40

I’m 40 today! Happy Birthday to me!

I’m not usually one to get nostalgic or overly introspective, but I admit that this milestone has had me reflecting quite a bit on my life so far, and concluding that it’s a really really good one. Ten years ago I said something about my next decades maybe not being as dynamic as the first three, but I was clearly mistaken.

When I turned 30, I wasn’t married, had no kids, lived in an apartment, was working as a flight controller, and didn’t know how to sew. Since then I’ve married a wonderful guy, had two amazing little girls, bought two houses (and sold one), changed jobs twice, made new friends, kept many friends, and cultivated a big new hobby in quilting.

This past weekend was full of fun to help me kick off a new decade. On Saturday we celebrated Emma having her artwork included in a school district event, and spent two lovely hours in the park for the neighborhood’s annual Easter egg hunt and crawfish boil. Yesterday Jose organized a small birthday party at the park and it was absolutely the perfect thing, and exactly how I wanted to celebrate. My awesome neighbor had conspired with my mom last month while Jose and I were out of town to decorate signs for me, which Emma managed to keep secret so I was truly surprised — and I loved them. The weather was gorgeous, the kids were running around happily, and I got to sit and chat with friends old and new. At one point I paused and just realized that I was very, very happy.

I am 40, and I am happy. And that, I can say without any trace of insincerity, is as good as it gets. 🙂