I used to joke that my birthday was so big, it needed to be International Josh Week, not just International Josh Day. But in recent years, it has sort of stretched out into a longer celebration.
Since the girls were born, we’ve been kind of combining birthday parties. Yoli and my dad have birthdays just one day apart. My mom and I are 5 days apart.
When you throw in my weird work schedule (and, for that matter, my folks’) sometimes we celebrate a few days ahead or afterward.
This year, we had a nice, laid-back evening with mom and dad on Tuesday. Yoli made a special meal for all of us which included a beef roast, cheesy twice-baked potatoes, and green beans. She also made a special teapot-shaped cake which turned out very beautifully.
I made a birthday card for my mom, which she found absolutely hilarious. She practically broke down laughing. I regret not filming her reaction!!
The next day, Wednesday, was my actual birthday. As usual, the girls went to Friendship International at the Hanley Road Baptist Church, and I went to the St. Louis County Library Headquarters to do some family research. As it turns out, my research went quite well this week, and I found a whole mess of Beckers and Cushings in the microfilmed records of Holy Ghost Catholic Church.
After Friendship, we all went to the Delmar Loop to buy some bookends from Plowsharing Crafts (we had to use my 15% birthday discount before it expired), and then had a nice lunch at Fitz’s. I tackled the chili Frito burger, which I haven’t had in a while. This time I managed not to make a huge mess (despite the fact that I now have a beard).
All in all, it was a nice way to spend my birthday “weekend.”