They Say It's Your Birthday...

Most of you know that this past Saturday was a national holiday-- the Fourth of July... What you may NOT know, is that Sunday was ALSO a holiday-- it was Jennypendence Day!

I spent the weekend doing all kinds of fun stuff. On Friday night, I went with Tia, visiting Canadian dignitary Ben, and my friend PP to see a CYC production of "RENT"! PP and I got stuck in the parking garage and were seated right as the show was starting, so we spent the first Act trying to spot Tia and Ben in the audience, making mental notes on why this production wasn't as good as previous Broadway productions I'd seen (that would be me-- and these kids were like TWELVE, so I may have been a bit hasty), and mouthing all the words to every song (again, me). We were reunited with Tia and Ben at intermission, and I spent all of Act Two completely enthralled with the end of this moving musical. After that, we all went down to a club-like dessert restaurant for decadent deliciousness. Yum!

Saturday morning dawned bright and early with... the Fourth of July parade! My parents' little neighborhood puts on a parade for all the kids every year. Most years, it is a pretty small production and we are content to be spectators. (Hey, somebody's got to wave to the people IN the parade!) This year, however, we were asked to be IN the parade! There was a flatbed truck, heavily decorated, blasting music for all to enjoy; about 150 to 200 people-- kids on scooters, bikes, in wagons, walking dogs, and their accompanying parents, some of whom were more dressed up than the kids; fire trucks; and the pieces de resistance: a white convertible Corvette with an older woman in an Uncle Sam hat on the back AND a black convertible Mustang, decorated with bunting and flags, and ME-- the Parade Princess!-- riding on the back, waving to all her loyal subjects! Seriously, SOOO much fun, and I may never ride any other way!

After that, I taught a couple swim lessons (the weather was PERFECT!) and then went with my mom to spend some time with my grandmother. Most of you don't know her, but she's crazy. And old. And, honestly, kind of mean. Definitely not my favorite person. However, I only have to see her about 3 times a year, and this was definitely a favor for my mom. We pushed Crazy Grandma in her wheelchair down to a lake that was about a mile away from her house. There were ducks and squirrels and cormorants and herons and geese, so that was nice. For me, the hardest parts were: 1) NOT pushing Grandma into the lake; 2) getting Grandma stuck in a hole and NOT tipping her completely out of the wheelchair; and 3) pushing her that mile BACK to her house, which was all uphill at that point. After all that, I wanted to die a little.

But I rallied quickly, after a shower and an Otter Pop, and PP picked me up to go to the San Diego County Fair! I had already been twice this year (including another time with PP!), but they put on an awesome fireworks show, and we made it just in time to see them going off! We rode the Ferris Wheel, played some games, and walked around the exhibits. At nearly midnight, we had finally had our fill and made our way to the exit... and the mile-long line for the shuttle to take us back to where we parked! We got in line, heard someone singing "Happy Birthday" (to America, I think), and then realized it was exactly midnight-- woo hoo! It was my birthday! PP sang me a song and then IMMEDIATELY started in with the old jokes. (Which is ironic, as he is SIGNIFICANTLY older than me! :P) Eventually we got to sit on the top of an open-topped, double-decker bus. We got back to the car at about 1:00 a.m., and he dropped me off around 1:30, wishing me one more happy birthday!

The next day was Sunday, my actual birthday! I slept in (this was the first time I woke up alone on my birthday in at least 8 years), made myself breakfast in bed (OK, I got out of bed, made breakfast, and then got back into bed to eat it!), and sang "Happy Birthday" to my baby-dog (it's her birthday too!). Then I thought about what to do that day.

I had asked different people to do different things over the past week, but everyone else had other plans. "You weren't supposed to be here," seemed to be the pervasive thought. And it's true-- I wasn't supposed to be in town-- I was supposed to be in New York, with the person I loved, eating frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity3. But things change.

The weekend before, a bunch of people came over to my parents' house to play by the pool. We had planned it before I cancelled the New York trip, as a way to celebrate my birthday before I left. After the trip was cancelled, we decided to keep the party on-- I would play with my friends that weekend, and then do something else on my actual birthday, with my family and whoever was around. The pool party was great-- a bunch of people came; we ate and drank and swam and splashed. There was a moment of awkwardness and potential for drama when two people who had broken up recently were there at the same time, but that was over quickly. My brother and Bug were there and they, along with PP and my parents, hung out til the last cupcake was gone, all of us sitting on deck chairs in the fading light, discussing matters of importance and unimportance alike. It was wonderful.

So, this Sunday, on my actual birthday, I didn't expect anything big. I'd been having so much fun the past week, that I just wanted to do something gentle.

"Let's go to brunch!"
"It's too early."

You weren't supposed to be here.

"Come down, let's do something!"
"We can't, today's a rough day."

You weren't supposed to be here.

"Do you want to come with me to Dog Park with the puppy?"
"Of course! I'll be there!" (He never showed up.)

You weren't supposed to be here.

I know, I wasn't supposed to be here. And, honestly, it felt a little lonely. But I know that being here was the right place to be, that not going to New York was the right thing to do, and that-- you know what?-- sometimes the right company... is my own.

So I took the birthday doggy to the park. And we frolicked and played and had a good time-- I even wore a tiara (PP's orders!) and she wore her birthday bandanna. We ran into an old friend (OK, guy I used to date), and he gave us both a kiss and a compliment on our accessories. Then we went home and we both took a shower (Puppy loves to get in the shower!) and did our hair (hers was much easier) and put our birthday-wear back on. (The tiara was mandatory all day!)

A friend and I grabbed a quick Jamba Juice, and then I went over to my parents' house. We had Chinese food, and opened presents, and ate homemade piña-colada cheesecake. It was great to spend some time with the people I love most in the world, and who have loved me my whole life.

After that, I went over to PP's house, and we just chilled. He even got me a singing card with Sleeping Beauty on it! (The only one with blonde hair and a tiara!)

All-in-all, it was a low-key day, but a great start to what promises to be a great year...

Hooray 28!