One More Year

You might wonder what the heck Baskin Robbins has to do with getting older but...

I officially joined the ranks of the over 30's crowd last weekend (4/25), as I marked my 31st birthday. Somethings, like wine and cheese, are better the older they get, or so I keep telling myself. I also like to kid that I've had as much variety in my life as all of those 31 flavors! Truth be told, except for the gray hair I found earlier the same week, I feel the same age now as I did when I first had children, almost 6 years ago. What can I say, my girls are helping to keep me young or maybe it's the fact that I can still play with Barbies, paint with finger paints and dress up that keeps the wrinkles at bay. All I know is, time has been good to me.

I was lucky to be able to spend my birthday with my adorable family & my wonderful parents who made the journey over from the other side of the state. We started the day off with a leisurely ride on the Light Rail to downtown Denver (LoDo) and a trip to one of my favorite eating establishments--BD's Mongolian BBQ. I even got to hit the gong a few times and watch the grillers do acrobatic feats with their metal chopsticks. From there, we walked around LoDo, taking in the sights and admiring the architecture (such a varied mix). We were right around the corner from my favorite bookstore of all time, Tattered Cover, so we just had to go in and browse. I walked out with this book, though I could've easily purchased several more. I'd love to curl up in a chair, by a window, with a cup of tea and watch the hours fly by.

A little bit of a side note: When I was in college and searching for some obscure and "crunchy" social theory texts, Tattered Cover was one of the only bookstores this side of the Mississippi who carried the books I desired. I had a very pleasant experience chatting with several employees and received recommendations for other books that might help with my research. The books arrived, wrapped in brown paper & twine, with a personal note from one of the employees who invited me to visit. I had never stepped foot in the bookstore but tried to envision it. Floors, upon floors of books on every topic, comfy leather chairs, an air of intellectual freedom. I'm happy to say that the "real thing" lived up to my visions, and more. Tattered Cover has an environment that makes you just want to sit down & stay awhile, a relaxed atmosphere that "big box" stores struggle to re-create. It is so effortless here.

Getting back on track, we left Tattered Cover, rode the Light Rail back to our Park 'n Ride station, said good-bye to my parents (as they had a 5 hour drive back to the Western Slope) and drove home.

On Sunday, after teaching my group of rowdy toddlers at church, our little clan headed out to a post-birthday lunch at TGI Friday's and then to a local shopping mall. Ben sent me off to get my hair done while he & the girls roamed the mall. Hours later, with my hair was shorter and full of wild curls, they returned armed with birthday cards and a sampling of my favorite lotions from Bath & Body Works. I was very spoiled indeed (thank you Bath & Body Works for having a great sale that weekend)!

As you get older, it's less about opening presents and more about spending time with family & friends. That said, it certainly was nice to be remembered & pampered. I got the best of both worlds that weekend and consider myself extremely lucky.