Tales of the Ordinary Days

Day 6 | 30 Days of Writing My tenth birthday 51 collective birthdays leaves one with lots of fun memories. Growing up I didn't have oversized yard signs greeting me when I woke up in the morning nor did I have extravagant friend parties that included limos or any type of purchased party favors. We just had good old-fashioned fun that can't be bought, but is equally priceless. In my golden years of birthdays through the 70's and 80's, I got to choose the dinner menu and cake variety. That was our family celebration. My choice was typically spaghetti for the meal and either banana bread or angel food for the cake. Mom would also allow me to have a group of friends spend the night. We always had lots of fun but reversely got little to no sleep. If Rocky was involved, we would set up a seance once it was dark and try to connect with spirits. Beth would come with a yellow Tupperware filled with her mom Kay's chocolate chip cookies. We played truth or dare and w...

Enjoying a summer rain shower in bare feet We went to the zoo yesterday. Although cloudy and overcast, the crowds were low and many of the exhibits new to us. Garrett had warned of impending rain throughout our excursion. Our local weatherman was right. As we walked out of the Orangutan Forest, the sprinkles began. Quickly moving on to our last stop, the indoor Kingdoms of the Night, the sprinkles turned into a light shower and our collective pace quickened as we sought shelter. Garrett guided us to the nearest Kingdom door, which was clearly marked 'Exit'. Our entourage of me, sons (Ben and Jake), and cousin (Stefano) followed Garrett's lead toward the exit doors. "We can't go in through the exit!" was my immediate response. Garrett likely predicted my comment with his own response of questioning why I ALWAYS had to follow the rules. My further argument of how an exhibit walked through backwards would likely not have the same enjoyment of follow...