October Birthdays

I know a lot of people with October birthdays.

When I sent out the mailer for blOgtoberfest, I had this great idea that I could kill about 8 birds with one stone by paying tribute to all of these folks by writing about them on their birthdays. Not thinking two steps ahead, I recently realized that perhaps these fine people don't want their lives to be written about and splattered across the web, so I have decided against that plan. But I thought it would be nice to take this one blog and acknowledge all these folks. So here goes:

October 2:
Stephanie's mom, Phyllis.

October 4:
My grandma, Erma. Age: 84. Simple beginnings. Fun woman. Able to make friends and have conversations with anybody she runs into. The greatest small talker I've ever known besides my wife.

October 6:
Our niece, Sarah. Age: 1. Cutest baby, second only to Elliott.

October 8:
My cousin Melissa. Age: (not going to blow her cover). Looks 10 years younger than she actually is, however. Just had a gorgeous daughter named Olivia in August.

October 12:
Our Man Horn aka Paul. Age: Younger than me. Artist extraordinaire. The only person on the list who has a permanent link on my blog. Gave up working for the man to follow his dream. Much respected in my book. If I had half his talent, I'd be set for life.

October 19:
My brother, Trevor. Age: 36 this year. Good kid. Unfortunate life circumstances. Love him regardless. Fantastic goofball sense of humor.

October 24:
My crazy friend Jessica's baby Ella. Age: 1. Stole my favorite baby girl name. Must be the cutest kid I haven't met or seen pictures of yet. This is a huge hint, Jess.

October 25:
Our gal, Val. Age: (not blowing her cover, either). Still a great friend after all these years. Living the dream in London. Awaiting her long overdue return to Portland.

October 26:
My cousin Jen's fantastic twins Cameron and Andrew. Age: 3 this year. Talk about 2 adorable little boys... this in addition to her other two adorable boys. I just realized if they ever play basketball, their nickname could be "Double team."

Also Stephanie's Aunt Maggie's birthday. Age: timeless. Fantastic woman. Godmother to Elliott. Loves him to death and puts him to sleep like no other.

I think that's it. I hope I didn't leave anybody out. If I did, send me some hate mail and I will gladly print my retribution. In a way, I'm jealous of everybody on this list because their birthday is so close to Halloween that they have a built in excuse to throw a costume party.