Birthday #45 Spare Change

I save all my spare change from birthday to birthday.

I first heard this idea some 20 years ago on a radio talk show. People were saving their dollars from Christmas to Christmas. That's how they had their money for the Christmas holidays. I decided to try it. And for many years, I've saved all my spare change in a mason jar.

This year, the grand total is...

I forgot to take a picture of the full jar of change. This was a quart sized Mason jar, and it was 80% full. Here is the aftermath.

That change in the bottom is old leftover bus tokens and foreign coinage.

I still trip over the square coin from Aruba. There's some dutch change in there also. I will always keep that!

I use to have around $80-$90 worth of change. But I don't use cash enough... always a debit card. I remember at one time before the popularity of debit cards (when we only used debit cards), I would save DOLLAR BILLS from birthday to birthday. And at the end of the year I'd have $200-$400. That was GOOD birthday money.

And so is $63.19.

That's good birthday morning. I won't knock that. That's groceries. That's a tank of gas for Lucy Jr.

Right now, I am just holding it. For something special.

I don't know what that something special is.

But it will be special. 

Quote of the Week

Stop being who you are... and start being who you should be. - Robert Kiyosaki

Good Monday Morning... The Post Birthday Edition

Oh it is The Morning After...

Or better yet, The Monday After...

The Monday after my birthday. My 45th birthday! I still marvel at that.

And it was a good weekend. The weekend continues. I was off on Friday, and I am off today. No more partying for me. I just have a doctor appointment today, in the middle of the day way down in the southern suburbs, so no need to go to work today. This is the first day of my new job, but oh well.  I will show up tomorrow.

Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised by my boss with a Happy Birthday/Congrats on your Promotion Party.

First, back up. Earlier that day, Cowgirl Cre and I went out to lunch at Gordon Biersch.

I rarely go there because it is so darn expensive. But I wanted some seafood, and even though there are some 15 restaurants near the job, there aren't any real seafood places.

But I had the seafood.

I had fish and chips.

Cowgirl Cre had the fish tacos.

That was the lightest fried fish I ever had. And Cre enjoyed her tacos!

Cre was throwing out all kind of cues that there would be cake when we got back. I didn't pick up on any of that. I remember her saying "Save room for dessert." But when the check for lunch came and the waitress asked if we were having dessert, Cre said no. I was thinking, oh well, maybe she changed her mind. And then when we parted ways at work to go back to our respective cubicles, she said "See you at two!"

I thought that meant she was coming my way at two.

A party was the very last thing to cross my mind.

Why? Because I don't go to celebrations at work. I'm not part of any of the controlling cliques and crews. They do grand stuff. I stay out of it, because there is some bit of drama involved. Even down to inspection of the envelopes to see who gives how much money. Who needs that ish? And then folks come to me with their complaining about it all. Ugh.

Many years ago, people were big on potlucks, parties and what-not.. We REALLY looked forward to it, especially if management was gone off to training or something. But these days, that is all touch and go. It can either go bad or good. I consider myself a fringe character, a loner. Hence, no parties for me!

And that's fine. When someone leaves, retires, etc... I bake them a batch of cookies, decorate up a nice card, and/or, if they were especially impactful in my life in the workplace, write a check to make their eyes pop. That is how I... cope. That's how I... sow some seed, and show my real appreciation.

But when I got back to my desk, and was prepping to go into the lab, my old boss called and said that there was a party.

O_o.

And to come on over.

And she'd bought a cake:

Aww...

And there were 2 cakes!

Happy Birthday and Congrats! How wonderful... and highly unexpected!

And there was fruit!

You know I love fruit. I wanted to open that top and put my face in it, lol.

That was so nice, especially since I'm not really "leaving". I am in another group, in the next building over. I come over to the other building for meetings, etc. I still see people.

There were 2 nice cards.

I thought that was really nice. And there was a gift certificate for $50 to the Whole Foods.

I almost passed out when I saw that. You know how I feel about Whole Foods. I'm gonna go in there and buy that GOOD lettuce now. LOL!

It was such a nice gesture. I truly appreciate it. Sooooo unexpected. Really cool. Thanks boss!

Anyway, I spent a couple of days with my best friend, which is a rarity. I haven't seen her 2 days in a row in over a decade, lol.

She came over to my house and we watched 2 movies:

No Good Deed.

That was GREAT! I didn't care for the hershey bar dark Idris Elba as a villian. But he played a great psychopath.

And we watched one of my favorite movies: Limitless

LadyTee had never seent that one. She loved it. It was my umpteenth time seeing it. I love it more every time.

All it all, it was a good birthday weekend. Very relaxing. And that's all I could wish for.
I want to put up my other food pics but they are way too fuzzy. It is wack trying to take pictures in a dark restaurant.

But I found some pics online from Agave...

LadyTee had the tequila shrimp

 I had the stuffed Mountain trout Tomatillo!

Trout stuffed with crawfish. Good good good good GOOD. I had that with a strawberry margharita. You could've knocked me over with a feather, I was so full.

I've been wanting that for YEARS. And it was well worth it. Lawd!

Too much meat this weekend. Probably the reason I am all headachy right now. But it was all good!

Back to my veggies and fruits... and water..

Tomorrow begins a new time, a new era. And I'm happy for that.

Have a good week... on purpose!

**Birthday 45**

It's that time. It's Birthday 45.

I don't feel any different. I don't even feel 45.

I always tell my doctor, "I just want my 20-year-old self back."

She rolls her eyes. She's not all that confident in that happening, I suppose.

But I am happy for age 45 and all the joy and experience it will bring.

I've been getting calls and text messages hollering "Whatcha gonna do on your birthday?"

Nothing particularly special.

So far today:

At midnight, I prayed over my year and had some communion. (You know I wear out some disposable communion cups at will!). Then I separated some clothes for the wash. I sang a couple of songs and prayed some more. Then I finally went to sleep to a talk show on SiriusXM.

I woke up this morning around 6:30 am and hand wrote my 3 full pages of morning pages (I'm like, on page 132 now. Wowzers.) I noticed Mitch and Callie paying me more attention than usual, so that meant they were out of food, so I fed and watered them. Then I got up and folded some clothes. I cleaned up the kitchen. Cleaned and vacummed the living room. Mopped the kitchen floor. And now I'm going to go shower. LadyTee is coming over later to watch some movies and we may run up to my local coffee house.

Just a regular Saturday, I suppose. She and I ran the streets yesterday for my birthday. We went to see Taken 3.

Then we headed to Cabbagetown to Agave for dinner.

That was great. I had some really good crawfish stuffed grilled trout. I will post pics later.

Early that morning, I took Pam to get repaired. Her engine light is on. It will be a nice $1400 bill. Oh joy! Poor mechanic... he was wailing over it. And I was wailing back, "Dude, I don't care how much it cost. I just need to pass my emission. And I'm sick of worrying about money. Whatever. Order them parts and fix my car!"

He was O_o!

I was happy. Because I am 45 now, and I am growing. The stuff that bothered me at age 25 does NOT bother me at age 45. I would've fell out over a $1400 repair bill. Today, I just swipe one of my spare debit cards. And rebuild that account before spring.

Bootleg baller... indeed. LOL

So I will enjoy this sunny day. And I will go to Saturday evening church and sang some songs and do some church jogs and church spins. I may even break out my Obama Church fan.

Happy Birthday to me...

Your friendly Neighborhood Oldgirl... LadyLee.

And my promotion kicks in on Sunday!

Thank you Lord for the bomb birthday gift. That is all!

Amen!!

Final Fourty-Four Friday Freestyles

I meant to write a post earlier, but I've had such a long day that I came home around 7:30 pm tonight and went STRAIGHT to sleep. I've been up and about since 8:00 am this morning, and I've been running the streets all day with my best friend.  I finally woke up around 11:15 pm, and that is fine. It still gives me a little time to write a final post of the year.

So it's the Final Friday Freestyles of the year.

Correction: It's the Final Friday Freestyles of my Forty-Fourth Year of life.

And that amazes me.

I remember being a little girl, or a teenager and talking with my friends and saying "In the year 2000, I will be 30 years old."

And it was so hard to fathom.

Never at that time would I even have thought what life would be like at age 30, let alone age 44. People in their 40s were old to me. And I've never been one of those people who can easily answer the question: Where do you see yourself in 5 years? In 10 years? In 20 years?

I don't know how to answer these questions with the bold veracity of many people I know. I always thought it meant that I didn't have hope for the future or something. But it doesn't mean anything.

The only question I can really answer is, where do you see yourself right now??

And I answer that question saying...

I see myself right here, right now... alive.

And that's all I can ask for.

I don't particularly think about the next 5, 10, or 20 years. That doesn't make me a failure or a loser. I just tend to think about now. Life turns on such a dime, bends on a hard curve at times. Life has it's troubles and triumphs. I just want to enjoy now. I don't want to worry about the future. I pray on my future and ask God to give clarity and to lead the way. He has thoughts towards me I can not even fathom. And He has planted seeds in my heart that will grow into great things.

So as I sit here typing, I know one thing:

44 was not like 34.

44 is not like 24.

And 44 sure isn't like age 14.

(Thank goodness for all that).

I have grown. I have changed. In some cases for the worst, but in most cases for the better. I have a deeper appreciation for right decisions, right prayers, and right friends and relationships. Right meaning just doing the right thing and having the right amount of impact and receiving and the right amount of blessings from others.

Just right.

We are culturally conditioned to use the lives of others as a measuring stick for the progression and success of our own lives. I found that I have traveled far down the road from that concept... and I'm better for it.

This past year has been mental and spiritual territory has been greatly expanded, and I understand things about myself and my heart and about people far more than I ever thought I could. My thoughts and understanding of life is more abstract than ever and of course... I am better for it.

So as the final day of the fourty-fourth year of my life, I am better.

I am better.

And at age 45, I will get more better... and more better... and more better. However and whatever that means. I receive it.

That is my prayer.

And that is where I see myself at age 45.

So good-bye age 44.

It's been wonderfully well.

It's been super swell.

But I got's to go.

I got's to move on.

Thank goodness for that.

I am thankful to leave you, 44, and see and experience all that 45 has to bring.