Happy Birthday To Me....

It's my Birthday, and I've been celebrating for two days....

I won't say how old I am, but I'm old enough to feel old enough:)

Old enough to think life is short..

Old enough to understand and be thankful for many many years of blessings..

Old enough to not sweat the small stuff...

Old enough to think that most everything is small stuff...

Old enough to be thankful that Art and I have had one more year together...

Old enough to feel old watching my grandchildren growing up...

Old enough to know that there is no present better than spending time with family ...

Cole baked me a cake...my favorite red velvet.

He had a little trouble getting the cake out of the pan, but red velvet cake is good 

no matter what it looks like. 

Here he is making a G out of candles..

Light em up:)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO GRANDMA....
Thanks to everyone for making my birthday weekend special:)

Today Is The Day....

Happy Birthday To Me!!!!



After some thought I have decided that you are all going to have to put up with me talking about me for a while longer. After all you are only 60 once in your life, and it takes a long time to get to this point so I'm entitled to go on for a while.



I thought that I might give you 60 things about myself that you would not know. It was nostalgic making this list.

The order is random:

1. I was born at St. Luke's Hospital in Denver, Colorado, on Palm Sunday 1949. Joe, my son, was born in the same hospital 20 years later.

2. I went to catholic school grades 1-7, and then public school 8-12.

3. My favorite toy as a child was my grown up doll. I played with that doll into my teens.

4. I have always loved to read.

5. My favorite subject in school was history.

6. My first memory is bringing home my sister Dianne from the hospital, I was about 2 years old.

7. I loved to eat toast, jelly, and cheese when I could get away with it. I had to sneak my dad's cheese.

8. My worst childhood memory was when I put my brother on the clothes line, he fell off, and broke his arm. It was awful.

9. We had hamburgers every Saturday night, and my dad would cook them.

10. We always had ice cream and cake on Sunday nights.

11. I loved to play with my Lennon Sister paper dolls. The Lennon Sisters were on the Lawrence Welk show.

12. I was a champion jacks player in 5-6 grade. We would have tournaments during recess at school.

13. Sister Mary Magdalene was my 2nd grade teacher, she must have been 90.

14. My parents liked to trout fish. We would go to Basalt and Aspen every year so they could fish.

15. I had my first communion in the first grade. I accidentally started my veil on fire in the kitchen after the ceremony.

16. In my teenage years, I worked with mom for a Jewish caterer. He made the best meat blintzes. His name was Peter Bloom.

17. I had major skin breakouts all of my life.

18. In my teen years mom gave me shots for those allergies.

19. I loved Valentines Day as a child. I would keep my valentines all year long.

20. I liked to write cursive in school. I never liked printing.

21. I had braces for 2 years in my teens. My orthodontists was downtown in the Republic Building.

22. In the 6 grade my favorite outfit was my "Ben Casey" shirt. He was famous T.V. doctor.

23. I was always the tallest in my Elementary class. I know because sister would line us up according to size. I was always last in line.

24. I wanted to be a nun. I lived with them for a few days. I didn't like the long periods of silence. Not long after I met Art and I forgot that idea.

25. I didn't date much in school. I never went to prom or homecoming.

26. I loved my mom's danish sweet rolls. She would make them from scratch, and they were sooo good.

27. I never learned to swim.

28. In college I took a swimming class, but I never could quite get the hands and feet to work together,plus I was scared of the water. I hated that class.

29. On my 16th birthday mom had a tea for me.

30. My little sister Joanne was born when I was 13 years old. I loved to babysit her.

31, We had desserts with every meal growing up, but during Lenten season we would give them up.

32. One year we got baby chicks for Easter.

33. Every Easter mom would make us a new dress, and we would get new shoes and a new hat.

34. My favorite 45 record in high school was " Bobby's Girl".

35. I had 2 favorite movies growing up: Ben Hur and Blue Hawaii with Elvis Presley.

36. My best friend in grade school was Mary Margaret Rogers. She had a pool in her back yard.

37.I was in French class study hall when we heard that JFK had been assassinated.

38. I met Art when I was 18, we worked at the Taco house together.

39. I went to UNC for one year.

40. Art and I got married on Feb. 1, 1969. It snowed that day.

41. I was 7 months pregnant with Joe on our first anniversary.

42. Art was drafted into the Army when Joe was 6 months old.

43. When Art went to Basic Training in Washington State, Joe and I lived with his parents.

44. My 2 boys were born on the same day 2 years apart.

45. Erik was premature. He was born at 31 weeks, weighing 3lbs. 4 oz.

46. Art was in the Army for 18 months when we came home. Erik was only 2 months old.

47. Erik had pneumonia 3 times before he was 3 years old.

48. For years we had Bronco Season tickets, we went with Richey and Beth.

49. Art was an alcoholic for the first 15-16 years of our marriage, he has been sober over 20 years.

50. Art's parents were killed in an auto accident, Labor Day weekend 1978.

51. I accepted Christ as my Lord and Saviour when I was 29. Art followed about 3 years later.

52. I have been to Europe.

53, I went back to college in my 30's.

54. I was diagnosed with Lupus in my 30's and had to quit school because I was so sick.

55. I have never been hospitalized with my Lupus. That is pretty unbelievable.

56. I have never had a full time 8-5 job. I have worked part time.

57. I was a grandmother at 40.

58. I have 8 grandchildren.

59. I have been to Vanuatu 2 times and will be going again in May.

60. Okay, I'm over it. My birthday is over, I turned 60 and survived.
With all my complaining I have to say that I am really thankful.
I have many blessings in my life.

Some Thoughts on Seriously Lagging...

Wait a minute, I do have a blog entry here...just give me a minute and I will remember it.....

Oh yes, it is the memory that is seriously lagging....that's what I'm going to write about.

About 5 years ago I took a class entitled " How to know if you have Alzheimer's."
After sitting through the class. I was assured that as long as I'm still wearing the same color socks every morning, and as long as I can remember, when reminded by someone about something that I don't remember , No Worries...

It's all good.... Because the memory dulls with Age...

So when I cannot find my purse which I just brought from the car, or my sunglasses that I just took off, or the list that I made so that I would remember what needed to get done today. No Worries....

It's all good...Because the memory dulls with Age...

Or those times that I run into someone I know I know, but I can't remember from where I know her, let alone her name. No Worries....

Can't tell you how many times I've walked downstairs only to forget why I'm down there, or what I came for. No Worries...

It's all good...Because the memory dulls with Age...

Yesterday I was ordering something over the phone.
"Mam, I just need you to verify your address."
"Aaah? My addresssss isss." This can't be happening I think to myself in a panic. Maybe I should hang up and start all over again. That will give me time to think of my address..No Worries...

It's all good...Because the memory dulls with Age...

And what about those numbers we have to remember and keep straight. Bank accounts, social security numbers, pin numbers for credit cards and those infamous passwords. I try to keep it simple. Same combinations. How come we can't have one number for everything I'm wondering. Like the number 5...The good thing here is that they will send your password reminder to your e-mail , but my only problem is that I have 2 e-mails and I can mix them up especially since they have two differnt passwords. No Worries....

It's all good...Because the memory dulls with Age...

Funny thing about my memory. My long term memory is not as big a problem as my short term memory.
While I may not be able to remember what I had for breakfast or what someone said 5 mins ago.
I seem to be able to remember some things vividly from 25 years ago.

Hmm, Strange thing the memory, it just dulls with age, but it's all good, as long as I keep on wearing the same color socks every morning I have nothing to Worry about.

Some Thoughts on Seriously Lagging...

I drag around a lot,I have for a long time, but lately it is showing up in little things that I do.

Some of my dragging is due to my physical condition. I had to learn and accept in my 30's that working an 8 hour day was not in the cards for me. That cat naps in the afternoon would become a norm, and without them by 6:00P.M. I'm useless to everyone including myself. Without a nap I become an extremely grumpy woman, and that is saying it nicely.

But lately the dragging has gotten worse. There are times that the staircase at Bible Study might as well be Mt. Everest. I don't even debate with myself I head for the elevator.
I can find myself getting tired walking to the mail box or opening a bag of potato chips. What is the point in making a package so hard to open? It can't keep them that fresh.

Parking to far from the Wal-Mart entrance can put me into a frenzy. It's a running joke between Art and I on how close or far he can get before I complain.

I guess that I can console myself with the fact that I still haven't fallen asleep in church or in the middle of my "silver sneakers" water aerobics class. Sometimes I wonder about some of the other participants :)
Probably why they have lifeguards on duty 24/7.
I can laugh now, but IS THAT MY FUTURE?

For now I'm thankful that I really do have the energy to do most of what I want. Its just the little things that sometimes cause me concern.

Some Thoughts on Seriously Sagging

Last month I found a Book entitled, "Didn't My Skin Used To Fit?"

I loved the title because at my age I'm often feeling this way. The face that I used to have has seriously began to Sag. There is something going on under my chin.
Are they called jowls?

I faithfully use a mouth exercisers, and I am convinced it is working, but denial can be a powerful thing.

Selling Avon allows me to try all kinds of creams.
They have 3 levels of face cream. They are described like this: If you have,
1. none or very few lines use the blue cream.
2. wrinkles and some expression lines go for the brown cream.
3. wrinkles and deep expression lines the gold cream is the one for you.
I think that the only reason someone my age would go for the blue color cream is the expense of the gold.
It's not cheap keeping the lines under control.

It doesn't help that my generations seems obsessed with how we look and how we are ageing.
We have very few examples of women my age willing to be role models, and show how to age gracefully.
I always have to chuckle at the interviews of the older stars promoting their new book on their long life, while they look like my daughter-in-law Stephanie who is in her 30's.
It is always a disappointment to me.

The Bible says younger women are to learn from the older woman. Wouldn't it be a wonderful example if we showed them how to grow old with grace and dignity, and that what is inside is really more important than our outward appearance.

So at 60 years I can't say that I am totally okay with the jowls and the wrinkles, but since I am sure that plastic surgery is not in my future Sagging is just part of the process.

BIRTHDAY GREETINGS....LOL :)

Check out this card that
I received from my Mom's friend Glenn. It is funny.

THE INSIDE SAYS:A rare photo of your parents the night you were conceived.
Happy Birthday.

Mom laughed, I 'm not sure if she thought it was funny or if it was because Glenn gave it to me.

You Are How Old?

This is a big week for me. I turn 60 years old in 5 days.
What's the big deal you might wonder? Since we are all getting older.
I don't know for sure what it is, maybe because next is 70 and then 80,
and I know how quickly time goes by.

The reality is that age is starting to catch up with me. I find myself
seriously sagging, dragging and lagging in lots of areas. More on these later.

I know that getting older is something I can't control, but the way I grow
old is something that I can control.

I choose to see the glass half full here and count my many blessings.

I am thankful for my health.
I am thankful for my mind that still works.
I am thankful for family and my friends.
I am thankful for my husband.
and my list could go on and on.

I think that by the time a person reaches my age we have been through enough that some of our priorities have changed.
I know that mine have over the years.

Ive learned that I'm not always right.

Speaking my mind or having the last word is not as important as having the
conversation or listening.

That somethings are just not worth the battle.

That forgiveness is more important than staying angry.

That It is important to admit when I am wrong and say so.

That It is good to take the time to enjoy the beauty of nature around me.

Art's philosophy is that we are on a train that we can't get off of so we might as well enjoy it.
So I cannot avoid it any longer 60 is the next stop , but it is surreal.



"In three words I can sum up everything I've
learned about ife: it goes on."
Robert Frost