but I have to finish lesson planning so I will try to tell you in a few pictures.

Words cannot properly express the emotions that were all up in my head for the weekend. My friends here in Avignon threw me the most amazing birthday party EVER. I kid you not. My face hurts from smiling so much. I've tried explaining it in English and in French to my friends and family and so far I think all the words I've chosen have fallen short.


Ok I'll try for a little description:
I love my birthday. Love love love it. Birthdays are big in the Findley family - we take 'em very seriously. I guess I've been talking about my bday pretty much... ever since I got here (sorry, everyone!) because I was so excited but also because it was going to be my first bday without ma jumelle and that was really weird and sad as was being without my family. So that's where these awesome Avignon friends stepped in.

On Friday afternoon I spent the day chillin' and drinking coffee and walking outside the walls (the shock! the horror!) to find Avignon's guitar shop. And find it, I did. It was beautiful. I could feel my body react to being around so many musical instruments - it's very apparent that I NEED to have something to play around me all the time. Guess I didn't realize how much I missed the guitar. I think I've been talking about wanting a guitar to play for as long as I've been talking about my b-day. And, um, my friends put 'em together.

Saturday was the night we chose to properly celebrate the birthday of moi because having one on the actual day (today) woulda been harder for congregating and also very silly, considering I teach tomorrow. So a bunch of us decided it'd be cool to have a picnic and go sing karoake. I just wanted an excuse to get as many of my friends together. It worked!


I was expecting a get-together of like 20 peeps, everyone eating baguettes and cheese, chillin' and waiting to go to karaoke. Well, I walked into a room of a bunch of people, a smorgasboard of food spread out, and the good times were rollin'. We had pastas and salads and chocolates and wines and cakes and so many people game: the English, the Italians, the Americans... freaking amazing. And peeps brought prezzies! I'm like WHAT!

So I ran around like a crazy person getting pictures with everyone. EVERYone. So many people, so much food, great music (French pop music is a little behind the times so "Beautiful Girls" by Sean Kingston is v. popular here - AWESOME), so much good, great music, amazing amazing amazing friends. Amazing.

Then, while I was in between bites of something spectacular, my friends stopped all the talking and frolicing that was happening and made everyone focus on me (yay). Celine presented me with a 3-D cut-out/card of a guitar. What's that, you might ask? Well, as it was put to me "Emily, you've been talking about playing the guitar ever since we got here and we would like to hear you play. We were gonna have it ready for you but then we thought that you should pick it out yourself." And inside my guitar-card was enough $$ to buy a guitar here in Avignon.

I was speechless. I was speechless.

So of course I did a "Findley" and started tearing up immediately. Had to go into the hallway to compose myself - freaking brilliant. Oh my good gravy - toDAY I can go buy a guitar! I will have an instrument in my hands! I can't wait! a;lskajdf;alskdjfas;dj I am so so so excited.

THEN the lights went out and "Happy Birthday" was sung to me in multiple languages and Amy presented me with four gateaux with candles in them and the party recommenced in full swing. Oh! I gave an "I thank you and I think you all are amazing" speech in French but I was so freaking caught up and so happy that I don't think I made much sense. Putting words together to form coherent sentences in any language was way too difficult at that point.


It was after all the feasting and presents-giving and after I composed myself well enough to be presentable was that many of us set off on a walk to L'Americain to sing karaoke for the rest of the night. And sing we did! And we finally got the Frenchies to lighten up!


Amazing.

Amazing amazing amazing.

So that was Saturday night. I still can't believe it.

I very very much had a joyeux anniversaire. Merci.