39 and Holding

My 39th birthday was November 11th and today my sisters decided to take me out to celebrate.  The only problem - they forgot to pick me up.  So here I was, waiting outside in our driveway and nobody showed.  Sister 1 went to Sister 2's house and apparently they looked at each other and asked, "who was suppose to pick up Sissy (that would be me)?"  They both hopped in the car and came to pick me up.  We then went to the movie, The Help, did a little shopping and out for dinner.  Despite the wait, I had a wonderful day.

"Blessed is the woman who has a sister, and thrice blessed if she has more than one"

A few months ago, I expressed to Monkey Toes that I did not want a surprise party for my 40th birthday and I really didn't want any of the "over-the hill" themed gifts (such as black roses, etc).  He decided to throw me a surprise party this year to compensate.  He was successful in doing so!  On 11/11/11, Monkey gathered our families and a few friends to help us celebrate.  He pulled it off beautifully!  (Thanks also to Silly - his cohort).  Monkey Toes and I spent the entire day together, while Silly came to babysit.  We were audience members at the Twin Cities Live show, then we went out to dinner, and then out for ice-cream.  I was itching to get back home (it was 7pm and I wanted to see the kids before they went to bed), but Monkey said we should just enjoy being out while we had a sitter.  True, but I still wanted to spend part of my birthday with my kids.  While we were driving home, Monkey received a phone call saying that a private party at the Country Club needed his assistance in fixing their PA (something he does frequently in the area, so I didn't give it a second thought).  I was a bit annoyed with having to turn the vehicle around.  I was soon humbled as I discovered the party was for me.  It turned out to be a really fun night - and I was truly surprised. 
  
There were a number of people at the party who assumed I was turning forty - probably because of the surprise factor.  I even received a "40 is a magical number" birthday card (by far the most entertaining card of the evening.  It contained $40, to which I mailed back $1 in the Thank You card).  Growing older doesn't bother me, nor scare me.  My birthday isn't something I dread each year.  I don't lie about my age and "over-the-hill" jokes are wasted on me.  I have the beautiful women in my life to thank for this outlook.  My grandmothers aged gracefully, as is my mom.  Vanity was never part of their character.  Age, to them, was just a number.  And so it is to me.  I may be almost 40, but those around me keep me feeling young.  Next year on 11/11, I won't be burying my head in the sand, I will be thankful for another year on this amazing journey we call life.