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I had relatively simple expectations for my 32nd birthday. I told James that I wanted to snuggle baby animals with the kids, and attend a concert in Northampton as our adult adventure. I had to work a long day on Wednesday, my actual birthday, so I took Tuesday afternoon off to visit Hancock Shaker Village. This followed a lovely dinner out with two of my girlfriends on Monday night that kicked off the celebrations.

By the time I arrived to my office on Wednesday morning, I felt like my birthday had been appropriately marked and was feeling quite content and ready to dive into a day of work. Upon opening my office door, I was greeted by this magical sight:

I am totally going to recreate this wonderful surprise for a loved one. My colleagues filled my office with balloons and I’ve felt like I’m working in a playful kid’s ball pit ever since. Such a simple, yet impactful, dose of fun.

But the biggest surprise was yet to come. My office picks names out of a hat to assign birthday celebrations. Everyone is responsible for one colleague’s birthday. Typically, we all sign a birthday card and gather together to eat cake, so I assumed that the 4pm hold on my calendar was for such an occasion. And it was, but it had a festive twist thanks to the coordination of my colleague, whose husband is in the all male a capella group that James  was a part of while in college. The Williams College Springstreeters are the gift that keep on giving. I was serenaded on my 21st birthday and at our wedding reception by this group, and now, eleven years later, on my 32nd birthday.

A mere 30 seconds before heading into the conference room, I overhead a colleague ask another person on the floor if they were going to “watch” – I didn’t have a handle on the context but it was truly my only tip off that something unique might be about to go down. You can see from my face in the video that I was beyond surprised and thrilled and pink faced. Particularly, since they sang “Let’s Get It On” in front of my office *ahem!*. (Apparently, it was the only “love song” that could be coordinated on such limited rehearsal. I am appreciative to my colleagues who didn’t find it too uncomfortable to watch a group of college students sing a seduction song with their co-worker’s husband. *insertembarrassedemojihere*)

I feel very very fortunate every day, but this week has been a wonderful reminder of the depth and breadth of that gratitude.