Someone is 57 Today

Oma Boyer (who I have mentioned several times this week already), Uncle John, Uncle Alan & the Queen Mother as a child

It's a little hard to believe they had color photography like this back in the olden days, isn't it? But yes, the little toddler in this photo is Uncle Alan and he's 57 today! He wrote me yesterday how my mom had gotten him his first camera, a Kodak Duaflex II almost like the one I just got for my birthday. SO I would say this camera-love-thingy runs in the family.

Go Alan, get your game on, it's your birthday, hey Alan...if I was there, I would do this cheer for you and it would be so fun wouldn't it?

The Toy I Got for My B-day

When John was asking for birthday present ideas, I suggested he go on an e-bay expedition to find an old twin lens reflex camera. He scored the one below which I realized as soon as I opened it that it is the exact same camera that was in my grandma's toy box back in the 60's - a Kodak Duaflex III. This model was made from 1954-1957 which means I got a present that is older than me.

My mission for this camera is not to shoot film with it though - although you can respool 120 film onto the 620 spools that it uses. I want to try through the viewfinder (TTV) photography where you shoot your digital throught the viewfinder of the old camera, by means of a contraption you make. Last night I tried a couple even though it was really too dark. Interesting.

Today, when I got home from work, I took this little peek out our front door with my contraption. I was in a rush to pick up Maria from school, so I didn't fuss too much.

I think the camera itself is so darling that it's okay if I don't take a billion pix with it.

I Love Birthdays

How's that for a birthday candle? We use our imagination here.

Today is actually my birthday, but since Edward came home from college on Sunday, we had to have a little celebration yesterday. The kids gave the greatest present again to their photographer mom: With totally willing hearts, they went out for a photoshoot with John & me. John drove us all around and brought us to settings which inspired us all. So it was a good day. Sharon is cooking something up for work tomorrow and the rest of the week's celebration will include lunch and hot tubbing with friends...

The Big Four Four

Sisters Andrea and Marianna skipping down the path... 2008

Happy Birthday Mar - sending lots of sister love your way!

Happy Birthday Dad!

We are all celebrating our dad's birth today! (taken June 2006)

A Royal Birthday

The Queen Mother with her new baby Beatrix

Today, I wondered what could possibly follow on the heels of yesterday's post, but then I realized the date - set in stone forever - it's my mom's birthday!

Happy Birthday dear mother from afar! Hope you're having fun.

Happy Belated B-day to the Queen!

Yesterday at Calvin College

John e-mailed me late yesterday afternoon that he went to a Koninginnedag celebration at Calvin College where they were flying the Dutch flag. They had Dutch pastries and sang Het Wilhelmus, the Dutch National Anthem. The Dutch people celebrate the Queen's birthday on April 30 which was actually Queen Julianna's birthday. When Beatrix became the queen, she wanted to keep it the same day because her birthday is January 31 - not a great day for street celebrations - and to honor her mother.

Het Wilhelmus
Opa would be proud to know that when I played this song, Edward knew what it was since he learned it in 3rd grade.

Bridget is 13 Today!

Bridget's 3rd Birthday with her new Bitty Baby, 1998


Today, we celebrate the birth of our dear Bridget. She's 13 making her an official teenager. As you can see above, she loves birthday - her own and anyone's really. I'll never forget how she had birthday parties for her Bitty Baby every day when she was 3.

May you always know how much you are treasured, Bridgie!

Maria is Officially 16

The 3 dears sitting in church Sunday morning


Maria glowing during the singing of Happy Birthday

Maria had a good day yesterday. After being greeted in the morning with a "larpy birthday" from her big brother, she was busy with church, a TEC meeting and a friend's profession of faith. At night, she graced us with her presence and we went to the Olive Garden. She is almost ready to get her driver's license - after a few more hours behind the wheel, segment 2 of driver's ed, and some parallel parking practice. The question is, are we ready for the parallel parking practice?

Happy Sweet Sixteen!

Maria, 4th birthday, 1996

Today, we are celebrating Maria's 16th birthday. Maria was born on her Aunt Andrea's birthday so we are also applauding Andrea's birthday in spirit from afar. John loves to tell how Maria would blow her bangs instead of her candles when she was young. I'm not sure yet what celebration the day will bring since Maria will be spending the afternoon with friends. We can party tonight!

The Day I Turned 45

So yesterday since it was Saturday, John said we could do whatever I wanted.

"Hmm, I said, let's go for a hike and then go out to the Macaroni Grill."

The fall trees were still beautiful, unusual for November 3. We set our departure time for 4pm so the kids could do their Saturday stuff and we could too. Maria drove us down to a big state preservation area where we could hike deep into the Michigan Woods. We were alone in that woods.





We walked for about 3 miles through deep leaves and bumpy terrain. We enjoyed the sights and the girls even loved looking at their big brother. Maybe they do this for fun.


On the way home, John said, "That was a good hike." The whole hike thing took longer than we projected, so on the way home we decided to order pizza and have cake at home.


Since last year's Geek Gift, the external hard drive, turned out to be such a hit with me, John repeated the stunt with a Colorimeter with calibration software and a 2GB flash drive. Ok, I did request these - they will make life easier.

Still Alive at 45!

We are having a good day. Pix tomorrow I hope!

The Pre-Pre-B-day Party

This afternoon, I was able to soak in the warm fall colors of fall by hot tubbing with my friend Lori next to her Maple tree with bright red fall leaves. Usually, the leaves are gone by now, but it has been a warm fall. So now I will get to enjoy a warm colored birthday. Lori & I have marked grand occasions, her b-day, my b-day, New Year's eve, by having coffee in the hot tub in her back yard, and since I'm about to turn 45, we found it a good excuse to do it again.

She gave me these pictures she took last night of Bridget, her daughter Elise & friends in their costumes & with their candy haul.


Oh, and that ghost showed up again.

John's Own National Holiday

The Banks are closed! No mail deliveries! We have the day off of work & school!

It's John's birthday!!!

43!!!!!! You Know Who You Are!

Marianna, 7th birthday, 1971

I guess there's no hiding your age when in the pictures of your 7th birthday you can see things like paneling and a phone with a cord on the wall! Here's wishing a very happy birthday to my sister, Marianna. Have a good one!

Happy 68th Birthday!

Dad, 2003, in front of the car dealership in The Netherlands where he was born a long time ago


Actually, 68 is not very old when I consider how many of my friends have parents in their 70's and 80's! Hope you have a great day celebrating in Celeryville!!

Happy Birthday!

Her birthday was so bright, she had to wear sunglasses to the party.

Although she is not as old as the USA, Aunt Susan was able to celebrate her birthday in style with all of us on the eve of the 4th of July.

Flash Back Friday 19

This Flash Back Friday post is dedicated to my mother who is celebrating her 65th birthday today. The picture was probalby taken while she was still in high school and dating my dad , or shortly thereafter.

Bridget's Beloved Birthday!

Enjoying the cake on her 1st Birthday


Today is Bridget's 12th birthday, or as a friend so thoughtfully put it, YOUR-BABY-IS-TURNING-12-TODAY!!! We are having a cold, rainy day here which cancelled Edward's track meet and Bridget's track practice. This evening, she has an orchestra concert, so after that, we will eat cake with the family.

This morning, I woke up staring at a huge deep scar on my forehead that I had never seen before and thought it must be flesh-eating bacteria, and I thought this can't be happening on Bridget's birthday. The good news is, I must have just slept on my forehead wrong, because it's pretty much gone now.

Little sweetie-pie Bridget has always love birthdays, and she has been counting the days down for months till today. The excitement level is sky-high here today. When she was 3, she would tell me every day that tomorrow is Bitty Baby's Birthday. I was greeted by her huge grin this morning, and I sang to her the Song right away which in turn took my mind off the flesh wound. She came off the bus today with armloads of presents, so I think she is having a good day so far.

Flash Back Friday 12

Maria, 14 years ago today





Maria & Bridget are starting off the day's festivities with a noon picnic. Their Spring break started today.


Happy Birthday also to Aunt Andrea who so graciously shared her birthday with Maria. (She had it first.)

Yesterday's Phenomenon

We had over a foot of snow on the ground and it hit almost 70 degrees F! It was also my friend and adopted sister Lori's 40th birthday. We celebrated by going out for lunch and then going hot tubbing. Although it was so warm out and we grew warmer in the 105 degree water, we could seek relief by sitting in the snow. On my afternoon walk, the melted snow was rushing down the street like a cold mountain stream and I felt like I was in a different country. Yes, the changing seasons are a miracle.

After supper, I went to a surprise party for Lori, so I basically partied all day because my friend finally reached 40. At this party, she played us a phone message of her 70-something year-old parents on the phone discussing whether or not she is indeed 40 this year or still 39. Fun times.

Flash Back Friday 3

Today's Flash Back also happens to fall on the 76th birthday of Dr. Don Wilson who taught anthropology at Calvin College. This picture was taken over 25 years ago in Liberia. He taught at Calvin up until last year, and John still runs into him there. Don sends out over 6000 postcards a year for birthdays of friends!

When I was at Calvin, he was my advisor and I remember going to his office to talk - he was so interesting! In 1988, he performed our wedding. He came wearing sandals, and my dad, ever the proper Dutchman, gave him a pair of his own shoes to wear. I don't remember if they were too big or too small - I was on cloud 99 - but it was all very funny.

Today also would have been my Grandma's 94th birthday. She was thrilled to learn that she shared a birthday with Don and they exchanged cards for many years.

Seventeen

We celebrated Edward's birthday today with Opa & Grandma, and Tom & Paula & family. Our Christmas celebration with the whole family was on Christmas eve, but I'll blog about that perhaps tomorrow and maybe longer. It's hard to believe we have a seventeen year old, but then sometimes I feel about 80.

Friday Night

We spent last evening with John's side of the family to celebrate Christmas/Edward's birthday. We had a fun time complete with birthday candles in peppermint stick ice cream and Christmas carols and Luke 2 and presents.



The cousins always have fun together. I should have taken more pictures.

Sorry, I missed it!

Yesterday, my niece, Alexandria, turned 11. She is about 8 months younger than Bridget, but the 2 of them look like they could be sisters. This morning, her mother, Andrea, sent me her birthday picture with her new American Girl doll. I had trouble copying it, so I used the one above of the two American Girl Cousins.

Happy Birthday, Allie!!!

Recovering

I'm recovering quite nicely from the birthday weekend. I had to stop at the drug store on the way to work to get some ibuprofen since my body was aching from the long hike. I think I used some different walking muscles in climbing those hills and ducking under tree branches. And at work, I was able to fit "external hard drive" quite easily in to a few conversations.


Leo helping Maria with her homework. This photo can also be found on my external hard drive.

A Good Birthday Weekend

We finished off the birthday weekend by going to church this morning.
We talked about Deuteronomy 31-32 today and especially ch 32 vs. 46-47:

Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you--they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.

There was a sign wishing a happy birthday to the drummer Daniel and me, the two in our church who were born on the same day, only 21 years apart. I asked him once how old his mother was, and then I said, yup, I'm old enough to be your mother. Everyone sang happy birthday. Not surprisingly, the young people at our church thought it was cool to get an external hard drive for your b-day, and yes, I am starting to like it a lot.

We did one more thing today which really served to prolong the birthday weekend. We went on a five mile hike through a nature preserve.



We thought we saw an Indian.



We made it back to the car perilously close to dark.