Where Did The Silliness Go?

I've just recently reconnected with a friend from high school. About 10 years ago we got together briefly before losing touch again. In her last e-mail she mentioned she could tell something had changed in my style / tone of writing since we found each other again. She wondered where the fun and silliness had gone, while also recognizing the stress I'm currently under. Even so, I wonder myself where the silliness went. I can't remember the last time I was carefree and totally happy. I feel like I've been carrying around the weight of the world forever. When did I become so serious?

I searched my photo files to try and come up with a silly picture and a story to tell. I found the perfect one. This one's for you, Tracy:

Last year, when Melody turned 14, she asked for one thing. Naturally, she waited until the night before her birthday to ask, and I found myself scratching my head and scrambling to fulfill her only wish: "I want a special cake. Not just a regular decorated cake. But something spectacular!"

Great. Where am I gonna find that, I asked myself.

But seeing that I always try to please those I love, especially on birthdays, I decided to go ahead and get the regular old boring Publix cake, but I'd embellish it. Yep. I bought swizzle sticks and candy sea shells, jelly beans, multicolored crystal sugar sprinkles, and chocolate covered candy coated sunflower seeds. The piece de resistance, however, was an acrobatic frog. Oh, yeah. This cake was fan-tabulous!

She loved it, of course, and we all giggled and had fun making the frog jump. (I think I went too far, though. Those chocolate covered candy coated sunflower seeds reminded me of technicolored hamster droppings. I never do know when to stop.)

My oldest daughter, Rachel, observed all this quietly and refrained from making any derogatory comments with regards to my artistic cake decorating abilities. (I was impressed with her restraint.) But afterward, once we'd eaten our cake and ice cream, she goes, "Mom. For my birthday? I don't want a pimped out cake."

Pimped out cake.