Well, I am a day early, but for those of you that know me, my USMC birthday starts a few days ahead as I have the distinct honor of making the birthday cake for a group of Marines here. They appear to be a rag tag group of firemen, police and salty dogs looking for a place to celebrate with like minded people. And by like minded people, I mean hard charging Marines.
I believe this is my eighth cake in nine years. I did not do the honors in 2008 as I had a lot going on, but otherwise I have been it! I don't know how I got the job. I am guessing Pat Hickey and my husband were talking and you know what they say about great minds... So I said yep that first year which was also the year we were remodeling our kitchen and I haven't looked back since.
This year is the 239th birthday but for me, more importantly, it is my Marine's 25th birthday. The Marine Corps was very good to him, making much of the man he is today. It was also very good to me. As a spouse, I learned a lot in those four years and am grateful for the opportunity to live in Southern California, drive on the 5, learn a little something about pride and honor, and oh, there is the small matter of two baby girls that the Marines paid for.
This year's cake is my second bulldog. There is eight cakes on that board, fifteen cups of powdered sugar in the frosting, no misspelled words (which is a plus considering I am writing backwards and upside down sometimes).
The first year I went simple with the Marine Corps emblem. The second year was my first bulldog. Then I made a trip to the Marine Corps Museum and got a little more creative. Tun's Tavern has been my favorite as it required all my creative skills. Another year was the yellow footprints, followed by Iwo Jima, dress blues blouse and campaign cover. I already know next year's and the year after. They look brilliant in my mind.
With Veteran's Day the day after the Corps birthday it is easy to get caught up in the emotions of being on the fringe of the military. Some of these guys that will gather around the cake tomorrow have put their asses on the line in the Pacific, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. The rest have missed birthdays, Christmas', day to day life in case. In case the shit got real and they needed to take care of business. There will be very few heroic stories tomorrow night, but it will mostly be tales of drunken escapades, barrack hi jinks, run ins with command. These men are so very proud to be Marines.
Happy 239th Birthday Marines...Semper Fi!
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