06/03/06 - Birthday Wishes

OK... With the new job & all, I don't know whether I'll have time to write up the entire month of May for awhile... & I don't want to wait to write up the Birthday party, so I'll just have to go back & retro-add May later.

I had SUCH a great birthday!!! It really began at the Lake over Memorial Day weekend, when Bauer presented me with my new CHAIR! Yeah :) I've been drooling over (& swiping - this may have just been self-preservation on his part) his camping chair with footstool installed for a couple of summers now, & he found me one for my birthday. (#15) YEAH!!! John & Tom set up my tent gear for me before I got there, with Tom making an executive decision about who goes where (#15), putting all the kids in my big tent AWAY from us adults. That may have technically had nothing at all to do with my birthday, but as far as I'm concerned, the birthday goodness began then :) (Birthdays don't have to just be one little day, do they?)

Wednesday evening, Tammy&Mike took me out for supper & I got to bring Toby home to visit for a couple of weeks. Then this Thursday night I got to meet up with Amy over across the river for some looong awaited girl-time at Steak-n-Shake. (#11) We need that every now & then, & even though we talk all the freakin' time & do stuff with various segments of the group, I'm a very strong proponent of the concept that in any group of people, every combination of folks needs some time that is just theirs. One-on-one, just the two of you. Doesn't always have to be a lot, or doing anything significant (in fact, probably better if you're doing nothing really), just time for the two of you to connect in your own way without all the other vectors & distractions getting mixed up in your interactions.

The day of my actual birthday, before the sun even thought about having a chance to shine its horrid self in my poor little eyes, I got to cozy up all friendly-like (#15) with someone I'm really starting to care a whole lot about & share some things close to the heart. (#4) I got a lot of good feedback & it was easily 3:00 or 3:30 in the morning before we decided we were yawning more than talking and that horizontal would be a much better place to be. I'm not sure I'm fully clear & that all the little bothery bits are completely gone, but just by making the effort & taking the chance to talk I felt SO much better, warm & loved :)

Then the kids managed to stay quiet long enough that everyone got to sleep in. (#14,15) Did I mention feeling warm & loved? Double that! Twice!

Amy&I skipped yoga in the morning, all of us opting for a late lazy breakfast instead. 's all good... I was thinking at the time that I was going to get my yoga fix a bit later as Bauer & I were going to go to a lunch-hour class over on my side of the river. Chris has never done any yoga, so we need to make sure he gets to at least a couple of Basic classes before he can join Amy & I on some of our Saturday am jaunts if he wants, and I really want to get him in over here at Sukha. I still think Sarah is the best instructor I've worked with to date!

Well... we made it to class on time in the afternoon, only to find out there wasn't a class! They've had a little instructor turn-around & apparently the Saturday Basic class went ptchiew! right out the window. Darn it!! So nooooo yoga for Amy on her birthday (#13) :( S'alright.. instead, Chris was an AWESOME sport & tailed me around town for a couple of hours getting some errands & shopping done that have been on my list of to do's with no time to do them. Those weren't on the official birthday list, but you know how I am about lists... & getting those completed was a great relief.

The last shopping bit we did WAS on my list, though: Fish for the pond! (#10) I was a bit hesitant about trying them again so soon, but hey... it's my birthday. The goldfish & koi at the store were looking a bit sickly, so I decided to try something different, & brought home two silver spotted catfish, a bumblebee catfish, and two Gouramis - one red, one tiger. They're very small in that size pond, and... Um... now I can't find them? either they've gotten snacked on or they're just hiding... I certainly hope the latter, 'cause there's a lot of mosquitoe larvae in that pond that needs to be munched up!

OH! & when we were giving the fish their new home, Chris pointed out to me the HUNDREDS of little tadpoles squirming about all over the bottom of the pond -- guess those poor frogs weren't just whistlin' Dixie when my neighbors were requesting that I turn them down, eh? Those should be really fun to watch develop over the next few weeks. Anybody want some frogs?

On the way home with the fish, Chris insisted that we had one more pit stop to make but wouldn't tell me what or where until we were almost on top of it... he wanted to buy me FLOWERS! :) He took Bailey in with him & let her pick out the colour, coming back out with a dozen beautiful pale pink roses. It's always a good sign when a man knows enough about flowers to start trimming the ends before they go in water.. hmmm... Chris, you are ever full of surprizes! We put them in a nice clear glass vase with a little pink ribbon around it when we got home, & today they've opened slightly, looking absolutely beautiful. If I can get my camera working, I'll post a pic of them later :)

Back home to TRY to get a bit of a nap (#13) before the circus, & not much luck with that either... but I did get a teensy bit of a backrub & an explanation that the original plan was to somewhere work in a real massage (#13) aaallll for me. Unfortunately ...lol... that didn't work out, either! Since I suggested Chris just ride to IL with me & leave his truck in STL, he had right quick swapped his table into T&A's vehicle when I wasn't looking. Then they got delayed a bit, weren't coming into IL quite as planned, didn't stay the night... there just wasn't any good timeframe in there where table, Chris & I were in the same place & by ourselves for more than 20 minutes. Umm.. can I take a raincheck on that, Chris? Maybe after that pinky is really truly & fully healed? I'll reciprocate! :D

Then we girls took the kids to the circus, while Tom appropriated my house to bake a cake. (At least that's what they SAID he was doing - I haven't talked to the neighbors yet to confirm or deny.) I decided to forego the elephant rides at the circus this year -- they just didn't look quite as appealing when I realized they were cramming 6-8 people on them for each ride. The older girls went, though, & thought it was great.

After the circus, I was informed that there were people awaiting our return back at my house, (ACK! Vacuum, dust, dishes, laundry, make bed.. ACK! Aw... screw it.. they don't care, & they're already there, anyway. lolol) so we headed that way. I mentioned Tom was baking a cake while we were gone, didn't I? Holy cow, that man has inventive mixed with ornery in every bone in his body. I'm not TELLING you what he did with flour & water & icing... & tubing & a water bottle... but it was SO funny I REALLY REALLY wish Amy had let me go to the bathroom before they let me see it. It was GOOD, too. Still licking icing off my .. um.. fingers. ;) You'll have to try harder than that to get me in the orbs, though, boys. Care to take another shot?

Before long we all piled into the 'burban & headed for a VERY late supper at... The Cheesecake Factory!! Oh, yum, yum, double yum :) I had the chicken picatta & a chocolate martini... people I love all around me... almost every cell in my body was happy for one reason or another :) I'm having the leftovers for lunch today, too :) I had to skip the cheesecake, 'cause by the time it was time for dessert, there just wasn't room & the warm happy lassitude was taking over very very quickly. A little ice cream sundae with a candle, though.. (& another chocolate martini) and although there were some complaints that I didn't get enough on my face... somehow, I think that's more ironically appropriate for me to have gotten it all in my mouth where it belonged, while the boys have ended up with theirs all over the place on their birthdays.. Yes?

Then we all came back to my house to watch one of my other birthday presents: The Rocky Horror Picture Show! There was some talk of everyone dressing the parts (I'm fairly sure I could come up with something for everyone.), but that happy lassitude I mentioned earlier & an excellent dinner (I'm NOT blaming it on the drinks. I'm NOT!) really took it's toll. Only one of our knightly heroes deigned to play our little game before we hit play on the DVD... and let me tell you, the intermission was WORTH it! Holy crap, it's been a looooonnnnng time since I've seen anything that sexy. Surprized me! I sooooo wanted a picture for my own private little momentoes. I guess I'll just have to settle for replaying a few of those moments in my head til the thinker wears itself out. He left the garter on for awhile after putting his own clothes back on, too -- I would have never believed how a tiny little strip of lace could make a thigh muscle ripple & draw one's attention like that. If guys knew what sort of effect that could create, they'd spend a lot more time at Friedrich's, I'm telling you! You're just lucky there were people around, mister.

I think everyone headed home around 3am.. so yet another loooong night. Sleep. Sleep is good. Dreams. Dreams are better :)

Birthday isn't over... last night I couldn't sleep until around 3am (gee.. wonder why?), so I got most of my office floor cleaned up (#8) & can now walk without tripping over stuff. Once I get the bills paid this week, I think I may order some new contacts (#12), John & Tom are going to try to come out & finish the electrical in my yard next week some time (#5), Stacy may work on the curtains this week (#9), & even if she doesn't, Tom said he could probably whip them off right quick some afternoon or evening very soon. I still have to find time to get together with the P's (#1) - I'm sure it'll get worked in somewhere within a few weeks... & I may yet work in the cable (#6), the screen door (#7), & the happy combo (#13) before the month is out, too... just depends on how things go.

Yep. My friends kick ass. That's all there is to it.


P.S. If you missed them from above, here was my list... and I don't want to hear any more *(%*& about birthday lists not getting fulfilled!!

Fresh strawberries & cream with my mom
A heartfelt hug good morning & good night from Bailey
A day without temper tantrums
T,C & A to fix whatever is "off"
Electrical done in yard
Cable wire in house finally finished
New front screen door to match the back
My office clean & organized (but I have to do it)
Curtains hemmed!
Go pick Fish for pond (?)
Steak N Shake time with Amy
Eyes that work without glasses
Yoga / massage / sleep til I wake. In that order!
To not wake up alone
Misc stuff I'm not even going to put in print