Lance: I'm here to pick up a prescription for Elizabeth Wade.
Pharmacy Staff (heavy Asian accent): We dont have no Elizabeth Wade here.
Lance: Ok, can you look under Elizabeth Fellows Wade.
Pharmacy Staff (heavy Asian accent): no. no. No, Elizabeth Fellows Wade. Who you pick up medicine for?
Lance: My wife.
Pharmacy Staff (heavy Asian accent): that not her name.
Lance: Do you have Elizabeth Fellows then?
Pharmacy Staff (heavy Asian accent): that not her name.
Lance: ok, then, what is it?
Pharmacy Staff (heavy Asian accent): It is Elizabeth Wade Fellows. Ok, when her birthday?
Lance: November 7.
Pharmacy Staff (heavy Asian accent):No. no...that not her birthday. Are you sure she your wife? You dont know your wife birthday.
Lance: That is her birthday.
Pharmacy Staff (heavy Asian accent): no. no, not birthday. What your address?
Lance provides the address.
Pharmacy Staff (heavy Asian accent): yes, that address, but that not your wife birthday...birthday November 17.
I couldn't help but laugh when he retold this story to me. Yes, I have the most irritating name. Sometimes, I'm under Elizabeth Wade, Elizabeth Fellows, Elizabeth Fellows Wade. I seriously wonder if other women who kept their maiden name and their husband's last name have these kind of issues. I also have two birthdays....my real birthday November 7, and then my legal birthday of November 17.
My real birthday fell during the Ragnar weekend so we didn't really celebrate it. Several days passed, and I tried to schedule a family birthday dinner to celebrate, but then someone in the family always had something going on....either Lance had to be in San Diego or Dylan had a basketball game or Brandon had a flag football game. My birthday celebration just kept getting postponed and cancelled, and it was being worked around everyone else's schedule. Everyone else and everything else was a priority. My REAL birthday came and went. My LEGAL birthday came and went. NOTHING...ABSOLUTELY NOTHING was done. Don't get me wrong. I'm a very low maintenance woman. I'm the type of woman who can pull to the side of the road to pee. I'm the type of woman who can pee into a bucket and throw it overboard. I'm the type of woman who can sleep in a bed with sawdust. . I'm the type of woman who can get her hands dirty and do tough manual labor. I'm the kind of woman who doesn't need fancy shoes, expensive jewelry or designer clothes. I'm the kind of woman who doesn't need five star hotels or restaurants. I dont need anything elaborate....a simple dinner, a cake, and heartfelt cards were all that my heart desired.
It was hurtful so I had a breakdown one night. I was feeling completely taken for granted and insignificant. I'm certain many mothers feel this way....you make sacrifices for the entire family, and then you get unnoticed. You go way out of your way to make everything special for everyone, but no one really takes initiative to do anything for you. Without mothers, every holiday or celebration would basically suck. We do everything. We truly are the glue that holds the family together. After expressing my feelings, Lance felt guilty and frankly, he should. One night, I came home from work, and he cooked dinner, bought a cake, and lit a fire in our patio. It was simple but couldn't have been more perfect, and I felt appreciated and loved. The kids made me the most inventive coupons. Dylan made me put my John Hancock on a binding contract that the coupons were non transferrable and that they could only be redeemed once, and I must honor the expiration date. He had some creative ideas such as a $5 dollar discount on allowances. Mia copied Dylan's idea and made me coupons as well such as "Dont do laundry. Don't do dishes. Don't clean the bathroom." After thanking her, I asked her if I didn't do these things then how would they get done? Who would do them? She replied, "Commander or Dylan." Hahaha!
We finally were able to celebrate my birthday at a fondue restaurant, the Melting Pot. ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! We started off with two cheese fondues, followed by filet mignon, ahi tuna, chicken, ravioli, and my favorite lobster. We ended the meal with a white and milk chocolate fondue and a truffle fondue, and we had various fruit and mini cakes to dip. The entire meal was an event. It took us 2.5 hours to eat. It wasn't just about the food, but the experience!
So what started off as a real crapper kind of birthday ended up not-so-bad.....
Lance still has not given me my gift. Again, I don't want much. I just want a romantic love letter from him. He wanted to buy me earrings or another wedding ring. Yes, I lost mine again, but I told him that whatever money he was going to use on my gift, just give me the cash so I can deposit into our India vacation fund. Ok, so that is not quite romantic.....but what I really want is the letter...every time he asks me what I want for birthdays or Christmas etc? It always ALWAYS remains the same because for me, the most treasured gift will always be words of love from my husband's soul.....
Aww, you are a true romantic! You make me feel high maintenance. Haha. So sorry you felt forgotten. I hope that never happens again. And your argument about being the glue is right on the money. I've even experienced it first hand! So happiest of birthdays! Just remember, I may be turning 30 soon, but you're always going to be older than me. :)
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