Way to Make My Day!

Not to brag today, but I got quite a compliment when I was out running my errands. Just a week and a half before my 45th birthday, I get a young guy giving me a compliment. Here's how it went. I was walking up to the hopping and very chic Rite-Aid store in our little town and there was a young, pretty nice looking, fellow unloading his truck in front of the store. I have on my very favorite ensemble of my dark Lucky Brand jeans, and a comfortable Lucky Brand shirt, and I am just walking up to the store. That young man kept staring at me; I looked behind me but there was nobody there. He stopped and said, "Man, I love your walk!" I look around again, and giggle and say, "Thanks." I'm not sure what to make of the whole thing. I have been trying to work on my posture, and I have been having some trouble with my left knee, so. . . maybe my walk is something to see. Perhaps he was kidding, I don't know, but at the rate I'm going, I'm going to take it as a compliment that my 45 year old gait is a good thing. Thanks, for making me smile and giggle today, delivery boy, uh man!

Sweet Sixteen

My oldest "baby" was born sixteen years ago today. The old saying that I used to get so tired of hearing when my girls were all tiny was, "they grow up so quickly!" I would internally roll my eyes every time some well meaning senior citizen would say that to me. Now, I realize that there is some truth to that phrase. It doesn't seem possible that sixteen years have come and gone. My daughter is growing up to be a really neat person. She has a lot going for her. She has a great sense of humor, she is an excellent student, she is very creative and she is a loyal friend. I like the young lady she is becoming and even though it scares me to death to think about her growing up and leaving me, I know that that is exactly where she is headed and exactly the way things should be. Happy Sweet Sixteen!

13

Today my second daughter turns thirteen. I am now officially the mother of two teenagers. I'm not sure how I feel about that. So far, the teen years that we have already lived through with our oldest daughter have been only a little bit tedious. Sure, there have been many emotional outbursts, but at least they are not constant, and my oldest daughter has a great sense of humor. My "new" teenager might be a little different. She does not have good control of her emotions and the most common emotion she has been displaying (for the last 2 or 3 years!) has been anger. She is mad at the world and everyone living in it. On the other hand, she is a good kid when it counts, and is a superior student, so it makes it difficult to temper my interaction with her. She is great at pushing my buttons, and creating an environment that confirms (in her mind anyway) why she has a right to be mad at everyone and everything. The next few years should be quite interesting. I still have two other preteens, and have menopause lurking around the corner for me. Anyway, we will joyfully celebrate this birthday and just go with the flow with everything else that comes our way.

Years Fly By!

My third daughter reached her ninth birthday on Friday. It doesn't seem like that many years have passed; she is growing up fast. My husband and I used to get a little tired of older folks telling us that "children grow up so fast!" My husband would always roll his eyes at me whenever he heard that, but truly, the years seem to have flown by. The older I get, the faster time goes. I remember as a kid, thinking that time would just creep along. Years seemed to take forever to pass. Now it's not like that at all. We have already been living in this new place for nine months. We are obligated to stay here for a total of 24 months. When I think that we need to stay here for another 15 months, I think that a probably will be able to that--it doesn't feel like it is that long of a time. Of course for the girls, that kind of time seems like an eternity. Anyway, the last nine years with my third daughter have been pretty good ones. She is happy, funny and smart. She is easy-going and always gives me a reason to smile! Happy Birthday!

44 and Counting

Today is my 44th birthday. I happen to be someone who doesn't mind acknowledging and celebrating my birthdays. I think that attitude is one that I learned from my parents. They never made a huge deal about birthdays; no elaborate parties, but an occasional one. My mother always made a birthday cake and fixed our favorite meal when it was one of our birthdays. My birthday was the only one in my family that occurred in the winter, so sometimes weather would interfere with celebrations, but I always felt special on "my" day. Since I have become older, I still enjoy my birthday. No matter what my age is or what my circumstances are, I am awfully glad to be here!