Thirty-Five

When I was a kid, thirty-five seems SO old.  I mean, my parents were that old.  Now I’m thirty-five (actually I am closer to thirty-six), and today, so is my best guy.

Thirty-five.

That number is so filled with…something….isn’t it?  It’s definitely an adult age.  We made it to adulthood, that is for sure. It’s strange to think of us as adults.

It doesn’t seem that long ago that we were in elementary school and I was watching “the puffy-haired kid” walk home from school to the yellow house on the corner from my window on bus #2.

It seems like both yesterday and a hundred years ago that we were in high school and I plopped down next to you on a school bus headed for Michigan Adventure.  Or that you and Mat were sneaking off to do a 7-11 run without the rest of us. Or that we were loading all of us into someone’s car to head out for a day/evening of Pearl Jam concert bootleg hunting.

It seems like another lifetime ago that we were both at WMU tailgating with the Busschers before home football games and having late night chats on the steps of my dorm. Or throwing darts at Waldo’s. Or playing euchre and finishing kegs.

Didn’t we just turn twenty-one? No, that was a million years ago yesterday.

Weren’t we just falling in love at twenty-five? Sheesh, has it been ten years ago already?

We have celebrated ten of your birthdays together. I’m pretty sure the first half of those was much more exciting than the second half at least as far as celebrations go.

Tonight you will pick up the boys so I can pick up your gift from us.  You will love it.

Then we will go to Red Robin Yums for dinner because Eddie insists that is the birthday place…and he will probably eat most of your ice cream. Don’t worry, I made your favorite brownies.  We will sing to you and it will probably be the most awesome thing ever.  not because it’s fancy or sophisticated or debonair, but because Eddie will be so excited and because of that Charlie will be so excited.  And there will be lots of hugs and smiling.

Because you are thirty-five today.

Let’s take a walk down birthday memory lane…

2006: We had been married a year.

2007: you were growing your afro out.

2008: I was pregnant with Eddie…you were turning 30.

2009: Eddie was 6 months old and you and Jack started your tradition of celebrating your birthdays together.

2010: Celebrating with your Eddie Bear

2011: Eddie is two…and Charlie is in my oven.

2012: we have officially gotten lame about birthdays now that we have two children. Sorry.

Lucky for you we have your yearly birthday brownies…complete with fun-fetti because that is what Eddie picked out.  I am not sure we even have candles this year…not even melted ones.  But on Sunday you will get a yellow cake with chocolate frosting from my parents…just like every year.

And maybe I will remember to take a picture this year.

Seriously, though…being an adult is so weird. I’m beyond thankful I get to do this with you.

Happy birthday, my love.