HaPpY BiRthDAy to Me!

I know … I know … it is a little selfish of me in wanting to celebrate my 50^th Birthday in a big way … but when you’ve never really had a birthday celebration … the 50^th just seems like the perfect time to do it … cause life is passing by pretty dang fast by the time you turn 50!!!

I was born on a Wednesday, December 27, 1961, at 2100 hours …yep born on a military base, Turner AFB in Albany, Georgia.  Daddy literally dropped Mama off at the front door of the hospital and left her there to have me because he didn’t want to miss his show Wagon Trail, or some other western.  LOL  Men! 

I’ve never liked having a birthday in December though … with it already being such a sacred month, and then having all three of my siblings with December birthdays …5^th, 12^th and 22^nd … mine being the last one … I always got forgotten!  My Birthday and Christmas gifts were always combined … even now as an adult … there’s no distinction between my birthday or Christmas.

Sadly, one year my Birthday was completely forgotten about until New Year’s Day … oh back then I never reminded anyone about my Birthday … they’re supposed to remember right?  It’s only been in recent years that I start early every year reminding my family that its coming up.

And Birthday Parties?  Forget that.  I had ONE  … yep just one … my entire life.  I remember begging to have one … all the other kids always had Birthday Parties … I wanted one too …with blown up balloons you sit on to see who can pop theirs first and pin the tail on the donkey and party hats … the whole nine yards … you know the classic Birthday stuff … well I had one on my 10^th Birthday but it still wasn’t ON my actual birthday.  Nooooooo we had to have it the last day of school before Christmas break since everyone would be off with families celebrating Christmas and then New Year’s.

And Birthday Cakes?  LOL  When I was growing up you didn’t have the custom cakes you have today so I (guess I should say “we”) always got a Christmas themed cake, that’s what was available in the bakeries, and I would have to share it with my brother, Ricky, since no one wanted birthday cake two days after Christmas … not after eating so many Christmas goodies.

Now, I do have great memories of having my own Birthday Cake (as an adult) ON my actual birthday … like my 18^th Birthday … Mama made me a Banana Cake with Banana Frosting and bought me a bottle of Mogan David Wine (legal drinking age back then was 18).  I remember having some cake and a little wine and then going to DHS, my alma mater, to cheer for a basketball game a little tipsy.  LOL

And then there was my 29^th Birthday… I was pregnant with my baby girl, Alayna, and Mama and Daddy were visiting me and the boys in Pennsylvania (Scott and I were separated) and Daddy insisted Mama go out and buy me a Carvel Ice Cream Birthday Cake … yummy.  And I even got 8 inches of snow that night as a Birthday present from above!

Then on my 35^th Birthday, Mama again made me my fav Banana Cake with Banana Frosting … Scott was there spending Christmas and New Year’s with us.

Back up a minute here … I gotta admit that during the years Scott and I were divorced, he did buy me Birthday presents … not Christmas presents though LOL … one year he even had the kids help pick it out.  He gave me the card and then with it a long velvet jewelry box with a ribbon on top … I opened it and inside was this bea-u-ti-ful …. (at this point I’m thinking “wth”) … child’s plastic multi-colored elastic necklace and matching bracelet … I’m sitting there like ‘mmm uh uh … thank you” as I look at my Mama who has a horrified look on her face!  The kids start laughing and I’m sorta about to cry cause I’m thinking “what a cruel thing to do” … then the kids all start saying “look under it” … “what do you mean look under it” and so Alayna proceeds to help me take out the box insert that would normally hold a real piece of jewelry in place and there underneath was a beautiful … truly beautiful tri-colored gold necklace and matching bracelet!!!

In all the years I worked, there was only one place, Perry & Walters, where they always bought me a Birthday Cake and sang Happy Birthday to me … every year!  For some reason though they thought my fav cake was Carrot Cake so that’s what they always got me LOL

A few years back, two years in a row, I believe, Scott surprised me with a Birthday Cake … the Fresh Banana Cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory!!  Yum yum

And then the last Birthday Cake I remember was the year I turned 48 … the kids were all here for Christmas and they got together and bought me a ‘last minute’ sorta Birthday Cake, I don’t even remember the flavor (sorry kids lol) but they bought 48 candles and lit every last one of em … dang that was a wonderful sweet surprise!!!

 I wanted a Surprise Party this year … I wanted all the kids home on my Birthday … I wanted a big celebration …but now its not to be … Alex and Heather are pregnant so they can’t be here … we’ve decided no one would really want to come to a Birthday Party on December 27^th (and any date around Christmas is pretty much out of the question) … and now my baby girl will be leaving on my 50^th Birthday for the USAF Boot Camp …

But its all okay … I’ll still be turning 50 … celebration or not … there’s no way to stop that LOL … and I have so much to be thankful for … I have my first gbaby on its way … Anthony and Kay will be here … and Alayna WILL still be here for Christmas … which is a much more important Birthday than little ole mine anyway!  And maybe, if I’m lucky, someone will remember to take me out to dinner … sometime in December.