It's your day young lady

It's become something of a an unintentional family tradition. We tend to celebrate Suzanna's birthday early in our immediate little circle. In some ways it has worked out well, because Spring Break always seems to fall the week before her birthday. In the 10 years I lived in California, Spring Break was often a convenient time to make a trip home.

The good news was that it we got the better part of a week of quality time in such exotic locales as Pendleton, Portland, Seattle, Orange County, San Diego and Palm Springs.

Journal excerpt, March 31, 1997:

The last four days have been among the best in my life. I had the unequaled pleasure of spending that time with Suzanna and taking her on her first trip to Disneyland. I want to preserve every precious second in memory and carry that memory forever....

I can only hope that she had a good time and that the memory of this trip lives with her throughout her life. We spent two days in Disneyland. Like most children, she loves Disney movies and the characters. And she got a chance to meet many of the characters she reveres -- Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, Jasmine, Aladdin, Cinderella, Snow White, Goofy, Chip, Dale, Pocahontas. It really is a magical place for a child, and through her the magic was worked on me. I have been to Disneyland twice before, but it was nothing like this. ... But this time I enjoyed it as it is meant to be enjoyed, through the eyes and dreams of a child. Suzanna’s aunts, Catarina and Marquita, also came over for the weekend from Tucson.

The bad news was I have rarely been able to see Suzanna on her birthday. There have been some notable exceptions. Suzanna and I even talked about one of those exceptions Saturday, which was the year Marquita and I drove to Oregon from Southern California.

Journal excerpt, April 18, 1998:

For now, I will turn my anticipation toward getting film from my Oregon trip taken to the photo lab and getting pictures of Suzanna back. Seeing that gap-toothed grin will make me smile. Her mom had a surprise party for her the night before her birthday and I got to attend. She had her cousins, Sarah and Matthew there... Martha and her husband Michael were there, and Marquita and Monica. ...

On Suzanna’s birthday, April 2, I met Monica and Suzanna’s school.... We picked Suzanna up and took her to the park. It was a lovely spring day in Pendleton, sunny, with only a hint of a chill in the air. We walked around the park and watched Suzanna play on the playground equipment and try to skip rocks in the creek. Pleasant, quiet, family-type moments – precious moments.

The most notable exception of those April 2nds, the very first one, back in 1991.

Excerpt from an April 3, 1991 journal entry:

Today, I became a father. OK, if you want to be technical, actually it was yesterday. But on Tuesday, April 2, 1991, I became a father at approximately 10:20 a.m. Such a day. The contrast of emotions is nearly overwhelming. The pride and the joy are immense. I want to shout to the world, "I’m a father. I have a baby girl!"

... I got the chance (no matter how awkward or out of place I felt) to see my daughter less than two hours after she was born. And I got the chance to hold her and caress her in my arms. Happy birthday Suzanna.

I've been thinking about that day a lot in recent days. It's hard to believe that tiny little creature, with the pudgy face under that tiny little cloth cap and the impossibly tiny fingers and microdot fingernails, with the lovely young woman who is celebrating her 17th birthday.


But on the big day, Suzanna's got a pretty full schedule, so we opted to resurrect our tradition of celebrating her birthday a bit early. Saturday was our day. We spent the afternoon together. We Explored a bit of the Pearl District where we found a nice little restaurant, Mio Sushi (with attractive decor, mouth-watering food and great service), cruised around Chinatown and downtown. Then we dodged rain, sleet and hail to venture into Pioneer Place. Afterwards, once we returned to her house, Suzanna demonstrated her skills on Guitar Hero III. I got to try it out too, under Suzanna's tutelage, but my skills definitely need some work.

Suzanna has taught me so many things over the years. One of those lessons is that special occasions don't always conform to preset dates on a calendar. What makes occasions special isn't just what number there is on the page in the datebook. It's the people you spend your time with that make occasions special.

Happy Birthday, Suzanna. Thanks for so many special days that all began 17 years ago on April 2.