Friday, September 18, 2009

A Purple Letter Day

Oh, man, have I been looking forward to today. But not as much as my friend Ellin has. Today, you see, is Ellin's birthday. It's a special one. Yep. Today Ellin turns 47. Now you may be scratching your head at this point and saying, "Forty is a special one. FIFTY is a special one. But forty-seven? Isn't that one that just comes and goes?" Normally you'd be right. But forty-seven is a special one for Ellin. She hated being forty-six, and as of today SHE ISN'T ANYMORE!!!


You can clearly see that Ellin is beautiful. What you can't see is that she's strong (one of the strongest women I've ever had the privilege of knowing), loyal (she's put up with my dubious antics for around thirty-five years, but I'm far from the only one she's loyal to. If Ellin loves you, she loves you. Period.), and she makes the best pizza west of the Schuykill (if my hometown readers aren't eating Ellin's pizza at least once a week, well, what the heck is YOUR deal?)

Ellin hated being forty-six because both one of her favorite aunts AND her beloved brother passed away when they were forty-six. She dreaded turning forty-six the way many of us dread changing that decade marker on our birthday cake. Forty-six wasn't a banner year for her. She's one of the best people I know, but the world sees fit to batter her around way more than her share. She gets to practice that 'strong' trait I mentioned more often that she should. It got a workout this year.

But you know what? She made it. And today she's forty-seven. Today is a new day. Today is important. Today is big.

Ellin and I have been friends since Junior High. I had my first drink with her. (yep, she's to blame) My parents were (and are) teetotalers, but Ellin's were not, so she would go through their liquor cabinet and pour out just a little bit of everything. We'd add orange juice and call it good. (it, um, wasn't) We are probably lucky to be alive. She was also the one right next to me when I went to my first concert (Nazareth, for those who haven't heard that story before. Now you're messin' with a son-of-a-bitch.) Somewhere around tenth grade we made a countdown chart to our High School graduation. That was the day we were gonna hop in a purple van and head to California. Instead, we headed to different colleges. Sometimes, in retrospect, I wish we'd done it. College would've waited a year. Many years and many adventures later we had our first daughters within six months of each other. I could tell you stories for a month, but I won't because, well, even the guilty deserve a little privacy sometimes. Of course if I told you purely fictional stories about Helen and Sammy's adventures some day...

(Don't sweat it, babe - not gonna happen)

I love Ellin.

Happy birthday, my friend. Cheers!

19 comments:

Sandy said...

Happy Birthday Ellin! Sounds like a great friendship.

Unknown said...

Ellin sounds like a wonderful friend to have in your corner....and heck that pizza alone might be a good thing, hope she has a wonderful birthday!

Housewife Savant said...

Any friend of Tammy's is a friend of mine.
Happy 47th Ellin!

Mama-Face said...

OH, Happy Birthday to a fellow (gal?) 47 year old. I am re-evaluating and appreciating my age now. At least for now.

What a fabulous friendship. I am green with envy.

:)

Lesley said...

Happy Happy Birthday Ellin....Yeah!

Macey said...

Happy Birthday, Ellin!! Have a great one!

Rosa said...

Happy Birthday, Ellin! Glad you made it through 'the year' and are on to one that's MUCH better.

Liz Mays said...

Happy Birthday, Ellin!!!! You sound like a keeper!

BONNIE K said...

Ellin sounds like a wonderful friend. I hope 47 is a great year for her.

Pam said...

Happy Birthday to Ellin! There is nothing like a life long friend. And you're right, she's beautiful. She has a lovely twinkle in her eyes and the beautiful skin! Here's wishing Ellin a wonderful year!

MaryRC said...

yay for 47! sounds like a dream friend. anyone who digs nazareth is cool to me.

dkWells said...

Welcome back Lady T and Happy Birth Day Ellin! The late 40's and early 50's are usually a great transition time in most peoples lives. It's a time to learn to be comfortable in your own skin and renew old passions in life. It's a great creative time...or a living hell, the only difference is that it's your choice. Choose wisely!

Sir Hook of Warrick

Melissa B. said...

Happy Birthday, Ellin! "Add OJ and Call It Good." Might be a good name for a song. Someday I'll do a podcast of "Little Green Men," just for you. And so glad you're back on track...missed your show, babe!

Claudya Martinez said...

May 47 be spectacular!

Becky said...

What a sweet tribute to your friend:) I'm so glad so made it to 47!

So...did you take a "little" out of each bottle so you wouldn't get noticed by your parents???

That is what we did...Dammit if they didn't start measuring!?!?!@!@

WTF!! It's like they didn't trust me or something!

AiringMyLaundry said...

Happy Birthday to Ellin!

She sounds like a great friend.

Hit 40 said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELLIN!! Pour our friend another drink!!

Alex the Girl said...

Happy Late Ellin Birthday. Forty seven is a much better number than forty six, I'd have to agree with you on that one. Even numbers always suck.

scrappysue said...

i could see why she's want to move on from 46 - i'm 47 on my next birthday!

happy birthday to ellin - hope it was celebrated in style!