Memorial Box-Tim's birthday

Today is Tim's 35th birthday, so it is perfect timing that I wrap up my "birthday to birthday series" in the memorial box story.

Four years ago last night, we watched fireworks together with a group of friends from Tim's rooftop deck overlooking Lake Union. You could see a little better if you stood on a chair, but there were only 4 of them, and there were 8 of us I think. I was the only one brave enough to stand on a chair (they were quite tall), and kept trying to recruit others. Tim decided to stand up there with me...on MY chair! I had no idea why. The roof was behind us, so his arm rested behind me on the roof. Seriously, it was like the "sitting on the couch, yawn, arm around the girl" scene!! I was fairly stunned at both his moves (standing so close, and putting his arm sort of around me). Neither of us said a word. I was kind of embarrassed, because I didn't want any of our friends to think this was mutual, but I didn't want to make a bigger deal by jumping down or something. It was an awkward 15 minutes of fireworks!! I like to look back and say that's when we both saw fireworks...and sometimes I do just to make it a nicer story. But that isn't how it went down. I took Chrissie home that night, and it took us forever to get a few miles, due to all the fireworks traffic. I spent much of the ride complaining to her about Tim's "advances". She just quietly absorbed them all. She says (in hindsight) she was just letting me "catch on" to the fact that we liked each other!! Haha.

Tim had to go to work the next day (on his birthday...sad), so I guess I had "forgiven" him for being so bold. I must have asked him what he was doing for his birthday (I LOVE birthdays, in case you didn't know!), and I'm pretty sure he said something along the lines of mope about his job. I had the day off, so I just kept thinking about Tim, and wondering how I could help him not be so negative about his birthday. Basically our party the night before was kind of like a birthday party, although no presents! So, I basically invited myself over after work. I had already gone out with a girlfriend for dinner, so we weren't going to have dinner together. But I was near a cupcake shop, so I thought it would be innocent and "sweet" to bring him (and ME) a cupcake! So I bought 2 cupcakes from "Cupcake Royale", and went to Tim's. He was so happy that I brought him 2 cupcakes...I had to set him straight that they were to SHARE! Anyway, we sat around and talked, him mostly complaining (he really was an Eeyore back then), and me trying my best to "cheer him up". His hand rested on my knee for much of our talking, and I did my best to figure out, "does he like me, or is he just a touchy person??!!"

I finally had enough of his birthday "celebration", and it was time for me to go home. He asked for a hug (I just now asked him about it....he said it was because it was a birthday hug. I said "you never hugged me before", and he said, "it's cause you never gave me a birthday present before". OH!), so I told him at the time, "sure, since it's your birthday." And seriously, that darn hug was magical. It sounds silly, but it really did soften something in my heart towards him. I left and the next day we were talking on the phone, and he made me laugh (like he ALWAYS did), and RIGHT THEN (I think the hug was the big preface for this), I said to myself: "OH NO....I LIKE HIM!!" REALLY REALLY LIKE. How could I have gone from being annoyed at his advances, to enjoying his hug and then being very interested in pursuing a relationship, in less than 48 hours?? Those cupcakes!!!! Ha ha. Probably not, but just in case, Tim got me a little cupcake to go in our box. It was special to him, then and now. (I bought us a 4 pack today to celebrate another birthday! He always says: "Remember the time you bought me cupcakes for my birthday?")


This may be a stretch in the strictest form of a story about "God's provision", but I see it as one piece of a whole puzzle: God using our gifts (mine is hospitality, and FOOD!) to bless others and how BIG that can get when He so desires to make it bigger than we can hope or imagine. I really never would have guessed how that cupcake would change my life!!