Today is Lee’s birthday – it’s only one day, but this year it’s one of a four-day-long celebration. He deserves it.
The festivities began Friday when his mom came to town and we had dinner at Firefly, one of our favorite downtown restaurants. Saturday morning, Dave and Erin arrived from Miami, and it was so good to see them. That night, we all went to Tango (a birthday tradition) on Tybee Island, where a dozen of Lee’s friends were waiting to surprise him, including some friends from Atlanta we hadn’t seen in a while. I think he was genuinly surprised, which is a miracle because I nearly let the secret slip about 42 trillion times over the last couple of months. I was so glad his friends and family could be there. They even brought presents: toys. He may be 30, but he still likes to play, and I love that.
After dinner, we returned to the house for cocktails, and another surprise. Lee’s best friend Trent flew in from Cincinnati. It was great to see him, and I know it meant a lot to Lee.
Sunday, we were sad to see Erin and Dave and Alva leave, but we kept the birthday weekend celebrations going with ice cream at Leopold’s and a drive through Bonaventure. The azaleas there aren’t blooming yet, but I saw the occasional peek of pink. It won’t be long.
Trent left early this morning, and unfortunately for Lee, the day went downhill after that. It seems a bug was circulating this weekend, and he picked it up. I feel so sorry for him, being sick on his birthday. We always make a big deal about birthdays and pamper each other, but instead of a fancy dinner, he had 4 swallows of chicken soup.
But even though he’s having a rough day, it doesn’t keep me from reflecting on how glad I am that he was born, and that he’s sharing his life with me. It’s his special day, but I feel like the one who got a gift.