And the birthday Continued

Last night Steve and mom threw me a somewhat surprise party at the local bowling alley. I say "somewhat surprise", as I was totally convinced that Steve was going to forget about me with as busy as he is with school and work. Then there was the whole weekend with my guys being in Iowa and all on my actual birthday. I guess both mom and Steve decided to tell me that something was being planned so I wouldn't pout. Anyways, a turning 40 party i got. And it totally ROCKED!

last weekend it was a tiara...tonight "its all about me necklace"

Actually I was pretty surprised as I would never have thought about bowling. I love bowling even though I am not very good. And as we are walking in the family was all there along with Rod, Jeanette and Trent. Then Lisa, Leslie and Patty arrived...then Becky and Alan...and then our neighbors Sheri, Don and Austin. 

Don and Sheri

Leslie, Patty, me and Lisa

Sally and Stephanie

 Lanes were formed and the bowling started. Most of us were pretty bad...well except for a few...like Becky getting four strikes in a row....Steve kicked it into his normal on the second game...Jeanette had brought her personal ball and shoes.

Axel and Brody

Thanking Steve with a big smooch

I think mom got a strike

Rod and Jeanette
friends and family in background

Becky, Alan and me

Trent and Nathan who both aren't too fond of bowling

I had a blast of a time. I got to spend time with those who actually matter to me. I got showered with gifts {giddy}. Childish I know...but who doesn't love to be spoiled every now and then. I will never be able to thank these people in my life enough for my party. 

Fun and Forty

how about this fancy tiara

On my actual birthday, Steve and Nathaniel were away taking care of college business. I was left to entertain myself. Not an easy feat for someone who hates being alone. I must say that the middle of the day felt a little odd. The morning/early afternoon was filled with zumba and lunch with mom and dad. Nothing like exercise and yummy soup, salad and bread sticks at Olive garden.

A little shopping, a missed massage appointment, a quiet house and I realized that there were birthday cards on the mantel. Sitting on the couch with Thumper, I opened the envelopes. How odd it felt to be doing this alone in front of the television. Is this how it feels to those who don't have friends and family local....hmmm.

Then darkness fell upon me and it was time to do some serious dancing. YEP...Becky made sure that I knew it was a birthday fit for forty. First was my gift...one tiara...that I proudly put on (and wore all night)....and then off we went. The tiara made for a great conversation starter.

We went to Fat Daddys in Fort Worth to see Le Freak (a pretty fun seventies cover band). Sometime during the evening, a few friends from zumba joined us. We danced and had a great time until the wee hours of the morning. After the club we went to Whataburger to eat. Seriously, I can't believe its legal to stay out this late and that people do this on a regular basis.

So day one came to a close and I am feeling good!

Leaving the thirties behind

It is now time to part ways with another decade of my life. Gone are the thirties and hello to a new beginning with the forties. Only a short couple of hours away. Once upon a time {ugh} forty would have seemed so old. Now I see it with a different set of eyes. I am not afraid. I am trying to not look back with much regret, but with the ability to relish the memories. However, definitely wishing that I had had the wisdom to which I now possess.

It is easy to say that my thirties were...what many might say...a wild ride. Gaining a career, moving to Texas, raising my son, infertility, having four beautiful girls come and go from our life, years of a spouse in school, a relationship that has been tested more than I can say, and lastly losing myself along the way.

My health is good (I am more fit than I have been in years) and I don't think I look all that bad. I am ready to see what this next chapter will bring. Maybe that last line was a little lie {sigh}. I am not ready to set my son free and be left without his daily presence. I am totally clueless to what I will do with having a quiet and lonely home. I do not know who I am or how to bring that person back once more.

The only thing that I am confident about is the clock is not stopping and time goes more quickly than we usually want. When one day I awoke only to wonder like the verse from a Talking Heads song..."you may ask yourself, well how did I get here?"  And quietly ask myself...where am I now going.

Oh the minds of teenagers

All I can say is that he is definitely a teenager with a mind of his own.

image courtesy of www.canstockphoto.com/

Today was Nathans official official last swim meet of his career. It was a non qualifier meet that had to be rescheduled due to inclement Texas weather. Now I almost did not go to this meet as it had no importance whats so ever....and now I am so glad that I did....as this is what occurred....

Nathan had talked all season about wanting to swim the corkscrew in a meet. This is not an official stroke for those of you who may not know. This kid would intermittently talk all season about how he was going to do this. And we would all chuckle and not really say anything. I would just motherly remind him that this was an important meet and maybe today was not good (whatever that meet was).

So Nathan signs up to swim the 50 free....not one of his events. He starts off and swims the first 25 like normal.....and then he flips and goes into the corkscrew motion.

All I can do is laugh uncontrollably (and this lasted the rest of the day). But lets just say, I had seen the coach mad before, but nothing like this. She was beyond red in the face and  getting other coached upset as well. The team cheered him on all full of laughter and aah. He then went and got a licking like he had never got from coach before. Now watching down from the stands, I could get an idea of what was being said, and could tell that Nathan was not going to back down to the coach who drove us insane all season. The punishment he could take.

He came to tell me the exchange of words when the official referee called him back down. Pretty much the conversation went like this:

• that stunt you pulled could get the entire team disqualified for unprofessional conduct. Were you aware of that? Answer- No sir
• what kind of example did you just set for the younger swimmers here today
• we pulled your history and see you have never had a citation before and we see that you are a senior
• were you just wanting to go our with a bang? Answer-Yes sir
• fortunately for you today we will not disqualify you or your team over this
• lecture continued for a few minutes

Then we see Nathan walking to the locker room with his bag and come out dressed. Coach had kicked him out of the meet and pulled him from the rest of the events.

Now...maybe...I should have been upset with him.....but I found the whole thing quite funny. Well, not the part that the team could be DQ'd.....but everything else. I know that this was something that Nathan really wanted to do. And I have learned to pick and choose many of my battles with my son. He possesses a trait to which I often lack. I am a pleaser....and well....sometimes Nathan wants to just please himself.

Who knows.....maybe this was on his bucket list and now he can put a line through that. All I know is that after the season we have had....it left me with a good laugh.

last days of thirties and.....

picture courtesy of superstock.com

Yes...I am in my last two weeks of my thirties. Awaits in a whole new adventure of womanhood and life. Am I ready....well....that is for another post on another day. 

This post is about my past two days.....SIGH....and how I thought that I had left my pubescent years behind me.

Yes...I may have been blind in this kind of thinking....as I awoke yesterday with a nice BIG red pimple in between my eyes. What a lovely site it is. Trying to dull the glaring brightness with some cover up....I mean seriously. Thinking that the facial skin could not get any worse than this one mere blemish....I awoke today with three more spots scattered on my almost forty year old face.

picture courtesy of trcabc.com

I also had a brilliant idea yesterday that I should pay a visit to the dentist after a two year time frame. Well, I am not a fan of the dentist (not the dentist himself), just the things that must be done. Like x rays. I have a horrible gag reflex....worse than one could dare imagine. It is so bad that I fret about it, sweat and profusely apologize more than I should. As my son once said some years ago...."seriously mom, your an adult". 

Thankfully, the dental assistants had a great sense of humor and were kind enough not to make fun of me while I was in their presence and we mustered along with the dreadful task. Had a wonderful cleaning and was told my teeth were in great condition and then they dropped the ball that I had two cavities.

Really....why now I ask myself...the last time that I had a cavity was sometime in my school days I believe.....UGH. 

A blast of cold 2011

 Monday January 1st we got hit with some ice and snow flurries

the nova with a little dusting

Tuesday February 2nd the view was pretty but oooh sooo slick

front view from my work of park and small river in the distance

all of the nurses cars on this crazy driving day

The picture doesn't give the road condition justice. I did a double 360 on my way to work and got stuck in ice on the way home...gotta love a rear wheel drive SUV. Thankfully, Steve and dad came to my rescue after a nice man in a big truck got me to safety.

front yard view about 3pm

Thursday the 3rd...third day school and work for Steve was cancelled.

One of my raging fires that we have had...sadly...we are now out of wood and the living room is cold

the wood spot....notice....its bare!

A frozen icicle of a broom

Friday the 4th....we awoke to what was supposed to be just more snow flurries. Instead it was a snow storm...about 2-3 inches in Fort Worth.

A pretty view before we destroyed it with a snowball fight

Nathan attempting to stab me with and icicle from his Nova....bring it on son!

Cabin fever is a bit much for me...so off to eat we went. So much for my dieting I attempted to start this week.

Everywhere was covered in snow....this picture says a different story...

We were gone for about an 1 1/2 hours and in that time the sun appeared and the snow had already started to melt a ton. I guess it is now time for the slush.