Gettin' Old.

I know I am getting older.  I know  because I recently placed a bid on Ebay for a soup tureen and I got all excited.  I'm classy enough now to know several good soup recipes.  And I have officially decided that serving soup to my guests (when I have them) directly from the pot is beneath me.  Snotty?  Older?  Maybe both.  Mind you, it depends on the guests I'm serving soup to.  19 yr old missionaries who come over once a month may not even notice/appreciate a soup tureen.  So having them over may not warrant a soup transfer.

Another sign of my age is the fact that some of the quirky glass-decorative items I received for wedding presents are now starting to appeal to me (weird!).  We received a lot of platters that I scoffed at when I was 23.  I was just wishing that we could just afford a vacuum cleaner.  I have an entirely new relationship with all those platters now.  They come in so handy at birthdays or ward functions.  We are on our 3rd vacuum cleaner, and I'd prefer not to use it if possible (old).

We have a temporary satellite radio feature that came with my husband's new car.  It's called Sirius.  Serious!  The free trial period is about to expire and I have enjoyed it so.  The main thing I love is all the 80's music I get to listen to.  Why oh why did I not discover the 1st Wave station sooner?  It expires in less than a month and I am tempted to just sit out there and listen to the radio instead of cooking, cleaning and doing laundry.  I'd feel free as a bird just like I used to in my youth with my sony walkman plugged into my ears listening to one of my two cassette tapes: OMD crush or Aha Hunting High and Low.  I didn't have a care in the world.  We'd be on a family vacation and I wouldn't even mind all the driving.  I was busy memorizing the lyrics to a mixed tape my friend made me.  It's amazing how listening to that stuff can take me right back to those days of careless bliss.  Alphaville's Forever Young came on this morning as I drove back from dropping my daughter at school, and I felt forever young!

I guess that's what they say right?  You only as young as you feel.  My outside might be wrinkling but my inside feels the same.  I'm trying to be more active lately and I can feel myself getting stronger.  That is so appealing to a woman of my age.  Yet my knee keeps bothering me as a painful reminder of the truth.  Youth is wasted on the young is another saying.  Looking back I'd say that is somewhat true.  You don't appreciate your youth until you are on the downward slope.  Don't get me wrong.  I don't think I am old yet.  43 feels pretty good.  I'm just aware of an awakening of sorts as to what is important in life.  I'm on the brink of pushing my birdies out of the nest and it's a solemn thought provoking stage.

The other day I was dealing with my younger girls doing our morning ritual of getting ready for school.  My older daughter was dressed and I was dressing my younger one (something this 5 yr old can do but prefers my help with).  Big Girl said to me "Mommy, can you stop helping E and come pour me some cereal?"  When I asked E if she could dress herself the rest of the way she said "No" I then asked A if she could pour her own cereal (she can).  She claimed otherwise.  I had both kids reverting in age and ability both wanting a piece of me.  A frustrating feeling that most mothers can relate to.  I made a joke and said "You can't put on your shoes?  You can't pour Cheerios?  What is this Baby Camp?!"  I had two totally different reactions.  Little Girl laughed herself silly repeating "Baby Camp!?" over and over.  And Big Girl cried. . . like a baby.

Happy Birthday

Well today is the day of my birth. I am 39! I can hardly believe this and think I will refuse to turn 40. For some reason the years just prior to a new decade of years are hardest on me. I recall turning 29 in Iowa (just ten years ago it seems), and feeling my youth slip away as I plucked my first gray hair that I had noticed ironically as I was picking at a pimple. I have been lucky I guess. Not much gray hair. Still pretty healthy (except that darn foot). Happy to be alive I guess.

The day has been okay. It would have been better if my husband were home. He was away at a conference and is on his way home right now. Unfortunately he missed a connecting flight and had to drive in a rental car for the last leg of the trip or he would be here already. The good thing is that he has the day off tomorrow to spend with me. The other good thing is that I was well taken care of by my friends here in Iowa today without him. 3 cards, cupcakes, cookies and 3 phone calls from family members. All in all not a bad way to turn 39. Yahoo for the thirties! I'm gonna miss you baby.

Foot Frustration

Well I finally had an appointment today to take care of a lingering foot-pain problem I have been having for far too long. Don't bother to ask why I kept putting it off or I will just defer to the usual excuse of the 5 kids, etc etc... So I went in hoping to have a new set of orthotic supports made (I lost one of mine in Korea somehow). Turns out the doctor feels that I don't really have plantar facitis. He felt my symptoms were more like arthritis and took and X-ray to confirm. The treatment is supportive shoes and Tylenol. He relayed it to me like this. It's not that your getting old, it's just like anything as it ages you have to take better care of it. Like an old car needs more oil changes. Somehow I wasn't too consoled at that analogy. Then when I asked if I should be getting a mamogram at my age he said no- I'm too young still. Ah yes! Some threat of youth I can still hold on to. I was relaying this story to a friend of mine that I walk with and she asked "don't you have a birthday coming up this Sunday?" She had to remember...