Off with a Bang

How it goes around here: as soon as Halloween is over, we have Darin's birthday then my birthday, then Thanksgiving, then Christmas, with tons of other important birthdays in between, and then Polly will turn one and I will be crying. not because i don't want her grow up, because seeing my babies grow is my greatest joy. But just because time moves too fast. No matter how i try to treasure each moment, (always have, ever since I was six years old, I felt funny about time passing, and I've been trying to write everything down ever since then.) it still flies, never more so than since I've become a mother. 
The time that our babies are actual babies is extremely fleeting. I learned that quickly.

So...Darin's birthday. My husband now begins his Walt Whitman year. I think he'll find it a vibrant one and I look forward to sharing it with him and our little family.


To make the day special I basically just tried to be a really good wife. I stayed up late the night before getting all the Halloween stuff put away and making it clean and tidy, getting the coffee ready, etc. In the morning I made him a nice omelette for breakfast and then brought out a few little gifts which Lucy opened for him.


His new favorite, a book whose release he has eagerly awaited. 


He did have to work on his birthday, but we met him at the park downtown for a little picnic lunch I'd made and some playing on the playground. We decided it was so nice we'd do that once a week or so.


He got off work a little early, we went to vote, and then met up with friends at Brick Oven Pub (which is under new ownership and now has giant flatscreen televisions with sports playing everywhere you look, ugh). Penelope brought Darin flowers. I led everyone in a rousing game of Darin Coelho trivia; turned out my questions were way too hard (I guess the stories I've heard a thousand times aren't so obvious to everyone else) but Emily did remarkably well and took first place, with Rebecca as a close second. 








I never got a photo of myself or Darin and I together on his birthday, so this one of our moms will have to suffice. Happy grandmas!

 

Some of my favorite traits of Darin's include: (in no particular order)
- his mystical nature
- extremely safe driver
- very sweet and completely doting father to his daughters 
- his unbelievable patience in all things except weed-eating
- endless creativity
- he has a special knack for coming up with good titles
- integrity.
- deeply questioning, deconstructing, thoughtful, discerning.
- broad range of knowledge.  
- loves comfort, kind of a homebody in an endearing way
- strong.

Basically, he's good at almost everything he does, he's got a great sense of humor, has a thousand interests and can discuss anything at great length, he's not afraid to admit the things he's not good at (cars) and he is handsome to boot. I love the man, I'm really lucky to have him as a husband and to get to be the one who knows just how many medals he took in the County Track and Field Finals in eighth grade, and in which events.  I can't wait for our little "birthday trip" in a week or so.

Comments

anne said…
happy birthday darin!!!! Seems like it was a wonderful day for your amazing man :)
November 10, 2014 at 8:14 AM
mary said…
Such a very happy W.W. birthday to Darin! My favorite sentences from this post are "a few little gifts which Lucy opened for him" and "his unbelievable patience in all things except weed-eating".

And I do so love the hearth altar. Big warm fuzzies.

love to you and the whole fam heather!! xoxo
November 11, 2014 at 9:57 AM
Teeny said…
Awwww what a lovely tribute! This makes me feel like drinking beer. mmm.
November 17, 2014 at 2:50 PM
Tera said…
You guys.... So sweet! Happy Birthday, Darin!!! I understand the appreciation of time standing still and the passing of it. It fascinates me. How I can still be four years old, looking at my hand against the wall and realizing one day it will be big, then being big and seeing my daughter's tiny hand. It's all at once a second when I think of that moment. But it isn't at all. It's several long and full lifetimes ago. But it isn't at all. It's such a personal thing. Lingering in it, savoring it is my style as well, a result of an early epiphany. We must have tea one day!
November 18, 2014 at 5:49 AM
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