Parabens!

Yesterday was the first time I had celebrated my birthday outside of Arkansas. I was wondering how I'd feel about. I had nothing to worry about. Let me tell you, Brazilians know how to take care of a person, make them feel loved, and how to celebrate birthdays! I heard "Parabens!", which means "Happy Birthday" in Portuguese, countless times. Here are a few highlights:

~Getting a mango from a friend (Yes, there's a story behind it. But I think you'd have to be here to apprecitate it.)
~Getting a hug from every person I saw.
~Being sung to in Portuguese by an entire church.
~Being sung to in Portuguese, English, and French.
~Walking into the church auditorium to shouts of "Surprise!" and "Parabens!" followed by the birthday song in Portuguese and cake and Brazilian hotdogs.
~Seeing my number of Facebook wallposts increase substantially
~Knowing that my family got the gifts I sent them on my birthday ;)

It was a marvelous day. I am truly blessed.