Happy Valentine's Day!!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful time with the ones you love today. Whether you went on an elaborate date or mini-vacation, or just stayed home and enjoyed the company....its so great to know you are loved and can return that love!

Lovely day

You know....birthdays just aren't what they were as a kid. When you are young..you wait and wait and wait and wait soooo anxiously for your birthday. You plan the cake your mom is going to make or buy...you tell your family what you want for your birthday....sometimes you plan a party....and you feel like the king or queen of the day when it finally arrives! If you have a school year birthday, you even get to pass out cupcakes to all your friends at school. (Regardless, I always wanted a summer birthday...as mine always seemed too close to Christmas! Not enough time after Christmas to think of a second list of toys you want!)

As an adult, sometimes you are lucky to remember you have a birthday at all! And each passing year reminds you that you have lived a larger and larger portion of your life...and are only looking ahead to further aging and decay. You don't fill out party invitations, or anxiously await your pile of gifts, nor do you feel that sense of power that you used to have, at being a year older. No longer are we turning 10 (the double digits)....13 (first official "teen")...16, 18, or 21. Now for me, its 34. The only thing that makes me feel better about that, is how old it must make my dad feel when he thinks about MY age. :-)

With that all said, I think there is still something very special about birthdays, even as an adult. The fact that adults don't need parties, cake, or gifts really lets one appreciate the true blessings around them, and one can still hold the memories of an "older" birthday dear to their heart.

Today was my birthday, and I have several special new memories. It wasn't a "milestone" birthday (Thank goodness! I can't handle the extra attention that comes with those!).... but it was a good one. This morning my husband surprised me with a gift that I had pointed out as wanting around Christmas time, and then promptly forgot...but he remembered! (Hey what a guy, and guys usually don't take hints!) I also got a Happy Birthday call from my Dad, which was very nice. (Received his card and gift earlier this week). My husband then took the kids this afternoon so I could take a guilt (and noise) free nap. And then tonight we were invited to dinner with some dear, dear friends...and I was presented with a very special gift. Upon arriving home, the kids were all in bed thanks to another sweet lady who babysat for us....and on the end table was a homemade card and picture from my oldest son.

It wasn't invitations and birthday cake and a mountain of presents that made this day special....it was being surrounded by the love and care of those dear to me. And that's worth more to me than anything else in the world. Thank you Lord, for a Happy Birthday! And for allowing me the blessings of life, love, and salvation.

Parking my thoughts

After I finished shopping today, I was taking a nice long walk to where my car was parked.   I find that, in general, I can get into the building faster by parking in just any empty parking space far from the building than I can by driving around for fifteen minutes, and then sitting with my blinker on for another ten minutes (waiting as the old lady carefully loads her car, searches for the quarter she dropped, digs through her purse for the keys, adjusts the steering wheel, seat, and seatbelt, takes a long careful sip from her coffee cup, tries to figure out how to call her daughter from her new cell phone to let her know she'll be home in 30 minutes, and slowly puts the car in reverse) so that I can have a parking spot that is 25 steps closer to the door.

So during my nice long walk, which wasn't really THAT long and had the added benefit of burning off a few calories, I thought how amusing it would be to stop at one of the first cars, and fumble with my keys at the driver's side door as if to unlock "my" car.   Then watch as one of those "wanna be close to the building" people stops and holds up a huge line of traffic while they greedily have their turn signal on...and then look up and say, "WHOOPS!  Wrong car!  Silly me..." and then walk to my car on the other side of the lot.   haha.  

With my luck, the real owner of the car would come out at a REALLY bad time....that or, hey, its Philly....I guess I could get shot by one of the twenty cars waiting in line for the imaginary parking space.

But...it made my walk seem shorter thinking about it.