happy birthday

today is my dad's birthday. and mine too.
yes, we share our birthday it's pretty shweet.

i had a totally different idea on what i might write about today.
sharing our birthday i had started to write a birthday post with a recipe for a quick holiday fudge mixed in with a bit of a sad homesickness about my dad and the year that has been.
this is the sad part. but the post turns around. promise.

my pop has had a pretty bad health year. a series of scary strokes earlier in the year.
lots of tests. lots of medicine. lots of prayers, tears and hand holding on the other side of the ocean.

me on this side of the world wringing my hands, prayers mixed with some crying jags as i pieced together scraps of information through emails and lots of google searches to figure out what the heck they were telling me.
with passport and suitcase at the ready i waited for someone to say...
you need to come home. now. right now.

back at home, more doctors. more tests. medicine and a little time.
all seemed to settle down.
spring came.
summer came.
he could drive again and my dad went back to his golf game.
life continued.
autumn came.
and
about a month ago he had another stroke. a big bad one.

time seemed to tick away slower than last time.

if your still hanging in there with me this really is not a sad post. (she says as she fights back tears)
according to the most recent up to date news, he's doing okay and making a lot of progress with medication and therapy.
good news.

today on this shared birthday, the poste man rang the bell.

nothing sends me to full out joy happy dance faster than
red, white and blue u.s.a priority flat rate parcels!
today there was 2!
one i have to wait to open from mr. c's family...
guessing it will be WAY different than the one from my family.....

that being said...
the one i will share with you today is from the people of wich i come from...
my dad and step-mom. (now tears with full out laughter)

today i had proof  life back home is finding it's way back to whatever 'normal' is.
normal being random and slanted a bit to the left.

this is what came in the poste today.
candy cigs. sewing notions. cream of tartar. ring pops. candy.
randomness.

bacon flavored toothpaste, tooth picks, dental floss and air freshener.
(pork for vegetarians? sweet mother of RANDOM!)
but wait.
there.is.more.

chuck is forecasting cloudy with a 90% chance of pain.
(seriously tears streaming down my face laughing... but i'm not sure why)
a chuck norris t-shirt. really.
no but, seriously. why.

and maybe you spotted the pandora gift box... that is my my real birthday gift.
a charm to add to my bracelet. see they are not completely demented.... well....

and then there was a birthday card.
flies having a CRAPuccino at 'Chez Poop' in a toilet cup.

meeting my family gives you a little more perspective on me doesn't it

happy birthday to me.
and
happy birthday to you too dad, i love and  i miss you.