Today, my friends, is my 33rd birthday. Every year on my birthday, I can count on 2 things happening. The first one is my Mom calling. Up until Dad died, in fact, I could always count on both of them calling and telling me their 2 different versions of the story of the day of my birth.
My dad's version went something like this: they were outside weighing baby pigs, getting them ready for the sale, (if you're just getting hit with how back-woods, hillbilly, redneck country I grew up at this moment, I apologize and I'll give you a second), when Mom started getting a stomach ache. They realized she was in labor and drove the 90 mile trip to the hospital (again, see back-woods hillbillies) in about 50 minutes. A couple hours later, a nurse enters the waiting room and says, "Congratulations, Mr. Lee! You have a little boy!" And just as he gets all excited, another nurse enters the waiting room and says, "Congratulations, Mr. Lee! You have a little girl!" Turns out there were a couple of Mr. Lee's there.
Then my brother threw the temper tantrum of all temper tantrums because it was the first day 
of deer season and he wasn't going to get go hunting. So he and my dad leave, and my brother begins his life long obsession with knocking off mammals of lesser intellectual degrees (although I guess that's debatable). Dad always finished the story with a bit about how the next day he took the cute little pink pigs to the sale, but couldn't sell them because they had lice, and he cried all the way home.
Mom's bit included some details like a knot on the tire all the way to Waco and something about my grandmother in the back seat of the car smoking two cigarrettes at once. I mean, that HAD to be a good time.
Mom's bit included some details like a knot on the tire all the way to Waco and something about my grandmother in the back seat of the car smoking two cigarrettes at once. I mean, that HAD to be a good time.
The other thing I can count on is that I will find myself at some point today looking back on all my past birthdays and birthday parties and finding myself incredibly lucky to have experienced so much.
And again, I have to say I'm pretty damn happy just to be here today. I never used to tell 
people it was my birthday because I hated the attention. But now, since surviving melanoma, it's become a really big deal to me to enjoy my the event every year. This is my 4th birthday since my first diagnosis, and I'm happy and feel grateful to have made it another year. I'm thankful for all those days in between these birthday parties, and I NEVER ever complain about getting older anymore!
people it was my birthday because I hated the attention. But now, since surviving melanoma, it's become a really big deal to me to enjoy my the event every year. This is my 4th birthday since my first diagnosis, and I'm happy and feel grateful to have made it another year. I'm thankful for all those days in between these birthday parties, and I NEVER ever complain about getting older anymore!So I'm off to enjoy my big day, and I'm wishing everyone out there all the joy and blessings that I'm feeling right now.
-MM
P.s. Here are useless and maybe not so interesting things I found out about my birthday: 
My date of conception was on or about 22 February 1974 which was a Friday.
I was born on a Friday under the astrological sign Scorpio. According to Birthday Calculator numerology, people born on this day are supposed to be mediators/peacemakers. Hmm... not exactly accurate.
But, as of right now, I am:
33 years old.
396 months old.
1,722 weeks old.
12,053 days old.
289,278 hours old.
17,356,691 minutes old.
and 1,041,401,474 seconds old.
I share birthdays with Sam Waterston (who?), Judge Wapner (awesome!), and Georgia O'Keeffe (love those flowers! or vaginas, whichever you prefer to believe).
In 1974 there were approximately 3.7 million births in the U.S. The top songs of 1974 were Top songs of 1974 were The Way We Were by Barbra Streisand, Seasons In the Sun by Terry Jacks, The Streak by Ray Stevens, Kung Fu Fighting by Carl Douglas, Annie's Song by John Denver and The Loco-Motion by Grand Funk.
The 33 candles on my birthday cake produce 34 BTUs,or 8,568 calories of heat (that's only 8.5680 food Calories!). You can boil 3.89 US ounces of water with that many candles.
And, here's the doozy-
My date of conception was on or about 22 February 1974 which was a Friday.
I was born on a Friday under the astrological sign Scorpio. According to Birthday Calculator numerology, people born on this day are supposed to be mediators/peacemakers. Hmm... not exactly accurate.
But, as of right now, I am:
33 years old.
396 months old.
1,722 weeks old.
12,053 days old.
289,278 hours old.
17,356,691 minutes old.
and 1,041,401,474 seconds old.
I share birthdays with Sam Waterston (who?), Judge Wapner (awesome!), and Georgia O'Keeffe (love those flowers! or vaginas, whichever you prefer to believe).
In 1974 there were approximately 3.7 million births in the U.S. The top songs of 1974 were Top songs of 1974 were The Way We Were by Barbra Streisand, Seasons In the Sun by Terry Jacks, The Streak by Ray Stevens, Kung Fu Fighting by Carl Douglas, Annie's Song by John Denver and The Loco-Motion by Grand Funk.
The 33 candles on my birthday cake produce 34 BTUs,or 8,568 calories of heat (that's only 8.5680 food Calories!). You can boil 3.89 US ounces of water with that many candles.
And, here's the doozy-
There are only 40 days till Christmas 2007! (start panicing now)
