Favorite Things Friday

Today is my birthday eve and you would think that I would include my birthday in a favorite things post, right? Nope. It's not one of my favorite things. Unless I start turning YOUNGER its just another day.



For those of you who have known me a while, this may come as a shock. Many moons ago, I spent the week of September 7th thinking I was Queen of all those before me.  I rocked out with a new outfit, reminded people of the important countdown, and seriously felt as if it were the most important day of the year.












Layers of maturity later, I have stepped down from my high horse and realized that for me, September 7th has a different meaning.  I have had a couple of years that on this date, I was going through some really rough times.  They were out of my control and sometimes life just doesn't care that its your birthday!! The rough times kind of took the wind out of my celebration sail and turned Septmeber 7th into a day of memories.

THIS is my Friday Favorite.....



This knock out of a woman is my grandmother Mama-Betty.  Every single year before she passed away SHE made my birthday special. 

I am 1 of 3 first cousins on her side and we all have birthdays within a month of each other.  Every year we would have a family birthday party at my grandparents house to celebrate.  My cousin and I would share a chocolate cake and my sister had her own white cake.  I can still feel the excitement of looking forward to this day.  Whats crazy is that I do not have a single memory of my "regular" birthday parties.  The ones you had a McDonalds, Pizza Hut, or the park.  Not one single memory.  I only remember the birthday parties with my family.






As I got older and distance would not allow the cousins to get together for a birthday party, Mama-Betty still made sure that she made me feel special on this day.  She would drive her Lincoln town car to my college apartment with a birthday cake in hand.  A birthday cake complete with frosted roses (my favorite part) and the cursive words that read "Happy Birthday Julie".  The cakes she served were always THE BEST.  My friends new she would deliver, so they always made sure to be available to help me eat it!!

So now, my birthday no longer means "What am I getting" or "Where is my cake", but instead my time to reflect and remember all of the special memories that Mama-Betty created for me.  This is why I smile on September 7th.  Not because I have survived one more year, but because I can still feel the warmth of her smile and hear her voice saying "Happy Birthday".