R is for Real Birthday Fun

Quest accomplished. Sort of.

He's all, "Adventure! Freedom!"

We left a half hour later than we meant to. Baxter piled in the backseat, the boy and I drove around Portland, Maine but failed to find the Planned Parenthood to hold signs of support. Time was ticking, so we gave up and made our way to the tattoo parlour.

I walked in, and one of the guys said, "What can I do for you?"

Me and the artist

"I want a tattoo of my dog's paw print. He's in the car. How do we do this?"

He took out a stamp pad. The boy and I looked at the stamp pad and laughed. "He's a little bigger than that."

After shooting ideas back and forth, we determined Baxter would be brought in. With a gloved hand, the artist lifted Bax's paw, rubbed the disassembled pad all over his paw, then placed it on a piece of paper. The entire time, Baxter's tail was wagging.

The artist outlined the paw, sought my approval, and began work. I may have crushed the boy's hand (I forgot how much these things hurt).

In the end, I love the end result:

Even his paw print is adorable!

We finished out the day meeting people who are trying to change the world (and are fully prepared to go to jail for their cause, count me in!), then at the mall, with my good friend, Liz for dinner, and my partner and crime for celebration and pool. (The boy and I won both times).

A wonderful end to a wonderful day

Moral of the story is, for those of you who don't like your birthday because you're "getting old", please just don't forget to celebrate. Even if it's something small like buying yourself a new hat, or getting a tattoo of your dog's paw print, take time out for yourself. What better way to celebrate yourself?