As you all know, last year (I can't even remember what month, and I can't be bothered to look it up in my email archive), I sent around a "TOP SECRET" email asking everyone to get Josh a 30th birthday card and send it to my mom's house. My mother, genius that she is, packed all the cards she received into an envelope with "Erin" and a heart written on it. Those cards that didn't get mailed in time, I ended up collecting surreptitiously at our going away party, and hiding in a couple of plastic bags in my underwear drawer for a week or so. Then I packed them up in a side pocket in my computer case and called it a day. The envelope that said "Erin" on it, I left in plain site in our luggage, telling Josh, when he asked if I was going to open it, that my mom had given me explicit instructions on when to open it, and leaving it at that.
At the hotel in Detroit, I received a package from my brother, with a mosquito net, a water purifier, and a card, which I snuck out of the package before Josh could see it.
I was also supposed to receive a card from Josh's sister and nephew, but failed to give them the right information about how long we would be at the hotel before checkout, so instead had to speak with the front desk and the mailroom at the hotel to get them to forward the package back to our house to be sent by our trusty keeper-of-all-paperwork, Nicole. (Package is now en route to us here in Singburi.)
Somehow, I managed not to go into total freakout mode and tip Josh off (or else, as is more likely, I'd already been freaking out for so long he couldn't tell that it was about something else), and have been carrying all the cards around in various places for the past 6 weeks.
On Monday morning, I packed them in my bag while Josh was showering. On Mondays, all volunteers meet at a central hub-site for the entire day (rather than breaking into small groups for language based on our specialty and village location). When I got to the hub, I began handing the cards out to a few volunteers at a time. Throughout the day, the other trainees delivered the cards to Josh, one at a time, in whatever manner suited them. He was so confused! At one point, he said, "How did you get my mom's handwriting?" and "Your cousins sent me a card." And finally, "I don't know what you're up to, Beas."
I was getting a huge kick out of it. It wasn't until we left the hub, and sat down at our new favorite after-school hangout, which Josh has dubbed the "Pink Umbrella," with a few friends that Josh finally started opening the cards. He was, if I do say so myself, a bit overwhelmed, and quite grateful for all of the thoughtful greetings and sentiments (and BEAUTIFUL CARDS!) that all of you sent to him.
By the time we got home (around 6:30), what seemed like the entire neighborhood had gathered. Our neighbor had bought a chocolate cake for Josh, and we had about 6 different dishes crowding the table, too.
I don't know how I'm ever going to top this birthday! (Thailand pretty much takes the cake...)
As for the million other things alluded to in the blog title: here are some things to think about while I ponder blog posts on all of them:
- Dogs are like squirrels...
- Ants in my computer...
- Sugar in your soup?
- Burning trash - will we have to?
- Collared shirts, why oh why?
- Riap roy, what is that?
- Dinosaurs
- Tones, tones, tones
- Mushrooms!
That's enough for now. We find out on Monday where our placement is, so be on the lookout for that news.
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