Repost: 10 Years Later

Marlene's Birthday

My youngest niece turned 13 today.  13!!!  So in honour of her birthday, I thought I'd re-post the story of her third birthday. All the things I saw in her at the age of three, remain and have expanded in these last 10 years. She is bright and smart and innovative and funny and creative. She is sensitive and kind and compassionate. She has the same joie de vivre and enthusiasm that she had when she was riding down the stairs at age 2. It is such a delight to see her grow into more of who she is, as she has become more and more of a young lady. My brother and SIL have done a remarkable job with all their daughters, and I am so grateful to be their auntie!  

Here's the post from 10 years ago:

Last weekend, we celebrated Niece Marlene's 3rd birthday. I LOVE this girl. She's so smart and funny. A familiar refrain is, Marlene! What are you doing? She replies, Plotting and scheming. Thanks to my brother.

On the famous YouTube stairs.

SIL was v. wise to get ONE balloon colour. Noooooo! I want the red ballooooooon! All avoided. It was a smallish affair with just the extended fam of aunties & grandparents. SIL picked up a cake. As a fan of Cakewrecks, I was hoping for something with a bit more wreckiness, but we got this:

You call yourself a Cakewreck?

Cakewreck worthy? Well no. But I do appreciate the migrating border in all its ploppiness. And the squiggly writing. And the brown leaves around the Crisco roses; v. appropriate for the winter season. Cue music: All the leaves are brown . . .all-the-leaves-are-brown . . . and the sky is grey . . . and-the-sky-is-grey . . . . If only it said "Happe Brithday" or we'd had a few misplaced quote marks. Alas.

That night at dinner after the rest of the extended fam left, we were at dinner. Mum asked Marlene how she liked her birthday. It was incredible, she replied. That's right, she's 3.

To the "brithday" gril:

May you're thrid year be

as good as to.

Underneat that write

Yay U in blue 

HAPPY 2019!!!

Here's my quote for the day by that magnificent philosopher, author and genius, Robert Heinlein, since I was not up at my usual 5:30 a.m.-ish:

"Progress isn't made by early risers. It's made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something."  

I only woke up at 8:38 a.m. because Bingo was squeaking for breakfast:

Bingo's "FEED ME" Look.

And by "squeaking,"  I mean whining.  On the other hand, I was awakened at midnight by the neighbors ALL AROUND me setting off fireworks!  Across the lake, next door, across the street.  Good times.  Then I was awake, so I reviewed my 2018 journal for a coupla hours and noticed how much I actually accomplished. So I wrote a "Yay, me" list.   

One of those things: I built a boom for my camera!  (And by "I" I mean that I got the materials and Brother Atlasta whipped it together for me, lickety split. I could have done it, but I would have been less lickety-splitty).  As I stood staring at my camera set up on the tri-pod trying to figure out how to film a new way, I thought, "Why am I trying to reinvent the wheel here?  Someone has already done this and has a tutorial on Youtube!"  And so THANKS to water colour artist Wonder Forest, I saved a LOT of time: 

And THANKS to my bro. Just waiting on clip thingie from Amazon to secure to the galvanized pipe and then I'm set for overhead, hands-free filming. Squeeee!   I did it.  2019, here I come!  Tutorials, journals, and courses, oh my!   :-)