39 Times Around the Sun

Today I have been around the sun 39 times. I don't want to seem like an "ole fart", but where have the last 15 gone?


This is a picture of me when I was about 4. I'm the blond with the big hair in the back- the brunette in the front is my cousin. It was her birthday.

In celebration of my birthday this year, I decided to write 39 "things" that I have learned so far in my life. They are in completely random order. Here goes.....

1. Icicles are meant to be eaten.
   
2. The feeling of mud squishing between my toes is luscious.
3. A boot kicked in the basement is likely to go through a window.
4. The smell of baby poop isn't really that bad (when it is your baby).
5. Fresh is almost always better.
6. Read a little bit everyday.
7. It's ok to have guilty pleasures (reading People, listening to 80's big hair music).
8. Eat outside as much as possible in the summer. The food tastes so much better.
9. People watch. You'll learn a lot about what is going on around you.
10. Say Hi to at least 3 people you don't know everyday - advice from Ma Kelly a really cool prof. at UW-FdL. You'll feel better and more connected.
    
11. Chocolate - dark chocolate - do I need to say more?
12. Try this. Take some spearmint lifesavers outside at night and crunch them between your teeth with another person watching for the sparks. Too cool!
13. Catch lightening bugs with your kids.
    
14. Read everyday to your kids. It makes a difference.
15. I have never stopped learning from my Mom and Dad.
16. It's nice to have snoring on the other side of the bed (most nights).
17. Fresh strawberries right from the field, still warm from the sun are delicious.
    
18. Don't eat too many of those fresh strawberries from the field - yucky stuff happens.
19. Be open to new experiences.
20. Friends arrive in your life when you really need them.
    
21. People say mean words that really hurt sometimes.
22. People say words that warm your heart and make your soul soar!
23. Apologize, even if it kills you and try not to have the last word.
    
24. Hot pizza, right out of the oven, will ALWAYS burn your mouth. Ditto on a nice hot cup of coffee.
25. Hair grows.
26. Choose your words wisely in a "discussion" or you will be doing #23.
27. In-laws really aren't that bad.
28. Take 5 minutes for yourself everyday - even if it means locking the bathroom door with the kids on the other side, knocking and saying "Mom.....Mom.....Mom.....".
    
29. My Mom still makes the best grill-cheese sandwich. Actually my mom makes the best of quite a few foods.
30. Jeans that fit are hard to find when you don't want to deal with your body image. Ditto for swimsuits, bras.....
31. Big water (the ocean, Great Lakes) is energizing for me.
    
32. I love the beach.
    
33. Listen, really listen when people are talking and when they aren't.
    
34. Gardening (playing in the dirt) is important to me.
    
35. Wear your seat belt. You never know what is going to happen when you are in a vehicle.
36. Sitting under a hair dryer is one of the most relaxing things on Earth. When I was little my mom had a dryer with a cap that I got to wear when my hair got "set". I still love sitting under the dryer at the salon when I get my hair "done". It's quiet and warm.
    
37. The smell of babies is best for me right in the crook of the neck. Hmmmm.
    
38. I try to appreciate my husband for who he is (even though he drives me insane at times).
39. Get a hobby. Doesn't matter what it is. Just get one so that you have something that makes you feel good about yourself and fills in some of your "empty" time with happiness.

So that's that. I'm going to go play games with my students and eat out with my family tonight because on my birthday everyone celebrates!