Birthdays

The kids all grown up and seemingly "normal",  and Steve polishing one of the many motor homes we've owned.

Thank you everyone for the wonderful, thoughtful and cheerful birthday wishes!   I usually like to have my birthday pass by quietly but somehow, and now with "facebook" it gets a broadcast!  I believe my birthday broadcasts come from the few years my dear, sweet, adorable husband truly forgot my birthday and when friends heard of this incredibility, it has now become  a day everyone in my small circle knows about.

My two favorite, "Steve forgot my birthday" stories start like this.  The year is sometime in the mid 1990's, our children are small and we are traveling to northern Michigan with friends to their cabin on a lake for the 4th of July holiday weekend.  Being the proud owners, at the time, of a motor coach, we all load in.  Picking up our friends along the way, they board with their luggage, groceries and some "presents".  Once the excitement settles,  kids are buckled in, snacks are dispersed, Steve asks our riding guests, "who are the presents for?"  In horror, my girlfriend looks at me, I look at her, she looks at her husband, he looks at Steve, and answers, "they're for Denise and Dana!  It's their birthday's! "  (Dana is their daughter and her birthday is July 1st, and mine is July 6th).

The color leaves Steve's face, I roll my eyes and think, "it's okay, I don't need anything, I just want him to remember, kiss me and say 'Happy Birthday'."  Our friends are laughing and wondering if he, Steve, really did forget!

We get to the cabin, unpack, get the kids fed and settled in; after a 9 hour drive with many stops, no one feels like doing much besides sleep.  The next morning, the children are outside swimming, catching tadpoles, running and chasing each other and I notice the men are missing.  Oh well,  Steve and Al are off doing something, better they keep themselves busy!  Caren and I begin the preparation for the birthday dinner.

 Dinner,  I recall it being delicious,  Al is a great cook and Caren and I are the sous chefs.  Cake is brought in, "Happy Birthday" sung and a joint venture to blow out all these candles!  Now for the gifts!  For the life of me, I cannot remember what we gave little Dana that birthday but I will never forget what Steve gave me!

Steve hands me a box with an apology, saying, "Sorry, it was all I could find!  I shopped everywhere, ask Al!  I couldn't find a thing, not even a piece of jewelry at the only jewelry store in town!"  We are in the upper peninsula of northern Michigan, in one of the many national forests.  If you are here to shop, you will be disappointed!  There are a few stores,  mostly bait shops, gas stations and bars!

After this, "amuse bouche"-teaser of an introduction, I can hardly wait!  I open the box to find, a flannel shirt!  The crowd around the table goes wild, I look at it and at Steve and cannot believe my eyes!  Are you kidding?  He is dying of laughter and so is everyone else!  I don't know what to say.  But that birthday has never been forgotten by our children, friends or Steve!  Don't recall ever wearing that shirt or what became of it!  Oops!

This next one, is not the last time Steve forgot my birthday, but it too brings back memories and makes me laugh!  

Our daughter Lauren, is 12 the year of this story.  She has insisted on going off to camp for 2 whole weeks!  I simply cannot believe this and am worried sick about this whole ordeal.  Steve being an "eagle scout", loves this idea and is eager to get his young daughter out into the wilderness and camping!  I, in the meantime, have researched this "camp", have shopped for everything on the "list" and more.  I have packed, labeled and sorted her belongings.  Once again, we pack up the motor coach, (a new and expanded version of the last one!) and away we go.  Driving through the Chicago northern suburbs into Wisconsin and north to the border of the upper peninsula, we are in familiar territory and it is beautiful.  The camp is gorgeous and there are children running, playing, horseback riding and swimming all around us.  I,  of course, want to arrange her foot locker, make her bed and set out her "camp outfit" for the next day.  Steve says, "no, let's go, she can do this, it's better we leave!"  OMG! again, here we go!  Hugs and kisses all around, I double check into the eyes of these counselors hoping not to see any signs of "what?" I don't know?   They are all smiling, bubbly teenagers, eager to meet and get started with their new "campers"!  

We leave, I am upset, in tears that my little girl is so grown up, she doesn't need me anymore and I feel my world crumbling in!  (Drama queen, remember!)  Colin's is jumping up and down, glad to be moving and Steve settles into the drive.  We drive about a hour down the road toward home and Steve announces he's hungry and would I like to eat here!  We have pulled into a truck stop in the wilderness of northern Wisconsin and it's my birthday!  AND, my daughter has left my side to be with her friends at a beautiful, exciting camp without me on my birthday!!

Once again, the color leaves Steve's face, as I explain to him that I would rather starve than eat at a truck stop the day my daughter goes off to camp for 2 whole weeks without me, ON MY BIRTHDAY!

I see the full humor in this now, as I come to my senses.  I see a panicked Steve shopping the truck stop gift shop for a trinket for my day.  Coming back to the motor home with an ice cream bar and a card, he wishes me, "Happy Birthday" and assures me he had not forgotten, he just thought it was tomorrow!  Giant LOL's (we didn't use "LOL" then, but I did LOL!), tears wiped away and hugs and kisses from my two favorite guys and I am fine!

So, once again, thank you honey and everyone else, for all the birthday wishes!  I am glad to be here, happy and healthy, I could not want or wish for more!

And, although Steve is in the states for this birthday, he did call several times and is very excited about the gifts he has purchased!  LOL, love this stuff!    D;)