My 44th Birthday

Yesterday was my birthday and, while it technically started in the morning, the celebrations really began on Saturday.

We had some friends from church over for dinner.

Actually, no.

I need to stop saying "friends from church". We had friends over for dinner. That feels more accurate. We ordered an Indian, chatted, laughed and, thanks to my opinionated teenagers, Will and James, somehow ended up discussing social issues. The evening was lovely. We've been spending more time with this couple recently and genuinely enjoy their company. Hannah and I have often said how good they are at getting us talking.

We even prepared a few questions to ask them. Admittedly, "a few" might be overstating it. I think we came up with two or three at most.

The funny thing is that they don't really need conversation starters. They're the sort of people who make you feel comfortable enough to just keep talking and spill everything. The more we chat, the more we want to know about them. It was a lovely evening and I'm really glad we chose to spend part of my birthday weekend with them.

My birthday started far earlier than I would've liked.

We had James' ADHD medication appointment first thing. After waiting so long following his diagnosis, there was no way we were cancelling it just because it happened to fall on my birthday. Sometimes adult responsibilities don't stop for birthdays.

The appointment took a couple of hours and, thankfully, we came away with a prescription and a treatment plan. I'm sure I'll write more about that another time.

Hannah didn't escape responsibilities either. She had to attend a meeting as part of her Churchwarden role. She hated that. If she'd had the choice, she'd have avoided it completely, but some things simply can't wait. While she was there, I also had a “work” call about church. The world just keeps on tuning.

Once all that was done, the day became exactly what I needed. Rest.

With how little sleep I've been getting recently, especially when I’ve been thinking so much about life, a quiet day felt like the best present possible. I spent some time reading, played a game for a while, and replied to the birthday messages arriving through Facebook, WhatsApp, texts, and church groups.

When Hannah got home, we opened cards. I've always opened cards first, have dinner, then do the presents.

Dinner was a fakeaway.

We're a big fakeaway household and, after an Indian takeaway on Saturday, it seemed the best option. I made a Nando's-style sauce using roasted peppers, onions, garlic, and tomatoes, blitzed it smooth, and covered a chicken with it before slow cooking. We served it with mash. It was delicious.

[Image 2. Pulled chicken with a orange sauce nex to mashed potatoes]

Then came the presents.

[Image 3. A selection of presents presented upon a bed. The full list is found below in the post]

I received a lot of chocolate. Our friends from Saturday bought me a Mint Terry's Chocolate Orange, while James and Arty added Dairy Milk, Twix, and a Galaxy Ripple to the collection.

Hannah's aunt bought me some Marvel socks. Hannah bought me fluffy socks, long-sleeved shirts I've wanted for ages, and some He-Man pins.

Although that does raise an important question.

If you collect He-Man figures and pins, do they belong in a pin collection or a He-Man collection? I'm still not sure.

[Image 4. 2 circle He-Man Pins. On the left is purple with Cringers green and yellow stripped face on with the words, Emotional Support Kitty. On the right is an orange pin, with Germans blue face with writing saying Henchmen problems]

Hannah also looked at some of the new He-Man figures currently filling the shops, but we've still got gaps in the previous range and the Funko collection. Starting another collection felt slightly dangerous.

Midge kept the theme going with a Skeletor keyring, which I'm very happy about.

*A small update as two presents from Hannah came late*

Here I have Moss man and Grizzlor to add to my collection. I'm so happy about these. 

I'm particularly excited about my new light box. My old one broke, Midge's hasn't worked properly in ages, and I haven't done any artwork since last year. Hopefully this gives me the nudge to draw again.

My aunt also bought me a church history book focusing on Britain. Church History was one of my favourite subjects at college. When am I not excited about a theology book?

We then did the cake and, as always, it was a battenberg. Given while we sing our normal birthday song. 

[Image 5. I am seen sitting upright. Smiling towards a battenberg cake with 8 multicoloured lit candles as the kids sing our birthday song]

I finished the evening watching Insidious: Out of the Further.

I really enjoyed it. It wasn't as focused on jump scares as some of the earlier films, but I liked the world-building, the new characters, and the way it expanded the wider story. It felt as though it was setting up future possibilities rather than simply repeating what had come before.

So that's me at 44.

Truthfully, birthdays still feel strange.

I still feel younger than my body insists I am.

Today was lovely. I’m sure my 44th year will be just as good. My ordination process is still moving forward and I'm still committed to my calling. There's plenty to focus on over the year ahead: ministry, study, family, friendships, health, and whatever surprises God decides to throw my way. If the next twelve months bring growth in even a few of those areas, I'll be more than happy. For me, today was pretty much perfect and I’m thankful for that.