My birthday was Saturday. Not that anyone could have missed that, given how many times I mentioned it last week.

I deemed this birthday a top 5 birthday. And y’know, I still think it was… but I’ve had time to think about past birthdays that were also absolutely epic as well.

I remember birthday hay rides and slumber parties growing up.

I remember in 7th grade, classmates threw me a surprise party — evening getting the school secretary involved to distract me. I don’t know if I ever told any of those girls how much that meant to me… how deeply it touched me that they did that.

I remember one in particular in which the maroon icing roses gave us all red mouths and teeth, and we all ended up looking like vampires afterwards.

I remember going to see my friend do a show in Houston while on the Rascal Flatts tour… never knowing that friend would one day be my husband, and that I’d eventually work at the bar that Flatts was discovered in when they were the Tuesday night house band.

I remember my girlfriend flying to Nashville to spend my birthday with me so I wouldn’t have to be alone as my husband was on the road.

I remember my brother having a bad car accident on my birthday, and we spent the day in the surgery waiting room. More importantly, I remember getting to see him just before he went into surgery, and he remembered to wish me a Happy Birthday.

I remember spending last year all by myself…

This year? This year was pretty awesome. As I previously posted, my two wishes for the day came true. But beyond that, I had my parents visiting earlier in the week. (The only photo of that is on my Mom’s camera, so I don’t have that shot to share here. Pooh.)  We celebrated mine, my husbands and my Mom’s birthdays at that time. Then, my husband and I went out the night of my birthday and I just got so much love from my work-family that I ended that night with the biggest smile on my face.

I rarely put a whole lot of weight on birthdays. I don’t do a week-long birthday celebration, like many people do. But when one goes extra special… I just want to bask in it for awhile. Like this year. Happy, happy, happy girl here… still, days later.

Today is my birthday. I had two wishes:

1. To feel good. I’ve been battling allergies that developed into a cold all week. My couch has been my favorite location in general. Getting out of the house was always welcome, but by the time we were heading home from just eating out, I was in pure misery. I wished for my PJs and couch.

2. For my Aggies to win. It was a stretch. Battling #1 Alabama. Everyone kept saying we had a good chance for a win, but I dared not get my hopes up too high.

What happened? I GOT BOTH MY WISHES!!

I woke up today feeling GOOD. I’m still a little congested, but I no longer have that crappy, icky feeling. I feel… well… GOOD. I got dressed up a wedding we were attending, and my only rough part was near the end of the ceremony when I desperately wanted to go blow my  nose.

After the wedding, we joined up with the rest of my local Aggies to watch the game. We got there at half time.

I think I aged more than a year in this day. I was literally shaking from head to toe through the last quarter. SHAKING. I wanted this win so bad, but it was still too much time left. As it ended, I was just numb. We did it. WE WON.

Then my Aggies sang Happy Birthday to me. And I am pretty sure I was beaming.

My husband and I are headed downtown to go out for awhile soon. Head over to the bar where I work (but took the night off) to celebrate. 32. I am 32. Whew. I gotta admit, I always thought my 30s would be the best decade and I can honestly say, so far so good! Looking forward to the year to come!!

WHOOP!!

Wishing my husband a very

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

I turned 31 years old today. And I have to say… 30 was a good age!

I’d looked forward to my 30s since my mid-20s. I know, weird, right? But I always felt my 30s would be the years that I settled in to life. I figured out where I was headed and got there. It would be my banner decade of life.

And so far? It’s going that direction. In the last 365 days, I’ve suddenly felt a lot of wisdom about things: financially and career-wise. I’ve started to build a confidence in my career goals, and in the same breath I’ve found a want to do anything it takes to get there. Its not the whole, “Oh this is what I want so it should happen right NOW” mindset that I think I had an element of previously. No, now its more, “This is what I want, and I need to learn how to get there… and then DO THAT.”

So, within that fact, my 30s have, already in the first year of it, been a journey of wonderfully positive proportions. In fact at this rate, 31 should be even better! And here is hoping I am right about that.

Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday. Happy Birthday to me!

My grandpa and my dad outside the milk truck

My grandpa was the milk man.

I know. That sounds like some bad “dirty joke” pun, but it’s true! My grandpa was the milk man. And if he were still alive, he’d have been 89 years old today.

I always took great pride in being my grandpa’s granddaughter. I remember introducing myself to people growing up, and they would get this thoughtful look on their face.

“Any relation to the old milk man we used to have here?” And I grin from ear-to-ear and confirm that, “Yup. That’s my grandpa! … What’s he up to today? Oh he’s a jack-of-all-trades handyman around town.”

“Ah… good… good. I remember the time…”

Everyone always had a story about grandpa. It wasn’t until after he died that I heard the story of him pulling a family out of a burning building while on his milk route. I think that one is my favorite one of them all. That and the fact that he raised seven kids with my grandma… yes, seven. They were married over 50 years before death did they part, when my grandma passed away.

Oh and did I mention he served in WWII? Yup. He was a cook! And man… those cooks on M*A*S*H? Yeah, they weren’t my grandpa. He made GREAT food. Best hamburgers ever.  EVER.  Whataburger? In-N-Out. Pffffft. They WISH they were as good as grandpa’s burgers. They WISH.

Grandpa and Grandma

By the way, you know how I’m an Aggie? Yeah, my grandpa worked as a cook at Sbisa mess hall back in the day. So, you see, my ties to Texas A&M go way back. (My Uncle Milton, Mom’s brother, worked at TAMU at one time as well!) The first time I ate dinner in Sibsa, I looked around and smiled, knowing Grandpa was smiling down on me as well.

I remember when I got accepted to Texas A&M, my grandpa was in a VA nursing home. I got him an “Aggie’s Grandpa” bumper sticker for his motorized wheelchair.  And, you know, he put it on it and rode around with it proudly displayed!

Grandpa always said I reminded him of my grandma when she was younger. And I think that’s why he got so upset the first time I colored my hair. I still remember feeling guilty when he gave me that look of disapproval of my choice to lighten my hair.

But, I think deep down, he knew I was me and I was going to do my own thing.  That or Grandma set him straight on that. haha!!! Who knows.

I just know that if anyone asks me about my grandparents, I smile and say, “My grandpa was the milk man.” and if anyone will listen long enough, I’ll tell them all about him.

Happy Birthday, Grandpa! Make sure you dance with Grandma in heaven today and celebrate your special day… just the way I know you two danced the day you joined her up there. You had a special love… and you’ve always been a role model for me and, I don’t doubt, all your kids and grandkids. I love you!

I was safe in Grandpa's arms.

All right ya’ll. I’m here to confess. It’s my birthday, and I want attention. I want the world to go, “Hey! Happy Birthday! You rock!” even if in the grand scheme of the world, its a minor thing. Because for me, its a big deal. It’s my birthday. And I am now 30.

As if this post isn’t a blatant attempt to invite lurkers to comment beg birthday wishes, I’ve given plenty of heads up to everyone this year. Specifically here, here, here and here. On top of this, I’ve declared this my birthday WEEK since it lands on a Wednesday.

I got a card yesterday in the mail in which my friend told me to, “Party like its 1914!” (Love that girl… she never fails to crack me up. You gotta have that kind of friend in your life.) And, well, I guess you could say I AM going to party like its 1914. We’re keeping it simple. Dinner out with my parents and husband, and then watching the CMAs on TV. I am fully prepared to throw things at the TV, but I still can’t wait to watch and root for my friends.

So there you have it. My birthday plans. I promise to go back to your regularly scheduled blogging tomorrow. For now… send me good wishes. *nods* I encourage that kind of behavior.

*Scheduled this to post at the time I was born. :)