Birthday

PJ asked for a birthday picture since I will be 50 on Friday. This is a picture of me on my 6th birthday, in grandma and granddaddy's kitchen. The cake was from Blackhawk Bakery, of course. I remember that dress. The top was purple velvet and I loved it. There's the old stove where grandma would warm our clothes in the mornings. The hot water heater was there in the corner. And you can see a little bit of one of her kitchen chairs. They were red and you could rock in them--very fun to sit in when you are 6. (Actually they would probably be fun to sit in when you're 50, too.) Mike's high chair is right behind me. He would have been less than a year old. Grandma always had plants in the windows. That doesn't look like an african violet, tho. Ivy wallpaper. I don't remember the picture that's hanging on the wall--it looks like a kitchen towel, maybe? Anyway, thanks for asking for the picture, sis. I even found one of grandma's letters while I was looking for this. It was fun to remember.

 Life Changes

Just a few minutes after I posted this fun little birthday musing, I received a call from Todd with the bad news that Clayton had died earlier that day. My 50th was a very sad birthday as we went down to mourn with Judson and Isaac and the family. . .