The Suprise Party Part Deux

Yesterday started out as a normal Saturday and with our normal Saturday routine. We met the neighbors –Lora, Sheryl and Ian- for breakfast. I received gifts- a pleasant surprise- since it was my birthday. From Lora some tequila and a dozen Wilson golf balls, which I'll put to good use. From Sheryl and Ian a book – Three Sheets by Zane Lamprey, a four pack of Terrapin Moo-Hoo, a six pack of Left Hand Milk Stout (both of which are excellent brews) and a twelve pack mixture (three bottles of four brews) of Left Hand beers, so I’m set with beer for awhile.

Then to the library where I picked-up a book I had on hold (happy birthday to me from the Cherokee county library) – Shock Wave by John Sandford, one of my favorite authors. http://www.johnsandford.org/

Then home. I was able to give my MINI a brief wash job. It was nasty from all the rain lately, but I gave her a quick wash and at least got the big stuff off.

Then to my daughter’s who hosted a surprise party (51 years after my last surprise party), organized by her and Sharon. My brother Terry and his wife Lisa were there; also my sister Carolyn and Jane who is like a sister. I was surprised at the party and amazed they put it together.

We had a great meal. Shrimp appetizers, creamy mashed potatoes and rib-eye steaks, which were excellently grilled by Chad.

I received two Amazon gift cards; from Sharon and Alison, Chad and the kids, I received two belts and Tom Petty concert tickets!

The last concert I attended was at the end of this past summer; was Grace Potter and the Nocturnals (http://www.gracepotter.com/) at Chastain Park. An excellent concert by one high energy lady, she played, danced and bounced all over the stage for over two hours. It was the first concert I had been to in years and it was well worth the wait. I love her music. If you get a chance to see Grace in concert: GO!

All-in-all I had a great day yesterday and I can’t wait to see Tom Petty.

Happy Birthday to Me

So, I’m 60. Sixty. I don’t remember when I thought I’d make it this far. I’m not so sure at fifty that I saw sixty in the future and now seventy seems close.

I re-met my Father (twenty years ago today as a matter of fact) and we have a close relationship and I like that very much.

I lost my Mother just a few months ago and it still hurts.

I’ve had a good life over all. I had some trials and troubles as a child, but for lots of reasons and with the help of lots of people I, obliviously, survived.

I grew up for the most part in Portsmouth, VA. I am the oldest of four children. I have a sister –Carolyn- 50 weeks younger than me and a set of twin brothers –Terry and Jerry- five years younger than me. Unfortunately Jerry passed away a few years ago and all of us still miss him deeply.

I’ve was born in Virginia and have lived, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and Germany.

I jumped out if airplanes for a living -US Army 1^st of 509^th Charlie Company Weapons Platoon. I went to German jump school. I used the GI Bill to go to school and to buy my first house.

For most of my career I have been in the computer business in a service role and primarily hands-on except for a small stint at a service desk.

I managed a bike shop –Roswell Bicycles - (still the best bike shop in Georgia) - for three years.

I’ve been to England, Germany, Austria, Italy, The Netherlands, Greece, Crete, Canada, Mexico, Panama, Columbia, and Russia. I’ve seen the Roman Coliseum, the Acropolis in Athens. I stood in Red Square and took pictures of ST Basil's Cathedral. I have visited The Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, Russia. I strolled the Red Light district in Amsterdam as a horny, but broke 20-something SPC. 4 and wished I was a millionaire. I’ve skied in Munich; I’ve been to the Oktoberfest.

I was hunted, tracked down, and captured by the KGB. Actually, I was lost on a bike trip in Russia when I was separated from the group I was with and one of our security detail that found me and took me back to the base area where we were spending the night. The former sounds better though. And I spent that afternoon with Boris – the KGB agent- drinking Russian beer and eating White fish on the Volga River and I believe I had the better afternoon of the group and it was one of my better memories of the two week trip.

My picture was taken by Annie Leibovitz. It was a group shot, but still she took my picture!

I still and always will despise the Boy Scouts.

I’ve married twice and both times it was to women that were far better than I deserved and far above my stature. I’m still married to Sharon- the second one.

I lost two very good friends –Clarence May and Pat Clay- and my stepfather - Charles Penn- within months of each other. It was a very tough year.

I viewed everyone my daughter dated with a jaundiced eye and the belief I could shoot that person if he hurt my daughter. I believe no father wants to give his daughter to another man, yet he must. I walked my daughter down the aisle on her wedding day and gave her to her husband, Chad. And while I believe Chad couldn’t have done any better, neither could Alison. They make a wonderful couple and have given me two wonderful grandchildren.

My Y gene stops with me. However, my DNA marches on via my lovely daughter, Alison, and my grandchildren, Sara and Evan. Evan was named after my middle name and therefore after me and it is one of the proudest things in my life knowing my grandchild has my name.

I’ve been a Penn a lot longer than I was a Blevins and I wish I had never changed my name. There isn’t anything at all wrong with being a Penn, I just feel as though I left a piece of me on the courtroom floor when my name was changed.

I’ve ridden BRAG (Bicycle Ride Across Georgia), seven or eight times. Most of those times were with my daughter on the back of a tandem. Even in the rainy and hilly years we had a blast.

I’ve run “The Peachtree” seven times (once with my daughter), The Atlanta Half-Marathon four times, The Peachtree City 15K three times and I don’t know how many other five and ten Ks; not so many that I couldn’t count them ,I just didn’t count them.

My friend –Doug- and I flew to San Francisco with our bicycles, tent, camping gear and clothing and took two weeks to ride to San Diego hauling our gear on the bikes and camping out at night. Our wives met us for the weekend in San Diego and it was a great end to the trip. A wonderful bike ride down the Pacific Coast Highway.

I was a paid worker for the ’96 Olympics in Atlanta and I worked five events.

I’ve given my daughter a better life than I had growing up. Just like my Mother gave me a better life than she had; my daughter is giving her children a better life than she had and I’m extremely happy things are working out that way.

Neither famous nor infamous and at this point I doubt I’ll be either. I’m just Joe.

Oh, and I own a MINI.

The Suprise Party

So, tomorrow I have a birthday. A milestone, although in reality I suppose all birthdays are milestones; after all it is an additional year carved into your headstone. Each birthday is a year added to a life.

I won’t hear from my Mother tomorrow because she passed away recently. I still haven’t dealt with that issue completely because it’s still hard for me to deal with. It’s hard to know she isn’t here any longer. Oddly enough getting through tomorrow will help with closure. My emotional me will have issues; my logical me understands the cold hard actuality of her passing.

When I was nine or ten, I was in the third grade and we lived in the Grey House (my sister and I always named the houses where we lived). I don’t remember if it was the winter I went into the third grade or the winter before I went into the fourth grade, so I don’t remember my exact age. On my birthday, which was on a weekend, my Mother sent me to get a haircut. I remember being mad I had to walk to the barbershop through the snow. We were living in Portsmouth VA at the time and there was quite a bit of snow on the ground. I walked to the barbershop and got the haircut and walked back home to a surprise birthday party. That was why my Mother sent me away, so kids could come over for the party while I was out. It was like her to do that, it was her practical joker persona that did that sort of thing. I loved that part of her and although I don’t remember the year I remember the event and the birthday very well. It was a happy time in my life.

One of the reasons I still have a hard time with my Mother’s passing is because I didn’t feel as though I had compete closure because of family I didn’t hear from. My brother heard from two of my step-brothers and two he didn’t, my sister and I didn’t hear from them at all. Here’s a hint: clicking “Like” on a Facebook post isn’t a valid expression of sympathy for loss of family. I didn’t expect a card or flowers; however a message on FB or an email would have been nice. Two of my step-brothers live within mere minutes of the church where my Mother’s memorial service was held, yet they couldn’t be bothered to show up. My cousins and their Mother were there, as much for my brother Terry as for my sister and me and it really meant a lot to us that they were there. Sure my Mother was at times extremely hard to deal with. I know that better than anyone, but a memorial service is also for the survivors, for commiserating, for expressing sympathy for the loss of life and not for payback.

My half-brother couldn’t be bothered to even call anyone or to show up. It was his Mother as much as my brother’s, my sister’s and mine. Although no one that knows him was surprised he was a no-show.

I was surprised that at least my sister didn’t hear from the others and it pissed me off. My wife tells me I just need to get over it and I suppose she is right. And I’m no longer pissed off; now I think it’s just sad, sad, sad that at least my sister didn’t hear from them and it shows how little we actually mean to that side of the family, and that stark realism is extremely depressing.

I will miss my Mother’s call tomorrow and like this time every year I will fondly remember walking to the barbershop in the snow and walking back home to a surprise party that my Mother arranged and one of the best birthdays I’ve had. And I’ll smile in her honor and I’ll be happy for that memory of her.