Celebrating Jaylin's Birthday

It’s a Socially Distant Birthday Party!

Mid-July is a time of celebration in our family. Not only do we celebrate our wedding anniversary, but we also celebrate Jaylin’s birthday!

Of course, celebrations look a little different these days. But we were still able to have some family and friends over to spread out and celebrate the momentous occasion of Jaylin turning 18. Yes, 18 years old. How did we get to be old enough to have an 18 year old? I’m not really sure.

As you can see, we were all spread out rather well, with a table for each family group that was at least 6 feet from the next family group. Fortunately, the temperature outside had cooled off a little as the sun was going down, so we were able to spread out in the backyard in the shade of the house without getting too overheated.

Also making a guest appearance in this photo is Copper the Beagle, who is lying the grass at the left. He is always a little wary of visitors, so he was doing his own social distancing while still being a part of everything. Be a part while being apart. That’s his motto for life, and it is ours right now, too.

My parents were there, and Dad was wearing a shirt Laura got for him featuring Jaylin as a football player. Copper also managed to make it into this photo as well.

Three of the four Riedels were there, since they are like family to us. And yes, sanitizing wipes were provided at every table, just for good measure.

The Luttrells were there, too. We should have just returned from a cruise with them and my parents, but as you can guess, that did not happen this year.

Laura and Jaylin were there, too, of course. And so was I, although I was behind the camera for all of these photos. Jaylin was happy and enjoyed the birthday celebration, despite my catching him here with just half a smile. I think I didn’t quite give him enough time to say cheese.

A Blessing

Even under these changing circumstances, it was a fun way to celebrate Jaylin for his birthday and hopefully make him feel special. He has been a great blessing in our lives. It is a little sad to think that our time with him in our house every day is starting to grow short, although he does have one more year of high school left. So at least we still have some time left.

It is funny how time passes. In some ways, it feels like he has always been a part of our lives, and in other ways it seems like it was just a short while ago that he was a baby.

So if you need it, here is a reminder to enjoy each day that you have. Enjoy your time with your family. Because while sometimes it seems like school meetings, field trips, sports practices, and so on will never end, at other times it seems like you turn around a couple of times and 18 years have gone by. Enjoy it while it lasts!

Bible Verse

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. - James 4:13-14

About the Photos

I was having so much fun cooking hamburgers and just hanging out with friends and family that I almost forgot to grab my camera and get a few photos. Fortunately, I had gotten my camera ready ahead of time, so when I remembered it, I just had to run in the house and grab it, and I was good to go. Besides, as fast as the past 18 years have seemed, I figured I better get some photos to remember the day before it fades into memory, too.

By the way, the first photo was actually taken with my iPhone instead of my camera. But you might not have noticed much difference. That is how far these phone cameras have come these days.

Photo: Each photo is a single Raw exposure, processed in Aurora HDR. Read more about photography tips, photo software, camera gear, and more at Steve’s Photography Tips.
Camera: Sony Alpha A7 II
Lens: SonyFE FE 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS lens
Date: July 12, 2020
Location: Home, Williston, Tennessee