the big 4-0

so here i am.
middle aged. i never would have guessed that i would be so much my little girl, sixteen-year-old, gone through all the things self. i'm still me. just older. hopefully a little bit wiser.

i absolutely loved my birthday. i think it was the best one i've ever celebrated. i felt loved and special. and i let myself totally love the idea of being forty. no holding back. bring on the next forty years!

my people went out of their way to make it a special day. we had a big fancy tea party at pat's mom in the morning. complete with mini baked cheesecakes with fancy paper lace liners and all the loveliest toppings. all the things in white and lace and pink and gold. old fashioned tea cups and hot tea in china tea pots. fruit and dip. and mini quiches. pink lavetera and white mums. so many lovely gifts.

so many grateful thoughts. i am so very blessed.

my goals for the future:
aging gracefully, gratefully, happily
smiling
thinking a little bit longer before i speak
practicing the 'they meant it well' outlook

things i'm especially grateful for at 40:
a great marriage
3 great kids
that we're as far down the road with our kids as we are
old friends
true friends
my mom and sisters
my dear mother (in law)
Jesus

things i'd like to learn and do:
make sour dough bread
volunteer again in palliative care
start my own coffee/fabric shop
get my GED
take a course on writing
take a course on excel/word
refinish our table
paint our bedroom furniture
update our kitchen
change my garden spot
raise lots of breeds of hens