A few of you seemed like you wanted an update about how my husband’s birthday party went yesterday (if you didn’t read my post yesterday, you can find it here). Most of the really bad nerves happened before the party and on the way there, which is pretty normal for me. I had an IBS attack about a half hour before leaving the house (nausea, diarrhea, cramps – the whole shebang). On the drive to the party, I noticed my right leg was shaking pretty bad (a sure sign of anxiety), which made driving even more uncomfortable.
However, once I arrived at the school, it didn’t go too bad. Checking in at the front office wasn’t nearly as scary as I had imagined, although the receptionist was kind of grumpy. They had me stay in the office until the party was ready, as they wanted to surprise my husband. When they were ready, I joined the kids in my husband’s class and his assistants on their way back to the classroom from music class. We all got to my husband’s classroom and sang Happy Birthday to him and had some cupcakes. There was a ton of other food there as well – a huge assortment of candy, an amazing cream cheese peanut butter cake, chocolate covered pretzels, chips and salsa, and more.
Meeting my husband’s assistants (and a few other school employees) went ok. They were nice and friendly, although I did feel pretty shy. I had to ask my husband a few times if they were kidding or not when they said certain things, because I genuinely have a hard time deciphering whether people I don’t know well are being sarcastic or for real when they talk. One of the highlights of the party was meeting one student’s therapy dog. Meeting people fills me with anxiety, but meeting animals is always pure joy! I also got a couple hugs from my husband’s students, which was sweet.
After the party I was definitely relieved to get back home, but proud that I went. I know it meant a lot to my husband, so it was worth it.
Maranda Russell 
25 responses to “I Survived the Birthday Party!”
Glad it went fairly ok. I hate parties and haven’t been to one in years. My husband hates them too so I am lucky…
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My husband isn’t big on parties either lol, but his coworkers really wanted to do something special for him.
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Which is really nice, I think. 👍🙋
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It is. We just show love and appreciation to others in the ways we know how. They also seem to know him well enough to have it at work and not outside of it. Then there’s no escaping from their show of love! *evil laughter*
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LOL
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Good on you for going even though it was hard!
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Yeah, it felt good that I made it.
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So very proud of you for pushing through all the discomfort to celebrate the event! Even happier to know a therapy dog was there to give you that extra boost of joy with hugs from his students.
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Thanks! Today I’m just taking it easy 🙂
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I’m so proud of you. Remember that strength. Remember the hurdles you had to face before you got there. You’re your own worst enemy, and still you motherfucking rocked it!
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LOL, thanks! I put off getting treatment for a sinus infection though, and now I’ve got bronchitis 😦
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Oh geez that really sucks. It’s funny how we are our own worst enemies. As soon as we make a mental or emotional breakthrough, our bodies decide to kick us as punishment for taking us outside of our comfort zone.
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Ain’t that the truth!
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Just make sure you remember this moment. Or that moment, whatever. Remind yourself. Don’t forget it. Hold on to this fucking sentence or memory to help you when things get tough, when maybe you feel weak. Remember you are not weak, you are not a push over. Fuck the world because you don’t need them. You are strong and capable of anything. Why? Because you have your husband to help you. Not that he does anything, but because your strength comes from your love of him. You are not your body. Our bodies are super fucked up and make me angry. But, pain helps us to remember. Whether it’s emotional or physical pain. We have physical scars to remind us, and we have our memories. But memories are fallible, and can be manipulated or distorted depending on a whole bunch of stuff. So embed that in your memory, or journal. Both parts. What you did and what happened. And WHY is happened (what I said)
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❤
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Glad you had a nice time. Somethings need to be done step by step, and you did a great job.
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I don’t know about you but I would be quietly hoping no more surprises, no more parties, I hope they are not doing Christmas😂
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No more parties or surprises that I’m aware of at this point thankfully 🙂
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You go, girl!! Give yourself more credit. You overcame the anxiety and made hubby happy. That’s awesome. 😊
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Thanks! You made me feel good 🙂
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I’m glad! You have to believe you can do anything and everything. You did that by going to the party, now keep going!! 🙂
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You did it! And you did it well! ☺
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I’m so happy you made it . Good for you be proud of yourself . 🙂
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🙂
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so pleased to hear you went to the party, Maranda! I bet it was nice to meet the pupils your husband teaches every day, and I’m sure they really loved meeting you too.
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