Lazy, hazy... and very crazy.

So if I'm not sitting at home trying to keep kids from either spending 24/7 of their time with their faces plugged to some sort of electronic device or from delibrately maming one another all the while slyly disguising it as an accident or keeping them motivated to be self-starters (yeah, right), I am spending time either finding ways to save money on groceries or trying to get outside.

Today was the latter, after all, it's Memorial Day! As we head over to Sauvie Island in Oregon - I am reminded that Sauvie Island is a lot like Vashon Island in Washington.

What is it with these places in the Pacific NW. Ever been to the Antique Sandwich Shop in Tacoma? Yeah. Yummy food. Kind of strange.

So... Sauvie Island. I've been there one other time - and I had forgotten that experience. Until today. No place to park. We drive... and drive... and drive somemore. Trying to find a good place to park to get over to the river and park it for a while. No luck. But we did come across the signs... the ones I had forgotten, and today tried not to laugh too hard as my boys became more and more uncomfortable... thankfully, we did not have a view.

What did the signs read?

"Clothing Optional"

Today I think I'll keep 'em on.

For all the advances in medicine, there is still no cure for the common birthday.

"The best birthdays of all are those that haven’t arrived yet."

~Robert Orben

Today is March 14... it's my best friend's birthday; the day after my nephews 2nd birthday; 2 weeks and 2 days before my oldest is officially a teenager; and a mere 2 days before I enter my 40th year of life... no, not my 40th birthday, but my last year of being in the "30-something" crowd.

It seems that the older I get, the more I loathe this time. Not because I hate birthdays - I love them! I would love to celebrate my own for at least a month and have a party every day! But I think that my expectations for what is to come, or what should be happening around this day, are set a little too high.

I guess this makes me pretty selfish - or a bit too self-centered.

I don't like the "common" birthday. The one where everyone simply says "Happy Birthday" and calls it good. This is a day for celebration! For anyone that has been born, and for every year of life that we have experienced or endured; for the accomplishments and failures; for the joy and pain; for the happiness and sorrow; for the laughter and tears; for the growth and stagnation; for the love and scorn. Much happens in a year of life!

Life is too short for common birthdays! Enjoy them! Relish them! Be thankful for them!

Common can be characteristic of every other day... but let the birthday be a diversion from the common - may it be a day to take pleasure in!