Yes, I am thirty-something, but this isn’t about me. It’s about my Scottie who just took the leap from twenty-something into thirty-something – Welcome to the club! His big day was on Saturday (the fifteenth of July) and though we didn’t do much, it was good.

When Scott and I first started dating I realized pretty quickly that he did not enjoy the festival of birthdays! Growing up my mother would get almost clinically depressed every year on her birthday. My brother and I tried to make it fun and exciting and no matter what we did – she just wanted to crawl into a hole and hide the whole day. I mean, she appreciated what we tried to do for her, and never complained – but, it was obvious that she was not “really” happy. My brother followed suit and hates his birthday, maybe even more than our mother! I am either the black sheep of the family or my father is hiding a gene that I never knew about, but I LOVE birthdays!!! Come on people! How can you hate the one day out of the entire year when it is all about YOU??? Birthdays are the best – I enjoy that one day a year that I don’t get in trouble for being selfish. Of course no one around me agrees and therefore they don’t want to party (on MY birthday) as much as I do. They don’t want to plan or get excited – like I do. I am left alone in the excitement room, and that’s no fun. When I first realized that Scott too did not get excited about his birthday – I figured I was alone on the planet. I wasn’t about to break up with him just because he didn’t enjoy his birthday – I am not that evil. *wink* At first it was all about trying to over do it, and nothing I did sparked him as, “Hey, this is fun!” I finally just explained to him the power of the birthday, and how no matter what, you cannot fight the fact that each and every year at exactly the same time you have a birthday. Why get all depressed? There is nothing you can do to control the aging process – might as well open your arms big and wide and embrace the birthday! Enjoy yourself for one day. Allow others to gush all over you and do things for you. Suck it up and just have fun with it. No one enjoys getting older – except the teenagers who can’t wait to be twenty-five. I hate the fact that I am thirty-something and am in a dead end job making shit for money (pretty stinky)! I have all year to hate that fact, but I only have one day to forget the hells of life and remember that I love ME! For one moment I need to remember that my life made two people the happiest people on the planet. I was happiness coming into this world and my birthday reminds me how important I am. I get to sit back and enjoy all the good I have done with my life and not look at the crap that’s around me. It was a good thing I was born – it’s a good thing I met Scott and it’s an awesome thing that we made the best little fella ever! I just told Scott there are plenty of great reasons to enjoy your day in the spot light. He seemed to understand my point.

Scott has tried very hard over these past seven years to like his birthday. He isn’t quite there yet, but he has to undo feelings of dread and dislike he had built up until I plowed my way into his life. I really hope that I can instill the passion I have for birthdays in Sammy. Right now he loves them and it’s so great when he brings me one of his toys or a plastic plate from the kitchen and says, “Happy birthday Mommy!” My heart swells and all I can think is, “That’s my boy!”

Saturday was pretty fun, we went over to a friend’s house (Aunt Sendi) for a backyard BBQ. She has a big above-ground swimming pool where Scott, Sammy and our niece, Keirra, played.

Sammy, who had been ill, was having a great time and ended up falling asleep in Grammy’s lap.

Scott started the BBQ, but was removed from his duty after getting caught playing with the flame (pyro!). Either he was really having fun or he really wanted to be kicked off BBQ duty – only Scott knows… We ate yummy hamburgers and salads.

When the sun went down and it was dusk we brought out the extra large Costco cake with pretty flowers and a happy sun wishing the birthday boy all the best.

Sammy helped Daddy with the candles and then helped himself to the icing – yuck!

Finally it was time to leave, thanking everyone for a wonderful evening.

So:

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday Dear Scottie!!!

Happy birthday to you!

DAMMIT!!!!!!

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