2 posts tagged “birthday”
I once interviewed for a job at a college in San Diego. A gorgeous, ocean-front college. Things went well that week. But there were two potential glitches. One was state-mandated hiring guidelines which were not in my favor. The other was that Checkered was not ready to make such a big move – and I really loved him and knew he was my guy forever. So the California move seemed dead-ended.
Months later, exactly two weeks before my wedding, I got a call. It was the dean of the San Diego school. The school had found a loophole around the state guidelines. Would I meet with him to discuss a job?
My mind couldn’t focus. My heart was beating hard. I WAS GETTING MARRIED! Please, he asked again, would I reconsider? But Checkered needed to be here back then and I chose to stay with him.
Sometimes I think about that job offer. I wonder what would have become of me, of us, had I met with them again.
The truth is that our marriage has been very, very comfortable and wonderfully happy. It has had ample laughter and good feelings. Checkered thinks I am smart, beautiful, and worth loving, and he tells me that every day. Yes, I absolutely made the right choice.
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We’ve had some interesting anniversaries, but the best anniversary we ever spent was eight years ago. On that day, our beautiful baby Kenseth was born. Someone told us we would never celebrate our anniversary again; that it would be forevermore Kenseth’s day.
There’s some truth (okay, a lot of truth) to that. But know what? That’s okay because he’s our amazing anniversary boy, and that makes this very special boy even more precious to us.
Here’s to love J
A month or so ago, Kahne asked that I have “just one more baby,” and that I make sure he would be born by Halloween. While Kahne is going to be mighty disappointed come the 31st, it did remind me of a similar experience when I was five.
During the late summer/early fall of my fifth year, I asked my mom for a baby. A real baby. Not another doll, even if it did drink from a bottle and need a diaper. Simply a real, live, breathing baby.
She gave me a look I didn’t understand and walked away. A few weeks later, my parents shared the joy that, indeed, a new baby would be joining our family within a month or so. I was dumbfounded. You see how keen my powers of observation were even then?
I never knew how much influence I had. This baby was going to be born because I requested it! There could be no doubt that I would love my baby faithfully and forever.
The morning arrived when it wasn’t our mom or dad who woke my older sister and me up for school, but our grandpa. He told us that our parents were at the hospital. This was it!!!! Later that day, we learned that our beautiful baby sister had been born and we named her Red.
After many years passed, my mom and baby Red came home. Okay, baby Red was less than a week old, but it FELT like years. I came home from morning kindergarten and my grandpa let me have Fritos for lunch and then walk in the woods. Then their car came down the driveway!! THEY WERE HOME!!!!! Daddy parked the car and I raced to my mom’s door to open it and express my love for baby Red. I had never seen such a beautiful real, live, breathing baby, and I shouted this news so everyone in the neighborhood would know. I loved her so much I didn’t even mind getting reprimanded for waking her with my shouts. It was the beginning of a genuine, lifelong love.
You may have your own family now, baby Red, and live millions of miles away, but you are still mine forever.
But wait; there’s more. Many years after Red’s wonderful birth, I met and began to date a nice guy who quickly became much more than just a nice guy to me. I was deeply into his kindness, values, goodness, and excitement before I ever knew he shared a birthday with Red. After that discovery, there was no escape for him. He, too, would be mine faithfully and forever. I LOVE OCTOBER!
Happy birthday and much love, Red and Checkered!!
