32 Flavours...and then Some!

The Niece Person's Natal Day is today. She's 15 today. Yesterday J and I trekked up to K-town to celebrate her special day a little bit early, as shelter duty today prevents us from doing so today. This year's gifts from her auntie and J were her 15th year Growing Up Girl figurine to add to her collection and a bottle of Justin Bieber's The Key eau de parfum, which was enthusiastically and totally asked for by her because "my bottle is almost empty and they don't make it anymore and I can't find it in Kenosha anywhere!!!" Not a fan of giving The Bieb any money, but I am a definitely a fan of making the Niece Person happy so I plugged my nose, went poking around on amazon, and got a decent sized bottle of the stuff for a very reasonable price. ;o)

We were remiss in not taking an Auntie and Niece Person picture to commemorate the day; I was planning to until I noticed she didn't have any of the requisite for her now make-up on, so I figured she would be embarrassed to take a pic anyway. So, I'll share our most recent picture together from after last May's spring choir concert...



Am I feeling old? You betcha. Especially after she made mention of looking forward to getting her driver's learner's permit come next summer when she's 15 1/2--the earliest she's able to. :o/ I can only imagine how her mother and The Brother Person are feeling about things...

She's turned into Quite The Young Lady...Straight As at school, very involved in extra curricular stuff (JV cheer and student council member, choir and that's what she's mentioned--I'm sure there's more), lots of diverse friendships...I am very proud of who she's become. Her parents have both done well by her. :o) <3

Despite them both being gone now for several years, I still celebrate my parents' birthdays. Today would have been my Dad's 76th birthday had he lived. So, here are some pics for your enjoyment...

Dad, sometime during the early to mid 80s at deer camp, being a goof while cooking breakfast for the crew...


It's a little weird to be posting a pic from my "starter wedding", but it's really one of the only pictures I have of me and my Dad together in my adult years...circa September '94...


One of the last pictures of Mom and Dad together, taken in March of 2003 while they "snowbirded" in AZ.

I was totally a Daddy's girl. While not an all the time sort of thing, I tended to have that man wrapped around my little finger for most of my life. We were pretty good buds most of the time, all things considered. I miss him every single damned day, even almost 12 years since his passing from this Earth. He was One of the Good Ones. Wish I would've told him that more often...

Happy Birthday in Heaven. Or wherever it is your soul's hanging around out in The Great Beyond right now. Have a couple of Cold Ones to celebrate your Natal Day, and be sure to detail whatever motor vehicle you're currently driving around in Out There, too--I know how much you loved doing that Down Here...

Sigh...I wish he was here, dammit... :/