Birthdays are such tricky things. They come with expectations, whether you consciously attribute any expectations to them or not. Such as...as a general rule, you really want your birthday to be a good day! 

I mean, on the most simplistic level, that's what you're hoping for. A good day. If we're honest, let's go out there and say, we are truly hoping for a REALLY good day.

However, birthdays are also just regular days. They fall somewhere in the middle or beginning or end of a week full of 7 other days and stuff happens in days that may or may not be really good. It may just be another day. 

If you're looking into your future and planning things that may or may not occur on your birthday, I would recommend that you NOT schedule a vet appointment on your birthday and then haul your three kids plus your 22 pound puppy there all on your own. Cause it might happen that you feel a little stressed out after doing so. Cause you might also just happen to be at the critical stage in your puppy's growth where you can't risk exposing her to Parvo, so you have to carry her the whole time you're at the vet to make sure she doesn't get exposed to something. Which means your 3 kids are very possibly frolicking around in a waiting room that is just plain filthy with dog hair and germs and who knows what else. Not to mention that your youngest son's nose is draining snot at an alarming pace and pooling on his upper lip, turning into a snotty glue attracting and bonding with all the dog hair flying around. What this means is that your baby has a dog-hair mustache. Eww.

Since my birthday falls on a school day this year, I came home from the stressful vet trip and had to jump into our school day. Granted, Fridays are our least busy day, but it's still something we have to do and it can be stressful. Particularly when Dorien decides he's had it with everyone taking the seats he wants to sit in and he just throws himself against you and wails incessantly for 20 minutes while you're just hoping for a small window in which to wrap up this week's math lesson! 

Today also is the last night of my 10 week painting class and I sort of said I might bring cookies since it's our last week and also my birthday. What was I thinking? I must be nuts. I am looking forward to some painting time, though, so that is good birthday stuff. It's the obligatory cookie bake that I am now regretting. Kyle said, Ash, just don't mess with it! Yes, Kyle, that would be ok, but I am trustworthy. I said I would do it. Hm. Conundrum.

I'm also 35 today. Which means I'm halfway to 70. Trust me, it sounds older than it feels. I feel great! And as Kyle pointed out to me the other day - his 35th year was his best year yet. This is encouraging! Still....35...

In good news, I went to the dermatologist yesterday because I had a suspicious mole. Not that it was suspicious of ME, although it might have been. Mostly, I was suspicious about it. A few weeks ago, it suddenly got irritated looking and red around it and just odd. It is right in the line of my bra edge and definitely in a spot where it could get irritated, but it just happened fast and it worried me. The good news is that my little nevus is benign. Did you know nevus is the medical term for mole? Isn't it a funny word? If I ever have a pet mole of the animal variety, I'm naming it Nevus. 

But back to today. I will say that despite some typical day frustrations, there was one shining moment this morning that I wish I could have freeze-framed and stretched out to cover this whole day from start to finish. It was that good. As the kids and I were driving to the vet, I turned on the radio and one of my all time favorite songs was just beginning. Have you ever seen Pretty in Pink? Another personal favorite.  The very last song of the movie where Andie (Molly Ringwald) follows her "richie" boyfriend Blaine (Andrew McCarthy) out to his car in the middle of prom. He's just told her loves her, in all his fervent, super-serious, "this is high school and my parents don't approve but hang it all I love you" sort of way and Andie is torn because she wants to believe him, but she's been burned. And then Duckie (Jon Cryer), her best friend and side-kick who's also secretly in love with Andie, reluctantly tells her that Blaine came to prom all alone (which means he really does love her). At this, Andie runs after Blaine and they meet in the dark parking lot, with the moonlight and parking lot lights reflecting off the rain-slicked pavement. Just two teenagers in love. And the worlds greatest song cascades around them as they kiss...

Imagine this song playing (loudly) in the car and Brooklyn and August in their carseats rocking out. Oh yeah. Banging pretend drums, wailing into pretend microphones. Then, the following priceless dialogue...

Brooklyn - "Mom! This is the best song I've ever heard!" 

August - "Mom! This is the best song I've ever SEEN!"

Dorien - "Momma! Momma! Mommyyyy!!!"

Brooklyn - "I LOVE this song!"

August - "I love this song so much!"

Brooklyn - "This is the best day of my life!!"

And that, folks, accompanied by a great soundtrack is what does make a really great birthday. So listen and let this song make YOUR day...

If You Leave (by OMD)