You say it's your birthday....

Okay, so today is my birthday on Guam, which is where I was born. This is how Guam looks:



I stole the picture from my brother, who is living in Guam right now. Guam is in the Pacific ocean over by Japan somewhere. (I only lived there until I was one, so what do I know?!)

This is what it looks like where I am right now:


It is snowing again. Bah.


Now because I was born in one time zone and live in a totally different time zone (like 17 hours different), I am celebrating my birthday twice.

Growing up, I was told my birthday was on the 26th, which it is....on Guam. But here in the states, my birthday, my real true birthday, falls on the 25th. The same day as my Aunt Gwen's and my 15 week premature baby Ammon. (As a sad sidenote, Ammon didn't survive the trauma of trying to survive without nature's incubator, and he died on the 28th of January. So today is always a bitter sweet day. I am looking forward to someday finally getting to meet him and getting to know him.)

I didn't realize that my birthday was on the 25th here in the states until my brother's wife was stationed on Guam. After figuring out the time difference, so that I could call and talk to my brother while he was actually awake, I realized that by the time I got around to celebrating on the 26th, it was the 27th on Guam. Crazy!

I told my mom that I was celebrating my birthday on the 25th. She told me that she's still going to call and wish me Happy Birthday on the 26th because she is too old to change her ways. So...I get to celebrate twice!

Amber made me breakfast this morning: banana pancakes, bacon, & toast with my apricot jam (that is really syrup - it didn't gel) that I put up last summer. She also made decorations and decorated the living room. She is sweet like that!

Emily made me a cute card. Matt wished me "Happy Birthday on Guam", and Michael wished me Happy Birthday, too. Steve is making supper for me: bean soup with whole wheat bread. It is what I like! And Amber is making a cake for me.

So that's it. The whole post is about me. How self-centered is that?!

So that I don't feel so egocentric, I'm going to do a give away for my birthdays. Just answer the question: What is your favorite flavor of birthday cake? Does your favorite come from a box, homemade, or store bought?

I will randomly choose a winner from the comments for one of these two books of your choice.



****(Ignore the pasta cookbook, will you please? That is the one that Eternal Sunshine chose during my last give away, so it is gone.)****


Chickens in Your Backyard - A Beginner's Guide by Rick and Gail Luttman (my cover is different, but you can at least read about it.)

Seed to Seed - Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners by Suzanne Ashworth.

AND just to make things a little more interesting, make a guess of what flavor cake Amber is making me. Whoever guesses the correct flavor of cake Amber is making me will be an instant winner and will get to choose their favorite book. If two or more people guess the correct flavor, I will put their names in a hat (or a box) and choose one.

And either way, the winner who is randomly chosen (based on telling me their favorite cake) will get their pick of one of the two books available. (I have a couple copies of each, so no worries! You'll get your favorite of the two!)

If you just want to comment and don't want no stinkin' book, just leave a message sayin' so.

I'll close the comments on Monday night at midnight, after all of the birthday festivities are done in both time zones.