visa granted and passport in hand!

A major hurdle was cleared today with the arrival of my passport... containing my visa entry clearance for the UK! After arriving in the country, I will have to visit an assigned location to collect my residence permit /biometric ID card- but the hard part is over!

Just over 2 weeks till departure day!!

another year... younger?

I enjoyed a truly delightful birthday yesterday, blessed by the Lord in so many ways. 

I was blessed all day by my friends- from strong coffee waiting for me when I woke up and later brunch at a favorite cafe, to cards and generous gifts and an outing for dessert crepes in the evening. 

Then there was gifts of timing and circumstances... my visa was approved the day before, a package I was waiting for arrived, a rain coat I ordered online fit perfectly, and I got offered an exciting opportunity. 

Then, to top it all off, I was sharing with my sister today about all these blessings and she said sounded like the best 34th birthday ever. I corrected her, saying that no- i had turned 35. Kindly but confidently (for Marcie is never wrong about dates) she reaffirmed her prior statement. I had turned 34. I laughed for about ten minutes straight.

So this year for my birthday, I seem to have gotten younger. I was 33 this entire last year and never knew it- which is a slight loss in that sense- but worth it for the hilarity, and for getting to essentially reverse my 35th birthday and be 34 all over again:)

Thanks to Marcie for being a faithful family historian... and a better mathematician than her Oxford bound sister. As I noted to her earlier- its a good thing i am going for theology not math!

indeed