My Birthday Should be a National Holiday

I know, everyone says that. They're so important that everyone should celebrate their birthday or (more likely), people just don't want to work on their birthday. I'm sure I'd feel the same way if I understood what "work" was and why people didn't want to go there.  My granny tried to explain it to me, but I just didn't understand.  Something about getting up and putting on make up and leaving the house.  All quite a puzzle to me really.

Is it related to the band who sings "Down Under"?

Anyway, my birthday really should be a national holiday, possibly and international holiday.  Not because of myself, but because it is the anniversary of the moon landing.

July 20, 1969

This year will be the 44th anniversary of the day human beings first stepped on to another planet.  It wasn't the first exploration into space…

Dogs and chimps beat humans to it

…but it is the day humans walked where no human has walked before.  And that's important.  It's an important day in human history and we all should be celebrating it. Not necessarily with cake like I am...

Ice cream and pandas, of course

but possibly with bottle rockets.

There's no occasion that can't be made better with fireworks

So Happy Birthday to myself and Congratulations Humanity for taking that one big step for mankind!

Next stop: Mars!

Deep in the Heart of Texas: Part 2

 The only thing I really wanted for my birthday was to see my new nephew.  Of course, I knew that seeing him came along with some great bonus prizes, like the other members of my family happily catering to my every whim.  Since my whim now is to recount the events of that birthday weekend, I shall do so, and you shall indulge me, readers, because I said so. 

The morning of my birthday began as usual:  with me waking up too early to care about anything going on because I wasn't used to the time difference (Abu Dhabi is 11 hours ahead of Houston).  Since it was my birthday, I promptly decided to go back to bed and take a nap instead of going to breakfast as previously planned.  Enter the sister guilt trip:  "Shane was really looking forward to breakfast, he'll be disappointed if we don't go." 

He's a big guy, you don't want to disappoint him.

So I was a good sport, put on a real shirt and a bra (but I didn't put on real pants, pajama bottoms are appropriate attire for IHOP), and went to IHOP.  Shane was not there, but Granny, Cathy, Helen, and Jim were!  All sitting at a large table complete with a high chair for the baby.  While I was still getting over the surprise and pleasure of seeing them out from behind a partition walks my dad!  I was so surprised, even though he had talked about coming out for the big day, because generally no one in our family can keep their mouths shut.

Technology helps. None of us really knows how to whisper.

I am unashamed to say that I have always been a daddy's girl and couldn't have been more pleased that he came to see me.

He did forget to bring me some See's chocolates, though.

A big family breakfast with hearty conversation, then on to the next important event:  Naptime.

Best Auntie Ever, 8 years running

Dinner was a typical Pudlewski gathering.  Through a devious method of sending a houseguest (who would not be invited to the party) into Kroger to buy the maximum amount of steak each time, my Granny procured enough T-bones for all and then some, along with the asparagus I requested, despite it's high cost.   We ate, we talked, we drank (a lot), we swam, we had cake.  My aunt and uncle drove in from Pearland for the night.  My one regret is that my sister made me leave at some point, but I suppose I can forgive her since I don't even recall what time it was, nor how many hard apple ciders I had imbibed.

On paper it might not sound very exciting, but it was exactly what I wanted.  I wouldn't change a thing.  And, because it was my birthday I was allowed to go on the big fishing trip with the boys, but that my children, is a tale for another time.

Now please to enjoy a gratuitous set of photos of me and my family:  

OK, not too gratuitous.  We don't take a lot of photos because we're having so much fun we just don't think about it.

Deep in the Heart of Texas: Part 1

July 20 marked two important occasions:  the 43rd anniversary of man landing on the moon, and my birthday.  I'm going to write extensively on the more important accomplishment:  my living to be 30 and my celebratory trip.

Sure, this is impressive, but it has nothing to do with me.

First, a tribute to the man who made it all possible, my wonderful husband Dan.  He thought I wanted an iPad for my birthday, but given the choice, I asked for a trip to visit my new nephew, and he obliged.  Not only was it an expensive plane ticket, he knew that I would have a better time celebrating this milestone with my family even if he couldn't be there. 

Artist's Rendering

It had been a year and a half since I'd seen my sister.  She'd gotten knocked-up AND had the baby, all without me being there.  It was very inconsiderate of her.  Good thing the kid is cute and at that perfect age where he's doing tricks and smiling, but he can't locomote yet, so there's no chance of losing him.

Grandma loves towel heads!

(Elizabeth, remind me to tell you about the time I babysat you at the same age while your poor father tried to work from home).

My mom, sister, nephews, and I took a 3-day trip to San Antonio. 

We went to the Natural Bridge Caverns.  It's a very accessible cave with many interesting formations.  That means it's very busy and you must go down with a tour guide instead of exploring by yourself.  My sister carried the baby all the way in the baby carrier;  I was very impressed.

Shaeleb, not so much.

Shaedon (who is eight), made the mistake of telling my mother she was too old to go zip-lining.  So we went zip-lining.

Who's too old?

Shaedon didn't believe that killer whales could do tricks like he saw on TV, so he was really excited to see Shamu.  As a theme park veteran, I know that it's a tactical error to go to the first or last Shamu show, so even though we had talked up Shamu and killer whales, I made the poor boy wait until 4:30pm to see Shamu.  He was sufficiently impressed, although I was not, because the trainers didn't get into the water with the whales at all.  Stay tuned for a further post on that.  Shaedon got to feed the dolphins and the sea lions; we were so proud of him, since he claimed to be scared of fish, but he picked up those slimy sardines and tossed them right into their mouths.

"Just give me the fish, kid!"

 
We only lost him one time, and that was our fault. Pro-tip:  don't just let the kiddies run right into the water playground unless you have someone prepared to go after him.

...and a good time was had by all.

On the mandatory trip to the Alamo (one of America's most important and boring landmarks), we also did a Mirror Maze and secret agent laser tunnel, both of which were a lot of fun.

Yup, there is is, now we can do something fun.

Like this.

We ate at a famous tourist trap Mexican restaurant, where we learned that Shaeleb's room should have been decorated in a Mexican Christmas theme instead of a monkey theme.

I couldn't take my eyes off the decor either.

On the way back, we stopped at Buc-ee's.  Buc-ee's is a truck stop like no other.  They have a mascot, a million kinds of snacks, 12 flavors of Icee, and trademark apparel.  I even saw a girl wearing a Buc-ee's t-shirt at a mall 100 miles away!  I hope that they build many many more of these amazing oases, so I can stop at them when I eventually have to resume getting to Houston on the most boring section of Interstate 10 rather than on an international airline which will bring me all the vodka tonics my little heart's (and little bladder's) desire.

Well, this is getting a little long, so here I will break it off.  What did Sabrina do on her actual birthday?  Did she get the pony she's always asking for??  What kind of cake did she have???

Find out next time, readers.  Same Bat-time, Same Bat-Channel.