Sometimes it seems our life has changed drastically over the years, and then Huck’s birthday arrives and I realize practically everything of importance is the same as it’s ever been. Aunt Jeni comes to town, just like she came to town when Huck was born and when he turned one and two and three and four and five and all the others. There’s Russell and Cheryl helping light his birthday candles & John and Shana giving him another amazing book. There are gifts and phone calls from Shannon and grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and old friends from around the country. There’s his familiar band of 11 year old soul-mates laughing at his nerdy humor. There’s the “Happy Birthday” banner I bought at a New York dollar store when he turned four. Even the ribbons on the presents are recycled from past birthdays and Christmases. And as always, there’s me and Troy with a few more crow’s feet around our eyes and the same old smiles.

These days when I walk and drive around, I can hardly handle all the spring beauty around me. I feel drunk on the sunshine, and I have a crazy desire to take in every single flower on every single tree, but there’s too many. Just like I look at this growing up boy and try to take in every comment, every joke, every insight. But this is nothing new; I do it with every new season of the earth and Huck. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Last week my little green iPhone fell to the ground and shattered right before Jeni arrived to make our lives even sweeter. There went all my life information, my pictures, my messages, my to-do lists, my emails and calendar.  But within an hour I had a brand new phone twice the size, and through some miracle of technology everything was right back there where it always was.

It was the same old-same old, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

Didn’t we all just live in New York together?

Ozark Escape Room Bank Heist Birthday Party

Huck’s people

Don’t these two live in Brooklyn?

Straight from the airport to the theatre

Saving the world from disesase

One of our favorite pastimes

The Annual Kissing-Huck-Goodbye-at-School-on-Monday-Morning Picture