Sunday, September 17, 2006

31

Yesterday was my birthday, and it was a very good day. It's funny how when you get older, they just don't seem as eventful. I remember being a kid, when it seemed like an eternity from one birthday to the next. It was so exciting to pick out a treat to bring to school and share with my class. How important I felt on that day! And the one of the highlights of the day was running in the house after school, anticipating the sight of the beautifully decorated cake that my mom had made while I was gone. Now that I'm older, I find myself being surprised that my birthday is soon to be. Can it be that another year has gone by already? It doesn't seem possible sometimes.

Yesterday we loaded up the kids in the car and drove to my Grandma Ella's house. Since her birthday was just a few days before mine, the family was having a birthday celebration. It was nice to see everyone again, especially my dad, mom, and brother. We had a nice bbq lunch, followed by way too much cake and icecream. I don't think I could ask for a better birthday. Presents aren't really what counts anymore. Sure I love getting them, but being with loved ones is way more important to me these days.

So as I begin another year, I think it only appropriate that I say thank you to those who gave me life in the first place. Mom, thanks for giving birth and going through labor to give me life. Thanks for all those sacrifices that you made by staying home with us kids. Thanks for putting up with the tears and talking back, with my messy room and snarly hair. :) And Dad, thanks for your hard work and dedication to our family-you often put in a lot of long hours at work to provide for us. But you also made sure we had a lot of great experiences-unique ones that not a lot of kids got to experience! Now that I'm a parent, my perspective is so different. I appreciate what it takes to be a parent-the joys and difficulties. And I'm thankful for all that you two have done for us kids!!

3 comments:

Chanda Canup said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MELISSA!!!!Didn't want to disturb your slumber yesterday, but I still missed it by one day--I'm sorry, you know I'm the worst!!! Hope you guys had a great time with fam. Isn't it great to still be young enough that it's no big deal to tell everyone you're 31!! There are so many years ahead--looking back, we'll be thankful for the simplicity of these years. O.K., maybe "simplicity" is a stretch. But you know what I mean. Our focus is raising babies right now--what could be more precious? Right?
Love you so much!

Anonymous said...

Hello sweet friend!! I hope you had a wonderful bday-sorry I didn't call you back that night but it was a crazy night. Did you get the photos? I hope they weren't doubles! They brought back great memories! I love you and hope you had a wonderful day!

Anonymous said...

Happy Belated Birthday! All day Saturday, I kept seeing the date on my cell phone and thinking, "Sept. 16th sounds vaguely familiar. I feel like it's somebody's birthday, but I can't remember who." It must have been yours. Sorry I missed it, but I'm glad it was a good one.
I'm gonna have to try for a road trip soon. It's been way too long. I miss you.