A Most Happy Birthday Eve... Lori

I love it when the planets align like they have today.  This whole week is dedicated to birthdays because, it just so happens, I know someone every day this week who has a birthday.  Most of them are people near and dear to me... except today.

Today, October 9, it just so happens is the birthday of Richard's ex-wife.  I won't even go into the coincidence of us having birthdays two days a part.  Could we really have something in common?  Yikes, if we do... I don't want to know about it.  I've tried and tried over the years to make a friend whose birthday is October 9, but so far... nothing.  Do any of you know someone whose birthday is October 9?  If so, bring them to me and I will start a friendship.  Promise. You can even tell them I'm a frequent package sender.  It's the missing piece of the puzzle.  If I can just lock in a friend for October 9, I can rest easy knowing the week is covered - minus the ex.

Until then, I've figured it out.  We'll celebrate AZLori's birthday today - a day early.  It was Lori who yesterday had the genius idea that perhaps a new birthday tradition could be a formal celebration of the last day of someone's current age, before ringing in their new year.  Loved ones could recall a quality, an experience, an achievement, or something else they especially appreciated about the person from the current year... before moving on to the next.  In my mind, this is like a Birthday Eve.  Lori also suggested loved ones could use "Birthday Eve" to wish for an experience with the birthday boy or girl the following year.  It could be something as simple as, "I wish next year we can have a cupcake picnic."  Or how about, "I wish next year we have could learn at least one new thing about one another."; "share a new hobby."; or "play hookie from our responsibilities one day." 

I just love it.  Peggy, I see a greeting card line.  We could start a movement.  Rather than focusing, exclusively on the birthday boy or girl's year ahead... new year, new presents, new you....  we can use Birthday Eve to sufficiently pay tribute to this year's contributions and achievements.

It is true that most of you have come to know Lori as a committed and creative member of the Highlowaha community.  She is always up for an adventure - even if it means making a trip to the post office - and is frequently responsible for some of our most winning ideas.  What you might not know is she is the mother of three boys (and therefore often serves as my parenting mentor) and ranks right up there with some of the most loyal, thoughtful, and generous people I am privaledged to know.  

Chances are you don't know that Lori and I went to college together at Arizona State.  We celebrated a handful of birthdays while in college - one of us always working to out-do or out-smart the other.  Here's one of my prouder moments...

I literally filled Lori's entire residence hall room with pink and purple balloons (if it wasn't obvious before that I was full of hot air, it ought to be now).  It took me all day and the help of many of the 75 residents living on our floor, but I did it.  What's funny is, that in pulling this picture out of my scrap book, I ran across the caption below the picture.  It read, "Your clue is somewhere in one of these..."  It's vaguely coming back to me now....  Rolled up on a scroll of paper was a clue for Lori, revealing where her present was hidden.  Thing of it is... I can't remember what the present was.  Lori... do you have any idea?

So, yes today maybe you will join me in wishing Lori a "Happy Birthday Eve," but also maybe you will use it to share your "Birthday Most..."  It could be the most outrageous birthday stunt you've ever pulled, your most fun outing, the most memorable gift given or received, most extravagant, most meaningful, most funny, most sentimental, most, most, most....  You get the idea.  

It seems fitting, as Lori is one of my oldest and most cherished friends.

Signing off until tomorrow...