Forty is the New Thirty

In September, I hit it.  I wanted to hit it with a bang and all my friends, but frankly, I was way too tired!  So on September 30, 2013, I quietly turned forty.  Well, I guess I really can't say it was quiet.

The actual day fell on a Monday, so as a family we celebrated the weekend before.  Since I didn't have the giddy-up to host a party, my family just did whatever I wanted to do.  We started on Friday night with Macaroni Grill, including Italian soda,

 and a trip to the Guitar Center where I picked out my present:

a ukulele!!  I have wanted one for a long time, and so we just picked it out!  It was under $100, so I felt pretty good about spending it.  I have enjoyed messing around with it.  For the rest of the weekend we ran errands and hung out.  I didn't get to do everything I wanted to, which was mostly relaxing, vegging out at home and doing a little crafting, but it was good.  No school work done that weekend for the exception of the required.

On my actual birthday, I was quite honored.  I work with some wonderful people!  They snuck in getting the kids to sign a card for me, which they did right under my nose, and treated me with cupcakes, a gift certificate, and a big 'ol Dr. Pepper.  They spoil me rotten!  Then, at lunch, the entire 3rd and 4th grades sang Happy Birthday.  What a treat!  I was so surprised.  My sisters sent me flowers, balloons, and wax chips for the scentsy pot to school too.  It was wonderful.

When I got home, the girls made me a cake and I cracked open a bottle of Cupcake wine that I picked out.

 We stayed home and enjoyed being together.  It was a great way to begin my 40s.

Measuring Up

Every year when my birthday comes around, I have to admit that I am as excited as I was when I was a kid. Not because I am a year older (we can COMPLETELY forget about that!) but because it's the one time per year when I pamper myself and do something, or maybe even a whole day, of things just for me or what I choose. Last year I played hookie from school in the afternoon (and took the girls too!) and went to the city to get Allen's truck fixed with celebration fun afterward. That little pleasure of not being in school added the special kick to the day. This year, since I am unemployed at the moment, I am going to spend the day doing stuff that I like to do but don't very often. I'm going to get my hair cut (YAY!), do some browsing and a smidge of shopping, and have a lunch date with my favorite guy. Then later spend the evening with my family having fun. I know it is simple, but honestly, I like it that way.

This morning I woke up and thought about my parents and how their lives were when they were my age. I hadn't done this in a while, so I was a little surprised when I did the math. When they were the age I'll be tomorrow, it was 1989. I was a sophomore in high school. Wow! That came about fast! Why is it that our parents seem older to us then they really are? I just sit here and wonder if they felt as young as I do, that there is so much more to do? They had to. They were always busy, worked hard, and lived happy. They have always been the standard that I look to for examples. As another year passes, I think I'm measuring up.


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