It's my birthday! It's my birthday!



4/1/1971



July 1972



Yeh, this is the big 4-0! Age has never bothered or excited me. I breezed thru 21 (yes, my younger friends sent me shopping at midnight), 25, 29, 30, until I suddenly wanted to stop at 39. I just didn't want to hit the big four oh. My life should have been "different" by now. I didn't have specific goals but, you know, things just should have happened by now. On their own. I've got the proverbial bucket list but with few deadlines and nothing that I wantonly pursued before today hit.



Anyway, today has turned out to be just another day, age wise, but it has been ohhhhh so fun thanks to family and friends. Yesterday I went to Mom and Dad's for Birthday dinner. My 2 nephews joined us. Ty made me a bday card, which I forgot to photo so I'll add it later. Dinner was all my favorites: dad's meatloaf, scalloped corn, baked potatoes and broccoli salad. Dessert was 3-chocolate brownies from scratch with Andes Candies frosting and ice cream. Two little monkeys serendaded their hearts out.

The boys had helped wrap my gifts from Mom and Dad so they were quite eager to tell me what they were and to help un-wrap them: jewelry from Ireland, a DVD of Irish lighthouses, tea spoons and another place setting in my silverware pattern, and a small print of "daughter" in an Asian script. Technically the sweater and turtlenecks I opened at Xmas were also b-day gifts.

The local "Shopper" is delivered to my house on Saturdays but given that I was spending the day in my pjs and it was the traditional b-day snow storm, I never went out for it. I actually forgot it until I was coming home last night at 10:15 and then even forgot to look at it until I was going to bed. To the right is what I found on page 4! NO ONE in my family or at work admits to placing the ad altho someone in my family gave up the photo.

I had been ducking out onto the porch this morning to check the temp (-7 F) but didn't look further until it was pretty light out and I looked at my car where I could see something on the roof. I immediately called my brother (I am 4 years older than him for two whole days) and asked what he did to my car while I ran out to find the safety cone to the left. He has since sent me txt messages of Old Fart type signs with a warning that more are on the way.

When I got to work this morning, copies of the shopper ad were plastered every where - the copy room, the front door, in my desk drawers and even in the loo. My boss left roses and funny bday balloons and my deputy clerk got me a book on christmas gifts from the kitchen and a really cute cat tape dispenser. Everything has made the day really fun. I even hear that we will be having White Cat wine with cheese and pepperoni later today.

I'll update this post if anything else happens...I have a feeling it will :)