Mi Familia
Today was my 50th birthday. (50! omg, 50!!!) 30 never bothered me. 40 didn't bug me. Not even my 45th birthday got to me. I can't say I'm very excited to say I'm 50 years old. I know people mean well, also....but something I've been hearing from people over 50 is some variation of this:
"It only gets better from here" small insincere smile here...
or
"The best is yet to come" with a rather shaky grin
WTF?
Okay. I think you are fooling yourself and trying to fool me.
I think you have to think like this, because worrying about getting older and dying will seriously put a crimp in enjoying life!
Of course you feel the best years are now - you are treasuring every day that you actually WAKE UP!
COMEON! you can't seriously tell me that experiencing the downslope of your life is funner than being in your thirties, or twenties.....you are really just realizing that this is it. You HAVE to enjoy THE TIME YOU HAVE LEFT....
It's better than the alternative though, so - bring on the best of what's left.
LOL, LOL,.......(insane laughter follows.....).
Well, on a slightly less bitter about age note (LOL), I did have a relaxing day. My grandson had spent the night, so I was able to see him in the morning. There's nothing cuter than hearing a little two year old boy, who is just being able to talk say Happy Birthday, G'amma! Especially when he brings me a wad of cash! two of my sons work in a bar, and they each contributed to my birthday money, AND told every one in the bar that it was their mom's birthday and the drinkers contributed. My boys can be crazy at times.
So I had a leisurely day, laid around and watched a few episodes of Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares, and Doctor Who. Tried to concentrate on the latest paperback of Anita Blake Vampire Humper er HUNTER (I don't know what I was thinking, I gave up on that series, but like an addict - went back and bought another one...at least it was a paperback. 100 pages in, NO ACTION and I'm becoming bored with the book. oh boy) I had breakfast that was cooked for me - and shared it with my grandson. Then ate my favorite after breakfast (after dinner, between meals) snack, Strawberry frozen Fruit Bar (Dreyers, and only 80 calories)
At 4 p.m. I got a good look at myself and thought geez, I need to take a shower. My hair on one side was stiff with cocoa butter (from lubing the tattoo- something you do post-tattoo, to help with the healing process) and I'm surprised my grandson wanted anything to do with me! So I jumped in there...really I eased myself into the shower, wincing and groaning - but I have to admit the warm shower felt good on my back, and on the new tattoo. I hadn't let the shower hit on the tattoo until today - wanted it to heal more. I got dressed and my live-in daughter-almost-in-law had told me yesterday that she would treat me to a book at the bookstore, and since I also now had some cash ($!$!$!$!) it was time to party at the bookstore (such a book-geek!).
We got there, and right away I found three books that I wanted and the DIL bought me the Kim Harrison hardback (Black Magic Sanctions) I've been waiting for it to come out in paperback because now there are only a few authors that I want to pay hardback prices for, but if it's a present, then, Okay fine. I was ready to go, but the DIL wanted to look around some more, so I decided to sit down and rest ( the legs were already numb) I was reading a bit of one of my newer books, and got a phone call. From my granddaughter: (the following is to be read as if being shouted - by a three year old)
"GRANDMA! HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA! I MADE YOU A CARD AND I LOVE YOU AND WE BOUGHT-----"
The phone was then pulled away from her, and my daughter said to me that they were driving and would probably see me sometime tomorrow. I figured they must of bought something for me, and she didn't want to ruin the surprise, since she knows I don't like to know ahead of time what I'm getting (unless it's book related). Then I decided to browse some more and found three more books to try out. One of them I picked because I know Phoenixfirewolf likes him, so I picked a book from 2005 of Jim C Hines - Goblin Quest. If I like it then I'll get more but I need to read some books from 2005, for the 2010 Countdown Challenge - reading thing.
We stopped at Target for some ice cream (our neighborhood target now sells meat and all grocery items- I find that a bit frightening) and headed home. When we drove down our street I noticed my car was on the street instead of my driveway. I thought that was weird, and when we parked in the driveway, my husband came out of the house to throw garbage away. Of course I didn't notice that he came through the front door when he usually goes through the side door. I asked him about the car, and he didn't know, just figured my son did it so the DIL could park in the driveway and I could walk a shorter distance to the door. Oh. Tha's nice.
First thing I noticed when I came in the door, was some streamers and balloons. I thought, in that splt second "how nice, they decorated for my birthday". I knew he was barbequing steak for me, and they had cleaned the living room and kitchen. They also had brought a real computer desk from my daughter's house (they didn't want it) and set it up this morning. I'm just walking in kind of not thinking a whole lot, just thinking it would be nice to sit and get started on a book when....out from seemingly NO WHERE pops my sister in law, and other family members with a big "SURPRISE!!!" It was definitely a surprise, and then came my grand-daughter, screaming SURPRISE, SURPRISE!
Boy, they got me. I had NO IDEA that this was going on. I didn't even realize their cars were parked outside. So oblivious. There was my sister, her husband and two of her daughters (the eldest is currently in Panama, looking for a job there), my brother with his wife and two kids, my daughter and her husband and or course my litle girl, the granddaughter along with most of my sons. The only one missing was my oldest son who had to work the bar tonight. My other almost-daughter-in-law showed up a half hour later, as soon as she could get off work.
We had steak, potato salad from my sister, salad, wine and champagne, and my youngest son had made shrimp cocktails dip with crackers and philadelphia creamcheese. The mysterious thing from my daughter and her daughter turned out to be a cake that they had made me. Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and bright blue decorating cream. It was beautiful. Very yummy!
I now have three more geraniums to plant (two deep red and one medium pink) as well as a gift card to Borders Books and one for Copperfield's books. My middle son's girlfriend had bought me that one, and was telling me she had to take it back and get me something else, because she had been told our city's Copperfield's had closed. I'm like - hey they have an online store! so she gave it to me anyway. This is cool, because sometimes I can't find an author in the bookstore, (like Kalayna Price-she had two books out now, and a third coming out - but they're not in the bookstore) Online shopping is fun! I also have a beautifully made -homemade card from the living DIL. I love these girls of my son's. They really are the best girls you could hope for your sons to have, and they treat me like family. Of course I treat them like family too, because I really care for them. I even still have a pretty good relationship with my son's ex-girlfriend, aka "baby's mama"
Later, I will post about my birthday books. I have to download the cover pics and don't feel like doing it now.
:) (: