HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

I have reached a significant milestone in my life. At about 5 a.m. on December 21, 2010, I will be turning 50 years old!! Wow! Sounds kind of old. I don't really "feel" that old. Don't get me wrong. I am certainly experiencing symptoms of a person who is aging. I have aches and pains, I can't see or hear as well as I used to and I am definitely seeing changes as I look in the mirror. However, I AM the youngest sibling in my family and I am the youngest of many of my friends, so I have always thought of myself as the "baby". I'm not sure if that is good or bad. It just is. Having kids later in life has also made me believe that I am younger than I really am. I'm sure it will all catch up with me...and one of these days, I will feel like an old woman. All of this is to say. I don't feel like I should be 50 YET. Is that normal for most people? Oh well, I guess it doesn't really matter HOW I feel. The truth is...I AM 50 and being 50 has made me think about where I've been, who I am and what is most important to me. What a great time for me to share some of those thoughts. Here are 50 things that mean a lot to me. (I will post these 15 at a time.) They are in no particular order...they are just people and things that bless my life. Here goes...

NUMBER 1 - I know that I said that these are in no particular order, but the first thing, the first person that tops EVERY list EVERY time is my dear, dear husband, ALLEN. I cannot imagine life without him. What a gift to be married to my best friend. There is no one I would rather spend time with. There is no one I would rather talk to. Allen is kind, gentle, unselfish, and hard-working. Bottom line? He humbly lives out his faith every day...and leads our family with a quiet strength. I think he is very funny and fun to hang around! I am so proud of my husband and love living life with him.

NUMBER 2 - MUSIC Wow! I love music. It has played a huge part in my life. I remember waiting for the bus when I was a child thinking that..."If I could only listen to music all the time, I would ALWAYS be happy!" Probably not exactly accurate, but it was a good indication of how much I enjoyed it... even back then. I am thankful for all the years of piano lessons and flute lessons. It is very relaxing for me to just sit down and play. It is very personal and worshipful for me to express myself though music. Music is a beautiful gift.

NUMBER 3 - MOM - There are not many people in this world who can accomplish as much in a day as my 83-year-old mother. I am very blessed to have my mom. The thing I love most about her is her servant heart. I love that she volunteers and is always the first to make a casserole or cake for people crisis. She loves entertaining and welcoming new people into the fold. Most of all, my mom LOVES our family. She would do anything for any one of us. Any time, any place. I love my Mom.

NUMBER 4 - I LOVE CHRISTMAS! People often ask me if it is a bummer to have my birthday so close to Christmas. Really? I think it is SO, SO special. Everything is so beautiful when my birthday roles around. I was named Mary in part because I was born so close to Christmas and Jesus' birthday is just a few days later! How cool is that?? I do love the lights, music, presents, food and parties, but Christmas is so special to me... I guess because it is everything I believe in. It is about HOPE. :)

NUMBER 5 - KRISTIN - I had lunch with Kristin yesterday. I can't believe that she is going to be married soon! I love the gentle way she approaches life. She is easy to talk to and brings a certain calm to our family. So thankful for my daughter, Kristin!

NUMBER 6 - PETER - I remember Peter when he was still in a car seat. Even then, I thought he was such a nice, nice boy! I would have to say that NOW...He is a nice, nice young man! What I know about Peter is that he is hard-working and a man of integrity. I appreciate that he is so accepting of everyone in our family. It is obvious that he takes his faith very seriously and is seeking God. He reminds me of Allen in a lot of ways! Thankful for you, Pete!

NUMBER 7 - DAD - Everyone loves my dad. I run into people all the time that say, "Wow, I sure do enjoy your Dad!! He is quite a character!" It makes me smile and love him even more that I already do. He is a bit of a "loose cannon" but I've learned to just appreciate the quirky things that come out of his mouth! The thing I've learned from my dad is the importance of honesty and humility. He, also is a man of integrity. I could talk all day about my dad...because I love him so much. Even though he is well into his 80's, I see him as a source of strength and stability.

NUMBER 8 - TRAVEL - Hawaii, Italy, Philippines, Spain, Alaska, Arizona, the BWCA, California, Ukraine, Mexico, Israel, Wisconsin, the North Shore, etc... I love to travel and see the world. What a gift to have traveled to many, many places in the world. The best part is that I have been able to share them with people that I love-mostly Allen! I look forward to lots more travels and lots more adventures!!

NUMBER 9 - "NEVER, NEVER, NEVER GIVE UP" This is one of my favorite quotes. It is so simple, but profound. I have been encouraged with this quote many times when I was so ready to give up. It is on my refrigerator.

NUMBER 10 - PHOTOS - I have always loved the idea of capturing moments on film. A picture is worth a thousand words is true in my opinion. I can see a picture of our early years in Cambridge and know exactly how I felt at that particular moment. Pictures help us so see where we have been and how far we have come. It give us roots and a sense of belonging. We have many, many photo albums in our home. I am currently way behind in picture organization!! Maybe I'll get may act together one of these days and start creating digital photo albums! For now, I have thousands of pictures clogging up my computer waiting for a place to go!! :)

NUMBER 11 - RODRIGO - Having two sons has changed my life. Rigo and Romeo are all boy with lots of energy. Rodrigo is often the first one up in the morning. How do we know that? Because he RUNS up the stairs, RUNS to see Tucker, then RUNS to our bedroom to see if Allen and I are awake. He pretty much RUNS all day long until his pillow hits the bed. Rigo loves to DO things, GO places and HELP whenever he can. He is still figuring out the English language and frequently makes us smile with his cute expressions. A few weeks ago he said to me, "Mom, I hope you don't die!" My interpretation of that is "I love you, Mom" and I am honored that he wants me to hang around for a while. I love that he still sits on my lap in public and is free with his hugs and kisses. Oh, to think I might have missed out on this little boy of mine. I love Rigo.

NUMBER 12 - I grew up on a FARM. There were times (especially when I was a teenager) when I hated it. I felt isolated and cut off from the world. On the other hand, I did like the peace and quiet. I would go up in our barn and play with baby kittens for hours and hours...all by myself. I loved it!! Maybe that is why I like animals and quiet so much. I now consider my growing up years on the farm as a gift.

NUMBER 13 - RED - I love the color red. Pink, orange, purple...anything related to red is good too. Yep, I love the color red!

NUMBER 14 - Speaking of red, I had a horse named RED when I was growing up on the farm. I spent a lot of time just hanging out with Red when I was a kid. I rode her bareback everywhere I went - we didn't have a saddle. Sometimes I met my friends on their horses for an afternoon ride. What great memories! When I got to high school, I didn't spend as much time with her anymore. It was one of the saddest days of my life when I learned that my parents had sold her.

NUMBER 15 - TUCKER - Tucker is the name of our new puppy. I love puppies and better yet, puppy breath! He makes me think of the future and of many fun adventures with our youngest kids.

Stay tuned for 16 -30 and thanks for reading!! :)