An Exciting End of Summer

Summer is wrapping up for me. My new job as a call representative starts the second week in August and promises to keep me fairly busy during daylight hours. My birthday is on Monday, and I have three scheduled events so far. Tomorrow I'm going pre-birthday shopping with two things in mind: a hot pink casual dress (preferably cotton) and a sheer, beaded bolero in a bright color. Wednesday, Jared and I are heading to Madison's east side to have a sit down lunch with my fantastic Gram and possibly (hopefully for Gram's sake) Aunt Sue. After lunch we'll be coming into Platteville. I'm getting my face on and going downtown for Ladies' Night with best-friend and confidant, Ciera. Friday into Saturday a group of friends and I are going cosmic bowling at a Casino. On Sunday we leave for a relaxing time in the Northwoods. I start work on the 7th and am going to Mineral Point for gallery night that night. I expect cake and a crown. This should be an exciting birthday!

I've had a bad streak with birthdays ever since third grade when Mom let me invite over a mixed group of friends (meaning boys and girls). Eventually one boy was chasing a girl with a stick, and I ended up sobbing in the laundry room. Since then I've had botched sleepovers (everyone got lice when I turned ten), parties called on count of hurricane, and last year's awful night in a dead bar a chubby blond woman spent the night talking about how I looked 12 not 21.


There is definitely a gap between 5th grade and senior year in college; At one time I had sworn off birthdays. The last five years (since I've been in Wisconsin) Gram has taken me to Bunky's (except that one time John picked Imperial Garden). I've had a nice family dinner with Mom, John and Gram five years running (last year Jared joined too).

This year is going to be a lot different though. Actually, all family functions are going to be a lot different from now on seeing that my parents flew the coop and ran off into the mountains of Colorado. My birthday should be fine because Gram and I get on great and I always enjoy Sue's company, but I worry about Christmas and Thanksgiving. This may shock some, but my family isn't really related to me. Gram is my mother's boyfriend's mother and Sue is his sister. They've been very welcoming to me since they figured out I am not a problem child. Their openness to my presence has been a great change of pace with family and makes me feel apart of something, but I fear without Mom and John's attendance to large family gatherings I'm going to feel the odd one out.

Update 08/05:

I ordered shoes, birthday complete.
Anyways, this is how my plans ended up.
Shopping went awful. Everything that was hot pink or chartreuse was an XL or 3XL. No boleros in sight.
Dinner with Gram was good. Uncle Bob and Aunt Sue were there. Jared was comfortably charming. I got all sorts of random things in my Gram grab bag. Makes me very happy. I just love socks, scissors and kitchen utensils. (Not sarcasm)
I didn't attend Ladies' Night. I was exhausted and the bar wasn't crowded enough.
Cosmic bowling went okay, but I got the feeling everybody was either tired or grumpy. I did, however bowl a turkey in the last frame of the last game.
Sunday we left very very late. We got to the cabin very very late. We slept late the first day. We were on the water often. I had a great time with Jared. We even went fishing. I killed 3 flies and he caught some fish.
Jared made me a cake. No one got me a crown.

I do want to say that the trip and my birthday left me overall disappointed, so my birthday suffered the curse as a slight sickness and not a catastrophe.