It's Cobblestone's Birthday...and It's My Birthday, Too!

[Jackie Barbosa]

It just happens that I'm a LOT more than 2 years old!

So, in honor of our collective birthdays, I'll be giving away some books. I will give three lucky commentators one copy of my Cobblestone release of their choice:

• Carnally Ever After
• Wickedly Ever After
• The Gospel of Love: According to Luke

I'll draw the winners next Friday, when Luke will be released.

Now, the rules: To be eligible for the prize drawing, you have to tell me a birthday-related story. Could be about your birthday, could be about a family member's birthday or a friend's birthday. Bonus points if it's a funny and/or embarrassing story.

Fair is fair, though. If I ask you to share a birthday story, I have to share one of my own. I'm not sure it qualifies as either funny or embarrassing, but it's certainly the strangest thing that ever happened to me on a birthday.

The year I turned 9, my birthday party included a trip to the movies. As we were waiting for all the attendees to arrive, my little sister (then almost three), came into the house, and without warning, threw a rock right at me. It hit me square in the mouth, chipping one of my front teeth. When asked why she'd thrown the rock, my sister could only say she thought I'd catch it.

I doubt she had any ill intent, but to this day, we like to give her a hard time about that incident. "What WERE you thinking, Valerie?" She still can't answer.

Okay, your turn. Tell me your story for your chance at a book!

[Avaron Dale]

Well, Jackie, I don't have one like that, but we do still tease my youngest sibling over the comments made when she was born. My youngest sister, Hannah, was born around noonish on the 19th of May after 12 hours or so of labor... my father walks into the room where Mom's resting after having watched me and my brother all night/morning and calmly says to my mother "Couldn't you have waited another twelve hours and given her to me as a birthday present?" I think the entire hospital floor died laughing as Dad ran away from my exhausted mother. Nobody's let Dad or Hannah live that incident down since.

~Avaron

[Lia Morgan]

My husband is a Leap Year baby. Yes, with all the jokes that includes. Since most of the time he acts like a child no one bats an eyelash when I say I am married to an overgrown 9 year old.

Anyway, we celebrated his 24th birthday complete with a cake bearing a rocket ship. I made his friends wear hats with rocket ships. His present that year was a puppy.

[BethRe]

My birthday story I was born 10 days early and I was born on my mothers 20th birthday. So every year we go out to dinner together and we agree on the place.

[laurieire]

Happy Birthday! My birthday is in early January and I hate that time of year. It is so close to Christmas that when growing up, one of my grandmothers would send my present with the Christmas gifts, stipulating that I couldn't open it until my birthday (two weeks later), and the other would forget it completely.

It's also *cold*. On my thirteenth birthday my mom let me have a sleepover and I invited ten friends for the night. Everyone came and we were out playing in the snow when someone got the idea to tackle the birthday girl. Anyway after a few minutes of chasing me around the yard, they jumped me and all piled on. I'm face down in the snow with ten girls on top tickling me, and I couldn't breathe. All I could think of was that I had finally become a teen only to die before I could go to my first dance.

Right after that thought my brother came out to save me. I loved my brother that day.

[Koshkalady]

Well, this was my sister's 16th birthday. Her birthday is in January and she never really got special birthdays with it being close to Christmas and usually bad weather. I was home on winter break from college and decided to do a special birthday for her black forest cake, appetizers and finger foods. I cooked all day only to have a blizzard blow in and trap my mother at work, my sister at her girlfriends and all her friends called saying they couldn't make it. I had this great pile of food & was all by myself (upset & depressed). My sister & her friend hiked over, a mile or so, a few times through the snow over the next 2/3 days to help eat the food for the most part I was on my own. I think that was the lase "BIG" party we tried planning for her. I also ended up slipping on melted snow & ice at the door & twisted my knee which bothered me for several weeks after. I live near Buffalo, NY so that should explain the winter weather situation...

[Pamk]

I was born on my mom and dad's 2nd wedding anniversary. didn't realize that until much older since they devorced when I was a toddler.

[Tuesday Dube]

Happy Birthday Jackie! It's my birthday too. Well in a week it will be.

My story is more just weird fate kind of thing. I share my birthday with my son and my cousin. My cousing in exactly one year younger than me. My son was born on my birthday 5, almost 6, years ago. My son is the only one that really has a birthday any more. lol

Tuesday

[LadyVampire]

One year for my birthday my family and I went to this Motown concert. They had the Platters there so my mother was in heaven since thats one of her favorite groups. After the concert, my aunt was in a hurry to get out of the theater and spied a back exit she was sure would lead to the parking lot. But instead we ended up back stage where the band members of the Platters and some other groups were throwing a party. Embarressed at crashing the party, I wanted to leave but my family wouldn't follow me or give me the car keys so I was stuck. I remember the members of the bands watching me and my family circulate through the party, snapping photo's and getting autographs. I can easily bet they were wondering who the heck we were. LOL
Thanks for letting me share my story and a very Happy Birthday to you!

[skirbo]

I'll go with the embarrassment bit. I'm approaching my 38th birthday and will have it July 10th. For my birthday in 2006, I was completely forgotten about by my friends and family. I should qualify that by saying that my youngest brother and his wife sent me a nice card and gift card, but didn't call because they were on vacation. My other (also younger) brother, whose birthday is on July 8th, was visiting my mother with his girlfriend, whose birthday is the same day as mine, July 10th, and didn't do anything for my birthday until they got back. My mother was so excited to be gambling her retirement away in Biloxi that she forgot, for the first time ever, to mail anything or call.

None of my friends remembered. To top it off I work for the state of Florida in child welfare, a place we take every possible opportunity to celebrate a little since work is so grim. It was my first year there, granted, but I had given them the information when I started. And in fact, the Friday prior to my Monday birthday they passed out the 'updated' birthday list at the quarterly meeting and no one noticed or commented. One day later that week they had a big party for someone who had been there less time than I had.


I was not dating anyone and I was childless at that time. I believe I bought a bottle of wine and quietly got drunk in my own home, surrounded by enough animals to qualify me as 'that crazy old lady with all the pets'. Family was apologetic afterwards, friends never noticed and work didn't do anything for my birthday last year either. Although last year the birthday was actually celebrated.

No wonder I've had self-esteem issues my entire life. Sigh. But surely that's embarrassing (or pathetic) enough for a free book.

Sarah

[Layla Aaron]

Originally Posted by Jackie Barbosa

Now, the rules: To be eligible for the prize drawing, you have to tell me a birthday-related story. Could be about your birthday, could be about a family member's birthday or a friend's birthday. Bonus points if it's a funny and/or embarrassing story.


Okay, your turn. Tell me your story for your chance at a book!

My birthday story involves a celebrity encounter five years ago. A local radio station arranged for an intimate concert for less than 50 for their listeners with Brit pop singer Robbie Williams. The Welshman and I won tickets to go and once we got there, I made a sign on a long strip of paper towel from the bathroom - 'It's my B-day.'

Robbie noticed and asked how young I was. When I replied, '35,' he was quick on his feet and quipped, 'You can't be. You have such a young, pretty face.' He also gave me a birthday kiss.

Even now, the Welshman still reminds me of that.

[brownone]

Well, first of all HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

I'll tell you my most embarassing birthday story. It happened during my senior year in high school. I had a stuffed dog named "Frenchie" that I used to sleep with every night. On the weekend before my birthday, my best friend was over at my house and filched him. The next day, at the end of the TV announcements, I see Frenchie's face staring back at me with a big "Happy Birthday" to me on the screen. Well, then my best friend arranged for the hottest guy in school who I had such a HUGE crush on go over to the AV room and get my dog back to me. My face was so hot and as red as a brown girl could get. For a seventeen year old it was pretty darned embarassing!

[Jackie Barbosa]

Great birthday stories, folks! Keep 'em coming!

And thanks for all the nice birthday wishes. I did have a very nice birthday weekend. Went to see Indiana Jones, followed by a wonderful dinner out, followed by a trip to see Iron Man the next day.

Robert Downey, Jr. Yum!

[Jackie Barbosa]

I loved all your stories, but since I would have had a hard time choosing three favorites, I just did a random drawing for the three prizes. The winners are:

Avaron
Pamk
Layla Aaron

To claim your prize, please email me directly at jackie at jackiebarbosa dot come. Tell me which book you'd like and which format. Remember, your options are:

Carnally Ever After
Wickedly Ever After
The Gospel of Love: According to Luke