Birfday Babble

Last year at this time I was in warp speed. I was trying to manage the details a wedding produces in the 9th inning and every 24 hours passing just meant I was watching the clock expand my ever growing to-do list. It was always T minus nuptial date. What this really meant was that I treated every day the same. Including my birthday which in 2006 only signified that I was T minus 11 days and counting. You could imagine my surprise this year when I realized that essentially I was celebrating becoming two years older not just one.

My birthday typically revolves around significant other life events like the start of school, new itchy wool sweaters/skirts that my mother had to pair with saddle shoes, the closing of swimming pools, Labor day, and my parents typically getting ready for a week absence due to globe trotting. This last event was due to my father's line of work and the yearly trips just happened to coincide with the yearly celebration of me. I spent quite a few birthdays in the custody of aunts, uncles, grandparents and random babysitters (including my now sister-in-law oddly enough while my parents were in Asia.)

I had my share of birthday parties growing up. One of my favorites was the afternoon tea my mother threw and some of my friends showed up in Cotillion dresses with gloves. I was just thrilled I had mini cheese cakes for my birthday cake. I also had the typical 80's rainbow/Snoopy stuffed animal/water slide birthday, the sleepover birthday when I was 10 where I accidentally broke the news to Molly M. that the stork was a lie that I still feel Catholic guilt about doing, the tomboy University football game birthday with my grandfather/uncle/brother where I got my period (that sucked), the drunk fest 21st birthday at a bar where I believe my own 19 year old brother got in, and the 22nd New Orleans birthday where I thought it was a good idea to karaoke "Raspberry Beret" after eating at a transvestite Asian restaurant and many drinks with toys/umbrellas/swizzle sticks in them. The best birthday I've had as an adult was when J surprised me with an elaborate surprise in Stillwater, MN at a bed in breakfast, canoeing, and two high-end elaborate meals. I think I turned 28 that year.

This year I turned 32.

As in, my-parents-had-a-9-and-7-year-old-by-the-time-they-were-32. My brother was kind enough to wish me a "Happy 26th Birfday, yes Birfday." This truly is kind of him as last year I accidentally wished him a happy 30th birthday when he only turned 29. Whoops about my math skills on that one.

My mom took J and me out to dinner while she was here for my birthday. That is just one of our traditions. I saved my cards from my friends and family to open with J that night before we went to dinner. While I hoped/guessed that J had made reservations at one of our favorite spots, dinner was really decided last minute between the two of us. Saving for trips and marriage has cut down on our elaborate dating. No surprise. Even on J's 32nd b-day back in January, I tried to surprise him but had to realistically coordinate his time into feasible reservations.

J came in the door about 5:00 with my gift. Some book about nursing ethics and their workforce shortage. This reminded me of the gift two of my girlfriends gave me in New Orleans. They bought a "silver" necklace with the word, "Virgo," in cursive as the charm from one of those cheesy kiosks in the mall. I think I responded the same way. "Wow. Thanks." as I tried to look really interested but my flat voice betrayed me. With J's gift I began to get a little angry. How did he not know my feelings about the nursing shortage?!?! All parties' gifts were just to see what my reaction would be.

Apparently watching me freak-out, attempt to mask my freak-out, or any variation there of could be a National past time and potentially more entertaining than baseball. Even when I was a self-conscious teenager my loving mother and brother would drive around the neighborhood with their arms out the windows, driving really slowly, and blasting twang country out of the stereo just to watch me freak out to the point of tears in the back seat. Good times.

After I had thanked him/convinced him I really was grateful for the stupid ethics book, J then brought his on call bag out and presented me with my real gift: perfume. But not just any perfume. The one that I've been rubbing off of the magazine sample since mid-July to the point that I had paper cuts on my forearms. The man pays attention. Well, either that or he was concerned that his friends were thinking I was attempting suicide with superficial lacerations. This was an extravagant gift for me. I do not buy perfume. The last time I purchased a new scent was in 1999.

I will say that my best gift I received this year were the numerous phone calls, cards, and well wishes friends and family passed along to me...as it should be.