was the day of my birth. I've had many birthdays since then; 71, to be exact. But few of them equal today, when I was with my three children, my six grandchildren, my husband and my daughter-in-law. I have always loved being with any of them, but there is something special about us being all together. I love watching them interact. They were so cute when they were little, but it is a special privilege to watch my offspring as adults, and their children as teens. I hope that all of you can experience that, or will some day. There's nothing like it. My goal is to live long enough to see all of them through school and married, and should I be so lucky as to achieve that, I'll be contented. Of course, getting to hold a great-grandchild would be wonderful too! (but not for a while, please.)
When the children were little, toys, books, videos, swimming, play dough, bubble stuff and sidewalk chalk kept them occupied for hours. But now, it is a laptop, iPod, iPad, smart phone or e-reader that keeps them busy. They grow and their toys change (and get more expensive....LOL)
Lately, the talk is of colleges, and several of them are taking tours of various campuses and thinking about their possible courses of study. They have no idea how exciting it is for me to see them move into this phase of their lives (and would probably think it is weird that I am excited about it, and for them.)
My daughter outdid herself today; grilling beef tenderloin for 12, with potatoes and the trimmings, starting with brie en croute with fruit. Costco "served" us well, and their red velvet cake is really to die for. (There goes my attempt to stay the same weight from now through New Years!)
I am looking forward to using my presents: a 90 minute massage with foot rub, and a gift card to a book store. Both of those are very welcome items! On Facebook, I received so many greetings and wishes for my birthday that it was hard to keep up with them. It certainly did make me feel good. Growing older is interesting; I wouldn't miss it for the world.
