40

I cannot allow the day to end without posting.

Today I turned 40. Yes, forty. As in 4-0.

Even though I've known it was going to happen for a few years, it's still something for which you cannot prepare.

It was a good day. Filled with a morning run with Joe (and unfortunately seeing lots of dead animal carcasses along the way), two winning soccer games, buffalo wings and cheesecake.

This morning I had the awful feeling I should check the local newspaper online. And, not to my surprise, there it was. An ad placed lovingly by my parents, brothers, and sisters. So, yes, my face blared through not only the online newspaper, but in black and white print. For all the world to see. Announcing my new age. It did make me smile. After I grimaced.

A couple of people recognized me from the newspaper today. Well, they already knew me, but they made sure I knew they saw it. One was our bishop (and his wife.) Another was the mother of one of Carter's friends that we saw in the store.

In keeping up with my birthday tradition, I will share a few things about myself. Hopefully they are not repeats from years past. Let's see ...

1. I drive on "auto-pilot."
2. I usually go to the same places all the time and don't have to think where I'm going.
3. Last week I had to make a few out-of-the-ordinary stops.
4. I went the wrong way 2-3 times in just one morning just because I wasn't thinking.
5. I like to watch iCarly.
6. I was home alone a year ago (in bed suffering a stomach virus) when I realized I had been alone for hours, yet I was still watching iCarly.
7. And I didn't change the channel.
8. I love buffalo wings.
9. I had some for dinner tonight and they are the first "real" wings I've had since we lived in Ohio.
10. I might have been pregnant with Mason.
11. Mason just turned 7 in August.
12. Almost everything is better with Frank's Red Hot Sauce.
13. I {heart} that stuff.
14. Joe bought me a new cell phone yesterday.
15. I can now text.
16. Before last night, I had only texted twice.
17. Both times to Joe, while he was out of town.
18. Once during church.
19. The other time when I lost internet service and I knew I couldn't call him on his cell phone while he was in classes all day.
20. He never got the second text.
21. So maybe it only counts as one.
22. I have texted many times since last night.
23. In fact, my thumbs were sore last night.
24. And today.
25. Maybe my thumbs are getting old.
26. I started to sew a skirt a few weeks ago.
27. And still haven't finished.
28. I have two (three ?) more planned for the fall.
29. I need to get moving.
30. I discovered a yummy candy bar this week.
31. I've eaten many.
32. I would eat another now, but wings and cheesecake have filled me up.
33. Joe can usually read my mind.
34. It can be a scary thought.
35. Today I thought I wanted to eat cheesecake.
36. When we stopped at the store (in between soccer games), Joe bought a cheesecake.
37. I love raspberry anything.
38. And I love chocolate-raspberry anything.
39. I think it's possibly the best combination ever created.
40. Chocolate-raspberry hot chocolate is the best.
41. I've been drinking Rooibus tea and I love that, too.
42. I just bought four (or five ?) boxes of this.
43. Our local SERRV was having a great sale.
44. That's also where I bought the Divine Chocolate.
45. I went to SERRV three times this week.
46. I'm happy that the sale ended today.
47. I'm happy that another sale starts Nov. 19th.
48. I bought myself a handmade purse today.
49. 60% off.
50. And a pair of 100% wool gloves for little hands.
51. For $4.00
52. And earlier in the week I bought an adorable 100% wool hat for a little Sawyer head.
53. Did I mention that I'm happy the sale ended today?
54. I can't afford to go back until November.
55. And maybe not then.
56. I have a Christmas Club account and save money all year long for Christmas.
57. I refuse to use credit cards.
58. I {heart} my debit card.
59. I should freeze it in a block of ice and keep it in the freezer.
60. When I'm in a hurry, my handwriting is illegible.
61. Even to myself.
62. I've enjoyed being on Town Council.
63. Did I tell you I get paid for attending meetings?
64. Don't get too excited.
65. It's not a lot of money.
66. But it's the first money I've made in a decade or so.
67. I get paid quarterly.
68. I've gotten paid twice so far.
69. I'm in charge of the town's street lights.
70. And mowing contract.
71. And the elderly, subsidized housing complex.
72. And maybe something else that has slipped my mind.
73. I report stoplight outages to the State Highway Administration.
74. We have one stoplight in town.
75. Well, only one intersection with a stoplight, so four sets of stoplights total.
76. But it also has a crosswalk on all four streets, so I am in charge of them, too.
77. And I guess there is a flashing light down by the fire department.
78. So if a light is out down there, I would be in charge of that, too.
79. It doesn't keep me very busy.
80. But, I do have SHA's number programmed on my cell phone so I can report an outage as I see it.
81. Before my old mind forgets.
82. I'm also in charge of the street lamps.
83. Some are reported to our town's electrician.
84. Some are reported to our power supplier.
85. I had to read pages and pages of our town's contract with our power supplier.
86. It put me to sleep every time I picked it up.
87. It was a good distraction for me while Joe was out of town.
88. It was guaranteed to put me to sleep every time.
89. I'm trying to get a youth running group organized in our town.
90. I talked to the people in charge of the town's youth program and they are excited about it.
91. We're going to discuss it again in the spring.
92. Joe is going to take me to buy a new pair of running shoes on Monday.
93. I have almost 300 miles on my current pair.
94. They sure are comfy.
95. But I'm concerned they might be the cause of my frequent knee problems.
96. Even though I've had knee problems since I was in a preschooler.
97. My knees used to get dislocated for no apparent reason.
98. The last major time that happened was while I was in college.
99. At the movie theater.
100. That was embarrassing.

If you'd like to read other interesting (or not-so-interesting) things about me, you can read my past birthday posts. Here is last year's. And the year before. And the year before that.