My birthday is today! I was born in 1969 so that makes me 44 today! My birthday is always a bittersweet day for me… at least it has been since turning 39… but NOT why you think. I’d like to share a little family history with you.
On one hand, I love all the love I receive and especially the gifts. I love presents! I don’t know why, but I suspect it’s because we didn’t get many presents growing up. And, the presents we did get were usually something we needed… like socks, underwear or shoes. However, I do remember turning 13 and getting the most fabulous boom box on the planet. It was big, shiny, loud, and portable. My parents couldn’t afford to buy it outright so they put it on their charge account at Western Auto. I would sit and listen to the radio for hours waiting for my favorite songs to play so I could record them on the cassette tape. Little Red Corvette, Hair of the Dog, Thriller, and I Love Rock ‘N Roll come to mind as my most favorite songs of the time. I loved this boom box so much that when the belt broke that turned the cassette to make it play, I tore it apart and figured out that I could replace the small belt with a rubber band. But, it had to be just the right size. If it was too loose or too tight, the songs didn’t replay at the right tempo and were hardly recognizable. The rubber bands never lasted for more than a week or two, so I was constantly disassembling my boom box to make it play for just a week at a time. I eventually reached a point in my life when carrying around an eight-pound boom box no longer made sense… that was when I got my driver’s license. Then, it made more sense to adapt some unused home stereo speakers to work with the stereo in my orange Toyota truck. They were loud and I had discovered Midnight Star’s No Parking on the Dance Floor!
On the other hand, the part of my birthday that I always dread is extreme guilt from living life longer than my mother. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not about to do anything drastic and I do have plans to live to 100. You see though, my mother passed away when she was just 39-years-and-three-months old… to the day. Can you even understand how incredibly young that is? Thirty-nine! It boggles my mind and saddens my heart to think that I have surpassed my own mother’s life. I have made more memories, experienced more happiness, faced more challenges, and received more love from family and friends simply because I have lived longer. That makes me feel guilty. She never had the opportunity to meet her grandchildren or spend time with the families that her children have created. She never baked them bread, took them hot rodding, or taught them perfect hospital corners when making their beds.
So, yes I am very thankful that I have survived another year and not left my own children motherless. I have been blessed beyond belief in my life. I am grateful. I am also extremely hopeful that I will one day get to meet my grandchildren, take them hot rodding and teach them to make perfect hospital corners. (The baking part probably isn’t ever happening.) I cherish both the memories I have made and the ones still in store. I look forward to growing old and becoming a grandma. I wished my mother could have done the same. I also wish life was just as clear at 14 as it is at 44.
Until next time, be positive, happy, and healthy, and don’t forget to be photographed.
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I am a San Antonio-based wedding and senior photographer who started Ata-Girl Photography Co., LLC in 2010. As one of the up-and-coming San Antonio wedding photographers, I am also available to shoot in Austin, Houston and Dallas and the surrounding areas. I am also available for destination weddings worldwide. Ata-Girl Photography Co. offers an amazing wedding photography service that you won’t soon forget. As a professional photographer, my sole purpose is to provide you the absolute best photography experience.
I am a professional photographer who enjoys documenting the important milestones and captivating moments in people’s lives. I firmly believe that the unique set of circumstances I have faced in life has prepared me to take a personal and genuine interest in my photography clients. When I’m not photographing a wedding, family or high school senior, I enjoy watching my daughter play softball, hiking, cycling, reading, and listening to Elvis!
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