55

Most years my birthday gets lost in the holiday craziness. December birthdays are like that. However, this year was different, partly because my birthday was on a Saturday. Bob had given me a gift certificate for a spa on my previous birthday but I hadn't used it yet. I decided that it would be a perfect way to begin my day. It was a cold, gray day but the spa was warm and inviting. I had an hour massage followed by a half hour spa facial. Ahhh - very relaxing. (I think I'll return at a later date.) Not wanting to undo the effects of the massage, I returned home to spend a quiet day there. I worked on Christmas cards, especially the ones going to the east coast. This year all of my family remembered my birthday and sent nice gifts that actually arrived before my birthday. The most special one was from my hubby; years ago he gave me a star garnet and he had it set in a necklace - beautiful! Laura and Ian gave me a cozy robe that she embroidered. One sister gave me a colorful scarf that she knit herself and the other sister gave me a soft white turtleneck. (Erin brought me her gift when she returned from college - a colorful "nose" glasses holder which I use daily). In the evening we went to the Olive Garden where I ordered my favorite - the portobello mushroom ravioli. Afterwards, we headed to Edwards Cinema where I now qualify as a senior citizen. Sigh, yes I am 55 years old. (How did that happen?) I figured that I might as well take advantage of one of the few benefits of growing older. We saw "The Golden Compass" - very entertaining. We returned home late and celebrated with birthday cake, chocolate, of course!