Real Life and Birthdays

Sometimes Birthdays are everything they're supposed to be--cake, ice cream, parties, a big to-do and a week where you can eat everything you want and not gain weight.

And sometimes birthdays are mired in the same sad, struggling everyday shit that threatens to get the best of us most days of the year--tricky finances, fender benders, car repairs, kids getting sick and Aunt Flo, that bitch, who thinks now is a bitchin' time to come visit when nobody has time or money to go shopping for Kotex. 

This last one has sort of been the latter--but that doesn't mean there haven't been some highpoints that can be shared--

* Dad and stepmom had us over for dinner--a big picnic barbecue-- where they let us look through some of the pictures my Grandma Flossie took when she was alive. One of them was a picture of me, with my arms around my father's tiny mother, looking... well, less than pleased. Mate looked at that one and was like, "You look EXACTLY like our daughters--see? That's not all my fault!"

* Oh! We also found this picture of me, trying on my wedding dress while my stepbrother was doing the dishes. The thing about this one is that it looks creepy AS. FUCK. Yes, he's shirtless--and he has a porn stache. It was the 80's--a lot of weird things happened then. But I want to put this picture in my upcoming paranormal series. I mean... it's got to fit SOMEWHERE. 

* My uncle asked us to go see his band perform at a little brew pub in Fair Oaks-- he was fun to watch, and the band he opened for was pretty spectacular! 

*  ZoomBoy took this picture of himself in his choir tuxedo. Be still my heart.

*  Mate got a very cheap plane ticket to go see his friends in Colorado--I think he's sleeping on their floor or something. Go Mate!

*  And I got... *drum roll*  A coffee maker. I know, it doesn't sound super exciting--but it's the first one I've ever owned. I got sort of depressed about the environmental impact of all those McDonald's iced coffee cups, I'll be honest. And I convinced him that this would pay for itself in about a month--and I'm pretty sure it'll do better than that. I know that Chicken and Squish were sick today and they both got to watch me make my first iced coffee--I put too much cream and too much sugar in it, and we all laughed as I brewed two whole cups of coffee to make that work. But still--cheaper than McDonald's--and since I'm stuck home while Mate uses the working vehicle, a lot easier to obtain.

* And the knitting? Well, y'all, it's premiere week. And age has its privileges. Including this super thick, super quick yarn that I'm making a relatively low-rent poncho out of. Alas, too small for me--but it'll find a home.