So This is What 39 Looks Like

Well... my birthday was on Thursday. I'm now the big 3-9! Thirty nine years old. How did that happen? I really don't feel 39, although, I'm not sure exactly how 39 is supposed to feel.

I remember being in my 6th grade classroom and daydreaming about getting older... like being 30. Honestly, I never thought I'd see 30. I have been expecting the imminent return of Christ. I truly thought that He would rapture me out of here before I ever experienced age 30.

Yet here I am at 39.

So as I was saying, it was my birthday. The funny thing about it was I woke up at 5:30 AM. I had the opportunity to sleep in, but my body seemed to think I had sufficient sleep.

I walked into the bathroom, turned on the dimmer of the two lights, and looked in the mirror. I never look in the mirror the minute I get up. I was shocked at what I saw. Right between my eyebrows were two crease lines. They're the ones that crease whenever I scrunch up my forehead when I'm worried or upset. And there they were, as if I had been scrunching my forehead ALL NIGHT.

Seriously? This is how I look first thing in the morning? I had no idea! And if I look like this at 39, what will I look like in 10 years?

So... this is 39. It looks to be an "interesting" year.

Weeklong Celebration

This Wednesday it's my birthday, so I'm celebrating by taking the whole week off work.  I hadn't used vacation time yet, so I figured I better get to it, seeing how it's already October and 9 months of the year have already passed me by.

It's October, people!  How can that be? 

Well, anyway, I'm glad it's October because it's my birthday.  We just won't talk about which birthday it is, or it will spoil the celebrating for me.  It's not the BIG one yet, but the BIG one is looming in the distance, a little too close for my comfort.

So far on my first day of vacation I have spent it washing and folding laundry and reading a book.  I did head out for an afternoon walk, though, because I thought I could use some fresh air, and I'm also trying to be proactive in fighting off those extra calories that I am sure to consume over the birthday celebration.  I've got big plans for Tuesday and Wednesday, and they do involve good food.

Have a great week.  I plan to!

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Another October Baby!

I'm an auntie again! Although he was 6 days past due, Judy's grandbaby was born this morning after a very short labor. Beckett is a big boy at 8 lbs., 15 oz. I'm looking forward to seeing pictures very soon.

Happy Birthday to Me!

The calendar has once again rolled over to October 6th, and it's my birthday. Everyone has made me feel very loved.

I received lots of happy wishes from friends on Facebook. My parents sent flowers. A very special friend called. My sister spent the day with me, having lunch and painting at the pottery studio, and then to finish off the whole day, my husband treated me to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Carrabba's Italian Grill. (Oh, I do love their Caesar salad with shrimp!)

I'm stuffed, and I didn't even have dessert! I guess that's probably a good thing. I don't NEED dessert, but I don't get a special dessert every day so it's somewhat disappointing. I'll have to get dessert some other day to make up for it.

It has been a very good day...even without dessert.

We Had Our Cake, And We Ate It Too

I told you that I would let you know how the weigh-in went at First Place on Saturday.  It was good.  It was REALLY good.  There was laughter and hugging, it was so good.  I lost more than 2 pounds.  Kind of a jaw dropper for me.

Oh and then...I think I gained back the 2 pounds at a surprise party that afternoon.  Yep!  I mean, that was not the intention, but we ate at an Italian restaurant.  What's a girl to do when surrounded by so much pasta?!?

I ordered Shrimp Ravioli, otherwise known as Rhapsody Of Pasta Heaven!  (Can you hear the angels singing?)  It was the most delicious Italian dish I have ever eaten, with cheese ravioli smothered in a roasted red pepper, basil and Romano cheese sauce, not to mention the shrimp.  I love shrimp.  Did I mention DELICIOUS?

I promise that it was the first real indulgence I've partaken of in 4 weeks, and honestly I did not go crazy wild with the bread, appetizers or salad.  I mean, I still have SOME self-control. 

But then this came to the table....

        

{Ahem.}

Yes, that's birthday cake.  (Yes, it's Lightning McQueen.)

That was probably the funniest part of the meal.  The waitress took the cake to the kitchen and sliced it for us, but I'm not sure what she was thinking.  She sliced the entire cake for the number of people at the table - NINE!  Yes, NINE PIECES!  Do you know how huge they were?  About 4" x 6".  We all laughed as the plates were set in front of us, especially because half of us are watching our weight, and we each proceeded to cut our pieces in half.

Thank goodness, the waitress also provided take-home containers for the HALF none of us could eat.  Everyone was taking their leftover piece home for the husbands.  I didn't have to ask Rich twice to eat his.  He snatched that cake right up after dinner.

I doubt I'll be seeing any cake in the near future, but I'll definitely be seeing a lot of my treadmill this week.

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Birthday Wishes

Today is not only Top Ten Tuesday at ohamanda's, but it also happens to be the birthday of somebody very special.  My precious friend Judy is celebrating today, and in honor of her big day I wanted to do something special for her.
Judy and I go way back to the early 90's when she started attending my church, but it wasn't until 2005 that we truly started to develop a real friendship.  Since then, I've had the amazing privilege of getting to know her.
                   

I love that Judy's name is derived from the Hebrew name Judah and means "praised or admired."  I admire her for so many reasons, mostly because she reflects Jesus.  Today I want to share ten of my favorite things about Judy, in keeping with Top Ten Tuesday.  

1. She loves the Lord with a passion, so much so that His name just rolls off her tongue.
2. She demonstrates godly submission in her marriage.
3. She loves on people like no one else I know.
4. She's taught me what being merciful looks like.  The woman just never gives up on people because she believes God is always at work in people's lives.
5. She is a student of the Word, and the woman knows how to teach.
6. She is not afraid to "burn the midnight oil" in ministry, working late into the night and rising early in the morning.  Dependent on God's grace, she just keeps going and serving and giving. 
7. She loves life.  I mean, she savors everything.  It is rare to hear her say that she doesn't like something.  It's always, "I love _______."  And you can fill in the blank with whatever she's eating or smelling or watching or playing at the moment.
8. She is the best homemade, pizzeria-style pizza maker I know.  She crazy loves pizza!
9. She drives a Jeep, which is just cool.
10. She challenges me to go beyond my limits.  Spiritually, she encourages me to surrender daily and to trust God because He's good, even when life is hard and messy.  Physically, she's helped me become a runner, learn how to golf, and how to hit a tennis ball.  (I can only claim "hitting" the ball.  Controlling the ball is an entirely different matter.)

I thank the Lord for the gift of my friend.  I know He has made her who she is, and anything He has done in her is because she's been a willing vessel, ready to be used by Him.  I am so thankful that God placed her in my life.
Happy Birthday, Judy!  Wishing you the most special day.  I love you.

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Birthday Wishes Come True

I wanted to say thanks to the people who were sending out happy wishes to me for my 36th birthday on Monday.  Whew!  I made it to 36...and I'm still alive. 

I shopped my little heart out and got some good bargains at an outlet mall, and I am gonna look GOOOOD this fall.  You just gotta love buying a pair of pants at the Gap for less than $13.

I also visited the South Bend Chocolate Cafe and had the biggest slice of Chocolate Layer Cake you have ever seen, so one of my many birthday wishes came true.  Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting was on my list of "must haves" for my birthday.

Not only did I have a birthday, but I also just passed a special anniversary in my spiritual life.  I'll be back later to tell you about it.

So... I'm Having a Birthday

Do you know what?  I'm having a birthday tomorrow.  I've never been one to hide or lie about my age, so I'll just tell you.  I'm going to be 36.  Yes, 36!  I can barely fathom that, although the root job I need to cover my gray right now is a pretty good indicator that I may actually and truly turn 36.  It just seems like a strange number to me, and I'll explain that in a moment.

I am of the opinion that after I turned 30, anything older than that is just extra.  You see, when I was in the 6th grade I got it into my head that Jesus would be coming soon at the Rapture, and I would never see 30.  I'd be in Heaven way before that.  I also never thought I would see the year 2000.  But here I am, it's 2008, and I'm going to turn 36.  That's w-e-i-r-d.

I don't feel 36.  What does a 36-year-old feel like anyway?  Yes, it's getting more difficult to get out of bed in the morning.  I assume that's part of the aging process.  But I do think that because I don't have kids it makes it hard for me to gauge how old I'm becoming.  I just don't have milestones that mark the years or children rolling their eyes at me for saying something lame because I'm just "so old".

Okay, now getting back to the reason 36 is a strange number.  I found that 35 was perfect in that it was directly between 30 and 40.  A gal of 35 is considered pretty experienced and has been around the block a time or two.  She's got some wisdom under her belt.  So 35 is a pretty cool year.  But as I turn this corner to embark on 36, I'm suddenly faced with 40 looming down the next street.  I'm only 4 years shy of the big 4-0.  Do you know how fast 4 years can fly?  Fast!  And I must say... 40 LOOKS MIGHTY SCARY. 

Please don't misunderstand me, all you 40+ readers.  I'm not knockin' your 40 years.  I know it's just a number.  I just don't know what to imagine I'll be at 40 years.  I guess it's a fear of the unknown.  And you know what else?  They make 40-year-olds get mammograms.  Oooh, something to look forward to.  Uh, NOT!  Next thing they'll be wanting to schedule me for a colonoscopy, and we all know how well I cope with that.

Alright, so I know what you all are thinking.  Liz, why can't you just enjoy 36 and not worry about what might be 4 years from now?  Yeah, I know.  You're right.  I should do that.  I'll work on that.

But I'm pretty sure Jesus is coming back any day, though, and I'm planning to spend 40 in Heaven.

You Just Can't Take Me Anywhere

Last night I went out to dinner with my sister and a couple friends for her birthday. We went to a Japanese steak house, where they cook the food right at your table. I've never been to one of these before, so it was an experience that I was somewhat hesitant about. I'm not sure that taking someone who has a fear of fire to one of these restaurants is the best idea, but friends assured me that it was safe...as long as I didn't douse my arms with oil.

I ordered the Samurai Dinner, which was chicken and shrimp. Oh boy, do I love shrimp. I had no idea how much food they would serve us. It was incredible. First he prepared a shrimp appetizer that he cooked up with some sort of egg yolk, pasty looking stuff. I was told that I should ask for extra of the egg yolk pasty stuff, but I wasn't loving it as much as the others. Then he threw some chicken breast on the cook surface and started cooking that up while he made some more shrimp for the entrees. At the same time he cooked some vegetables and then brought out the fried rice. He just kept piling this meat and rice and vegetables on my plate, and I was like... BRING.IT.ON. Oh yeah!

After I cleaned my plate and came to my senses, I realized that I'm supposed to be watching my calories and maybe I shouldn't have eaten EVERYTHING ON MY PLATE. I think I was just mesmerized by the flames and and the amazing food and lost all sense of reality. It never even occurred to me that I could get a "to go" box to carry home the leftovers. That must be the 2 lbs. I gained this morning when I weighed in at First Place. *sigh*

The unfortunate incident of the evening was when I finished my meal. Not unfortunate that I finished my meal but what occurred after finishing my meal. I got sick. Within 10 minutes I was sick. Ugh! I've had a week-long trial battling some stomach upset since Monday. Friday afternoon I felt like I was on the upswing of this thing and my gastrointestinal tract was coming back into balance. Apparently, that is not the case. *sigh*

Pottery Night

Here's just one picture of our girls' night out. Me and Lisa. She is so nuts! Somehow we always end up sitting next to each other.

I'll be making a photo album of all my pics on Facebook later. Tonight maybe?

See more pics that my sister took. Click here.

Back from a Girls' Night Out

We had a good time tonight, me and the "girls". We went to Chili's, and I ordered the Boneless Shanghai Wings. Mmmmm, are they good! My sister bought my dinner, too, so they were especially good. LOL!

We headed to Pottery Schmottery afterwards and met up with some more friends. As much fun as it is to work on your own project, I love looking at what everyone else is creating. People have the best creativity! I wonder how they come up with their ideas. Very cool! If I have time tomorrow, I will post pictures. (I know Mary is looking forward to that.)