Birthdays!

Some days make me miss being home more than others, and today is definitely one of those days. My family is at the Lake of the Ozarks with some dear friends beating the Midwest heat and doing pretty much everything that makes me utterly content. This list includes, but is not limited to, eating homemade summer meals each night, beating everyone at cards and Monopoly, sleeping as long as I want, reading good books, drinking good gin and tonics, having at least a sip of a Red Fox margarita, going for boat rides, watching my brother and co. set off a huge amount of fireworks, cursing mosquitos, listening to thunder and watching lightening, still being treated like a kid and having to do dishes after dinner, wearing lounging clothes for 5 days straight, smelling like sunscreen and enjoying the company of people I have known, and will know, my whole life.
This year is even worse because I am missing the celebration of my parents' birthdays. No, that wasn't a typo, my parents do, indeed, have the same birthday (year apart) and this year they get to celebrate it with no work and all fun. I called them this afternoon (9am for them) and surprised them with happy birthday wishes from France, but boy do I miss being there to enjoy the white wedding cake (my mom's favorite) and the turkey dinner that they'll be enjoying in their honor. I might need to find some gin and limes and toast to my amazing parents from roughly 4000 miles away. Cheers!