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Half of a Century

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I celebrated my 50th birthday this past week! When I was younger, 50 sounded reaallllly old. But now that I'm there, I recognize that it's really not. As I mentioned last week, the iron supplements I'm taking for my anemia have kick-started me feeling a million years younger, as well. 

We had a wonderful birthday dinner at my parents' house last weekend (complete with my favorite kind of birthday treat - yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Basic, yes, but I love it so much!)

I had a really busy week planned at work, so taking my birthday off (Tuesday) was a relief and gave me a chance to slow down and reflect on my life. The weather was sunny and warm (I've had my share of rainy birthdays, so anytime the sun is out on my birthday, I'm grateful.) Scott picked up flowers and a Starbucks gift card for me, so I had breakfast courtesy of Starbucks and read while sitting on our front porch. Pria loved having me home on a Tuesday and wanted to sample some of the goods.

The rest of the day was spent working on stuff around the home, and my mom stopped by unexpectedly. It was a treat to hug her on my actual birthday! That night, we drove to a restaurant 30 minutes away known for its burger selection. Our dinner that night wasn't fancy, but it was exactly what I wanted. We were treated to a fiery sunset on the drive home - pictures don't do it justice. And that was a wrap on the day. Simple, but perfect. I had been struggling to come up with grandiose plans to celebrate this big birthday, and then I realized I didn't need to. However I wanted to celebrate is exactly right for me.  


This girl, always by my side










We're working through the last month of school, with many things to check off the list for Arya. On Friday morning, we learned that she earned a scholarship from a local family foundation - amazing! We are so grateful for anything that helps to tackle the tuition costs. 

G has been fascinated by storm tracking, so last weekend we watched "Twister" (from the 90's), and on Friday night we started watching "Twisters" from 2024. It is a pretty long movie, so we're going to finish it on Saturday night. We've been giving him more freedom to ride his bike outside the neighborhood (he wants to storm chase, I told him NO), which means I have a bit more time for self-care. I did a great job this week with working out and taking time to decompress. I guess you really do earn time back as the kids get older and more self-sufficient. We just need Scott to slow down a bit, so he's not as stressed out about work. He took on an extra role while some of his colleauges are out, and I know he's counting down the days until they get back to work.

Can't believe it's almost May...I think we might be done with snow for the season, ha!

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