A Quarter of a Century...

Yesterday I let my mind wonder… a bit too far down nostalgic lane… If you’ve ever been down nostalgic lane, you are aware that it can quickly digress into Naval Gaze Drive… or Pity Party Parkway. Jesse got home right about the time…

“What’s wrong?”

“I was just thinking about my birthday tomorrow….”

Birthdays in our family have always been simple but special. My mom would decorate the kitchen with streamers and balloons. We had these cut out letters and confetti that stuck to our window and spelled out “H.a.p.p.y. B.i.r.t.h.d.a.y.!!!” Multi-colored cards with your name in various relative’s scrawl adorned your seat at the breakfast table. And that night after going to the restaurant of your choice, you got to open your presents, make a wish, and blow out your candles. The only draw-back was that in our family we have one very strict rule. You aren’t your age until the exact time you were born. For instance if I said, “Daddy I’m ten!!!” my father would look at the time and reply, “Not until 12:48 p.m. You’re still nine.” But when that dreadfully slow microwave timer finally turned to the right green numbers, everyone would say, “Happy Birthday!!!”

When I was a little girl, my grandparents would often come and visit over my birthday. (My birthday usually coincided with Labor Day weekend and the fall colors of East Tennessee.) It was always a treat to see them! They would make the long drive from Chicago to our home nestled in the Appalachian valley that surrounds Knoxville. When my grandparent’s car crested our hill, Joshua and I would race with anticipation to meet them before they could open the door.

Last year I flew to Chicago to see my brother. We went to a renaissance festival in Wisconsin!!! We did everything from eating chicken on a stick to bungee jumping to watching a jousting tournament to the death!!! It was pretty intensely awesome!!! But this year is my first year away from all my family… except my new family. This is my first birthday with my husband.

This morning when I woke up, Jesse was already upstairs (nothing unusual about that.) As I turned the corner with sleep in my eyes and a yawn in my throat, my gaze landed on balloons… every color and size strewn across the stair banister along with a happy birthday sign. As I entered the kitchen I found more balloons!!! They were taped to the refrigerator, the oven, the cabinets, the pan rack, and light hanging from the ceiling. More “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” signs filled the rest of the dwindling space in our kitchen. It was such a simple gesture with so much love and effort behind it (especially when you take into consideration that my husband is recovering from a broken thumb. If you have never had the opportunity to blow up and tie a balloon with a cast on one of your thumbs, then you won’t be able to completely appreciate the gesture of countless balloons!!!) The breakfast table was set with blue paper “happy birthday” plates, cups, and napkins!!! A card with my name on it in my favorite handwriting, rested on my present. The box was wrapped and ceiled with a post-it warning “Wait until 12:48”. It was perfect.

I laughed and cried at all the special details of Jesse’s decorations. After a delightful breakfast, Jesse left to take care of some “business” for a few hours, and I started the process of dying my hair bright red. It’s been black for some time now, and I felt that being a quarter of a century deserved a new color. After a quick lunch and opening my card and present (the cup-cake maker I really wanted!!!), Jesse and I grabbed a latte to go and hit the road. We were headed to Jesse’s favorite spot: his waterfall. How can you own a waterfall, you ask? By discovering it of course!!!

We drove through the back country on an old logging road and pulled off at one particular spot. Jesse had packed a picnic of wine and cheese and crackers and cake and candles!!! We hiked down to a large flat rock overlooking the waterfall. This is one of the lowest times for the waterfall. In the spring, it expands with the mountain’s melted snow and rushes over the rocks we were sitting on. The sun shone bright and warm yesterday, and we soaked up its rays while munching on crackers and cheese. After our picnic, Jesse showed me the other waterfall a short hike down from where we were. This waterfall was actually higher than the first but it doesn’t have a good swimming hole underneath. We lay on our stomachs and stuck our chins over the rocks to peer down the falling water. Everything around us was smooth. Rocks were rounded, trees were bare as bones. You could even see the swirling patterns of the forceful flow on large boulders and fallen trucks. But now, at the end of the summer, flowers were stretching up through the rocks cracks and crevasses and moss had begun to carpet what will soon be the bottom of a rushing current.

Jesse and I explored. We took pictures, and sat over the waterfall and talked about the coming year. I always love birthdays because they’re a personal New Years. You get to look back at the previous year, and plan and hope for all that’s too come. My 24^th year of life was a huge year of change. I fell in love, got married and moved to Canada all in the same 365 days! As we talked about our hopes and dreams, we both mentioned not conforming to mediocrity. We want to be willing to be stretched, to get uncomfortable, and take the plunge into the unknown. Earlier, Jesse had climbed up and jumped off part of the first waterfall. The water was freezing cold, but he hadn’t been here all summer. Shivering to the surface and swimming back to me and the towel, he got out breathless and happy. This simple act exemplifies our hope: whatever comes our way, Jesse and I will jump in and come out the other side- happy that we took the risk.

I don’t know what 25 will hold. But with a quarter of a century of experience, bright red hair, and the man I love by my side… anything can happen…