For most Americans the beginning of July is all about fireworks and family barbecues but for me birthday candles are another seasonal fire hazard. I was born during the time of year when patriotism is paramount so often the celebration of my birthday has come second place to the celebration of America’s. Luckily, I have a super fantastic hubby now that refuses to ever put me second to anything and hence my birthday is rigorously observed.

Jason and I spent most of our holiday weekend celebrating me and the rest of it partying in general. I’m still exhausted from it all but what a way to live!

Friday we got the weekend started with some mini golf and fireworks with the in-laws. Lighting these fireworks went about as expected. There were a few times when I thought it likely that someone’s crotch was going to get a flame enema. Yup, pretty standard for the Sabins.

Saturday we went boating with our friends Jeremy and Jacob on Utah Lake. We got all sorts of crispy while wakeboarding, kneeboarding, and tubing. The tubing, oddly enough, proved to be the roughest part of the experience. That may have had something to do with us squishing too many people on that tiny tube and riding it backwards or while standing up but, then again, it could have just been a coincidence.

We were burnt, dehydrated, and tired after boating but, once a little nap refreshed us a bit, Jason took me out to dinner at Takashi in Salt Lake City for some birthday sushi. I could eat their Shiva rolls until my own rolls have been substantially increased…and then eat some more.

The next day it was time to party with my family. My parents put together a yummy barbecue to celebrate all four of those with July birthdays in one lump. Nothing says summer like chowing grilled veggie kabobs, hotdogs, and hamburgers while lounging in the grass…except maybe some snowboarding.

I have long dreamed of spending the 4^th of July on white peaks with my snowboard underfoot. This never seemed very likely to happen but, luckily, Mother Nature is a fickle lady and her severe winter and frosty spring made my wish finally attainable. Snowbird announced a month ago that they would be open on the 4^th. Sweet doggity dog! I was ecstatic and determined to be there for the holiday. Jason definitely didn’t try to dissuade me from this plan; he was drooling almost as much as I was. We weren’t the only ones with the dream of summer snow though apparently because it was very crowded at the bird. The tram line was the longest I have ever seen it but all the patrons were in exceptionally good moods anyhow as they wound around the courtyard. We were all getting to board on the 4^th of July so who cared about a little wait! The feelings of exuberance didn’t fade inside the packed trams. Chants of “U.S.A!” erupted randomly and when a group of riders spontaneously began singing the national anthem they were quickly joined by dozens of others. After everyone’s voices had been warmed up by these patriotic outbursts Jason took the opportunity to get the throng to belt out a happy birthday song to me. Oh the humiliation! Even with that mortification it was a lovely day. It may have been scorching down here in the valleys but Snowbird’s Mineral Basin was lusciously slushy and perfect for a July frolic.

We finished off our 4^th with a dinner featuring margherita pizza and grilled peach salad made by Chef Jason and then walked down to a park to watch the city’s fireworks with his parents and brother. It was a nice relaxing end to a crazy weekend.

My birthday may be easy to dismiss when there is fourth fun to be had but Jason will never let it pass without plenty of presents, lots of gorging, a host of  memorable activities, and of course some embarrassment. Without that man I’m sure I would feel a little forgotten every year, it’s hard to compete with America, but he makes sure I get a birthday way beyond the norm. Thanks for another spectacular celebration!

Laser tag is a standard in any nerd’s repertoire and, therefore, always a diversion I welcome. That goes double if the celebration of my birthday is in question.

Jason planned a great geeky gathering for my birthday this year: a 2 hour outdoor game of laser tag featuring a couple dozen of our friends. Awesome! He doesn’t deserve all the credit for this unique and nerdy idea though. A couple months ago one of our friends celebrated his birthday in a similar manner and Jason and I had such a great time crawling through the bushes and firing on our buddies that he thought my birthday would be a great excuse to do it all over again. He was correct.

We held the party at Mt. Timpanogos Park with the games starting just as it was getting dark. The park cleared out shortly after night set in and we soon had the entire area to ourselves. I’m certain that that desertion had nothing to do with park goers feeling like they were getting swarmed by an armed nerd herd.

It turned out to be the perfect evening for our tactical operations. A nice breeze, along with the thick layers of sweat covering our poorly conditioned bodies, kept us cool as we attempted to regain some of our youthful magnificence.

I may be growing another year older but hiding behind rocks and sprinting across the grass made me feel a lot like a little kid playing kick the can in the warm summer twilight. There’s nothing like a little nostalgic childhood regression to counteract the effects of time.

Many thanks to all the friends who eagerly let go of any semblance of maturity and embraced the pain of unwanted exercise for the glory of the game. The night just wouldn’t have been the same without you as a target.