Birthday Girls!!

This is my 60th birthday. Just exactly where did 5 years go??

And this was my 22nd birthday. I don't even want to ask where 43 years have gone!!

This was 1979 - I was 34 years old. Close to Phoebe's age. It seems strange when I compare it to my kids.

Rose Ann and I share a birth date and a birth year. This was our 23rd birthday. That's how old Noah is!!

There is not a birthday photo extant of any of my childhood birthdays. They were not an extremely big deal - at least when I was growing up. My friends had parties and I always got invited. But I only ever had one birthday party - on my 8th birthday. It was somewhat bittersweet, however, because it was the year my best friend died - in March of that year - and her mother came to the party and brought me a gift - days of the week underwear - something I had truly coveted. Maybe Barbara's mom knew that and that's why she brought them. (My friend was named Barbara also - when we were littler than 8, we both were sure we were related because we had the same name!! We also used to sit in the hammock and speak gibberish and think we were speaking Spanish!)

The big deal when I was a kid was the fact that you didn't have to do your chores, you got your hair curled in the middle of the week - if your birthday occurred in the middle of the week that is - and you got to choose the menu for dinner. It wasn't much, I guess, but it always made me happy. In later years, my mom would often make me a dress for my birthday. One year I was a bit upset because I had to use up my birthday dress requisition on a prom dress!! (I wasn't keen on the boy who asked me and wanted to go camping with my friends instead!!)

I have had memorable birthdays - I'm sure - I would tell you about them if I could remember the details!!

One year Dad had everyone send me birthday cards - I got almost 60 that year - I think he did it for my 60th birthday. In college my friends and Alice did a surprise birthday party for me. One year Dad took me on a day trip - we took Hannah along since she was baby - and we went to Palm Springs - rode the tram. I turned 21 in Paris and my friends all gave me goofy gifts.

I can't complain about birthdays - as President McKay used to say, "Birthdays are better than the alternative!"