February 16, 2006: Last Countdown to 40

So I guess all that's left is 10 years ago, on the eve of my 30th birthday. I have to say I don't have the same warm fuzzies about turning 30. It didn't have anything to do about turning 30; it's just that this was not a great time in my life. Jesse was almost 3, and we'd been in Iowa for about two years. Tracy and Angie flew to Iowa for my birthday, which was wonderful. I think the heaviness that surrounds that year is that we'd been trying to get pregnant for a few months, and it just wasn't happening. And I was not plugged in yet to what ultimately became a wonderful community. I was lonely, and my best friends lived 17 hours away, and I was terrified of secondary infertility.

But what I do remember is that it was durn cold in Iowa on my 30th birthday! In fact, the windchill brought the temperature to a shocking -57 degrees. So Randy and I had a great party trick to show our southern friends. We learned it on the local evening news. When it's really, really cold (it doesn't even have to be --57 degrees), take a bottle of bubbles outside with you. When you blow the bubbles, they will actually shatter! It's very cool, and a big hit for people who have absolutely nothing better to do.

See, even remembering that time of my life makes me feel blue. Right now I think it would be so much fun to go out and blow bubbles and watch them shatter!! However, it's about 60 outside, so I'm guessing nothing exciting would come of that.

So enough reminiscing on years 10, 20, and 30. Tomorrow comes 40! My three lovely friends are bringing their company and lunch (including Leigh's amazing salsa) to me and playmates for my children. And my husband is making chicken piccata, fettucine alfredo, and asparagus, and my mother has made a chocolate cake (that I'm not supposed to know about) and then my very best beloved friend is coming in from Upper East TN in the evening. And she is NOT bringing her children (much to my children's dismay), so that she and I can spend a blissful Saturday shopping, just the two of us.

My life is like a trifle, all filled with layers and layers of rich and delicious things.