A Georgia Girl in Germany

I had a pretty decent birthday last week -- starting with a busy day at work hosting nine mayors and three U.S. embassy escorts/translators from the Czech Republic (my job definitely is never boring!), followed by dinner with the kids at Chili’s (where we go when I need a fix of “American” food -- aka steak!).

While we were sitting in the restaurant, each of the kids drew something to commemorate my birthday. I loved Zachary’s card -- it was so original, and funny! To top it off, he came up with the idea and created the card between the time when we sat down and when our food arrived. Look closely at the license plates: “OLDIE3” and “NXTGNR8TN4” Do you think maybe he has a future job at Hallmark?

Look at all the detail on MacKenzie’s drawing -- I love it! There are 37 candles on the cake. She accurately shows that Benjamin has been singing “You’re a Grand Ol’ Flag” lately (and drew him singing that instead of “Happy Birthday”). She even drew herself giving me “love” as my birthday present. How sweet!

Finally, Benjamin couldn’t be outdone, so he worked on his own drawing as well. He copied the “Happy 37” from Zachary’s card, then asked me what the “y” was (he’s used to y’s looking different). The (backward) checkmark and the “X” were for me to choose. I wasn’t quite sure what I was choosing between, but I quickly discovered that whatever selection I made, it meant I was “old.” If I chose the checkmark, Benjamin would proudly exclaim that I was old. If I quickly changed my selection to the “X,” he would also say I was “old” … and that I wasn’t allowed to change my mind so quickly. He had fun telling me I’m old. What a kid!

Labels: Benjamin, MacKenzie, Zachary