Lyra’s First Birthday! (oh and Papa’s 37th)

Well.

That was a series of birthdays.

And this is mainly an excuse to post pictures (but we have writing updates at the end!).

Lyra’s first birthday was of course on June 1, and we celebrated by getting her vaccinated.

It was fairly low-key, we sang her “Gens du Pays” and told her the story of her birth. As a sidebar, I can in fact now tell an anecdote in French. Friends, prepare for the same stories of China, but in a new language! 😀

The real party, of course, was the next day.

We did a combined birthday party at my in-laws, and everybody came, the whole family. I made our famous Mathieu burgers, with the secret recipe passed down from my great-grandfather Wilfrid “Frenchy” Mathieu, and my bro-frère grilled ‘em up.

Everyone approved, even Melissa’s grandparents (her mother’s mother came down from San Jose just for the party!). We also had two cakes, both from the Parisian café in Morro Bay, strawberry to smash for Lyra and chocolate for me, both with “BON ANNIVERSAIRE” on them. Lyra got Duplo, blocks…

…so many clothes, and my father’s childhood rocking chair.

We were so happy having a grand old time we forgot the candles.

And best of all, nobody died! We really did have a grand old time.

Then we went home and put Lyra to bed, because she’s never seen the like and wasn’t at all sure what to make of it.

On Monday, my birthday, we got up, and went to have eggs Florentine. Lyra beamed at everyone in the restaurant and flirted with the waitress. We then turned right around and headed into the wilds of south county to locate a disused train turned Greek diner.

We found it.

We ate.

And then I went to the ER.

No, there will be no pictures.

(This is why I wasn’t at work that day – but I wanted lunch first in case of a long ER wait)

After a procedure as painful as it was embarrassing (and with more embarrassing follow-up!) we went home and I played with Lyra while Melissa made up one of her incredible washoku Japanese meals – duck breast and gailaan first and foremost, to replace all the iron I’d lost.

Later, in bed, we told Lyra the story of my birth, as my mother was not there to relate it.

Now it’s back to hauling wood and chopping water. In the next year, I’m hoping to publish at least another dozen books, put out my first short story collection toward the end of the year, and sell Doña Ana Lucía Serrano …to the Future! to a traditional publisher. I’m working on a couple shorts now – a high fantasy in the India of the Buddha, a flash from after the end of the universe, and a new (third!) Doña Ana Lucía novelette. And, to celebrate my birthday, I’m putting my best-selling title on sale for free later this month.

But, next week, we have more Philosophy (in a Teacup) as I sit down once more with Ann LeBlanc.