I’ve had so many great birthdays
I think it was my 13th birthday my parents took me to a Cards / Cubs game in St. Louis. I still love going to games. I still have a few of the souvenirs from that game. I can’t believe that was over 20 years ago!
For my 16th birthday I remember getting kicked out of a go kart track in Terre Haute. There was something about my friends and I crashing into each other, knocking each other off the race track and breaking pieces of the wall that the track employees didn’t particularly care for.
I believe I celebrated my 21st three times. First, my college friends in Carbondale had a surprise party for me. Fifty college kids and a couple of kegs of beer, what could possibly go wrong? Second, I went to Vegas with my dad. I remember waiting in line for a drink at around 11:57pm, three minutes before I turned 21 and an employee carded me. He was so excited that I was about to turn 21 he just started handing over all the free goodies he could find, dice, cards, souvenir gym bags and beer mugs. After I survived Vegas, I had a small party with my mom and a dozen or so good friends from back home. We sat out on her deck and had a great time together.
My 27th birthday, that was a weird one. Somehow we ended up back in my hometown at my moms (again) with a keg. She was out of town and a few friends showed up, then a few more friends. It was like a bad teen movie. After a couple of hours there were probably 75 people there, red velvet cake and keg cups were all over the house. That was my new girlfriend’s (now my wife) introduction to most of my friends. I still can’t believe she stuck around after that.
Finally, three of my last five birthdays have been extremely special. My wife was 7 months pregnant for my 30th, 33rd and 35th birthdays. My wife has given me the greatest gifts of all, my three little ones. I love her and each one of them so very, very much.
Happy Birthday to me!
