Yesterday was the single best day I’ve had in… ages. Start to finish, it was a marvelous day. Thank you one and all for your birthday wishes! They mean the world to me.

Lunch with the Monday night crowd was tons of fun. And yummy! We went to El Cholo in La Habra. The food was marvelous (I had a shrimp ceviche tostada that was to die for), the service fabulous, and the company unparalleled. Barbara told our waitress that it was my birthday, and after the lunch dishes had been cleared they brought me a small flan, one of my all-time favorite desserts, and dropped a big green sombrero on my head. It makes me giggle to think of it! I know there are pictures of me with that sombrero on my head, but I don’t have them, and don’t remember who took them! Gads. Oh yeah. Their pomegranate margaritas were to die for. Yum!

Not only was lunch fabulous, but I got presents. I so wasn’t expecting presents. Anne gave me some gorgeous lace stitch markers that she made, Kristie gave me a book from my Amazon wish list, Knitting in the Old Way by Priscilla Gibson-Roberts, and Denise (sadly blogless) gave me a bag full of goodies: 2 balls of Sublime aran weight yarn (so soft!), a box of green tea, holiday tissues, and a huge bar of Scarffenberger dark chocolate. A couple individuals gave me cards, and another card was passed around that everyone else signed. Thank you, ladies. I can’t even begin to tell you how much your friendship means to me. You are the best.

I made a quick trip to the post office on the way home from lunch. I didn’t get home until after 3:30 pm! Dave and I had a very nice evening, quiet, watched a movie, had turkey leftovers (my choice! I love turkey dinner leftovers) complete with the last of the pumpkin pie from Thanksgiving. Dave got tickets for us to see The Eight: Reindeer Monologues at the Chance Theater in Anaheim next week. He knows how much I love going to the theater. We haven’t been in three years. He got an incredible deal on these tickets—he spent less than he would have to take me to the movies. As much as I enjoy going to the movies, I’d rather see a play almost any day. This play looks hysterical, and gets good reviews. I can’t wait until Wednesday!

Remember how I told you yesterday that my To Market bag pattern was pattern of the day over at The Daily Knitter? I got 1,512 hits from that link yesterday. I know! Can you believe it? It’s amazing. Fabulous. Not only that, but 244 people downloaded that pattern yesterday, and 30 more have so far today. I don’t know who you all are, but I hope you enjoy the pattern!

More birthday synergy: yesterday Kathy at Webs posted in the shop blog about my Canterbury Bells pattern, and said some very nice things about it. Thank you, Kathy.

I can’t believe all the animal stuff I’ve had for you lately. I have one more. Today I have a video clip that’s a National Geographic piece about white sturgeon in Canada. Sturgeon are the largest fresh-water fish in the world. It’s a five minute clip, and you get to see these odd bottom feeders up close and personal.