birthday day

"I don't mind getting older as long as I can keep having birthdays." ~Joah Whitt

I love September for so many reasons - start of school, 80 degree days, football season, CBS resumes...and...my...birthday! Yes, I really love my birthday - really, really love it. I am sure that is very narcissistic of me, but I can't help it - well, I probably can, but I don't want to.

It is also my little brother's birthday. Weird, I know, since we are 8 years apart in age. People often ask if we are twins (not very bright people, mind you) and I say "Yes, yes we are. It was a VERY long labor." (Insert eye roll here.)

My brother and I have a birthday tradition that I cherish deeply. I did not use to cherish it - in fact, it down right made me mad. But, that's because I was a teenager who cherished my sleep, and not the feelings of my sibling. Anyhoo, the tradition started with a very unwelcome early wake up call by my electric guitar wielding little brother, accompanied with vocals,

"You say it's your birthday? Nuh, nuh, nuh, nuh, nuh, nuh! It's my birthday too, yeah! Nuh, nuh, nuh, nuh, nuh, nuh!"

Only, he didn't sing the "nuh, nuh's" he strummed them- loudly - with his electric guitar - and amp.

I think that first serenade was 18 years ago. Since then, he has not missed a year, and I have come to love and eagerly expect his birthday ballad. Now though, we sing it together, though I usually mess up the "nuh, nuh's." He is the musically inclined one, I am a music moron.

So this morning I called him up on the phone and we sang our birthday song to each other. It's almost like this song was written just for us. What a perfect start to one of my favorite days in the best month of the year!