It’s that time of year again. March Madness! First we had the Big 12 Tournament from March 9-12 (KU winning the championship of course!). And now we are in the middle of the NCAA Tournament, with KU reigning, washing out the Spiders and playing for a place in the Final Four (of course!) against VCU.
Why do I bring up basketball in this blog about being an aunt? Well, 1) it allows me to bring up the Jayhawks, my alma mater; basketball powerhouse and America’s basketball team; and 2) March Madness has always caused scheduling issues at this time of the year in terms of the day we celebrate Katie’s birthday. You see, my family, especially Katie’s dad, my brother Jeff, my sister Debbie and my brother Tim, all put the tournament first in terms of scheduling. So Katie’s birthday typically gets pre-empted on the actual day, since it is on March 9th, the very first day of the Big 12 Tournament.
In the past we would celebrate the kids’ birthdays on Sundays, and would all get together as a family. But Katie’s birthday either was pushed up by a week, or pushed back, depending on when KU was playing. Or sometimes, we’d still schedule it on the Sunday closest to her birthday, but wedge the dinner/cake before or after a game. And sometimes, we’d wait to get together (probably to her disappointment) until later in the month.
This scheduling challenge became the norm for Katie. Sometimes we’d make it really special, and have it on the same day as St. Patrick’s Day, but only when St. Patrick’s Day fell on a Sunday. My Mom and I would make corned beef, cabbage, boiled potatoes and soda bread. But you’ll note that day was eight days after her birthday, and sort of a long time to make someone wait for her birthday, especially when she was a little girl.
Katie's 17th birthday, about nine years ago - one of the last times we had her birthday on a game day. (Nick is in the background.)
As Katie grew older (she’s now married!), sometime when she was in college, we quit trying to get the dozen of us together to celebrate near her birthday while avoiding a KU game so we could give her our undivided attention. We now embrace March Madness and either have it on the day of a key game so we can all cheer KU on together, or we get together with her independently, and she has 3 or 4 birthday events/dinners throughout the month.
That’s what we did this year. We were the first birthday event. My Mom, my sister, my nephew Nick (Katie’s brother), Katie and her husband Randy and myself all went out to dinner on March 4 – five days ahead of Katie’s birthday, well before the tournament started.
We all met at Jasper’s, our go-to restaurant for special family celebrations. It was a wonderful meal as usual (you must try the Lobster Cappuccino!), with great service from our favorite waiter Tony. We laughed, told stories, the kids teased Grandma and we sat for hours talking and having fun.
And while there may have been better birthdays in Katie’s eyes, more fun and/or interesting gifts in the past, (this year she got a Lowe’s gift card to go towards things they need for their new house – how exciting is that?), I liked celebrating this birthday with her the best. I liked being able to drink a Cosmo with her. I liked being able to talk about our jobs. About landscaping. About our cats. About the delayed honeymoon cruise she just took. All without having a basketball game on in the background.
And while I often bemoan the four of them growing up so fast, I’m really enjoying birthdays with Nick and Katie as adults. They’ve been just as fun as their birthdays from the past, especially for me.
It’s still March – so I can still wish my beautiful niece happy birthday. And both of us can cheer on KU together.
Rock Chalk, Jayhawk, Happy Birthday Katie!
The Do's & Don'ts of Aunting 