Birthday Month

It is funny how on special occasions I sometimes do not feel like capturing the moments on photo... This was the case on my birthday, October 8. But maybe that is because I would like this whole month to be a birthday party, because I am determined to have fun in life now. So far, it is working out well!

The weekend before my birthday I went out to Miss Becky's barn twice and got to ride Paycheck, a very sweet and fun horse to ride. Needless to say, my legs are still sore... Also, I went salsa dancing twice that week and had incredible fun both times! And what more can I ask for than to have dance, horses, and friends in my life?

So many of my friends (those with good memory for birthdays) have either sent an email, called, or even taken me out to lunch! It was a lovely day, even though it felt a little strange mixing work and celebration throughout the whole day... I finished the night by having dinner with Beth, who was the first person to welcome me here in Lubbock after my move here from Louisiana. We went out to this great Italian restaurant, which has incredible food and tasty house-wines... Of course our plans to go home and do more work after dinner were thwarted by the too enjoyable consumption of that said wine. I had to have an espresso just to make it home safe... So, it was good!

And the loveliest things of all were to hear from people that are so far away, or have so very little time that we hardly ever get to talk on the phone! Taking all that into account, I could not have wished for a better birthday. And I hope to top it all off with the party this coming Friday, to which I invited even people I do not know yet. But I thought that would be a good opportunity to get to know my fellow English grad students... Some people say I am taking a chance inviting people I do not know, but I rather think they would tend to hide on my bed with one of my books than up and trash my place... they are English majors, after all!

For the picture I therefore include a pretty one of the cotton fields around here - they are like a scene from a fairyland... little cotton balls sticking up all over the place tinged in orange purplish sunset at the end of the long Texas road of red dirt...