The sweetest gift.

Thank you, thank you to such wonderful dear friends. 

It is always true, that one should hold on to his close friends, because they are often hard to come by, and when they're around, they help support his world. 

Today I had a few good friends come over for dinner. I had wanted to keep it small because I wanted to make an intimate dinner. 

I like to cook, but never have the chance to. With this in mind, I basically did nothing but prepare dinner on this fine Saturday (I explored some recipes, slowly, then shopped, ever so slowly, then tried to do some reading but quickly reverted back to preparing the dinner, slowly.) It was a fun exercise, and even though cooking for 7 people is hardly a challenge for most people, I felt that the multi-tasking took a lot of focus. Everything had to be well timed if I were to be able to pay some attention to my guests when they came while I continued to prepare dinner. When should I put the lamb in the oven? When should I roast the potatoes? When should I fire up the pasta? What about appetizers? And drinks? It was all very fun to try to pull off. I felt like I was on Iron Chef with a timer on my back. 

But it went very well, and I think my friends liked it. After dinner, Amy and Kalie served their awesome pastries desserts. And they gave me a wonderful concept for a birthday present. They had known that I had once envisioned throwing my first photo exhibit before I turned 30. In any case, now that I am 30, they are going to throw me my first photo exhibit. February 7th, 2oo9, ladies and gentlemen, mark your calenders, for my friends are bring newleaf to life. 

It's scary. It feels unclear. I'm not exactly sure how it is going to happen, and what expectations there are. I have no clue what entails a successful 

photo exhibit. I will have some exploring to do. It is a great concept, for if 

they do not push me, I may happily sit around and not do anything like this for another decade. But it is happening, and it is wonderful, even just for me. 

Thank you, guys. It's wonderfully thoughtful, and just what I need to kick start my 30s.