The many celebrations of the day of my birth...

 Your attention please -- there is a wonderful recipe at the bottom of this long and boring post. If you find yourself falling asleep, scroll down quickly - it will be worth it.

Sorry I've been away so long. I was celebrating. I'm a Pioneer Baby and My Birthday is a State Holiday because I am So Important.

Really.

If you're LDS, you know what I'm talking about. Pioneer day -- the day the pioneers reached the Salt Lake Valley and the women said "That's enough, we're not taking another step. Plant the zucchini over there, NOW."

It's a big thing, pioneer heritage when you're a Mormon. I don't have any. Convert family, remember? But Hubby does. Some of his unfortunate ancestors were in the Martin Handcart Company. The ones who all nearly died. Except his ancestor, obviously. Charlotte Elizabeth Mellor Roper.The story goes that as she and her sisters were brought into the valley by the rescue party, they were farmed out to established families who would care for them until they recovered from their ordeal. Widow Roper's son, John Henry, carried Charlotte Elizabeth from the wagon to the house. When their eyes met, they fell instantly in love, and were married less than a year later.

In contrast, my non-member ancestors came over from the Netherlands. All the cousins were forced to marry each other in order to keep the money in the family (no dowries for some other family to benefit from! let's inbreed instead!).
My great-grandparents were first cousins, and although my great-grandma (who I do not remember at all) was known as a wonderful and kind woman, great-grandpa was.... was.....well I overheard at his funeral when I was 19 "The only reason anyone is here is to make sure the old ba&%$rd is really dead." No, it wasn't anyone in the family that put voice to that thought, but I'm sure some were thinking it....

So, no crossing-the-plains ancestors for me. I did have some American Indians & French trappers though!

That's Mary Keith on the left there, daughter of Snake Woman and John Poisal. She married Ben Keith and proceeded to pass down to me an extreme hypersensitivity to all forms of anesthesia which today causes my dentist to say "That last stuff we tried lasted three days? Well lets try something else!" and left me unconscious for two days after a general once when I was 16. Good stuff, genes.

So, when I was a kid my parents totally cheated for my birthday. Dad was in the Navy, and we were stationed hither and yon, and everytime my bday rolled around, we went to the ward Pioneer Day picnic. Which they told me was my birthday party.

Cheaters.

I didn't catch on for a long time, because frankly, I'm a gullible dork. And by the time I did, it was too late, I was scarred for life.

So I'm making up for lost party-ing later in life now (Not that it's too much later, mind you, I'm only 29).

Thursday was "Quiche Party" day at work -- for my birthday.

Friday was "Clean Out the Garage Part One" day at home -- for my birthday. And Bonnie brought me a Cake Wreck.

Saturday was my actual birthday which started out with "I'm Not Cleaning Up Eclairs 1:30am Barf Because It's My Birthday," followed by "Clean Out the Garage Part Two" and "Free Lunch at Tuacanos with Hubby" and ending with "I think I'm Gonna Die I Ate So Much Meat" and "Portrait Shoot with Newly Engaged Cousin Tallie."

Sunday was "You're All on Your Own Because It's So Hot I'm Not Cooking And Nobody Made Me Birthday Breakfast Yesterday So There" followed by "Fun with Amazing 6 year-olds Who Think that I am Now 72 Years Old" and "Super Long Amazing Nap"

Monday brought "Mom and Screamapillar Go Shopping and Sneak Over To Burger Supreme for Fried Zucchini, French Fries and Strawberry Banana Smoothies" and "Let's Make Some Wonderful Homemade Brazilian Lemonade." "Cleaning Out The Garage Part Three" was called off because of rain and extreme laziness and has been tentatively rescheduled for Tuesday.

Tuesday is scheduled to include "Birthday Lunch at Cafe Rio with Awesome Aubrey"

Wednesday is "Another Birthday Lunch at Yet Undisclosed Location with Brilliant Bonnie."

Thursday is "Yet Another Birthday Lunch with Mom and Niece Brittanie at Location of Niece Brittanie's Choosing Because Her Birthday Is Next Week And I Must Pass the Torch."

I'm sure I'll stuff some more me-related activities into Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday before I end my birthday week.

But since Hobbits give away presents on their birthdays, I give you this

The Most Amazing Drink Known to Man For Consumption During the Hot Summer Months In Honor of Julie's Birthday
(Not to be confused with Orange Julie-us, people, which is also Awesome.)

(We're talking about the luciousness in the middle, there)

I found this recipe on the "Our Best Bites" cooking & recipe site, which I highly recommend. They have great stuff.

6 cups COLD water
1 cup sugar
4 limes
6 tableschpoons of sweetened condensed milk

Mix the water & sugar and put into blender (I could only fit half at a time into the blender because mine is too small). Cut the limes into eighths and add to water in blender and pulse a few times, don't puree them, or the next step takes too long (I speak from experience, here). Pour the blender liquid into a pitcher through a strainer to keep the chunks out. Press with a spoon to make sure you get all the juice out. Repeat if you have a small blender. Then with about 2/3 of the liquid in the blender, I added the 6 T condensed milk and blended again. Mix all together in the pitcher and then DRINK IT ALL DON"T SHARE. Okay, share a little with people who offer to rub your feet if you do.

Y.U.M.

I cheated and threw in some ice cubes as well to make it a little slushy.

Very Y.U.M.

And just right for a very hot day in a house with a swamp cooler that can't cut it when we get this hot.

And while your sipping & enjoying your slushy lemonade (which strangely enough has not a bit of lemon) please enjoy my birthday collage:


There's Hubby eating MEAT. And the little do-dad that says "PLEASE NO MORE MEAT I'M GOING TO HAVE A HEART ATTACK JUST TRYING TO WALK TO MY CAR." and Kyle, the Bringer of the Meat. Kyle was great - kept stuffing us with bacon wrapped filet mignon and prime rib and grilled pineapple and teriyaki steak and salmon and amazing pork and.....well, you get the picture.

Excuse me while I go have a heart attack.
.