The big 2-8...

Well, I've fallen behind again and am going to have to catch up in stages. First up, my birthday! In spite of being less than a week post-surgery, I managed to have an okay day celebrating year 28. (Holy shit. But no need to panic, since as my brother pointed out, I am still a 20-something!) My home nurse's present to me was to take my stitches out, which hurt sooooooo much but was so much more comfortable afterwards. Then I napped and read and rested up to go out for the first time sans gall bladder.

I started the celebrations at Cafe J'Adore, my new favorite little cafe in Croix-Rousse. A bunch of us met up for delicious chocolat chaud and pastries, which I got for free after the people who work there overheard someone say happy birthday to me! I really do love that place. :) Then I went off to meet up with 7 other people for a fancy birthday dinner at Le Nord, one of Paul Bocuse's (famous French chef from Lyon) four brasserie restaurants in Lyon. Each brasserie specializes in a different type of cuisine, and this one is traditional French food. It was soooooooooooo good. 

My birthday dinner consisted of delicious wine (thanks to Ben!), the most amazing soup ravioli thing that maybe was one of the best things I've ever eaten ever, duck with potatoes, and then the best creme brulée I've ever had, hands-down. In spite of the fact that it was a super fancy place, Sara snuck away to tell the waiter it was my birthday and they somehow conjured up a candle and brought it to me in a tiny little cup of whipped cream. 

No singing, thank god. It just wasn't that kind of place. But it was hilarious. Then I even managed to have the energy to go out for a beer before hitting a serious wall at 11 and heading home with Rachel. So proud of myself!

The next morning, my parents arrived for a 10-day visit. Yay! 3/4 of the Flaschner-Meyer family set loose in Lyon! After getting off the airport shuttle in the middle of Lyon, they somehow managed to mime needing a cell phone to a random guy who then called my landline, which no one uses. I thought it was my mom and so picked up rambling in English. The guy didn't seem to understand that I didn't want to talk to HIM and took forever putting my mom on. I was so confused... But after my brain began processing French again, I gave him the info. so he could help them navigate the metro, and I found them soon after, complete with a very public running-towards-each-other reunion with my mom (except that I couldn't run yet so it was a little one-sided) by the metro in my neighborhood. :)

My parents were pretty jetlagged, and I was still on my post-op afternoon nap regimen, so after giving them a tour of my apartment and checking them into their hotel, we all took a little nap. Then I went shopping and baked a bit for a little meet-the-parents/birthday party I was having later that night, and then my parents came back over for dinner with Sara and Rachel. The party was a success, especially since my parents managed to stay awake until after 9 to meet my friends! 

We had plenty of delicious desserts and wine, and I believe that I had "Happy Birthday" sung to me four times in four different languages... Ah, the perks of birthday celebrations abroad with friends from all over!

I think I've made my peace with 28. It has kind of a nice ring to it actually. I did have one fleeting freak-out moment when I realized that my mom was married less than one month after she turned 28, but I got over that pretty quickly, and so far, 28 has been good to me. Haven't lost any organs yet so here's hoping that healthy trend continues... :)