Happy Birthday To Me

Today marks #33. I’ve outlived Anne Frank, Lady Jane Grey, Billy the Kid, Patsy Cline, Buddy Holly, Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Bruce Lee and Alexander the Great. Jesus, in two months, I’ll have even outlived John Belushi. Speaking of Jesus, I’m set to overtake his age by year’s end, too.

So, I will combine my love of birthdays with my love of list-making. Here’s a list of every birthday I can remember, and how I celebrated it…

5 years old – Last day of preschool. It was career day. I dressed up as a doctor.

11 years old – My Golden Birthday! This was the last day of 5th grade, in which I won an award for perfect attendance (probably the least-proud of any award I’ve ever gotten). It was raining all day, and after trudging home from the bus stop, I asked my mom if I could go play with one of the neighborhood kids, just to have something fun to do. She said no. Bookstudy that night.

18 years old – My high school graduation ceremony was held on this day, so I definitely did not go there. Instead, I attended my friend Jeremy’s graduation ceremony along with our mutual friend Andy. Afterwards, we went back over to his parents’ place for a barbecue. That evening, I did what every 18yr old male in this sexist country must do, I registered.

21 years old – Had dinner with my fiance’ and with my friend Nick at the Applebee’s at Snelling and University (which is no longer there). Ordered my first drink…in America. Since, only six months prior, I had been in Germany and ordered enough alcohol to last a decade, this wasn’t such a big deal.

24 years old – Took a plane ride to Dallas compliments of the American Board of Optometry.

30 years old – Dropped my 4-week old son off with his Grammie. Then, Jennifer, Stan, Kara, Nick (not the same Nick as above) and I went to the theater to see “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith”.

32 – Blew out canldes on a cake & made a wish for the first time.

For the past several years, I keep having this idea that I’m going to blow out enough candles to make up for a lifetime of not blowing out candles. This gets increasingly ridiculous with each passing year. I’ll have to plan that one out real well. Maybe next year.