february rocks

It’s birthday time! Last week I turned 40 something and yesterday I followed through on a promise to my 40 something friends that I would make and keep an appointment at the diagnostic imaging department at the local medical center for a mammogram. It’s not much of a birthday party but when both of your grandmothers died of cancer, your uncle is a breast cancer survivor, and a good friend heard the worst recently, it’s just something that has to be done and a birthday seems like a reasonable annual reminder. So I quit with the excuses and kept my appointment.

I didn’t really need a birthday party anyway. I successfully strung my birthday celebration out over 9 days. How did I do it? Easy….The Friday before, the men of the house took me to TGI Fridays for baby back ribs and JD Shrimp and Chicken. The Sunday before, my sister gave me a quilting book and a gift certificate for a massage. Mmmm I can hardly wait! On Monday, our department went out to lunch and the boss paid. On the morning of, I woke the kids up early so they could give me my present; Norah Jones and Josh Grobin CDs, both of which are new to me but I love. Steve gave me a stamp to emboss my books that has my initials in the center and says “From the library of Kathleen Watson” around the edge. Very cool. Later that day, a co-worker gave me a little stationary thing with paper, pencils and a tiny little address book but that night, when I went to lead our Listening Life group, I forgot to mention it was my birthday at all. Then on Saturday, my long time best friend and her husband took us to the Cheesecake Factory as thanks for taking their son’s senior pictures and for my birthday she gave me the "Sisters" Willowtree figurines; two girls standing face to face with their hands clasped. I love them! On Sunday, my Listening Life co-leader and good friend gave me a cute little tin bucket with a very pretty flowering plant in it. I hope I don’t kill it.

I am a wealthy woman.