Happy Anniversary To My Sweet Brother, and Happy Birthday to My Sweet Lavanya

Today is a wonderful day. Why is it wonderful, you ask? Is it because my hair looks fabulous? Well, yes, but that's not the reason. Is it because the sun is shining and the wind is crazy and I just got a cute new pair of jeans? Well, yes, but that's not the reason. Maybe, you think, it's because I talked to my departmental advisor and he said, "Cheasty, you're just so brilliant that we've decided taking comprehensive qualifying examinations for your PhD would really be a waste of time. We're prepared to give you a free pass, as well as guarantee you $50,000 a year in fellowship for the remainder of your time here." God, how I wish.

What really makes today wonderful is that it is January 31, which marks 8 years of bliss, joy, and happiness for my amazing brother, the Fairy King, and his partner, Sweet Baby Face. Eight years since that fateful day in 2000 when a decked-out Goth kid skipped high school and met a preppy college boy at the mall. Throughout the many many years of my life in which I've been single, and the many many times I've been in the second or third month of a star-crossed relationship, I've always looked to the Fairy King and Sweet Baby Face to guide me down the paths of healthy love. Happy anniversary, you two. I love yas.



And the other thing that makes it wonderful? My friend Lavanya is celebrating a birthday today. Happy birthday, my darling friend. You are one of the most gentle, open, lovely, and loving women that I know. You bless my life on a daily basis, make me feel grounded and at peace when I start to spin myself into insanity, and enrich my approach toward the world with your wonderful smile and joyful laugh. Here's to many many more years of trading massages, solving our problems, and making each other laugh.