Winnie May

Oh yes, you guessed it-----its another birthday in our household! My little Brinna is not little anymore......sigh. She has come to a huge crossroads in her life in age, and I JUST CAN'T BELIEVE THAT I AM SO OLD! (Of course, this blog is about me, so lets just dwell on that astonishing declaration for a moment....)

Anywho----Brinna, or Winnie May, as I used to call her, is all grown up now and out in the world pursuing her singing career. She doesn't live too far from me, but I don't get to see her very often, as our schedules don't allow for it, but I think of her EVERY day anyway! She is in London right now, going on a birthday trip to celebrate and get away for a bit, and I am very jealous that I am not right there with her. She had to go at this time, or I would have been.....

We had a great birthday party, though, last Sunday, before she left. We celebrated Aydan and Brinna's birthday together, as their birthdays are so close. Normally, we celebrate with Maryn also, but she is out of state, remember?

We decided to have a "rave", but one with no ecstasy, so don't get too worried! My son, Clayton, came up with the idea, as we were at the dollar store and he saw all the glow sticks for sale. Well, he was practically jumping up and down in excitement!!

So----that's what we did. We had a MAH-VE-LOUS time-----dancing to techno music in the dark and swinging around our glow sticks, all the while sporting glow necklaces to boot. It is always fun to be with my kids, but sometimes, when the craziness kicks in----it is a WICKED good time!!

I also came up with a new game idea where we hide and try to find each other by our glow sticks----then....like paint ball.....take the person out that we find, with........well......what else?
A fly swatter!

Yeah----the idea was better than the outcome, but we started swatting each other on the booty and I was laughing so hard-----my sides were hurting! Fun times.


As for Brinna.... She and I have had our good times and our bad times, but that is life, right? But I love her just the same. She is such a talented and neat person----so passionate about the same things that I am-----I do enjoy being with her.


These are the things that I love about her:

I love how she loves to read as much as I do. We have so many great times talking and talking about books----and we exchange them frequently.

I love her husky voice when she was growing up. It was the cutest thing ever! She no longer has that husky voice, but she still has a great singing voice!

I love her sense of style! She is so good about coordinating her outfits, and often sends me e-mails of great deals. I also send her fantastic fashion finds----its great to have that connection with my daughters. (Well, my oldest two, anyway....heh, heh.)

I love her artistic side. She doesn't draw or paint that much anymore, but I would love to see her do more of it eventually----she is so very talented!

I love how she talks about costumes with me, when I am working on a show. We talk about eras and styles of that era, and she gives me ideas for some of my costume dilemmas. I just wish that she lived closer, so she could help me at the theatre ALL the time!

I love her great sense of decorating. You should SEE her apartment! It is gorgeous, and she has such an amazing style with her decorating, using both modern and vintage mixed with a bit of eclectic. So chic!

I love that she adores her brothers and sisters. She really enjoys getting with them and hanging out-----doing goofy things, eating, talking and laughing a lot!

I love singing with her. I used to be in a band with her and I loved it more than anything! I still miss doing that with her..... At least once a year, she comes and sings with the family and I in church, and I cherish this so much.

I love her writing. She also doesn't do it very often anymore, but I used to love to read her stories, and plays. She even used to want to write a book. I keep hoping that she will go back to school for those creative writing courses someday----she really has a talent!

Here are some pah-tay scenes:

Here is the dining room with the birthday decor....

....and the two birthday kids!

The "rave" gets off to a good start.....

....and here I play around with the pink glow stick.

Great shot of Bret, my hubby-----uh----hello----anyone out there?

And so Clayton had to try it....

.....as well as me.

Brinna got creative with color.....

....and Aydan went the whole color scheme!

Getting ready to blow out the candles on the cake....

.....and right before we cut the cake! (Baked by Clayton---made from scratch
from one of my favorite recipes)

The birthday duo after getting some presents----nice purple extensions
and fly swatter, Brinna!

Happy Birthday, my Brinny Winnie-----have fun in London!