(This is a collage of pictures from my mom's collection. She put this together with some very nice comments on her blog cabinhaus.blogspot.com for my birthday. Thanks, mom!)Well, it's happened. I've turned 50. Not really a big deal but a time for reflection and planning for the future, rethinking my goals and adjusting them.
I had a great birthday celebration. We combined it with my daughter Sharah's birthday (7/4; 26!) and our annual Independence Day celebration on the lake. There were friends camped across the road, staying overnight and tons of people who came and left throughout the day. It was great to have my brother and his daughter here, friends from school/work, old reenactor friends (young ones, too), my friend Bev's student/boarders from Japan, and lots of Steve's family. We ate, played volleyball and had a great time... I sure did at least!
Darcy and Sharah took over decorating one of the cakes totally encasing it in ganache... not my plan but it turned out fabulously and was devoured quickly! The other two cakes (ice cream! and yellow buttercream) were great, too but that chocolate one went like hotcakes!
The lake was a little too rough to take the boats out... since the sailboat isn't ready yet, but on sunday, those who stayed over were able to go out on Bev and Steve's pontoon boat. Bruce (sharah's husband) did a little tubing, and they all fished and got a little sunburn!
My neighbor, Molly the lab's 'dad', brought over a huge venison roast and a wild turkey breast. Grant smoked them in the cooker and they were unbelievable! So tender and moist and tasty!!
So, finally the last cars pulled out about 9:00 Sunday night after a final light dinner before the trip home. I received many very nice gifts, giftcards and birthday cards and well wishes from many who couldn't be here (you know who you are!) for which I'm so thankful. My favorite gift is from Steve and my kids. They stole away one Saturday, under false pretenses, I have to add, and did a photo shoot at Fort Klock. Steve is a great photographer and took nearly 200 pictures of my kids and their sig. others (and Maya) all over the site; on the train tracks, buildings, stone walls, in the trees, etc. Perhaps I'll compile some and post them sometime. They had several printed out and presented me with an album and individual photos to go on the wall. What more could I have asked for!?
The 9th, my actual birthday, I did a toys and games program at Saratoga. Steve came with me to help out, he's really so good at teaching kids to walk on stilts and relating with the people, and afterword we went out to a very nice Asian restaurant and moseyed home.
So, my musings on turning 50 range from "what is someone supposed to be like when they are 50?", "what should I have learned by this time?", " what lessons do I still need to work on?", "Am I the kind of person I want to be starting this second half of my life?", "What goals do I keep, what new goals to I make, which do I change, throw out or modify?", " Who is in my life that I want to spend more time with? less time with? get to know better?", " what can I learn from my regrets?", and probably culminate with "how can I build and maintain a more meaningful relationship with the people I truly love?".
It will be interesting to see what happens in the next 4o-50 years... my grandmothers lived well into their 90s, so there is every chance I could, too. A thrilling, scary thought!
Thanks to all you who have wished me well at this birthday... I appreciate your thoughts so much.
I had a great birthday celebration. We combined it with my daughter Sharah's birthday (7/4; 26!) and our annual Independence Day celebration on the lake. There were friends camped across the road, staying overnight and tons of people who came and left throughout the day. It was great to have my brother and his daughter here, friends from school/work, old reenactor friends (young ones, too), my friend Bev's student/boarders from Japan, and lots of Steve's family. We ate, played volleyball and had a great time... I sure did at least!
Darcy and Sharah took over decorating one of the cakes totally encasing it in ganache... not my plan but it turned out fabulously and was devoured quickly! The other two cakes (ice cream! and yellow buttercream) were great, too but that chocolate one went like hotcakes!
The lake was a little too rough to take the boats out... since the sailboat isn't ready yet, but on sunday, those who stayed over were able to go out on Bev and Steve's pontoon boat. Bruce (sharah's husband) did a little tubing, and they all fished and got a little sunburn!
My neighbor, Molly the lab's 'dad', brought over a huge venison roast and a wild turkey breast. Grant smoked them in the cooker and they were unbelievable! So tender and moist and tasty!!
So, finally the last cars pulled out about 9:00 Sunday night after a final light dinner before the trip home. I received many very nice gifts, giftcards and birthday cards and well wishes from many who couldn't be here (you know who you are!) for which I'm so thankful. My favorite gift is from Steve and my kids. They stole away one Saturday, under false pretenses, I have to add, and did a photo shoot at Fort Klock. Steve is a great photographer and took nearly 200 pictures of my kids and their sig. others (and Maya) all over the site; on the train tracks, buildings, stone walls, in the trees, etc. Perhaps I'll compile some and post them sometime. They had several printed out and presented me with an album and individual photos to go on the wall. What more could I have asked for!?
The 9th, my actual birthday, I did a toys and games program at Saratoga. Steve came with me to help out, he's really so good at teaching kids to walk on stilts and relating with the people, and afterword we went out to a very nice Asian restaurant and moseyed home.
So, my musings on turning 50 range from "what is someone supposed to be like when they are 50?", "what should I have learned by this time?", " what lessons do I still need to work on?", "Am I the kind of person I want to be starting this second half of my life?", "What goals do I keep, what new goals to I make, which do I change, throw out or modify?", " Who is in my life that I want to spend more time with? less time with? get to know better?", " what can I learn from my regrets?", and probably culminate with "how can I build and maintain a more meaningful relationship with the people I truly love?".
It will be interesting to see what happens in the next 4o-50 years... my grandmothers lived well into their 90s, so there is every chance I could, too. A thrilling, scary thought!
Thanks to all you who have wished me well at this birthday... I appreciate your thoughts so much.
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