in the prime

well it's my birthday, let's get that out in the open.  no use hiding.  no need to lurk about in the shadows with a thumb in my birthday cake.

work's been crazy.  do i say that a lot?  i feel as if that is what i say. every time.  meh, i can't help it. my thumb's in cake.  anyways new menu time.  cray triple cray.  and the week after the debut, was/is this week.  birthday week.  and i had taken it off. and i didn't plan anything.  i had no time.  when i wasn't working i was a pool of slime that couldn't think and couldn't plan--could only jiggle viscously. heheh.  anyways at the mid week point i began to scramble, trying to think of what to do and where to go.

my greatest desires were summed up in these words: adventure, freedom, wild, contemplation.  i kept coming up with ideas. and none of them felt right or were not too feasible.  i began to pine and wither.  yes, i felt sorry for myself. i felt sad.  but sometime after dreaming karey drank beers and hated me, i chatted with said karey, who does not drink beers but has a new and exciting beaux! and i was going to go to calgary...but that was too rushed...and suddenly i was ok about staying home and having a stay-cation.  new adventure every day, and more money to spend on them if i wasn't traveling!  weiwd how fickle a birthday girl can be eh?

friday night i celebrated by going to two movies.  yeah, i did.  i did that.  and it was pretty groovy.

saturday i spent most of the day having a hard convo, that i was dreading.  it felt good to finally do it.  that night i went to the stake music showcase. it was pretty good. i sat next to betty mcphee.

sunday was a regular church day.  except the young women's presidency was having a fast together.  and we started it AFTER church.  i had a very nice fast time.  i was inspired by several things, including an interview with alex boye.  man that guy is PASSIONate with a flame and some gasoline, if you know what i mean.  poof!  blazin!  he said some really good things.  i liked. liked a lot.

this morning i woke up at 8 am thanks to the furries who feel it their duty to make sure i do not ever oversleep.

the thing is i need to wash my hair.  but i was clean out of conditioner.  it was raining lightly out but i decided to ride my bike.  and it was fun.  on the way i noticed that although my cherry trees bloomed early, this birthday i had dogwood blossoms and lilac trees, and that's nothing to scoff at my brother.

at shoppers, where i never allow heather to go, but always go there alone, i briefly contemplated buying a different conditioner but i just didn't have the time or desire to search for another suitable one so i kept it.  after all coconut hair is my thing now.

on the way home i found peonies.  all raindrop bejewled.  i circled back and took a pic of them.  happy birthday to me.

so then i had an extra special birthday shower.  you know, do all the birthday shower things.  it's totally a thing.

then i dried my hair in the car as i drove to abBUTSford.  i played the karey and laura cd and sang on the top of my lungs.  yah, it's good to be alive, i thought.  i'm in my prime i thought.  it's good to feel happy and free.  it's been a long time since i felt like that.

i got to my destination fifteen minutes early, and ended my fast in the car with a little prayer and a sandwich i made before i left.  a birthday sandwich if you will.  oh just some baba ganoush (my love baba, smokey garlicky kisses to you) on a tomato artisan mini bagette, with some smoked applewood cheddar, that's all.  and a banana.  then i went in.  filled out a form, and entered a heavenly experience.

spa pure.  i found them on saturday.  i was just looking for a spa on the way to katie's.  and this particular spa has a philosophy that all people deserve spa treatments and so they have low prices.  i got the april special which was a himilayan salt scrub and an hour massage.  ok.  ok.  first the salt scrub.  she vigorously rubs your boday all over with a salt concoction.  then when she's done she buffs if off with a towel, and then...then smooths on a mango moisturizer.  by this time you feel all soft and liquidy, like  pat of melted butter.  when she ran her hands over me, i was amazed at how soft and smooth i felt. then the glorious full body massage.  i could have lay there forever.  it was beautiful.  i almost fell asleep twice when she was doing my hands.

when she left i was getting out of bed and i felt my belly button--full of salt. :)

 here's my happy mug in the mirror of my spa room after my treatments extraordinaire.

aftewards, in the car i ate my apple and put on my make up, all the while listening to the radio. that's how i ran the battery out of juice.  but delanie  came to my rescue.  jumpity jump and i was on my way, sun was shining windows down, hair flying in the wind.  singing "i love myself today, not like yesterday..."  :)

i got to katie's at almost 5 and interupted natalie and elizabeth who were painting me a happy birthday poster.  i helped katie make the yummiest salad evah.  and slice up the brisket brent made.  brent wasn't happy with the brisket.  he said it was too tough.  but hello, it was super tasty. stuffed in one of katie's giant soft buns with some sweet baby ray's bbq sauce.  yes please.

then we went to bridal falls.  delanie and madelaine and mary and gabriel, and noah and eli met us there and we had some adventures with the falls.

 group selfie fail.  :)

 madelaine being the babe she knows she is.

 the mosquitoes liked me because i smelled like mango.  what's not to like.  i'm juicy too.

after we had this cake that katie made me.  she said it sounded so laura to her.  lemon blueberry, 3 layers of moistness, and cream cheese icing.  um yeah, i'd say that's me all right.  loved it.

it was a great birthday.  i'm 41.  prime of my life.  greatful for so many good people in my life.