I just looked at my calendar and realized that I'll be home one week and one day from now. Sure I am going to be spending a ton of time flying--almost a day but I'm getting more and more excited about the thought of home. Well, the other one. The first one.

There are four days of school left. <em>Phew</em>. That means I've got to grade, grade, grade and get busy writing first drafts for all of the letters of recommendation I promised my current 11th graders--soon to be 12th graders.

Then on July 2nd, I'll be celebrating the 4th of July at the American College of Sofia thanks to the American Chamber of Commerce. Sure, it's a little funny to celebrate on the 2nd--I mean we'd never do that in the States but when in Bulgaria I guess a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do.

Maybe this means that I can try to convince my parents to move both my 30th birthday and the 4th of July so that I can celebrate both of these holidays with them in July when I am home. You may remember that my MoM has the power to move holidays like when I missed Christmas earlier this year and <a href="http://wallawallalocal.wordpress.com/2010/12/31/christmas-on-december-30th-and-happy-new-year/" target="_blank">she decided that we'd celebrate a few days later</a>. That was pretty great of her.

If I can convince them to celebrate by 30th birthday, I hope that my parents will make me grilled pizzas, that we'll wash down with local beer and that I can have a non-traditional strawberry shortcake birthday cake. I am just not sure how you get candles on a piece of strawberry shortcake. And if they dig my 30th birthday party then maybe I can convince them to also throw a late 4th of July party. This of course will include beer, hamburgers, sausages, a leafy green salad and a potato salad. (<em>Hint, hint, hint.</em>)