Delayed Birthday Celebrations

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One and two months after their respective birthdays, we got together to celebrate with John’s sister Chris and her husband Steve. We both drove a couple of hours, meeting halfway between our homes in North and South Carolina. It’s always a delight to be together and visit. We met in our usual spot for lunch, Olive Garden. The staff has always let us stay as long as we wanted to. It is marvelous to not be hurried. Niece Chrissie (their daughter) and I had texted before we drove down. She sent greetings to her parents and asked for a photo. I sent one of John and her parents from the restaurant, and she commented that I was missing. We took another, using a mirror, to get the four of us together. This has been edited and cropped, but it’s for you, Chrissie.

Anne and John; Steve and Chris

We had a long goodbye in the parking lot, because we still had a lot to say. I figured we stayed long enough that we needed another photo.

Published by Anne Mehrling

I'm a retiree who loves to write about life in the mountains of North Carolina.

Published

37 thoughts on “Delayed Birthday Celebrations”

  4. There’s always time for another photograph. The mirror idea was a good one of John’s if you don’t have to use flash indoors. It looked quite bright where you were. Nice to see you included in a picture,
    xxx Massive Hugs xxx

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    1. I avoid flashes as much as possible. In a restaurant, a customer got the manager to ask me to quit taking flash photos. I think I took only two our three shots. Also, several of my regular subjects have voiced their dislike of flashes.

      xxx Flashy Hugs xxx

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  8. Olive Garden tomorrow for Mother’s Day. We just had my brother stop by for 24 hours heading to RI for the summer after FL for the winter. There shall never be any moss beneath your tires, you two are always rolling.

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    1. Happy Mother’s Day to MA. That’s great that your brother came to visit. Being with family is marvelous.

      As to rolling, if we aren’t in the car, we might be rolling on the floor laughing.

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    1. Most folks ask serving staff to take group photos. It’s the easiest way to include everyone. I prefer to move in close to the faces, because that is where my interest lies. Waiters want to please everyone quickly, so they take full-body shots. We won’t talk about my preference to stay behind the camera for esthetic reasons.

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  11. i couldn’t tell you the last time I celebrated my birthday with any family members! It sounds most exotic to me. I’m glad that you got to do it.

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    1. We used to live within walking distance of John’s parents and two sisters. I loved it. We went to the same church for many years, and we always celebrated birthdays together. I had one brother and no first cousins, so marrying into an extended family was marvelous for me. Now, every person I am related to is more than three hours away. The internet is a family-saver!

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    1. Thanks for noticing my hair. I was disgusted with the cost of a simple haircut, so I made my son cut it until he moved further away. Great Clips opened next to our supermarket, and suddenly a haircut was affordable again! Bear in mind, this is a miser speaking. Your comment also reminds me that I have been successful in avoiding the front of a camera for a long time.

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      1. You won’t hear any negativity from me. My last haircut with tip cost $60. She did a great job which the cheaper cuts don’t always do. It’s been 4 months so I need a haircut and I’m thinking I can do myself for this round. I don’t know how a good haircut got to be so expensive and if I’m paying over $50, why do I need to tip. My former hairdresser took way better vacations than I did.

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        1. I don’t know how these chain haircutting places stay in business. Five years ago I was paying around $35, not including tip, at a neighborhood salon. I had gone to the same hairdresser for years, and she could cut my hair in jig time. We had two incomes then. I gave it up when we moved. Great Clips opened, and I was amazed that they charged only $11, senior rate. The woman spent lots more time cutting my hair than the one who charged $35. I don’t know how they can continue, but I certainly hope they do.

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  16. Delayed birthday celebrations are thing! So lovely to see all of you gathering for a nice meal out post-birthday. Me and my best friend celebrate our birthdays this way too – catching up exchanging gifts when it’s way past our birthdays. Sometimes that’s just how you can coordinate 🙂 Love the mirror trick (not everyone can do a nice selfie with a camera or phone), and both photos turned out very nice. When you can take a second photo or more, why not. More for the memory books 😀

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      1. Sometimes my arms shake, so not all my selfies are good 😀 I’m also terrible at Mirror selfies, never ever looking in the direction of the camera 😀😀

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