Spend It With Family

I woke up today and had a debate to settle, internally. Do I spend 5 hours (round-trip) driving to and from the Ocean City - New Jersey beach and see my relatives. Or do I spend the day lounging at home. Typically, I would take the opportunity to do nothing all day in an empty house, especially on a Sunday. The twist is that today is my birthday. I did not want to spend my birthday alone, necessarily. Also, my parents were upset that they might not get to see me on it.

Ultimately I packed up and took the trip. It was a very strange day. I got more birthday wishes than expected (and from some people I would not have expected) and yet it did not feel like a birthday. We did not go out to dinner, there was really no gifts, and there was almost not even a cake. I spent as much time on the road as I spent down there, and until yesterday I was barely even aware that it was my birthday in 24 hours.

I can't decide if this was just an off year, or if this is another casualty of getting older. Regardless, almost as unenthusiastic as I was about today being my birthday, I am pretty much the same about telling people I am 23. For everyone older than me - I know you think I am being ridiculous thinking that 23 is so old but there is someone a few years older than you who feels the same way about you complaining about your own old age.

(This is the site every year where all of my relatives walk down to the water, convince a passerby to take our 19 cameras and take a picture of all of us. If you go back to around this time last year on the blog, you will see our last year's picture.)