I’ve had the flu, so this week’s Castle Life update will be a (very) short fairy tale, starring me.
Once Upon a Time
Chapter 1
A girl met her prince. He was tall, dark, and handsome. (Actually, he was a Republican. But he was definitely tall.) They fell in love, and got married. *
Chapter 2.
He brought her to his castle and they lived happily ever after.**
The End***
*Okay, so thirty years of life happened between Chapters 1 and 2. They included:
|
MONTHS |
SPENT: |
|
36 |
Pregnant |
|
96 |
Changing diapers |
|
192 |
Getting offspring into or out of carseats |
|
180 |
Driving to Sunday School |
|
48 bazillion |
Driving practice with teenage drivers. (Note: this item is multiplied by Parental-Terror units, which include the number of times your life flashes before your eyes…) |
|
134 down, 10 to go |
College tuition |
|
360 |
Thinking up something to have for dinner |
|
0 |
Playing with my grandchildren (but I’m not bitter. Much…) |
**In the romance-writing biz, we aim for the HEA (Happily-Ever-After), or—if we’re milking it for series potential—at least a HFN (Happily-for-Now. No, it doesn’t mean Hell, eFfing No…).
I was thinking about the HFN today when I went to a friend’s birthday lunch. She’s 93, so I asked her to tell me about her favorite birthday ever. “Considering the alternative,” she told me, “Every birthday I make it to is the best one ever.” So of course, I asked for her secret to a long happy ever after. She answered right away. “Have a lot of friends who remember you even when you can’t remember their names.” A few minutes later she added, “Don’t say no to sweets.” And finally, “Don’t look back.”
***So it turns out that my Chapter 2 was a HFN, and we’re about to start on Chapter 3. Hint: What do Scots wear under their kilts? Stay tuned!
What was the best birthday you can remember? How about the best birthday advice?
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Barb Taub 
My best birthday was my 25th and then every day since. What’s your favourite birthday Barb?
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17. My friends showed up at dawn, dragged me out wearing tattered PJs/hair in rollers/no makeup/no bra (sadly, not a big loss). We went to iHop and I got a huge waffle covered in whipped cream and seventeen candles. My own mother was in on it and never even gave me a hint of what was coming.
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Brilliant! My mates threw a party for my 25th at my house and watched everybody basically say how pleased they were that I was still alive…wild times!
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Thirty years! Congratulations! My most memorable birthdays were eighteen and forty, for entirely different reasons, but both involved sex. Eighteen was memorably awful and forty was memorably awesome. Come to think of it, I’ve never had such a memorable birthday while married.
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Sorry about 18. But way to rock 40!
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Parental Terror Units. LOL!
My best birthday is all of them. Enjoy them while you can.
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Sounds like you’ll have no trouble making it to 93 and beyond! (Just watch out for the PTUs.)
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Sorry you picked up the bug, but see that you can still pull a rabbit out of the hat not matter what! I can’t remember which is my best birthday…but I can remember the worst…I was 9 and no one in my family remembered. I was devastated. I’m now always reminding everyone months in advance ;-)
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Oooh!! A new adventure! Good for you two newlyweds of 30!
16 is one of my favorite memories–I told my mom I wanted a surprise party … and I got one! I was completely floored because it was totally unexpected! I even knew I was having a party–thought it was just family–but was still totally surprised!
40 was a great one because I got to see a bunch of friends I was missing after moving 2 states away! :)
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Sorry to hear you are down but hope you are on the mend. Congrats on the anniversary! Love the pic and the stories. The 93 year-old…precious :) . Interesting as I have one this week (if I acknowledge it). The worst was when I turned 40 and the best are the ones I have someone to celebrate with–some really good ones. The very best was years ago when I met someone…he has been my Romeo…oh dear…dang memories. Feel better soon! :)
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