Birthday bliss - Part 2

Content with waking up as a 30 year old, I hauled myself into work on Monday morning.  The day started out like any other, with more work to do than there are hours in the day.  When I finally finished my morning catch up with my boss and made it into my office, I found a sweet birthday surprise from the same boss in my chair.  At 830 AM, another team member came in with the most stunning lillies (which she knows are my favorite) as a happy birthday surprise.

These lovely flowers lasted more than a week!

At 845AM, yet another team member came in to get my muffin order for the birthday muffins she had brought. I couldn't say no to a blueberry!

The note in the corner is my favorite part, it reads, 

"...free treats for everyone, just need to tell Ntina happy b-day!"

By this point, I was already completely in awe of the tremendous generosity and kindness of my co-workers, they are amazing!

At 900 AM, I left my office for a meeting.  At 930 AM I came back to my office to find this...

And this...

And this...

And this...

And finally, the piece de resistance...

A, in a fit of exceptional sneakiness, had smuggled these fabulous geriatric supplies in right under my nose (we carpool).  Shows how wide awake I am on Monday mornings.  

The whole thing was hilarious! People stopped by my office all day to see the fabulous mess, try to weave their way through the streamers like spies navigating laser beams, or just to point and laugh.  I think it was as much fun for me as for the half a dozen or so "decorators" responsible!

And again, I was touched at how thoughtful (in the best warped way) and incredible our team is and how unbelievably lucky I am to get to spend every day with these people.

But the surprises kept coming.  At about 1230, A came into my incredibly decorated office to inform me that my "lunch had arrived."  Walking into the conference room, I discovered a dozen carryout containers from none other than Central, Michel Richard of Citronelle fame's downtown American brasserie.  We've been talking for many weeks about getting a group together to carry out the famous fried chicken from this local hotspot.  But a couple of awesome ringleaders decided a birthday celebration was a perfect excuse and got about 2/3 of the office to go in on it with them.  Our interns even played a part, making the food pick-up for all!

Take out containers, being readied for total annihilation

The BEST fried chicken. Ever. In the world. Hands down. 

Rumor has it, each piece is dipped in a mousse of some kind before being breaded and fried. Another coworker had brought in homemade chile con queso and chips to share with the office in celebration.  We added this delicious side to our chicken lunch and the eating commenced. 

For those of you playing the home game, it's now 100PM in the office and I've had a muffin, fried chicken  and mashed potatoes, chile con queso and half a bag of Garrett's popcorn another co-worker snagged for me in Chicago because he knows I love it!  I was so full I announced during lunch that if anyone needed me I'd be sleeping under my desk for the duration of the afternoon.  Then Melissa brought out this gorgeous cake.  

Sadly for me, I was so stuffed that I only had a few bites of the cake. But like everything else that day, it was excellent.

But by this point in the day, I was at a total loss on how to best express my gratitude to nearly every single person with whom I work.  I made a point to say thank you to everyone, but I can't help but think a simple thank you is just not enough to capture my overwhelming gratitude.  Every day, I am humbled by the brilliance, wittiness, hilarity, and absolute unbelievable heart these people bring to the work they do.  I am absolutely thrilled to share my world with them, every weekday 8-5. Thank you, thank you, thank you all!