Refuting Entropy

I had a lovely, relaxing day yesterday. I got to sleep in until 10:45...with only brief interruptions by my darling daughter (the morning person). I got a cute card from my sweetie. I got lots of birthday wishes from my friends here on LJ. I cooked us a tasty breakfast, while lounging around the house. Got a phone call from my Dad & Stepmom, who remembered it was my birthday around 4 am yesterday...they were most apologetic & I have been informed that my card & present (a check of some amount) is going out today. I finally got moving around 2 or so, took a shower, got dressed, & walked over to the apartment office with Jessica to get our pictures taken for this year's pool passes. While there, the dude in the office gave us a "guest" pass to use so we could go swimming without our permanent passes, which we hadn't been anticipating. In this vein, we elected to blow off the movie we were thinking about going to, and to rouse Tony from his afternoon siesta to go swimming with us.

Just before we went to the pool, I got surprised by my birthday present from Tony...a copy of The Lost Boys (one of my favorite movies), a fuzzy poster to color, and a LABEL MAKER. (You know, one of the really cool electronic ones with the keyboard & different color cartridges & everything.) I doubt I've ever mentioned my fascination with office supplies...it comes perilously close to a fetish...you should have seen my ultimate joy (I think somewhat camouflaged) at work when I was asked to take over the "task" of ordering supplies for our office. Rapture. ;) Anyway, I'm not even entirely sure what I'm going to use said label maker for, but it's MAGNIFICENT. :) Oh, and apparently he had the gift bag with my present "hidden" in the downstairs bathroom because I hardly ever use it...I used it TWICE yesterday while the present was still "hidden" and was non-observant enough that I didn't see it. :p

Spent an hour or so down at the pool, basking in the water & the sun. Came back, got dressed, & went to dinner at Red Lobster to indulge the seafood craving I've been having for some weeks now. Violated several forms of crustaceans, was given a piece of chocolate birthday cake by the waitress (in "exchange" for accidentally spilling my ice water on me...) and came home again.

Hung out watching most of Series of Unfortunate Events until I realized I was getting too tired & needed to go to bed since I have to work today. Fell asleep reading.

It was a great birthday...low key, but not (as usual) overshadowed by the convention. That's something that's always bothered me a little - even though my first convention was a birthday present - having my birthday overshadowed by the convention. I guess it's probably somewhat like having your birthday on Christmas or something...everyone genuinely CARES about the fact that it's your birthday, but their money & thoughts are also *elsewhere* and it becomes kind of "second fiddle" to the bigger event. It wasn't that way this year. That was nice. :)

So, I work today, then I'm off on vacation for a week...I don't have to worry about the convention (much) for the next day or so, then we're off to the races.

Thanks again to everyone who wished me a happy birthday visibly...and to those who I know *thought* it. :)

Time to get ready for work...at least we get a casual day. :)

A very happy birthday & many happy returns to kshandra!!!

Hope you're still having fun doing things Because You Can...

And because I can't (in person) - have some cake:

Thirteen (thirteen? How did it get that long?) years ago today, at 1:31 am (which, as Tony pointed out, had we observed DST at the time would've been 2:31 am) my lovely daughter Jessica Lynn was born.

I've had my rough patches at being a mom, and things haven't been easy for Jessica over the past thirteen years, but she is the joy of my life and a precious, precious gift. I had expected her to be taken away from me - permanently (due to her health problems at birth) but, thank Ghods, she wasn't.

And today she's a teenager. ;) I realize that it's not going to get any easier on me from this point forward, but - if we can survive the *last* thirteen years, well, we can survive the *next* thirteen, too.

I remembered this morning that there was a song that I felt "summed up" my feelings about being a mom...even though it's not about parenthood, it seemed to capture what I felt in these lines:

So caught up in you, little girl
And I never did suspect a thing
So caught up in you, little girl
That I never want to get myself free
And baby it's true
You're the one
Who caught me baby you taught me
How good it could be

("Caught Up in You", :38 Special)

(Yes, I know it's a love song, but it's just this part of it.)

Anyway, in the interests of showing the difference in how she's grown, and potentially embarrasing her by publishing pictures of her on the internet (albeit privately):

Jessica Then and Now

( Cut only to save bandwidth...cute pictures here... )

Well, the sum of it all is:

HAPPY 13TH BIRTHDAY JESSICA!!!

...but not yet.

Happy Birthday, fayq!

Have some cake!

Thanks to my (mostly) vegetative state yesterday, I missed siliconshaman's birthday.

My bad!

Happy Birthday, dude, you've been through a lot & I wish you only the best.

Have some cake:

I appear to have been neglectful in the state of wishing some of my friends their appropriate HAPPY BIRTHDAY. So, my apologies, and with no additional delay:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY jasper_kitt!!!


HAPPY BIRTHDAY alexandralynch!!!


HAPPY BIRTHDAY confusedjew!!!


Hope your birthday is/was/will be a good day with fun, friends, and family. (Maybe I'll manage to be more coordinated next year!)

*hugs* to you all!

And Many Hippo Returns!

Won't everyone please wish a happy birthday to my dear friend velvetsteel? She and I have known each other via the internet for nigh on 8 years, and, amazingly, still like each other. ;)

Oh, and velvetsteel, a treat that won't cause you any gastronomic distress - cyber cake!



Love ya, babe!