A Special 21st Birthday
Dear Ann,
Two weeks of the New Year had gone by in a flash it seemed. Suddenly, we were looking at celebrating the coming of age for Riley. Her original birthday being on 13th January 1997.
At twenty one years of age it is customary to receive the key to the door, but in this day & age & for a long time prior, we have had the key to the parent’s door before they realised we had grown up! Certainly Riley had access to the key years ago along, with a Diploma in Communications majoring in public relations.
David, Lauren & Riley flew to Melbourne for the presentation of her Diploma & bought it home with much pride in her achievement.
Riley has impressed me from an early age, with the fact that she always knewn what she wanted & set out to get it. She also knew what she didn’t want!
I have been impressed with the positive outlook she has on life.
Some years ago I heard Riley say after Sunday dinner one evening that she had no intention of leaving home until she had graduated from Uni & had a good position in life’s work force. She also stated that it was her aim to save for a deposit for an apartment for when she was ready to leave the nest.
Riley’s special birthday card
She has done a brilliant job of working towards all of this as, soon after she received her degree, she was given employment in our Hunter Valley with one of the major wineries, which is noted for their good wines, & she is doing very well.
Whilst not stinting herself on the things she enjoys in life, she has a sizeable amount of savings to enable her to leave home when she is ready to do so.
She suffered emotionally from her break up with Dave, her first love. After the initial shock she remarked that she would be stupid to think there wasn’t ‘someone’ out there destined for her to find happiness with.
In all her life I don’t think I have ever heard a negative statement from my young granddaughter. It is my feeling that although we all suffer from things that don’t go quite right in our lives I think Riley will always land on her feet with the positive attitude she has & will enjoy a fulfilling life, as she knows what she wants & works towards it.
So our young lady was to turn twenty one. David asked what & how she would like to celebrate. Her request was that she would like close family & friends to celebrate with her at her home where David would prepare, cook & serve a barbeque.
The sisters. Charley. Riley. Jan 13, 2018.
So from 5.30 p.m. last Saturday evening that’s what transpired. I arrived there at that time as Lauren & David were setting out all the nibblies. Then what did we do but sit up on the stools to the kitchen bench & eat the nibblies!
This was a good time to give her the birthday gifts I had for her, before the others arrived. Gifts proved to be no problem for once, as I had come across – quite by accident – a dainty little shiny heart embedded with ‘diamonds’ with a little key to match attached to it. I thought she was entitled to my key to the door! Anytime she likes.
Also the day before, Charley & I were in the local Post Office where I showed Charley a package very different to the norm, which had a wrap to put into the micro wave or the deep freeze for different types of relaxation. It was quite unique.
For my main gift I colluded with Charley who went to a local op shop to purchase the ugliest shirt for Riley she could find. The purpose for this was to wrap up one hundred new five dollar notes which have just come into being inside the awful shirt & ask her to whip the shirt up into the air when she opened the parcel so that the notes would cascade down onto her.
It didn’t quite go according to plan but the sentiment was there particularly in the card I chose to give her which read:
‘You’re a wonderful Grand Daughter for so many reasons.
You’re kind & caring, sincere & honest,
You have such a bright outlook on life & such a warm sense of humour that it’s fun to be around you.
Your birthday is the perfect time to tell you what a pleasure it has been watching you grow more & more special as the years go by & what a joy it has been to have a wonderful granddaughter like you.
Happy Birthday with love’.
I also added my own words which said:
‘The words in this card depicts some of the virtues I see in you my beautiful granddaughter & I have been privileged to share some of your 21 years – you are a very special young lady.
I love you heaps forever Gran’.
Riley trying to catch all the $5 notes.
After we had nibbled & nibbled at the nibblies, Riley’s friends started to arrive. We were moved by the hosts to a different venue downstairs, along with all the food necessary as well as the drinks.
We all sat in a circle eating chatting & taking turns turns to be sprayed with mosquito repellant while David & Lauren also placed burning repellent sticks between the chairs. This wasn’t as bad as it sounds.
We all enjoyed the food, the chatter the company, as well as the wine, but on this important occasion I was able to drive home!
It is great to see how established Riley is, how positive, holding a good position in the work force & also to see how she also enjoys life. I am not biased but in my opinion she is one great girl on the threshold of a life which will reward her for her positive outlook.
God Bless & Fondest Love. Dawn X O X O