Birthdays

I remember as a child looking forward to my birthday like no other day of the year.

It could be a regular day of going to school or running errands or kicking around at home, but in the back of my mind, in the corner of my giddy heart, I knew it was MY day. 

I knew there was something special to come that day.

Presents!

My favorite meal!

Cake!

Besides all that, it was about the extra bit of attention I could anticipate on that day.

Oh, the year my parents had a Barbie cake made just for me. I was on top of the world!

This year, my 49th year for feeling giddy and special and important, Mom and Dad gathered as many of our local family together at their house (a little early this year...we celebrated on Mother's Day), prepared some of my favorite food, plus the richest banana pudding I love...

The candles wouldn't stand up in the larger bowl of pudding, so Mom made me my very own.

Look at my cute vintage cherry hat I was given for a birthday gift.

I received so many special gifts, carefully chosen for me. A cherry hat, lovely hankies, two small vintage prints of the cutest people, money for Tybee, a Kelly Rae Roberts wall plaque, a vintage girl with bird print.

And this morning, on my actual birthday, the day after school was out at Moss Elementary, two days before our 30th anniversary trip to Tybee Island, I'm feeling exactly as I did as a child.

Special. I'm feeling special because I'm not rushing to get ready for a regular day of school or just running, like normal.

Special. Because of the piles of cards in the mailbox yesterday.

And for so many special Facebook messages, texts and sing-songy birthday phone calls. 

Special food planned by Mom and Dad for lunch (new potatoes are a regular item for my birthday meal but they weren't ready on Mother's Day, so I invited myself out to their house today).

Another special meal planned by Vaughn for this evening.

And he's agreed to my request for a fire in the backyard bathtub this evening (weather permitting). One of my favorite, most special, activities in the world.

A Few Things that Blew Me Away This Week

*This. Blew. Me. Away. Can't wait till it's planted with something lovely (and super drought resistant). 

*Parker came home for a couple of days and while he was here the family got together for Katy's birthday party so I got a family fix. I also enjoyed another day of just hanging out with Parker here at the house. He blew us away with a slide show of his world traveling this summer. What a neat experience for him (and all of us who followed it on his blog).

*This dreadful heat blew me away. We got back from mild, milk and honey Colorado Friday, a 108 degree Oklahoma day. All the extra red blood cells our bodies built up for the altitude (and often provide added energy for a day or two after we get home) have long since split the scene.

*Preparing for a garage sale in this dreadful heat and with so many fewer red blood cells. That blew me away.  But boy was I a happy girl when the closets were all cleaned out and the old stuff all disappeared (plenty of hangers now) AND I managed to make some fun money!

*This hibiscus blew me away this week. I love these saucer-sized flowers like crazy. Vaughn's mom grows them like they're going out of style. I'm going to transplant a small white one to my front yard for next year. Hibiscus loves me and I love Hibiscus.

What's blowing you away these days?

In the Coming Days

In the coming days, I will...
finish a book I haven't picked up in a month.
Eat my 47th birthday cake.
Celebrate 28 married years.

I'll close a long chapter.
And open another one,
saying lots of goodbyes and a few hellos.
I'll be New Tracey.

In the coming days, I will...
give some time to things I've neglected.
Like the house.
And me.

I'll enlist courage.
And unload some junk.
I'll build.
And tear down.
Water.
And weed.