So…it was my birthday!

Traditions vary around the world and a very strange one here is that after your dear friends sing "Happy Birthday" to you ( in English and Spanish) they offer the cake to you, 

and you are supposed to take a bite out of the side of the cake.  

As you do so, your dear friends try to smash your entire head in the cake.

This is not my idea of a "happy" birthday.

So here is how my day went,
On Wednesday, August 5,

I woke up to Kurt singing happy birthday and giving me

an adorable word carved llama with a silver saddle.

Then the phone rang,

Happy Birthday from the Office Staff.

and after that, a Skype call from our son

Brian and his family.

Off to a zone meeting, pay attention this is where is starts getting good.

We participated in the meeting, we do a lot of practicing and 

President Marler and I were the pretend investigators. 

Everything when perfect, we were hearing the Plan of Salvation,

and I was asked to taste a lime (which I love) and was asked if I wanted to eat this forever,

of course I said yes, as I drank the straight lime juice.

President Marler gave the correct answer, it was sour and he wouldn't like that.

Then we were offered chocolate, I really don't like chocolate, so when asked if I wanted to eat 

"Sublime" (a type of chocolate candy bar) for the rest of my life, I said now and wouldn't even taste it.

President Marler, ate the chocolate, took one for the team, 

and said he would love "Sublime" for eternity.  

Good thing, "Sublime" represented the Celestial Kingdom.

Next came the Happy Birthday song in two languages, and the cake…

It was lovely, note the number 24 on the cake,

When I asked Elder Pulsipher why 24, he said they were the only two candles in the bakery, 

and he wasn't sure if I was 42 (I love 20 year old missionaries).

The time came for me to take a bite of the cake, 

I looked around at the expectant eyes, realizing the next moment would be a disaster, 

grabbed the cake from Elder Pusipher, turned around, took a bite, then handed him back the cake.  

A sigh of disappointment filled the room, then a laugh…exito por Hermana Marler!
Thanks Zona Porvenir for a great morning.

The rest of the day was filled by visits from friends, Facebook messages,

 our children all skyped me, 

and the every missionary in the mission wrote me a letter,

presented in a beautiful gift bag.

It was a perfect day!

Thanks everyone, I love you all.