IT'S MY PARTY...

Certainly if it's your party you can do whatever you'd like. If it's your party and you want to cry, you can. The song says, "It's my party and I'll cry if I wanna, cry if I wanna. You would cry too if it happened to you."  


I don't wanna cry. I cry a lot, but never because I want to. I never even remember wanting to cry ever. I am just one of those weepy types who cries at touching stories, cries if someone else cries, cries if you are nice to me, cries if you are mean to me, cries at Undercover Boss, cries at any movie involving a parent and child,  cries if I start thinking about any of the above and no doubt will be crying before I finish this post. I cry for really good things and really bad things and a lot of in between things. I don't like that I cry, but I give up trying not to cry. 


I have mentioned before that I have only had a few (3 to be exact) birthday parties ever. One when I was 8 and had a sleep over party. One when I was 30 and my kids and neighbor Nancy Cech made me a cake with candles and sang Happy Birthday ♫♫ and the whole 9 yards and one when I turned 50 and my husband and daughter threw me a 'surprise' party. It was a surprise until the day before when my husband told me about it.


I was born on December 26. Enough said?  


Okay, well not a day anyone wants to go to a stupid party and no one wants to eat cake. No one wants to even see a cake or wrap another present or go visit someone you just saw the day before. It's really hard to share your birthday with Jesus or even the day after. He gets all the attention, you get your gift on Christmas BUT not wrapped in Christmas paper.  I put my foot down about that one! 


As I was growing up I did feel shorted and I did want a birthday like everyone else. I did not want my gifts and cards on Christmas. My momma knew that and she made sure that I had a birthday dinner and gifts in birthday paper and tried to make something special for my day. It was okay, but I always felt cheated, a little. I did not have a cake. 


The 8th birthday party was awesome. My friends came for cake and ice cream and stayed the night. It wasn't ON my birthday, but it was so special, I didn't care. I loved my first real party and I remember it now, clearly. Thank you Momma, for giving me that special day.

Christy, Leigh and Jayne

My 30th was so fun! My wonderful neighbor, Nancy, helped the kids bake me a cake and frost it and write on it and then carry it from her house to mine...all a surprise to me.  They had some gifts and they sang to me and they basically did it all by themselves under Nancy's watchful eye and loving heart. I so loved that they went to all that trouble for me and I have pictures of this day and Nancy's banged up knee! She slipped on the ice coming over for the party. She was NOT carrying the cake.  :)  It was a wonderful way to turn 30.  Thanks babies and Nancy and Nancy's babies for a really good birthday.
(That's two of Nancy's daughters and mine with my cake on the left.  Sorry it's little!)


#########################################
@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@
#########################################

My 50th cake

Now, the big 50. Roomy made all the arrangements and apparently made a zillion phone calls to friends and family. He got food from the deli and a beautiful cake. My daughter was here for Christmas (she lives in Nashville) and went shopping with him before Christmas and they conspired to finish the planning while on their shopping trip.  


On Christmas afternoon they learned that the oldest son would not be attending because he had to work. They wanted him to be here when I got my special 50th birthday gift from my Roomy, so he decided after all the Christmas gifts were opened, dinner was eaten and everyone was relaxing, would be the perfect time to give me my birthday gift and then explain why. 


He handed me a gift in birthday paper. Very small. I looked at it and said, "No, tomorrow is my birthday. Not today." Handing it back toward him, he pushed my hand back and said, "I want Gary to be here when you open it and he won't be here tomorrow."  


I said, "No one will be here tomorrow, so what?"


"Well, yeah, about that. Everyone, but Gary, will be here. I mean everyone."


So I opened my beautiful diamond earrings and cried a little and put them on and felt just a little sad that he had told me. Just a little. A surprise party would have been okay with me, but  now I had to make sure the house was company ready the day after Christmas. I might have shed a tear or two over that part!


Jayne, my daughter, would not allow one finger to be lifted on my 50th. She took over everything. Roomy did his part, setting up chairs and tables and taking orders from her as to how things should look. I was not allowed downstairs and they decorated and set up and oh, it was just wonderful. I spent the day with my month old granddaughter...alone!  Woo Hoo!!


So many people came, I couldn't believe it. I mean the entire family both sides, friends from all over took time from the day after Christmas to celebrate my 3rd birthday party with ME. My son, John, bought me a bottle of wine with a note attached, "The best way to face being 50 is in the bottom of this bottle."  I concurred.  It was delicious.  The whole day was delicious.  I turned 50 with a huge smile and heart filled with love, overly filled with love.  Such a blessed life I live.


So, yep, it was MY party and yep I DID cry.  But such happy tears and mixed with so much laughter and love, I do not have words to describe the day this old broad turned 50.


Jo