Birthday Weekend

By Birthday weekend, of course, I mean mine.  But also Tammy's and Carolyn's.  But let's cover this out of order.  Let's start with Pam, who looks very nice in this photo I snapped.  We see each other only a few times a year, two of the times usually around each other's birthdays.  I go visit her cottage in the summer and she comes here in November.   Last year, I had dragged her to the Twilight finale for my birthday and turned her...her and her whole family went home and rented the whole series.  Night out is harder this year with Ellie.  She came over for a couple of hours on Saturday and hung out, snuggling Ellie and brought me a bag bearing gifts, including wine (YEAH!) and a frame that says "Behind every good Kid is a Great Mom"  I told her I don't think I get Great mom status but I've earned "good".  When Todd came home, we decided to run over to Azteca as we had just enough time, where I took this photo.  No cocktails for us old ladies, iced tea for her and mandarin soda for me.  It really hit me that we're 37!  Wow.  It's become a part of my birthday week I look forward to, touching base with a friend who knows WAY too many of my secrets ;), has picked me up out of a pile of my own vomit (Oh, college days) and saw me through every adolescent (and a few adult) "boy" drama you can think of.  She's lived in Buffalo a long time now, but I'll never stop hoping she comes back this way!!

Let's back up now.  On Friday, Tammy came over bearing gifts.  Of course, it's never been lost on us that our birthdays are a day a part...and have celebrated one way or another.  This year, Tammy brought me a bag FULL of Christmas decorations, including this toilet topper, which she assumed my kids would love and of COURSE they did! As a matter of fact, when I asked Adam on my birthday to sing me Happy Birthday as a birthday present to me, he informed me that the Santa Toilet was my birthday present.  HA!  I guess Miss Tammy was right!  On my birthday, Tammy also brought a post on her blog about how awesome I am which got me a little teary, of course :)

My birthday was on Monday, so I turned down repeated offers from Todd to go out to dinner.  My three little kids at 7pm at a restaurant just sounded like work!!!  We got Ruby Tuesday take out after they went to bed and I started to nod off on the couch..what a wild and crazy kid I am!  I had bought myself a Carvel cake that we all plowed into before we put the kids to bed and I'm sure you can imagine how easily they settled down...

No, it's not cake...but Ellie was loving her squash!!  Todd is getting me tickets to a musical I want to see in February because I said I wanted 1) more time with him and 2) a Dyson.  He said I could order the Dyson, but he wasn't going to do it and be the guy who got his wife a vacuum for her birthday!

Yeah, it was a turkey cake!  I also got lots of greetings on FB, including a couple of special messages from Jackie and Melissa, the kind that make your heart all gooey.  Waaaay better than a Hallmark!  Elizabeth sent me a Starbucks gift certificate....three kids has made me a HUGE coffee drinker.  And on Tuesday, I stopped by Bethany's office and she gave me the most beautiful frame.  It's going to have a pretty picture of Ellie in it soon!

But before that, on Saturday, the 16th, I posted a few photos of my sister Carolyn (who had sent me almost the same cookbook I sent her for her birthday...HA!) on FB to wish her a happy day.  This is her at Camp Good Days, as you know a defining experience in our lives.

I forgot about this family photo.  It's nice to have us all in it.  Dad looks healthy and happy and hey, I was waaaaay thinner than I thought I was.

Yup, Carolyn did ROTC in college.  Rocked the camo.  I always looked up to her.  She always seemed to have boundless energy for school, work and activities.

The hair in this is fabulous.  We had this done for my Mom circa 1994?  We look alike but in different colors.

So I was inspired to pull out the stops for Tammy's birthday.  I had been trying to figure out something special to do as it hasn't been the most fun year for her.  I decided on a "this is your life".  Some of these pictures were on, a few others as well.  This is going to Rocky Horror the first time:

Grand Cayman... 2000

A cafe in Cannes, France.  We were tired and dirty but isn't this just the quintessential I traipsed through Europe shot?

Saratoga Race track circa 2006.

College theatre.  I was behind the scenes and she was on it.  I look like a little kid.

College graduation, kind of a crappy day for me, but it was an exciting time.  I hesitated a bit as I know Tammy's "friends" on FB are often "fans", but I said what the hell because I knew, just knew, she'd love it...as long as I edited what I put up!

Where we first met, in third grade.  She said she did love it.  I'm glad I filled her birthday with a little surprise and fun.  We're not too old for that yet!  It was nice how many people cared to make my birthday special because I will admit it, after a hiatus, I like celebrating it again.  Happy 37th to me.  I can't believe how fast it's going by.