On October 12, 2007, Karen Filippelli turned 30. When she was a child, she always imagined that by her 30th birthday, she would be married with kids and living in New York. Well, she was living in New York (but not the city like she imagined), but the rest didn’t happen. But, for the first time, Karen was okay with that.

            She met her friends after work. They saw The Heartbreak Kid, and then went out for dinner at Grimaldi's.

            She got a card from her parents along with a gift card to Target. Her sister sent her an updated picture of Rebecca with a painting the two year old made. She set all of the cards and presents out on the table, and spent the evening looking through them. She got cards from relatives she hadn’t spoken to in a year (not since the last birthday), she was surprised they even had her new address. She had cards from old friends, those still back in Stamford.

            Even though it wasn’t what she had imagined for her 30th birthday, it was still one of the greatest days she ever lived.