On the actual day of his birthday (November 29th), I had one of my coteachers help me to find an ice cream cake for him. That is his favorite kind of cake, he always gets one from Dairy Queen for his birthday so I tried to recreate that for him. The Taiwanese version of an ice cream cake was very different though. It was literally just a big circular block of ice cream. It is the thought that counts.. right? Right?
Anyway! On the weekend, we had a birthday party for him at a bar with a bunch of our friends and coteachers. Rick had a great time and really felt like it was his birthday. The bar was nice. There were literally only two other people in the bar who weren't there for Rick's birthday. So the owner just kept giving Rick free drinks the whole night.
The next day, Rick and I went hiking on Elephant Mountain in Taipei. This mountain has always been available to hike in Taipei but recently, they connected the MRT to the area which makes it so much more accessible. The view was amazing. We had a lot of fun while hiking there. The many many stairs were kind of killing me though.. maybe I should start to work out. I may be skinny but I am not in good shape. Rick found a lookout which was off the trail and terrified me to walk to. I powered through the huge grass, my fear of bugs and my fear of snakes and made it there. It was a nice view but the entire time all I could think of was that I had to walk back through the forest I came in through... I made it out alive.
Rick's favorite food is Indian food which is something he doesn't get a lot of in Taiwan. I had looked into an Indian restaurant in Taipei called Ali Baba's Indian Kitchen. I had seen on a food blog that they have a great Indian buffet which was exactly what Rick wanted. When we got there, we found out that the buffet was only for lunch time so we ordered from the menu. The food was amazing, but obviously spicy which was a struggle for me but Rick really enjoyed his birthday dinner.
Then when Rick's birthday celebrations were finished, we could get started on Christmas!
Today is my mom's birthday. It also happens to be Halloween. When I was younger, I imagine my mother was often sad on her birthday because it was pushed to the side for the best holiday (according to children, who doesn't love free candy?) But as I get older, I see the importance of her birthday.
My mother and I often haven't seen eye to eye. During my teenage years, I really gave her a run for her money. It is a wonder how all of her hair didn't fall out with worry. I guess that was left to my father. If you know my dad, you would know that the top of his head is looking mighty shiny these days, but I digress. Back to my mom. I really believe that everything I put her through made our relationship into what it is today. (Or that's what I like to tell myself so I feel better...)
I can safely say, without an hesitation or questioning that my mother is one of my best friends. Looking back, I feel very awful about when I didn't appreciate her as much as I should have. A lot of people think that we skype every day solely for her benefit but I don't think I could've gotten through this part year without waking up her to face every morning. My mother is the kindest, strongest, humblest, and most passionate person that I know. If I end up being a quarter of the woman that she is, I will consider that to be an amazing accomplishment. No matter what happens, my mother can always forgive and keep on going on. She is so precious to me and I have no idea where I would be without her. I love her so much. Whenever she is upset, I get just as upset because I hate to see such a kind and amazing woman feel anything but awesome.
Happy Birthday to my Mother.
Mom, I love you, and I will see you in three months.
