A Birthday to Remember

I'm sitting here and reflecting on the events of the day and felt compelled to post. I know it's probably not cool in the blog world to post twice in one day. I am not cool as will be revealed later (if it hasn't been already).

After my initial post this morning, a little drama transpired. First, a phone call from my daughter who spent last night at my mom's house. She called to say a sweet happy birthday and ask if we were having a party tonight. About 45 minutes after we hung up, my mom calls. This is the conversation:
Mom (whispering): I have a problem. Not with Lydia. With her Webkinz.
Me: What's up?
Mom: Well....ummmm.......I think Missy (her dog) peed on them.
Me: What?!
Mom: Lydia put them in her house last night and I just pulled them out. They have pee on them! What do I do?
Me: I don't know. How am I supposed to know?
Mom: It says "surface wash only". Should I wash them?
Me: Why were they in the dog house? She should know better than that!!
Mom: I don't think I ever told her she couldn't put them in there. (Obviously, if Lydia ever robs a bank it will be OK because she was never told her she couldn't)
Me: What's that supposed to mean? She knows they don't go in there. Which ones were they?
Mom: The horse and the rabbit.
Me: Does she know yet?
Mom (still whispering..but with more desperation): No. What should I do???
Me: I'll take care of it.

And so, I find myself in Holland's Pharmacy at 10:00am buying replacements for the peed on Webkinz to ensure that my daughter doesn't have an apocalyptic meltdown and want to come home early. Because, you know, I had plans for Mexican food and a movie. Through God's infinite mercy, they had both of them in stock. I made my purchase, sharing the whole sordid tale with the clerk behind the counter then drove to mom's house for the clandestine drop-off of the new & improved pee-free Webkinz to my mom's mailbox. Then Dave & I headed out as planned.

I feasted on chips, cheese dip and a chimichanga before going to see a matinee of "I Am Legend". It is a creepy movie no doubt. It's also got some surprisingly positive spiritual undertones. If you like suspense and a little "jump out of your seat" scariness, I recommend it. After the movie we headed to pick up Lydia. Mom had caved and told her the whole story about the replacements and she seemed OK with it. Mom said she'd still try to wash the urine-infested ones. (If you go to a yard sale at my mom's house and she has some really cheap Webkinz for sale, don't buy them! Just a friendly tip.)

Tonight was my "birthday party". We had a dinner of steak & shrimp with cupcakes for dessert. Dave & Lydia sang, I blew out my candle and we played a few rousing rounds of "Hullabaloo". Then I settled into my nightly routine of checking email and making my blog rounds. That's when I happened upon my friend Tammy's entry, a birthday tribute to me complete with video. She went to a lot of trouble to honor me and humiliate me all at once. It worked. I was laughing and crying through the whole thing. Very sweet and very humbling. If you wish to view it head over to her blog.

It's been a great day. Thanks to all of you who have sent me cards, emails & left me comments here. With the exception of the great Webkinz disaster of '08, this birthday has been pretty grand.