Yesterday was a great day. Thanks to the miracles of Facebook, I got birthday wishes from all over the globe in a steady stream throughout the day, which I have to say, is a pretty freaking fantastic way to celebrate being alive. Also, my brother’s a capella group called during their evening practice and sang me their superfly tricked-out version of Happy Birthday while I jumped up and down in my living room squealing like a 7-year old little girl. And that was after getting serenaded from the back of the car earlier that day by a particularly adorable pigtailed tot singing “Hap Burrday TO YOU! Hap Burrday TO YOU!”

Plus, there were burritos. Can you ask for much more in a birthday? I submit that you cannot.

But I wanted to share with you the present I gave to myself – which is, of course, (DRUMROLL…..) a soundtracked video! During just about every car trip I’ve gone on, at various points along the way I’ve had the thought, “This would totally be a great clip in our trip montage.” And then I mentally compose one in my head, complete with carefully selected soundtrack. I already did this once back at the beginning of the year, and so maybe I should feel like that particular craving has been satisfied, but it’s my party and I’ll make another road trip montage if I want to. The scenes in this video were taken during our (our = me, L, Rosie, Noah, and my sister, who, due to her location in the car features prominently in the video) trip up to North Carolina for my grandparents’ 60th wedding anniversary. We were packed into that Subaru Forester like sardines in an airtight can, with a trunk full of plants we were transporting for my mom to plant at their house as an anniversary gift. And Subaru Forester back seats, my friends, were not meant for a car seat + booster seat + adult rear end. They just aren’t. But we did it anyhow! How can you NOT make a montage of a trip like that?

So please, enjoy this birthday gift to myself, from….myself.

Montage!

Road Trip: The Montage from racher on Vimeo.

Music credit: Voodoo City by Yacht