I have always loved birthdays, especially mine!  My family always made a somewhat big deal about birthdays.  The weekend after our b-day the whole family would go to that person’s house to open gifts and have lots of cake and ice cream.

The kids would have their gift list all planned out weeks before hand to be distributed among the family.  Each family had their favorite type of cake.  K & K's family would pick up a typical cake from the grocery store.  D & J's family liked home made cakes, and my family liked to get a Bakers cake.  Baker’s is a famous cake store in Salt Lake City.  But for me, the only cake was Angel food cake with strawberries and real whipped cream.  Mmmm, heaven!

Since moving out here to Cali, birthdays have not been a big deal.  I miss then being a big deal, but have no one out here to make a big deal about them.  There are no surprise gifts or events planned; all I get is a card with money.  Now I know some of you are saying, 'whoa, money? take it and run!,' but I really wish, just once, I would get a beautiful wrapped gift to open.

I was determined to have a great birthday this year.  I was going to go out to dinner at this great Chinese buffet, sleep in late on Saturday, and head over to Mama's Patio for a big stack of either pancakes or waffles, depending on my mood.  Nikstock was going to be on the 13th and 14th in Irvine, and I knew one of the ands playing and was going to get discount tickets and hang out there all weekend.

Well, here is how things really went.
I get home on Friday, and T calls wanting some help at work.  I head down there and we don't get back home till 9:00 and T mentions that Grandma wants the family to head up to Bakersfield for Mothers Day.  Well, there goes sleeping in, pancakes, and Nikstock, and the Dragon Buffet, where I wanted to go for dinner, was now closed.  T took me out to dinner at Outback Steakhouse (my # 2 choice for b-day dinners) and I had the Victoria Cut with sweet potatoes, French onion soup, and cheesecake with 3 types of sauce!  Grandma & Grandpa gave me a card, and Uncle S and his girlfriend invited me over for dinner soon.

Next year my b-day had better be very great.