Big Birthday in Belize

For my 40th birthday, I was toying around with the idea of a long weekend with friends somewhere like Nashville, Asheville, or New Orleans. But when tickets came up to Belize for $350 round trip, well, plans changed. Melissa (who turns 40 just six weeks after me) and I snapped up that deal and started planning … Continue reading Big Birthday in Belize →

Turning 40: What Does Everybody Else Think?

So now that my big day is here (yay!!!) and now that you've read my thoughts on my life at its midpoint and who I am, what do the people in my life think about me? I asked them all to submit a statement for this final blog entry. No rules—could be funny, sad, irritating, … Continue reading Turning 40: What Does Everybody Else Think? →

Turning 40: 40 Years in 40 Sentences

What sets me apart from most people in my life is that I was alive when Jimmy Carter was president. Then, when I was one, Ronald Reagan took office and we moved into the house my Republican parents live in to this day. I began a lifelong love of reading in that house by going … Continue reading Turning 40: 40 Years in 40 Sentences →

Turning 40: The People Who Changed My Life

I've been fortunate so far to have lived my life surrounded by people who support me. My dad worked extremely hard his whole life to make sure I had not only my basic needs of shelter and good nutrition met, but also that I had opportunity to explore my interests, learn, and ultimately become a … Continue reading Turning 40: The People Who Changed My Life →

Turning 40: Lists, Part 2

Today's post is a continuation of yesterday's. These lists are more random, while yesterday's were more about who I am as a person. Things I've Quit Because My Ego is Too Big Girl Scouts in second grade because I wasn't voted president 4-H Club in third grade because I wasn't voted president Flute in fourth … Continue reading Turning 40: Lists, Part 2 →

Turning 40: Lists, Part 1

Yesterday kicked off a week-long series of posts all about me as I'm about to turn 40. The next two posts contain lists. Factual, thoughtful, silly, defining, wishful, nostalgic - all sorts of lists about who I am at this point in my life. Something interesting to look back on in the coming decades as … Continue reading Turning 40: Lists, Part 1 →

Turning 40: I Don’t Look 12 Anymore

Twenty-nine and seven one-thousandths. No, that’s not a fraction from the world’s worst third grade math problem. Twenty-nine is an age and seven one-thousandths of an inch is the diameter of an average human hair. When I was twenty-nine, a single, coarse, dark-brown hair sprouted from the underside of my chin. I already had a handful … Continue reading Turning 40: I Don’t Look 12 Anymore →