runlindsayrun

Eighteen Candles Later

It doesn't really matter how great your attitude is, or how well-adjusted you are to your situation, or how many times you've been around the block - it is always, always, always hard to deal with a flare-up on your birthday.

I saw this one coming a week away. It was a slow build, and then the downward spiral began as the week progressed. You know that the battle has been lost when you hit that point where you aren't sleeping well at night because of the flare-up insomnia, which in turn causes pain during the day that keeps you awake and unable to nap to catch up. This one has left me feeling exhausted, emotionally spent, and achy from head to toe.

The funny thing is that it never matters as much as I think it will. The weekend arrived and I felt like total crap on the outside, but I was surrounded by friends (the awesome kind, who totally don't care that you're sick). And I was at the lake, which always helps. Geoff and I packed up Briony and headed out there on Wednesday after a quick stop at Assiniboine Park in the morning - Briony's first official trip to the zoo, and our first little Canada Day adventure as a family. We spent three days doing very little other than going for walks and sitting in the sun. I didn't crack the cover of my textbook, but I read an entire 'fun' book from cover to cover. Awesomeness.

On Saturday, my parents showed up for the weekend, and friends arrived in the afternoon to help celebrate my birthday and join us in doing very, very little. We had a great barbecue for dinner and then sat around the campfire before jumping onto my dad's boat to watch the fireworks from the lake (a life experience not to be missed). It was a great birthday party. Geoff had to leave on Saturday after dinner so that he could work today, but Briony and I stayed at the lake with my parents until this evening.

Today was my *real* birthday, and we enjoyed another lazy day, and spent hours laughing at Briony's and all her babbling and giggling. My baby girl was especially silly today. But after we got home, it all devolved into what I can only assume will mean a new tooth in the morning... Just a little reminder that the world doesn't stop just because it's your birthday :)

And here we are, twenty-eight years old. A wife, a mommy, and a woman who is learning a little more every day about who she is, what she is capable of, and what she can contribute to the world. A pretty far cry from the sick little ten-year-old girl who had no clue what her future would hold, and was more than a little scared to even imagine it. I'm pretty sure those dreams involved pain-free birthdays... But I don't think I could ever have predicted so much fullness and joy.

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In no particular order...

Briony and her grandpa, chilling out at my birthday barbecue. She's always especially thrilled when she does something that makes her feel like a Big Girl :)


Swinging at the beach with mommy.


Asleep during our morning walk on the boardwalk. Add it to the list of beautiful places she's slept. Fortunately, this is one spot that she gets to see awake a lot.


Camping!


First trip to the zoo on Canada Day.


My delicious birthday cake! Not quite the cake wreck I'd hoped for, but it still made me smile :)


Finishing up a feeding with a game of Grandma Peekaboo. Briony *loves* playing with her grandma. Either that or she is just incredibly enthusiastic about eating organic squash ;)


Unbelievably, the best shot I have of Geoff and my brother from the entire day...


A few friends sitting around the campsite, helping me celebrate 28 years of Lindsayness.

Labels: Briony, Family, My Friends, Stuff I'm Thinking About

posted by Lindsay @ 11:21 PM