My Birthday: I ate my heart out

Love, Jasper

I have had a lot of happy birthdays, but the year that I turned 26 in Holland will be one of the most memorable. Living with children makes all holidays and birthdays seem just as magical as when you were once that age. Admittedly, I was not looking forward to turning 26. When you turn 26, you're cut off from youth discounts and insurance policies covered by your parents, so basically I was prepared to say goodbye to my precious youth and hello to boring ol'-responsible-back pain-full price-crummy adulthood. I start thinking dramatically, "I'm so old and have nothing but butter thighs to show for it. Just wheel me away now to some retirement living condo where I'll die of loneliness..."

But on the day that I woke up 26, there were no wheelchairs or papers that I had to sign, writing away my youth. Instead, I was greeted by two young boys, bearing gifts. They crawled up on to my bed and asked if I could start opening up my presents (with their help, of course). I asked if there were any cards that I should read first, and Jasper said, "Oh yeah!" and handed me two green cards. One was made by Jasper: "Chelsea Happy 26 Birthday." And the other was from the family: "Welcome to 26!" Inside was a birthday itinerary. And there was nothing in the agenda which said, "Congratulations, you grew up." No, it was the best birthday itinerary of all time. 

 

My Birthday Itinerary = Best Day EVER!

After opening a package of Koffee and another present from Oliver - a home made kite, the boys summoned me downstairs where more surprises awaited me. As I came down the stairs and into the kitchen, my senses were awakened to colorful streamers and the smell of home made pannenkoek (dutch pancakes which I similar to crepes). I walked around in amazement - the whole house was decorated with beautiful streamers and green banners (I'm sure the boys made certain that everything was in my favorite color) with sweet messages: "Happy Birthday Chelsea." "We Love you Chelsea!" "26!!" and one that alluded to an inside joke, "ChelseaChelseaChelseaChelseaChelseaChelseaChelsea" x100. When Oliver and I play and build things while everyone else is working and at school, Oliver begins every single sentence with my name. Claire thinks that it's hilarious, and one day said, "I wish that there was an app that could detect your name and how often it's said in a day." Now everyone repeats my name as a joke whenever they'd like to talk to me. Anyway, at the expense of very little sleep on the family's part, I felt incredibly special, pampered, and loved on my birthday.

Love-graffiti on the wall

How many times Oliver addresses me in an afternoon

Pannenkoek filled with nutella and bananas!

Jasper, NO! NOT THE NUTELLA!

He only got crazier throughout the day

After breakfast, I hung out with Oliver for a little bit. As I got ready to go to my facial (!), I sang, I'm singing in the rain (what can I say? it was raining out and I was happy). I noticed that Oliver laid across the bed on his belly with his chin resting on his hands and watched me. Knowing that he loves to sing and perform (his favorite musician is Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder. Wait, correction, Oliver thinks that he is Eddie Vedder), I asked him, "Would you like to watch a video of Gene Kelly singing this song?" Oliver jumped up on my lap and together we watched several songs from Singing in the Rain. Then I was off on my bike in the rain to enjoy pampering to the extreme. My hour long facial was so relaxing, that I left the dermatologist's office a little dazed and disoriented. That kind of sums up how I felt all day, actually.

"Happy" tea

Next on the agenda was meeting Claire, Alex, Annika, and Oliver at Leonida's Lunchroom, a restaurant known for its Belgian chocolates and High Tea. Upon arrival, we were told that we were going to get the "surprise" tea, because Claire had informed them that it was my birthday when she had made the reservation. We were served three pots of thee, all with different but all delicious flavors. Next came the savory snacks on an etagere (elegant shelves), which were filling. My favorite was the mushroom soup. 

The big finale was the arrival of the dessert. On more etagere were plates of cakes, chocolates, and yogurt, complete with a roman candle sparkling out of a crumpet. The staff delivered it while singing the Dutch version of Happy Birthday to You! It was spectacular. Once the flame went out, we dug in! 

Mushroom soup, kroketjes (croquettes), quiche, cream cheese and something wrap, crackers, tuna, and, oh yes, caviar. CAVIAR!

Annika dressed up for the occasion!
And yes, I've totally held a baby before

Ever the queen of proper 'n fancy, I had to teach Oliver about pinkies up when drinking tea

Almost...

Nailed it! Serious tea drinkers, kind of.

Satisfied.

Feast your eyes on this, ladies and gents

I'm considering re-titling my blog to:
"What I've consumed today."

It even came with a small gift! A small box of Leonida's famous Belgian Chocolates and a pair of Delft clogs!

So Happy!

Dessert with a firework show! They must not have
sensitive fire alarms in Holland.
Or any, for that matter.

No one tell Jasper about this!
The poor guy had to go to school :(

I was thinking, "hahaha!...oh my god, are they expecting me to blow this thing out?"

Well that answers that question

I walked out of there stuffed and ready for a nap. It just couldn't get any better than this. But wait, there's more! Back at home, the family had made my traditional birthday dessert: chocolate cream pies. Earlier, I had stupidly told them that every year I make two chocolate cream pies for my birthday - one for me, and one for every body else (why. why did I tell them that?). Because the boys have a reputation for going completely berserk after consuming chocolate, the parents thought it best to serve my dessert before dinner. They placed a whole pie dish in front of me as they sang Happy Birthday, and I wanted to cry a little bit. Good thing I signed up for that gym membership! But the pie was the best, most unique chocolate cream pie I have ever had in all my years. To make the crust, they blended up stroopwaffles (two thin waffers with caramel in between), and Claire searched high and low to find baker's chocolate - ironically, it doesn't seem to exist here in Delft. I guess the Delftians figure, "Why bake when you can buy the best French pastries just around the corner?" Luckily, my mom brought over a huge bag of chocolate chips when she visited, so Claire melted those down with some heavy cream, then topped off the pies with whipping cream, chocolate sprinkles, and red berries. It was heavenly, and a little bit painful.

As I was served my death by chocolate, Claire announced that it was time for videos. She placed her computer screen in front of me, and the whole family surrounded me with our plates of pie. They had surprised me with birthday videos from friends. First was a video from the sweet and adorable Saltmarsh-Learner Family, singing me happy birthday. Then was a video montage of Oliver saying, "CHELSEA." In different locations, on different days, and in varying tones (some natural, and some dubbed by Claire's computer), Oliver is captured repeating my name, and it is indeed, hilarious. And the final video was the biggest surprise of all. It began with a black screen with the words, "Happy Birthday, Chelsea!" Then it opened up to a classroom of children huddled on the floor and they began to sing, "Happy Birthday to you..." It was a video from UTCS, and nearly every child and co-teacher that I have had the sincere pleasure of working with over the years was in it wishing me a happy birthday. I burst into tears, as I am doing now as I write this! My dear best friend Mindy took the camera around the school on a sunny fall day, and ended the video in the office where she, Jill (school director), and Anne (business manager) sang me the unique UTCS birthday mash-up song. Jasper looked over at me and asked, "Why is your face all wet?" and I could hardly say the words, "because I'm crying." I was truly overwhelmed. How could one person feel so loved? How did I get so lucky? With all of the treats and pampering and hoops people had to jump through to make my birthday a special one, I almost felt sick with undeserved indulgence. 

After pie and videos, the table was filled with my favorite foods - tapenade with thin rosemary crackers, salad with arugula, avocados, pecans, pine nuts, with a delicious balsamic and olive oil dressing, bread, cheeses, salmon, and pinot noir. It was all so lekker, but my tummy, head, and heart were all too stuffed to eat much more. Everything seemed to swirl around me, and I didn't quite know how to process things. I felt like I was already drunk, in a happy but unstable way. Meanwhile across the table, Oliver was feeling the effects of all the chocolate and week's long excitement. He pulled out a neon green stick, stood up on his knees and cried out into the stick, "SPEECH!" followed by utter nonsense a.k.a. his own Dutch language. He then altered from making these "speeches" on the living room carpet and falling to the ground, to running and flinging himself around me to give me heartfelt hugs while I ate. At one point while this was happening, I looked over at Alex and whispered, "I feel like I'm on drugs or something. Seriously. What is happening?!"

While the parents tried to get a grip on the kids, I decided that it was time to put myself to good use. I floated to the kitchen and began to tackle the dish-pit, but Alex caught me and shooed me away. I put the plates down and went up to my quiet room, sat on my bed, and cried. It was only for a moment, but I felt like I could have really let myself go. Experiencing a day in a whole lifetime where kindness, generosity, and enduring love is given to me freely, I am humbled beyond words, and all I can do is cry. Feeling like whatever I have to give in return would only be insufficient, I am overwhelmed. In my 26 years, I have been fortunate enough to have had this happen to me more than once, and each time I choke down my tears, I appreciate the quote by American writer, Washington Irving:

There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are messengers of overwhelming grief

...and unspeakable love.

I stepped out on my terrace to breathe in some fresh air. Even though I was feeling emotionally drained and ready for bed, the night was young. I looked at the clock tower and saw that I only had ten minutes to catch tonight's premier at the filmhuis, "Beasts of the Southern Wild." Luckily it's just down the street, so Claire and I threw on our coats, thanked Alex for staying in with the crazed kids, and made it to the show with time to spare. The movie was stunning, and if you have the chance to see it, do. After the show, the filmhuis was hosting a discussion about the movie with free drinks and hors d'oerves, but Claire and I had other plans. Our neighbor-friend, Nan, who lives literally 10 steps from the theater, had invited us over for a drink. She met us at the theater and escorted us to her darling home where she had Surprise! CHOCOLATE SOUFFLES baking in the oven. Good thing I grew this extra stomach since I've been in Delft, I thought as I smiled in disbelief. 

We curled up on the couch, visited about our time here in Delft, and my spoon quivered as I enjoyed the millionth act of kindness given to me on my birthday. We also had the pleasure of meeting Nan's son, Liam, who is 14 and a huge fan of plutonium,  isotopes, and all things science (but not physics because it's too much math and not enough science). What an adorable nerd. 

Sitting in the presence of Claire and Nan, two beautiful women who have led full, meaningful, and interesting lives, I thought, "To hell with youth! Give me a life with friends, good food, and some sight seeing and I will look forward to growing old with my good life." With a heart that is overflowing with love, I am excited to see my life unfold. At the end of my life, I hope to have kept all of the friends that I have made, been good to my family, and obedient to my heart.  So far, I can say that I have led a beautiful life. Thank you to all those who have made that possible.