A Happy Birthday

Well, I have been intending for quite some time now (every since my birthday) to write a short description of how nice my birthday truly was this year. So, you might be thinking... why did you wait til September to write about something that went on in June? I guess that would be hard to answer except to say that our Summer has been extremely busy this year. So, I am just now getting around to it.

I received many remembrances of the day from many family members. I received a huge assortment of pecans from my Mother and Father. They will prove wonderful for pies, baked goods and just general snacking.

I received many nice birthday cards and Rob's family brought me a basket of "nostalgia". It was clear that a LOT of thought had gone into it.



It was an interesting assortment of goodies including many treats I enjoyed as a child (such as Cracker Jack, Raisinets, Sugar Babies, Goobers, and just gobs of other candies - most of which I remember purchasing as a child at the local movie theater). Included were the best hits of John Denver and a game about Legendary Comedians (from my childhood also). So, that was a pleasant and enjoyable edible surprise (with which my children helped me considerably).

On my birthday, I went to work that day(it was a Thursday), but I went home from work in a happy mood because things were going well there. I had been wanting to obtain a pair of replacement lenses for my glasses and perhaps try out the vision store's new "computer glasses" so we piled the family into the SUV and went to the store. There I got my eyes checked (they were A-OK) and ordered the glasses. That was a nice way to celebrate my birthday because my old lenses were starting to give me some problems at the computer screen. So, glasses on order, off we went to dinner!

I would have to say it was indeed a fantastic dinner at Outback Steakhouse. Joy was still out of town so it was just the four of us - Sheila, Mark, Leah and me.

It's pretty pricey so we don't go there often but that night I had a delicious Ribeye steak - man was it good! We also had their "awesome blossom" of fried onions and french fries plus salad. Hey, on your birthday, you gotta have some fun so cholesterol is probably a minor concern - at least for one day! Since it was my birthday and since my youngest daughter took particular delight in passing that along to the waitress (she was getting even for her birthday in May), they brought me a nice desert item (and a song). I enjoyed the desert and it was worth listening to the horrible singing that preceded it. So, my dinner that evening was in a word - delicious and I really enjoyed it.

When we came home, Sheila presented me with my birthday surprise and it was quite a surprise! She had bought me an electric guitar! ! ! It's an absolutely beautiful instrument in black and tan colors with a white border around the outline of the guitar.



It sounds great and she included all the goodies such as a carrying case, a "blues" music book and CD, amplifier, cords and etc (even picks)!. I guess I had mentioned to her one time in the music store where Leah takes trombone lessons that I would love to really know how to play the guitar and I was admiring their many MANY electric guitars. Well, she decided to take the step that she knew I never would take - she bought me one. With the receipt of such a serious instrument, I felt compelled to be more formal about my pursuit of the guitar. I had pursued it in the past and I still have my Frederico Garcia classical guitar from the 70s but I just never found the right teacher I guess. So, I signed up for lessons at the same store where Leah learns and where Sheila purchased the guitar. My instructor is a really nice fellow who can make a guitar sit up and sing. He does a great job of challenging me with new material nearly every time I go and he helps me to learn the "proper technique" which hopefully will let me sound pretty good one day.

I am happy to report that after three months of lessons, I am finding that I really believe that one day I will be able to play the guitar with reasonable proficiency though I have no expectations of becoming the next Chet Atkins. Har har. Still, I have found that practicing the guitar is a great form of relaxation and with time I am sure I will be able to adlib a bit on it like I do on the piano.

So, all-in-all, it was a delightful and excellent day with many happy returns from family members, co-workers and many more. To all of you who participated in any way in making my day a bit brighter, I want to say thank you sincerely. It was great!

All my love,

Jerry