It is my home, my neighborhood, and my history. It is what I am and where I came from. Embarrassing? Yes Boring? Never

Monday, August 9, 2010

A Quarter of a Century

The weekend our Butterfly turned 25 and the party was all about The Sweet Sweet Life of Our Butterfly. The below story was on a huge board with each of the Sweets listed (yes all 25) layed out on a big table. Made her cry, did not want that, but it was Sweet......


From sugar and spice and all things nice, 25 years ago the sweet sweet life of Butterfly began. She wore candy necklaces and ate penny candy (1- store treats) and loved a gum ball (2-see large dispenser). As a little sweetie, she loved all her holidays, like Easter with scavenger hunts and big stuffed bunnies and jelly beans (3- Jelly Belly assortment).

When she received more than just boxes Butterfly loved her Christmas’s, especially when she was old enough to help Santa (which was needed because Santa is a little klutzy, remember?) and helping Grandma with the cookies. (4-white chocolate brownie balls). The lighter holidays like St Patrick’s day (5-Irish Crème Sticks) and Valentines day (6- Milk Chocolate covered peanuts) (Remember the time you thought only April got the gift card?), although delicious were not her special days.
Thanksgiving was totally fun with unlimited pumpkin pies (7-pumpkin pie with spray whipped topping) but none of these were her favorite…..The day of her people, Halloween, which reigns supreme in the eyes of our dear Butterfly! (8-Reeces cups )

Besides the joy of the holidays, there were other occasions that were delectable to precious Butterfly … The weddings of her brother Number one to Plain Jane (9- banana cake with whipped cream icing) although the wedding severely effected her birthday extravaganza she forgave them, as is her nature. Then the was the event of Soldier and Coach's` (10- chocolate covered strawberries). The births of her nieces and nephews filled her heart with love (11- chocolate cup cakes, the are ‘filled’)

Butterfly, on of ‘our’ three princesses , visited Disney (12- Mickey chocolate covered Oreos) with Uncle Craig and spent another the summer with Dad at the water park (13- Watermelon). But time has proven Butterfly is much more adventurous than anyone could have predicted.

She packed up and went to Pittsburg where she learned of the world (remember your car being broken into, and getting lost on the way home?) (14- Tiramisu) and ghost hunted and walked (15 -Tootsie roll ghosts) with brother Tank who shares her interest in the ‘other’ world.

Always the apple (16-Whole grain Apple muffins) of her father’s eye, she spent many Sundays (17-Ice cream sundaes) at his side, learning about life and colorful language. She has studied the language of love - French (18 Crème Brule). She studies hard now to someday claim her fame and fortune (19-Fortune Cookies).

There has been times our fair Butterfly has been blue (20- blue berry tarts) but usually her sweetness shines through. She is as smooth as butter, or peanut butter, (21- fudge) and is as comfortable eating sushi as she is eating a hamburger and fries (22- peppermint patty between vanilla wafers). I do not mean to be cheesy (23- star cherry cheese cakes) but she is the prize in the Cracker Jack (24- again, self explanatory)

We are truly blessed to have Butterfly in our lives. It is not every child who wants to go to ‘Prison’ (24-Prison Jello, orange with carrots, pineapple and raisins) (don’t want to ruin the birthday but really getting desperate now, low on ideas) with her parents.

She is so loved. And these 25 years have been wonderfully sweet!