Happy Birthday #54 to ME!

Today is my Birthday.

Birthday #54!!

I am not turning big cartwheels about it, but I am just happy to see another year of life. It is that simple. 

I have no big plans. Me and LadyTee spend our birthdays together, and I tried to get her to just skip mine this year, and we could spend some time together for her birthday in March. It just makes me anxious to have to find somewhere for lunch, where we have to sit outside on a balcony and be COLD. I do not want to be cold, and there is no way I am sitting in a restaurant full of people without a mask. 

NO.

But she found a place, and it should be in the high 50s in my beloved ATL tomorrow. So I will make sure to wear something warm, maybe a few layers of clothes and eat and be cold. I am gonna make sure to enjoy myself. But besides that, I have no plans. 

I have been eyeing my mini-piggy bank the last few days. If you don't know, I save money from birthday to birthday, then I go put it in the bank. And I buy myself a gift. Last year, I saved a little over $500. I still have that socked away. I am going to count what I have in my little piggy bank tomorrow and figure out how much I have. I think it is around $200-300 dollars. I am putting that with the $500, and going to buy a new cellphone. Or a new laptop. I have not decided what I want to do. I need to travel to DC for a one day work trip soon, so I need a piece of carry on luggage. Not sure what I want to do... but I love opening that piggy bank and counting out my money. I think for 2021, I had some $900! It is shocking how much that little bank can hold. I forgot what I did with it, but it, but it was NOT paying bills. I bought something for myself.

I have spent the past few days pondering the past year. So much has been overshadowed by transitioning to the new job. That, and doing my best to cope with this ongoing isolation due to covid. I miss just running around doing the things I like to do. I have gone to a store, gotten to the door of the store and have had to turn around because...

"Danggit, I forgot my mask!!!!"

*LadyLee stomping back to the parking lot for her mask*

Sigh. I guess this is the new normal. Even with being careful to wear a mask, I still got covid last month. That was another highlight/lowlight of the year. I am just thankful that I came out of it with no seemingly long term issues. At least I don't know about the issues. I skipped my last rheumatology appointment, which was suppose to be last week. (It was 30 degrees that morning, and I did not want to be cold),

I think what I miss most about this past year is my good walking habit. That was the best thing ever, working myself up to walking 3-5 miles a day. Just to be out in the fresh air and sunshine was everything. In October 2022, I decided to walk after a rain shower and I slipped on some mud. I did not fall, but my foot has not been right every since, and it hurts to walk more than 20 or 30 minutes. I have had x-rays and nothing's wrong with the bones. I have sciatica on my right side now, and that makes it worse. I think that slip up just aggravated it. And I have been lazy about figuring out something more low impact to do. That is my fault. I own that. Maybe I will do better about that in year 54 of my life. 

Oh, and another thing.  Pam the Protege has been sold.

Such a funny story. I will write about it soon. But I have had two cars for awhile, since 2012. My work commute has been pretty short (9.5 miles round trip) the last 17 years or so. For the past 10 years, I only put 500 miles a year on Pam, and about 6000 miles a year on Lucy Jr. So with the pandemic and working from home, I only put around 2800 miles a year on Lucy Jr.  And here's the kicker: insurance in the inner city is sky high, so I just took Pam off my insurance and parked it. I could not get her to pass emissions, and I wasn't gonna try to figure it out. Here in GA, once a car turns 25, there is no need for emissions. 

Pam turned 25 in 2022.  And now, in 2024, Lucy Jr. is 25. Insurance would have been around $250 a month for both cars. 

NO. 

So somebody bought Pam. And the story is hilarious. I will write that up soon! LOL

I liked having two cars, but with the invention of rideshare, this is no longer necessary. Oh joy!

And I haven't had a car note since 2004. And I plan to keep it that way.

But that was the highlight of my year. I am sure more took place but I think, like I said, everything has been overshadowed by this new job. I think I got so use to my old job, so comfortable there for 22 years, so much so, that when a hard shift occurred, I spent most of my year getting adjusted. Ugh! That is a high class problem to have, though. I comfort myself with that. Not complaining, but man oh man... I am just still in awe that I had the courage to step out and do something new like change jobs. 

I didn't really even pray about it. I do remember prayers of me needing to think about praying about it. I remember praying about how I need to think about my career and where I need to go with it and where I want to land my career and think about retirement. And voila... new job loaded so fast it made my head spin.

What am I looking forward to in year 54?

I have not thought much about it. I want to have better habits. I want to be a little more courageous and intentional about my personal goals. I tend to be more internal and self-contained these days. I am working on stepping away from that to a point. I know over the past few years, I tend to focus on people who know me and accept my flaws, and I theirs (we all have them), and move more away from social media. I feel like social media is the highlight reels of our lives, the silver lining of our clouds. It is so easy to get over into comparison of my life to the shiny parts of other peoples' lives. When it fact, everybody has a lot going on that they are not posting up. 

My life is not very shiny. I wake up every morning just happy to see a new day and what it will bring. And my days are good. That is all I can ask for. 

There are 8 billion people on this planet. That equals 8 billion complex journeys, all different with complex purposes, trials, triumphs, tribulations, etc. etc... 

I will walk out my journey. 

I cannot wait to see what year 54 brings.

I will walk out my journey. On purpose. 

Happy 53rd Birthday to ME!!

Here we go... Birthday 53!!

Glory!!! 

I turnt 53 today! YAY!!!

I had a good day. A LONG day. I am not as young as I use to be, able to run these ATL streets to and fro, but I did my best! 

I went out to lunch as always with my bestie LadyTee. It is harder these days, as I refuse to sit down and eat in a restaurant with Covid still running wild in these streets. The restaurant we went to was crowded for lunch. We sat on the balcony. We were the only ones out there. I was so cold. But the food was good, and we were safe. 

More on that in a later post.

Right now, I want to talk about the wonderful gifts I received. 

I never expect gifts. I am thankful for the Happy Birthday wishes. And I am not part of any "turnt up" crew of women, so there are no girl trips, no drunken brunches, no fancy parties, none of that. 

I am thankful for completing yet another year of life.

Don't get me wrong, though. I am thankful for my gifts, and here they are!

Three planters from my Tiktok sis Shun! 

There were also some dried flowers there. They are seeds. This weekend, I'm gonna pull some soil out the garage and plant them! And watch them grow. That's gonna be a fun project. 

She also gave me a tote bag with my first initial on the front. 

I LOVE IT. I am calling it my "A-Gucci" bag! My mind is swirling with what I will place in it. And it's a lot. A whole lot. LoL.

Bestie Cowgirl Cre gave me some lovely books and a pair of embroidery scissors.

A crochet book and some vegetarian recipe books. My mind is swirling. Let's just say, ALL of this will keep me super busy.

My favorite author in the whole wide world, the great Tayari Jones, sent me some flowers. 

She gives the best flowers. I placed them on the floor for Sister Callie Jo and Big Mitch to smell. I can't leave them there, or they will eat them. SMH. They smelled the roses and went on about their way.

Earlier on my birthday morning, I got a message from UberEats stating that I had a gift on the way. One of my coworkers, Lady S, sent me some doughnuts. 

Sublime doughnuts are top-tier gourmet, and considered the best doughnut in the city. And they are super pricey! What a treat. I get a sugar high just looking at them! I think I may have to freeze some of them because that's a lot of sugar. Good thing they hold up well in the fridge. 

Last but not least, BFF LadyTee gave me a mini-pressure washer. 

We were talking recently and she said I mentioned a pressure washer, so she decided to get me one. And strangely enough, it was a brand I had been researching. I wanted something small that was easy to handle. And this will do just fine.

My porch is in need of a good washing. Gonna see how that works out!  

How's that for gifts? And like I said, I never expect them. Always grateful for the kindness of friends... gifts or not.

I spent my early morning doing chores and praying and pondering my year. I thought about what has went well and what hasn't. And I thought about what I want from myself emotionally, spiritually, mentally, and physically over the next year. Heck, this was the first day in a long time that I didn't watch any television until evening time. It felt good not to take in so much craziness from the news. I got a good chance to be quiet and just think and examine my well being. I must do this more often.

That right there was the gift I gave myself today.

And I am so much better for it. So much better. 

I have an interview tomorrow, so I guess it is back to business as usual. And that is fine. 

Because I am here...

Starting my 53rd year. 

And that's a good thing!!

I am going to be happy about it! 

On purpose!!

Happy 52nd Birthday to ME

Today is my birthday. 

And for days, you know what I've been wondering?

Who gets excited about Birthday #52?

I mean, the milestone birthdays, like Birthday #50 are all the rage.

But Birthday 52? 

No such fanfare. 

Anyway, I am happy for birthday #52. 

I did not know what to expect, but oh well... 

I am glad to be HERE. There are people who didn't even make it to age 52.

But I did. 

And I am looking for what my next chapter in life will bring. 

As for the question above, my response is that I will get excited by birthday #52.

Yes, Happy Birthday to ME. 

Happy 51st Birthday to ME!!

 I would be remiss if I didn't do my usual birthday post. 

It is my birthday!

Birthday# 51!

Man...I do not know what to think about that. First of all, I am happy to be alive and here. I had no idea what I would be doing at age 51. Birthday #50 is always the birthday thought of, as it is a milestone birthday. 

But who considers Birthday #51?

This has been a rather quiet day for me. I got up and prayed. I folded clothes. I attended virtual church and had communion (a pecan and some hibiscus tea in a shot glass).

I have been crocheting today. LadyTee dropped by and we had a visit with me up on the porch and her out in the driveway. She and her mother bought lovely flowers and cards. 

I had a very good lunch. Salmon and yellow grits on a bed of veggies (kale, mushrooms, onions, cabbage, peppers).

It was good. I only ate half the salmon, though. That was too much salmon. Saved some for later this week. 

I am not eating flour or sugar or processed food right now... BUT I did have some milk free, egg free carrot bread special for my birthday. It was good. Forgot what bread taste like, lol. 

But it was a good day. And I always have some internal wisdom for the day. 

What I have been thinking about as of late... especially in light of all the political shenanigans, and in other areas also...

There is my perspective, and there is your perspective...

and there is TIME.

TIME is the truth teller... always. 

Let enough TIME pass, and we will find out the truth...

In TIME, every tree bears its fruit. The fruit of any and every situation is revealed in TIME.

That is the truth right there. 

All day, every day.

I am looking forward to what year 51 has to offer. I pray for a great year. I pray that I have the courage to face my fears and starve my doubts. I pray for personal growth. 

I pray to be better. 

Year 51... here I stand.

A LadyLee Birthday 2019

Well, my 49th birthday has come and gone...

And as always, it was a good one.

Let's just say I was glad to be OFF. My birthday is a personal national holiday. It hasn't always been that way - I think the last time I worked on my birthday was when I turned 33 - but from now on, that is my personal gift to myself. No work on my birthday.

And for the last 15 years or thereabouts, my best friend and I spend our birthdays together. We have made it a tradition. We go to the movies and we go out to eat. Sometimes we go shopping.

This year, Ladytee was on my hard about what I wanted to do. I was a little slow in figuring it out. I was just glad to be off. But I decided I wanted to see Green Book since it is winning so many awards. And I love some Mahershala Ali. I think he is a great actor, and I try to see whatever he's in.

The movie was very good. And best of all, Octavia Spencer is one of the executive producers. I thought it was a good "feel-good" movie. Definitely worth seeing in the theaters. It has been winning a lot of awards, and I would imagine it's going to be a big winner at the Oscars. I plan to purchase it when it becomes available on digital.

Now I was up in the air when it came to deciding what to eat. I decided on some Ethiopian food. We went to one of the most popular Ethiopian spots in the city, Desta Ethiopian Kitchen.

I'd already scoped out the menu online. I had the gomen tibs, which is short ribs sautéed with some onions and peppers.

I also had some potato stew. I could've used a whole bowl of that. It was good and spicy. I need to look up how to make that!

I was worried about this place, as the last time I had Ethiopian food (some 25 years ago), it was SUPER spicy. And one thing about LadyTee, she don't do spicy food. But she found a shrimp dish that she liked. She had shrimp and a salad.

That looks good. I will get that the next time I go.

What is most interesting to me about Ethiopia food is the injera bread.

It looks a bit scary, like something from the very bottom of the ocean or off some coral reef, but it is their bread of choice. Ethiopian food, from what I understand, is eaten with your fingers. So the bread is used as your utensil. It is cold, and it reminds me of sourdough bread. I don't care for sour dough bread, but this bread matched up VERY well with the food. I tried to stay within the culture and use my fingers, but thank goodness we had spoons, forks, and knives!

It was a great birthday. I got some really nice gifts. I got a one week mail-by-delivery food box subscription (you know, like Hello Fresh or Blue Apron). I also got a firestick, some pill bottles for separating out my medication, and an aromatherapy humidifier.

Umm... Sister Callie Jo is completely CAPTIVATED by that thing. I have to watch her and make sure she doesn't attack it and knock it over.

I don't think she will. She just loves watching the steam rise from the center. And I will let her enjoy that.

I also cashed in my money. If you don't know, I save all my change from birthday to birthday.

It came out to $101.00, but they take 10% at the coin machine, so it came out to around $89.

I am tripping on the fact that I had 293 quarters. Wow!

I haven't spent my birthday money. I desperately need some cookware (a saucepan and a quart pan), so I think that is what I will be purchasing this weekend, or whenever I get around to getting to it.

But it was a GREAT birthday. I have NO idea what I will do for my 50th birthday. I have these BIG dreams of what I want to do, but for now...

I will just enjoy turning 49 years old!

Birthday #49

STARDATE

2019.02.07

Happy 49th Birthday to ME!

Year 49 is in the books as completed for your Friendly Neighborhood Oldgirl Ladylee

GLORY

My goodness.

***49***

I have never thought much about my life at this age. I am not one to have a 10, 5, 3 or even a 1 year plan. And I must admit that I didn't think I would be where I am now. Who does? Not me.

So does this mean that I am officially middle aged? I think it does. I feel older, as these bones of mine are a bit older than in my 20s. But I up and moving.

It has been a strange year. Lots going on. Some good, some bad. Hence, all of it equals the joy of life.

I will do what I've been doing every birthday: me and LadyTee will get together and do our Thelma and Louise thing. I swear that girl been calling me, for the past week, asking what I want to do. Haven't thought much about it, but alas, she got some plans out of me.

I have been reflecting on what has been different this past year, that is, how I have changed. I think I

am much more to myself. I am more interested in being my authentic self. I am easily bored by the same oh, same oh. It takes me a lot just to be interested in people. And that is okay, because I measure my life in the things that are meaningful to me. I like my associations to be meaningful. I like my conversations to be meaningful. I want whatever I do to be meaningful. I do not know if that makes sense, but it is the best way for me to explain it. Maybe I will go into detail. (I probably won't).

But I am happy for a new year. And a day off. I think I would be looked at side-eye for taking a day off, as I am trying to finish up a project, but whatever.

I do not work on my birthday. It is a personal national holiday. For me, at least.

And that is the way it will stay.

Happy Birthday #1

He was once a Preemie... only 3 pounds.




But one year later, he's a BiG BOY!!













Getting bigger and better! Such a big boy!!

Happy 1st Birthday, Justin!!!

My Birthday Change 2018

My birthday change that I save from birthday to birthday...

But I forgot to cash it in.

That is a full 32 ounce mason jar! That's at least $100!

(I see a smart TV in my future!)