Happy new year

A new year, another chance. . . here's to a happy new year and a fresh start.

Sending love and hugs to my friend Deb. She is the Goddess of Overcoming Obstacles and I want to be just like her when I grow up.

The boy next door

It's been a long time since I freely admitted I really liked a boy. It has been my experience that admitting to such was to invite disappointment. But the boy next door asked me out. He's good looking, smart, funny, and genuine. To say I was surprised by his interest is an understatement. I was pleased but nervous about this change in our intentions toward each other. He's been a good friend and I'd really hate to mess that up. We've had some funny, awkward moments working through what we've been to each other in the past and trying to decide where we are going from here. I am still reeling by how happy I feel, though. Giddy, even. This week I found a single, chocolate kiss outside my door. Who wouldn't be happy to find chocolate outside her door? I was really moved by this simple gesture more than if I'd found a lavish gift. My friends know I'm likely to cry at the littlest things so I'm sure it's no surprise this gesture brought tears to my eyes. He really is the sweetest thing and I feel like the luckiest girl in the whole world.

It’s a wonderful life

I turned 38 on the fourth day of this year. I still feel doubtful that I did the math correctly. How can I be 38 when most days I feel like a girl making adult decisions? In some ways it seems like forever since those rites of passage into adulthood. My twenty year high-school reunion should be in a few months after all. I remember when my Dad attended his and having the thought that twenty years seemed like an eternity. My own twenty years away from all those kids I grew up with seems to have flown by and yet the years have surely separated and changed us. I keep waiting for the day when I feel inside my head the way the world sees me. I guess I’m not there yet.

As birthdays go, this one was special. My friends spoiled me and made me feel how much I am loved. Being surround by people who love you certainly takes the sting out of being a year older.