how i celebrated crossing the line to my "late 20's"

 The first weekend in May every year is always a triple celebration for my parents and I!  I am one of four children, so I feel pretty dang special that I have this kind of an annual bond with Mom and Dad, that my three older brothers do not share.

My dad's birthday is May 9, and mine is May 11... and hopefully you remembered that Mother's Day always falls on this time of year... in fact it seems like every other year it falls exactly on one of our birthdays.

The timing of my birthday with my school/fieldwork schedule the last 6 years has made for 6 years of pretty lame birthdays.  I think I've come to accept it at this point and cut my losses with low expectations for parties with actual people my age, nights out, cake, birthday shots, etc.  I can't even tell you what I did for my 21st because I don't remember.  (NOT because I was black-out, but because I was probably studying my precious young life away for a final exam the next day and choose to block such events from my memory).

I was originally (though tentatively) planning a trip to DC for my birthday weekend this year... but it ended up not really panning out.  Chalking it up to the bad timing I have every year- and officially decided that this weekend is just destined to be reserved for special time with my rents.

Back in April, I had already requested last Friday off from work... and when my DC plans fizzled out, I was trying to figure out exactly what I was going to do with a 3-day weekend.  Not only was it going to be a good opportunity to fly home to see my parents (they live in Ohio)...but a GREAT opportunity to completely surprise them!  Lately Mom has been saying how much she misses having me around to do things spontaneously, especially this time of year.  She has been begging me to come home for a weekend and saying she'd by the ticket if I would just show up! I found a Thursday night plane ticket, arranged an airport pickup with my aunt and uncle, and then got to planning my big surprise!

I special-ordered a cake for Dad, since I would be getting in on his birthday.  I made a reservation for a "couples" Mother/Daughter massage on Saturday (my mom has never gotten one), and dinner reservation at our favorite restaurant on Saturday night.  I had already mailed a birthday card, my Dad's birthday present, and a Mother's Day card to the house.  And I gave my mom (who I speak with nearly daily) absolutely no indication that I would not be working on Friday and led her on to believe I had way more important ways to celebrate my 25th.

My aunt and uncle picked me up at the airport Thursday night, took me to the grocery so I could pick up my cake, ice cream, and champagne.  On the drive to the house, my mom called.  I picked up the phone and just started chatting like we normally do.  Anyway, I continued leading her on, asking for Dad to wish him a Happy Birthday, and promising to call back again later when he was in from outside.  We continue chatting, and as we pull up to the house in the car, my mom says, "Someone's pulling up in the driveway... I wonder who it is...".  We change the subject, then as I open the door, Mom says, "Someone's getting out... I wonder who's here."  She is standing out on the back deck, sees me get out, and goes, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!!?"

Success!


Dad came in soon after, and I set up an impromptu party in the dining room with my aunt and uncle!  My parents had just had a quiet dinner that night (holding out for fancy birthday dinner Saturday), so I know it made him feel special to have the cake, candles, singing, and presents!

Surprise!

Friday, I treated myself to hair and nails, visited my mom at her office, and spent time with my cousins.  Saturday, I took Mom for her first full body massage-- which she BADLY needed, and absolutely loved!  We went shopping for flowers and plants and chatted the day away.  Saturday night, my parents already had plans for dinner with some other couple friends of theirs, and I just tagged along (fortunately it happened to be at the same restaurant where I made a reservation a month ago!).

The birthday boy, birthday girl, and special mother!

After dinner, my good friend L from high school picked me up and took me out in Dayton for drinks and general fun times out as a couple single girls... I forgot how much I missed that. :)  Sunday, I struggled through church and nursed a pretty terrible hangover (I blame my strange and undying love for tequila shots, inability to turn down a drink offer from a boy, and forgetting that I'm 25 now).

Old & new friends tearing up small-town Ohio!

My parents and I had a quiet afternoon around the house (which is a lot more enjoyable than one might think!  I loooove just hanging out in the house I grew up in...), ate dinner together and then went back to the airport and home to Charlotte!

We had a great time together, and I really wanted the weekend to be more about them than about me- and I think the surprise helped make it that way!  I still got to have a little bit of a normal 20-something birthday celebration... but I'm thinking that the tradition of spending special alone time with my Mom and Dad to celebrate a new year is one that can't be beat!