birthdays had a very specific tradition growing up in the davis household. we would all gather together with cake, presents and family to honor the day's special someone. and while we all stared at the lovely, sweet cake, my parents would spend about thirty minutes sharing all of their loving memories of their child. (but when you are waiting to consume cake, it was actually about 290 minutes.) when they were done with their sweet words, we went around in the circle and shared a memory or two of the honoree.
when it got to us kids, our memories were generally quite brief in an attempt to expedite the period before cake consumption. you would usually hear "yeah, so, you're usually pretty nice i guess. and i remember one time you got mad at me for something. but i got over it, because i love you. next?"
this took about 400 cake-time minutes (six kids, you know). when it got to my grandparents, it increased to about 3,000 cake-time minutes. (yep, that's 50 hours. can you tell a pregnant diabetic is writing today's post?) after a total of 3,690 cake-time minutes, we would finally open gifts (add another 70 of those minutes) and eat CAKE.
well, as we have all sort of grown up and kind of moved on, we don't do this very much anymore.
today, my brother cameron would have turned 30 years old (what an old man!) and i have been thinking about him a lot this week. and missing him. and dreading today.
but i was blessed to have a wonderful and thankful attitude today. so i will share my memory (if you have made it this far, you have already lived through 45 cake minutes. nice work.)
exhibit a: cameron looking suspiciously sweet with jil circa 1984.
cameron used to look like a sweet, unsuspecting child. but i always knew he was something more than that. something much darker. something that fed my barbie dolls to our mean dog. something that perfected the art of the "indian burn." something that paraded jil's new supergirl underwear in front of all his friends. something that had a brain too quick and a tongue too sharp for my own good.
he kept us all on our toes. it was wonderful.
one time, my oldest brother tried explaining who satan was -- a deeply perplexing concept to five-year-old boo. after a frustrating period of time, he finally blurted, "he's just the meanest, worst person you can imagine." stunned, i replied, "what?!? worse than CAMERON?" it resonated. but i was still recruited to be the president of The Official Cameron Fan Club during one long road trip. it is still an office i wish i could put on my resume as one of my greatest achievements.
over time, cameron grew up to be a bigger child who was a little worse at hiding how soft his heart was. he made me lunch (sugar cookies and sausage) when my parents were out of town. he gave my friends nicknames. he booby-trapped my door a little less. he stopped being the enemy and became my ally.
exhibit b: cameron looking deceivingly tough with his three sisters circa 1998.
the last thanksgiving we spent together, cameron and i had been watching an inappropriate amount of celebrity gossip television. we got endless entertainment from the fact that a recently separated britney spears and justin timberlake had a dance off at a local club. later that day, at the movie theater, cameron challenged me to a dance-off on a video game. in his camo pants, white t-shirt and mohawk, he completely annihilated me. and entertained everyone in the lobby. what a guy.
so, cameron, happy happy birthday. i know you are still keeping everyone on their toes here and on the other side. i can't wait to see what antics you have planned for when i see you next.
(after a brief 340 cake minutes) let's eat some cake.
p.s. i plan on posting some new photos of me/baby/some projects i have been working on this weekend. you know, if you're interested.
