Birthday Wishes of a 30-Something Year Old

It's my birthday! It's my birthday! It's my birthday!

I'm pretty excited about it.

That's right, little me, party down!

I love my birthday. On the first day of July, I flip the calendar page, smile, and say, "Only twelve days til my birthday!" It's not that I'm stoked that I'm a year older, although, you can't really have a birthday without aging another year. It's a Catch-22. My birthdays are celebrated pretty much the same way every year. With the exception of my epic 30th birthday party, my birthdays are quietly celebrated at home with family and a friend or two. When I was a kid, I got to plan out every detail of the day and my parents and sisters had to play along. Oh, the power! I'd wake up to a special breakfast, spend the day with my family doing activities of my choosing, open some presents, eat a special dinner, and then get a birthday cake. The birthday cake was and still is my favorite part of my birthday. Not because I love cake, but because of the birthday candles on my cake. I believe in the magic of birthday wishes. I believe so intensely in the power of the birthday wish that I plan out my wish several days, even weeks, before my birthday. I've done this every birthday for as long as I can remember.

From my Epic 30th Birthday Party.
I had a red solo cup of booze in my hand all night
which lead to my four day hangover.

Because you only get one birthday a year, you have to take this seriously. Birthday wishes need to be specific, yet concise, so you can list them off in your head before the candles melt all over the icing roses. Some people just blow the candles out right after the birthday song ends. They don't close their eyes for a moment. They don't try to get them out in one blow. They just blow out the candles and dig into the cake. I've seen people blow out their candles in the middle of the song. I just look at them in disgust.

There's no way you had enough time to make a wish. I mean, a GOOD wish. You just blew out the candles like it was no big deal. You just wasted a golden opportunity, you fool. No! That's unacceptable. Relight the candles and make a damn wish!

I know this makes me seem a bit crazy to some people. I know that not all birthday wishes come true. But, think of it this way: You can't win the lottery if you don't buy a ticket. Birthday wishes won't come true if you don't wish them.

My First Birthday Wish
See the concentration?!

As I was planning out my wishes for this, my 30-somethingth birthday, I took a moment to think back on all the birthday wishes I've made in my lifetime. My childhood birthday wishes were pretty simple and involved getting a new Barbie Doll. The wishes I made in my teenage years were more crucial. I wished for very important things that I truly believed would change my life and bring ultimate happiness. I still wish for very important things that I truly believe will change my life and bring ultimate happiness, but it's funny how my wishes have changed now that I'm an adult.

My Teen Birthday Wishes vs. My 30-Something Birthday Wishes

Teen: I wish for big boobs.
30-Something: I wish for perky boobs.

Teen: I wish for lots of cool clothes.
30-Something: I wish for less laundry.

Teen: I wish for a later curfew.
30-Something: I wish for an earlier bedtime.

Teen: I wish for clear skin.
30-Something: I wish for less chin hair. (Yeah, I said it.)

Teen: I wish for a super fast sports car.

30-Something: I wish for a fuel efficient, family sedan with extra cup holders and more trunk space.

Teen: I wish for more bills in my pocket so I can go shopping.

30-Something: I wish for less bills in my mailbox.

Teen: I wish I can go to Panama City Beach for Spring Break this year.

30-Something: I wish I can go to a secluded beach as far away from other people as possible.

Teen: I wish for an Old Navy gift certificate.

30-Something: I wish for a Home Depot gift certificate.

Teen: I wish for world peace.

30-Something: I wish for a moment of peace.

Teen: I wish I could go on a date with Johnny Depp.

30-Something: I wish... ahem... moving on.

Teen: I wish my parents would let me dye my hair pink.

30-Something: I wish for less grey and more time between root touch ups.

Teen: I wish I could get on the cast of MTV's The Real World.

30-Something: I wish my neighbors would move.

Teen: I wish that cute boys would ask me out on dates.

30-Something: I wish I could get a date night with The Hub.

Teen: I wish I could go to night clubs and bust some sweet moves on the dance floor.

30-Something: I wish for new hardwood floors for my living room.

Teen: I wish I was a famous actress.

30-Something: I wish I was a best selling author. 

Teen: I wish I was popular.

30-Something: I wish my blog was popular. (Somethings never change...)

See, that's how it's done, folks.

Fourth of July, Fireworks, and Kovtapyroergasoiphobia

Happy 4th of July! There's nothing like the 4th of July... The day when the people of the United States of America come together to celebrate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. On this day, 236 years ago, we declared our independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. We sing our national anthem and other patriotic songs with pride. We wave the American flag. We wear red, white, and blue. We thank our soldiers. We watch parades. We grill meat. We drink beer (as any good American should). But, most importantly, we blow stuff up. Fireworks are, by far, my favorite way to celebrate the 4th. I just love watching the bright and colorful explosions light up the night sky. The boom makes my heart jump. It's beautiful. It's powerful. It's worth sitting in traffic for hours to watch a 30 minute pyrotechnics show.

My daughter S said her first word on 4th of July. The Hub and his brothers were setting off small (Georgia legal grade) fireworks in the front yard. He lit a little sparkler and walked by S, who was in my arms. She called out "Dada" and reached for the sparkler. Even though she said dada before she said mama, I was still excited. When S was two years old, I took her to the our town's firework show. The Hub was working the night shift at an emergency animal clinic, so S and I met up with my brother in law and his family. We found a parking space about a 1/2 mile away from the court house lawn. S and I walked hand in hand through the winding streets, people watching, and talking about how excited we both were about seeing some fireworks.

Once the sun set, S and I sat on our blanket and stared into the sky. BOOM! We both jumped, but then, the first explosion always makes me jump. BOOM! S looked around at the crowd. BOOM! S looked back at me. I looked down and noticed an odd expression on her face. If she had a better grasp of the language, I'm sure she would have said:

What the holy hell is going on?! Do you people not see the massive fire balls exploding right over our heads? Why are you just sitting here?! WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!! 

S jumped out of my lap, grabbed the blanket and yelled, "We go now!" I laughed a bit and said, "Baby, the show is still going on. Don't be scared. It is pretty!" S put on her shoes. "We go home, now. Let's get out of here!" S started walking away from me with such determination, that I had no choice but grab our stuff and follow her. S, fists clenched, moved as fast as her little legs could carry her. Every time another firework exploded in the sky, she picked up speed. S never once looked back. I had to sprint to catch up to her. I grabbed her hand and she lead me back to our car. She knew exactly where we had parked.  She hopped in the car and buckled her own seat belt on the first attempt. She did not relax until we pulled into our driveway. I looked back at her and said, "Okay. We're home." She let out a huge sigh and said, "I don't like fireworks. Never again."

S eventually got over her fear of fireworks. (There's an actual name for the fear of fireworks. It's called Kovtapyroergasoiphobia. See, you learned something new today.) We've seen a few firework shows since then, but she sticks her fingers in her ears and jumps with each explosion. B, on the other hand, loves fireworks... almost as much as I do. This year, we're lighting some sparklers and little noise makers in our front yard. S is perfectly fine with that.

Photo Credit - Katie Moss