My Happy Birthday

Tuesday was my birthday.   I'm double digits now.    I won't tell you which digits I am, but let's just say, I'm still under the half-century mark.     Life is good.   I had a really week at work for the most part. We had a few issues with a few of our friends in class, random runners, some kids pinching and hitting, but other than that the day was pretty much smooth sailing.   It's so nice to have a new vehicle too. I was a bit freaked out though, by some guy in the SUV behind us. I think he was on some drugs or something. My son and daughter were sitting in the back of the car and some guy decided it would be hilarious to flip them the almighty bird. If that wasn't bad enough, when we got to a stop light, this moron decides he is going to take a piece of paper and write an expletive on it. Apparently he figured they didn't know what that middle finger stood for, so he wrote it out on paper for them to read it.   I was like "What the hell?"   I wanted to get out of my car and say something. But instead I chose to just hope the light turned green and we could get away from this weirdo.    He finally turned right at the next light and I got his plate number just in case he happens to be on our journey another day.   So when my birthday rolled around I was surprised when one of my students came in with two packs of 12 count mini cupcakes and a balloon along with a small gift in a birthday card.    Made my day.   I had planned to buy cupcakes for my little friends at work anyway, but she beat me to it.   There was a bow attached to the cupcakes and I wore it in my hair. I had to take my french braid out to make the bow stay in tight, because it kept on rolling down my forehead ..ha ha.   We had a fun time.   Then I had decided to take my kids out to Applebee's for a birthday dinner. We had such a nice time, and my oldest twin son ran to the bathroom, not once but twice. I knew what he was up to, but I played it off and acted like I didn't. He wanted the staff to sing happy birthday to me. Next thing I know I tell them it's time to go, and all of them after a brief huddle tell me "you can't go yet mom!"   Okay...   So we wait, and finally our server shows up, with a plate of ice cream and whip cream on the side and places the plate in front of me on one of the carry out boxes and says "Happy Birthday" then he walks away.   Yep, that was it.   Kind of like waiting for Christmas morning when you're six and all you find under the tree Christmas Day is a pair of socks when you really wanted a bike.    Yeah, that was it.   I was mad. Not because they didn't sing, but because my kids were so excited to have them sing to their mother. Because of all the effort they put into getting these people to sing to their mother. Because, their anticipation was that of the six year old on Christmas morning with the same emotional result of just getting a pair of socks.   It broke my heart, that their hearts were broken.   My son told me he wrote a note in crayon on his coloring page they gave him when the hostess sat us down, "It's my mom's birthday can you sing to her?" and he said he handed it to the server.
He also asked a female server, carrying a huge pile of dishes if she could tell our server to sing to me, apparently on his second trip out of our booth to the "bathroom".   All that effort and all I got was melting ice cream with chocolate drizzle on top and a side of whip cream.   And my kids got a taste of trying to give a gift to their mother and it turned out to be defective.   I still tipped that waiter.     Why I don't know.  I gave him the standard 15%.   So the next day my son realized he left his baseball cap at the restaurant. So after work I went to get it.   Kids stayed in the car while I ran in to grab it.   I found a manager and I told her our story.   She said she would speak to him and her staff about this incident.   Not like I'll be going back there again anyway.   Hell, it took me two years just to be able to take them there to begin with.  I can't afford the luxury of an Applebee's dinner for four on my salary.   But after talking to a few people at work, they all agreed Applebee's was the way to go.     
We were going to go to Denny's or Ihop and we probably should have instead.    I bet they would have sang to me.   Then what really got to me, was when my poor son said, "Mom, this was a fun night, until that server came back with that ice cream."   I knew what he meant.
  Oh well, it was a nice day overall.
And my kids sang to me in the car anyway.  Not only did I get the traditional birthday song, but I got the Applebee's version(they sang it much better anyway) and I got their school version which goes like this:
"Happy Birthday to you...cha cha cha, Happy Birthday to you,...cha cha cha...Happy Birthday dear mommy, happy birthday to you...cha cha cha!"
So, take that Applebee's...you can keep your candle, cake and song and eat it too.
We didn't let your sorry service ruin our evening.   And I promise you we will never be back again.    I had a wonderful day and spent it with the ones I love.   *****************   Looking forward to a relaxing weekend and maybe a blog or two.   Have to register the new vehicle in the next 30 days and have to have a few tune ups, nothing major and brakes replaced.   Off to watch the Olympics with my babies.   More to come later.....