Happy Birthday, Deena!!

My sister Deena was born on Christmas Day. It is a lot like having NO birthday at all. I am sure all the Christmas-Day-Babies out there feel her pain.

So, it is TOUGH to actually celebrate her birthday. No matter what you give her, she can never be sure her birthday present isn't a Christmas present you received earlier in the day, which you are now regifting to her... (for the record, Deena -- THAT HAS NEVER ACTUALLY happened...)

Christmas is just too crazy. There is so much to do, so many people to take care of, so many meals to cook, there just isn't enough time in a day. And my sister Deena would be the LAST person to take an evening off all for herself....

BUT -- AH HA -- you know what a dismal shopper I am. Besides, I believe in ADVENTURES and making memories. Nobody needs MORE STUFF...

So -- I HAVE A PLAN....I called our friend Kathy.  Deena's birthday adventure will be the Sunday AFTER Christmas...Adler. In Downtown Davenport.

Jim Brickman is in town!!  This picture is from his website.  Jim is at the piano (he was amazing) with the phenomenal Tracy Silverman on the electric violin.

This is our selfie, right before the show.  We are excited!!

WE SO LOVED THE CONCERT.  Deena loves to play the piano -- and this concert was a very inspiring evening. I'm going to dust off my piano, too.  This picture was taken inside the Blackhawk Hotel. Being there always makes me very happy...

And the Adler Theater is such a beautiful venue....

After the show, we went to Granite City for a special Birthday Dinner...

THE FOOD WAS AMAZING...and we split the dessert!!

I don't care how old you are, or what you do for a living -- it is hard...really, really hard...to carve out some adult "girl time". We are the caregivers...and that's what we do. We take care of our husbands, and our children, and we do our jobs...then we have the house to take care of, which always includes an extraordinary amount of time-consuming cleaning and cooking.

Once your own kids are grown, and THEY start having children,  the work actually doubles. Deena has eight grandchildren (the oldest is 8)...and she has her entire family come to her house twice a week for a family supper...

You can see where I'm going with this.  TAKE THE TIME.  Make it a priority.  Do it for your sister, or a friend you've lost touch with, or a neighbor you used to be close to.  TAKE THE TIME.  In the end, it will be a gigantic gift to yourself...