So it's my birthday. I've finally reached the ripe old age of 27. Or is that I'm only 27. Are these the best years of my life? Not yet at least. The past year has been fun but I'm sure it's going to get even better.

The day started like any other. I received some well-wishes from several friends the night before, especially the guys and gals at the SW City Forums, but it was today that was most exciting! When I woke up I received a great eCard from Amanda. She was the only one to send me a card, other than my employers, and they do that for everyone.

For birthdays, my Dad and stepmom takes us out to dinner. It happens to be much cheaper than holding a party and giving presents. This year I wanted to go to Happy Jacks. Happy Jacks is a fantastic Chinese restaurant right across the Canadian border. My family used to go there all the time after a camping trip in Canada. I thought it was only going to be my Dad and stepmom, but apparently my Aunt Wanda and Uncle Jim also joined us. I was surprised but quite happy, and glad to see my aunt and uncle again. My uncle was driving his new SUV-car thing. I'm not sure what it was but it was like a car, but roomy like an SUV. I think I like it

The conversation on the way to the border was interesting. It's tough to cover so many topics that you haven't gotten a chance to talk about when you've been away for a long time, but we hit upon a few good ones, like about death. My Dad made it known that he wanted us to "Roast me, toast me, send me away," and have a party at the end. I'm pretty much of the same idea.

We had no problems crossing the border, and getting to Happy Jacks was smooth. Man did it bring back memories. The waiter we had was hilarious and joined in our jokes and joviality. My Dad kept going on and on about some story about me eating the hot mustard when I was a kid, and one of the cooks' reactions as I gobbled it down. The story was very silly, and not quite as I remember it, but I let me Dad go on.

Oh the food was fantastic. Some of the items we swapped out because my Dad can't eat beef or pork, but nonetheless the food was awesome. The food was as great as I remembered it as a kid. Even the sweet-and-sour chicken was just like it was 17 years ago. We also had some sort of lo mien and chicken, Happy Rice(chicken and shrimp) and some spare ribs :9. I ate like a king. My Dad and I had a discussion about Evolution and Creationism and how the Creationists are using the term Intelligent Design to replace Evolution. I argued successfully that Creationism/Intelligent design have no place in a science class as they are not scientific, but are based on faith. I've learned to be a much better debater these days. I'm not quite a master debater but that's something to look forward to in the future.

I did make it clear to the waiter that I didn't want a birthday song, and to spare me the embarrassment, and he did. After paying the bill and tipping our fantastic waiter heavily, we read our fortunes from the cookie. The waiter didn't sing, but he did bring a slice of carrot cake over and my family sang Happy Birthday instead. I had no idea the significance of this until I was outside, getting into the car-SUV thing. Some guy who was leaving the restaurant at the same time shouted out, "Happy Birthday Brian!" I waved at him as he drove off with his family. I have no idea who he was but it was a nice gesture. It makes me thankful that I have so many nice people around me.

Driving home was fun as my uncle got a little lost, but we got him on the right track. It was awesome to see my family again, and makes me wish I didn't live so far. When I got home I did meet up with my Warcraft guildies and we tried to run an instance but it took too long to get anywhere. I really wanted to spend some time with Goob before he had to go to bed early. We played some Warcraft. It was a nice end to a awesome day.

So being 27 isn't so bad I guess. It's just one more notch on the board. I'm hoping to be a full-time teacher by the time I'm 30, so let this go down in the records: If I'm not teaching by 30, I'm either dead or I've found something I enjoy even more, whatever that could be.

I'd like to personally thank all my friends and family who wished me well. I've never felt so love and comforted in my life, and I know I'm on the right track. Again, Thank You.