My GIRLS!!!

So turns out... most of my girlfriends have already hit the 40 mark, so I'm getting a lot of "congrats" and "welcome to the 40s" greetings. One who I love but have lost touch with in recent years (we each did cross-country moves) recently re-connected by email, and likes the idea I pitched of a girlfriends getaway. I just threw it out there, sort of half-seriously, but when she bit on the idea I thought: that's EXACTLY what I want to do to celebrate 40! So I'm hoping before the year's out you'll find my and my best girlfriends laid out at a spa somewhere laughing and just enjoying the wonderful-ness that only girlfriends can share.

My mom started an annual 'Girlfriends Getaway' when she turned 55 and boy has it taken off! We (yes - I'm one of mom's girlfriends!) have been everywhere from the beach to the mountains. One year we got caught in a blinding snowstorm trying to get up a mountain to the remote cabin where we were staying. (When I say 'remote,' think one-lane road to a dirt road... etc.) We ended up giving up our keys to a mountain guy - who I call my angel - to drive my car up the mountain in the storm!

Then there was the earlier mountain getaway where I had some of the best homemade cheesecake I've ever tasted. And the Myrtle Beach year where we kept wondering why all the Krispy Kreme donuts kept disappearing ('girlfriend' - we know who you are!!!)

My mom's friends are a great group - so diverse in age, lifestyles, geography... but alike in all the things that matter, like faith and family. I've had SO much fun on those trips, and hate that I missed this year's. But now I'm thinking, maybe it's time to start my own tradition with MY girls!

Look out girlfriends - Palm Springs here we come!!!

Bday Weekend

I've decided there's one thing I REALLY like about Facebook - birthdays! I got a zillion bday greetings. That's gotta make you feel good.

I was busy with a bunch of pre-planned stuff last weekend... so no big 40th bday bash. And that was perfectly fine with me. I had fun anyway.

Ironically - or perhaps not - at a dinner I attended Saturday couples at the table where I sat ended up in a "to dye or not to dye" (your hair) conversation. Did they know I'd just turned 40?!?! I also found myself paying a little more attention than normal to some commercial about a facial cream that made a 43-year-old woman look 30. (No, I didn't buy it - yet.)

At church Sunday, my cousin told me congrats and said she felt "glamourous" in her 40s. Woo hoo! I'm going to feel "glamourous" for the next 10 years? 40's getting better and better by the moment!

Funny thing though: I woke up sort of motivated to 'get in shape' this year. I'm guessing that whole "re-evaluate your life" thing is normal at milestone birthdays...

but if I can end this year "glamourous" AND in shape... geez -- I should've turned 40 ten years ago! :)

It's my birthday today - I'm F-O-R-T-Y!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Me! My present to myself is starting this blog. I don't promise it'll still be around when I'm 50 (or even 41), but for now I'm happy to announce to the world:

I'm 40 years old today!!

I wasn't really in the mood to celebrate my birthday till today. You hear all these stories about people, especially women, being depressed about turning 40. Admittedly I'm new to the game (I've been 40 for a whole hour now, officially)... but I don't get it. 40's GREAT! I'm old enough to feel comfortable in my skin, not feel (too much) peer pressure or the need to seek 'approval' -- yet young enough to still be enjoying life and, prayerfully, have many more adventures ahead. That's why I feel blessed to have reached this day and say:

40 is the new 20!

OK... minus the grey hair... because Lord knows they've been showing up in droves lately. So far, I'm sticking to my guns - I REFUSE to die it. (OK, except for those 2 times I took a mascara brush to my bangs - that doesn't count, right?) Grey hair is natural. And what's the point -- it's just going to come back, and everyone knows it's there anyway whether you cover it or not.

My kids - all 3 of them - think 40 is really old. My 21yo looks at me like: "you're trying to be cool but you KNOW you're no longer in my generation, right?" (duly noted!) My 8yo is like: "Mommy, I still love you even if you are old." I'll take that for the compliment it was meant to be. And my 6yo just learned to count to 40 not long ago... so my age is really near the end of his understanding.

There are so many cool things about 40 - like WD-40 (mundane yes, but where would we be without it???) and 40 winks (of sleep - which I could use right about now). And 40's all over the Bible: Jesus fasted 40 days and nights, Noah survived 40 days of rain, the Israelites wandered the desert for 40 years.

See? Even GOD loves 40! And so does Uncle Sam -- he'll be looking for your "10-40" real soon!

So to all you 20- and 30-somethings out there... don't be jealous. You'll be "40" real soon!!!