Birthday Weekend

30 Aug 2014: Mary and Debbie enjoy a girls' afternoon out.

This is it. The weekend I turn 60. It just happens that this year my birthday falls exactly on Labor Day, September 1st. Which seems appropriate, since my mother was in LABOR for 72 hours before I was finally delivered.

I've both dreaded and looked forward to this birthday. On the one hand, 60 seems so old. On the other, consider the alternative. My Grandpa Haley died from a massive stroke at age 59. My mother had her first small stroke at age 59 and died 5 years later, after a continuous series of serious health issues. So, I admit, I've been a little nervous. I've never had the level of health issues my mother or grandfather suffered from, so I told myself I should be around for awhile, but it's still a relief to have made it to age 60 without a stroke. That's if I don't have one tonight, of course!

There is also longevity in my family tree. Grandma Butler lived to the ripe old age of 100. Great Grandpa Beierschmitt lived to be 99. Most of my grandparents and aunts and uncles lived anywhere from their late seventies to their nineties. My father will turn 80 just three days after my birthday, on Sept. 4th, and he's still very active with bowling and traveling and yard work and other handy projects.

And I think I'm pretty well preserved for an old gal. I still have thick hair with hardly any silver, and I still have all my own teeth! On Friday I attended a multi-district conference, where I sat next to a young teacher from another school district. I was telling him that I was looking forward to retirement (someday) after 35 years as an educator. He laughed and said, "I'm not even that age yet!" So I told him that I'd be turning 60 on Monday. As I went on talking about my desire to retire, he stopped me and remarked, "I have to say, you look like you're still more than ten years from that age!" I love to hear that!

An excellent local eatery!

My sweet friend Debbie, whom I've known for 24 years, helped me start my weekend out right by treating me to lunch at Persnikkity's. We spent a wonderful 3 hours visiting and getting caught up. Debbie, a retired teacher from Mesa High School, and her husband George live in Apache Junction but spend summers here at their trailer in the pines. They'll return to the Valley this week, so it was fun to see Debbie one last time before she leaves the mountain.

Mmmmmmmmmm!

I was good as gold, too, in my menu selection. I ordered a Cobb salad and removed the croutons and gave my little breadstick to Debbie. I'm not too big on croutons, so those were easy, but that breadstick sure looked tasty... I even asked the server for specifics regarding the jalapeno-ranch dressing I selected, which she assured me had no sweeteners, but was simply composed of buttermilk, ranch herbs and spices, and the jalapeno sauce. It was delicious, with a kick!

A cute, glittery birthday card and JC Penney gift card from my friend!

Thank you, Debbie, for making my weekend special! It was such great fun. I'll look forward to seeing you next May!