Joseph is...uh...is... uh... older today

Today, April 13, is Joseph's birthday.  (Don't tell ME that 13 is an unlucky number).

It is one of my many quirks and peculiarities that once my children become adult age, I no longer know how old they are.  I remember when they were born (or can at least work it out from one or two key dates that I never - so far- forget) and can therefore work out how old they are, but I don't just "know" their age.  My 6th child (Joseph) was born in 1986.  You know as much as I do now.  You figure it out.

Joseph is a wonderful young man.  Deceptively quiet with a great, quiet, sneaky sense of humor and dry wit.  He is my go-to tech guy. Good with animals and children.  Smart, analytical, interested in all kinds of things I do not understand.  Keenly interested in justice.  Also security, computers, and other geeky stuff, I know not what.  Lean, wiry, but strong.  He rides his bike 2 miles from home to light rail and then from light rail to work - and back again - year round in all weather.  Ok, maybe once or twice a year the weather will be so bad that I drive him (and I get to work a little late) then make him wait for me to pick him up late after work.  (If only the State would let him work to make while waiting for me in order to make up the time I lose by dropping him off.)  Joseph's co-workers esteem him highly.  So much, they chipped in to buy him a nice bicycle to replace the clunker he was pedaling to work.  And once they had a pizza party to celebrate him coming back after taking a few days on vacation.  They really like him.  I like him, too.  So does Jared. And Joseph is the only living thing his cat, Velox, likes as far as I can tell.

Joseph and I (when I finally tore free of fun with checks at work) each got off early today and met up for a little happy-birthday-Joseph trek around town.  Starkbucks gave him a chocolate-banana smoothie with extra chocolate.  Jack-in-the-Box gave him a piece of cake.  Cold Stone gave him some custom made ice cream - dark chocolate brownie.  Baskin Robbins gave him another scoop of ice cream - baseball nut - raspberry swirl and cashews.   Fun stuff!

I traded some of my life's blood (or rather plasma or is it platelets - I forget which) for another pint of Baskin Robbins ice cream - strawberry cheesecake. (Usually for a month or two during the summer, when you donate at the BloodSource, they give you a coupon for ice cream.  They call it a pint for a pint.  Actually, you only get 12 ounces of ice cream.  I don't know how much plasma (or platelets) they take either .  But they CALL it a Pint for a Pint. If you give whole blood, you do give a pint. You still only get 12 ounces of ice cream. Unless your server is generous!)

Joseph's plan was to bring all his treats home to share for a family movie and treat night.

But first, we decided to have real food.  Which is not necessarily to say healthy food.  We went to Squeeze Inn - at their new location a couple of blocks away from their old non wheelchair accessible location.  Joseph and I shared a BLT and a SqueezeBurger with famous cheese skirt.  Benjamin had a SqueezeBurger without cheese.  We shared fries.

So then we were too full to eat treats.  But the food has settled some now.  The boys have watched some Mission Impossible movie and I have done some bookkeeping.  We had family prayer and read a chapter in the Book of Mormon (the Nephites are facing their final destruction.  The Lamanites and Nephites are terribly depraved.  cheerful stuff)  It is past our bedtime.

NOW, we are having our treats.  I am trying to have only a little (as I probably should not have any)

Thank you for helping.