They Say It's My Birthday

Today is my birthday.  Because I am a woman of a certain age rumor has it that I am supposed to be unhappy about having another one of these.

That is without a doubt the stupidest thing I have ever heard, and I have heard more than my fair share of stupid things in my life.  Think about this for a minute - if I was not having another birthday, that would mean I was dead.  The only thing worse than getting older is dying young, if you ask me.

Besides, I don't know how I could do anything but enjoy the occasion, when my family makes sure that I feel loved and very special on my birthday each year.  Thanks to all of them, I've been celebrating all weekend with a mixture of new adventures and time-honored traditions.

It all started when my son surprised me with a beautiful bouquet of flowers delivered to me at work on Friday.  On Saturday I had a really nice dinner with family and friends that wasn't planned specifically because of my birthday, but we celebrated while we were there.

On Sunday, my husband and I took a tour of Clayton, the home of Henry Clay Frick, and the Frick Art Museum, which we've been meaning to do for years.  Then, my husband took me to dinner at Eleven, my very favorite restaurant, as he does every year- one of those time-honored traditions I referred to earlier.  We even sit at the same table every year, which he specifically requests.  And Eleven never ever disappoints.

Then there is the barrage of birthday wishes from my friends and families- coming from all directions, in the form of cards in the mail, wishes in person, Facebook posts, and phone calls.  I really cherish each and every wish and each and every one of you.

Of course, there were lovely presents, but the biggest gift of all in my life are the people who gave them to me.  My husband, son, and my son's girlfriend engaged in a veritable conspiracy of gift planning - working together to choose the perfect gifts, and giving me presents that all go together.  I was touched by all the love that went into this planning.

My longest-lasting birthday tradition by far is my annual Birthday Lunch with two friends I worked with back in the 80's.  This started when we decided to spend the day we got off for our birthdays (which were close together) on a day of fun.  The day always starts with a shopping trip to Gabriel's Brothers, followed by lunch, and then sometimes a movie.  Even when we were no longer working together the tradition continued.  I look forward to it every year.

This year Mother Nature reared her ugly head to try to put a damper on my birthday
- and my Birthday Lunch Day- by sending up to half a foot of snow, my old nemesis, to visit western PA today.  Seriously?  Half a foot of snow on March 25th?

Well, I had news for Mother Nature.  I had already had a wonderful birthday, and as it turns out  we did not let a little snow keep us from our Birthday Lunch.  In 30 years we've never missed a year.