Forty

I celebrated my 40th birthday yesterday. I always thought 40 is a great age to start something new, so I'm starting my new blog.

I had a lovely day on my birthday. Kate had a pile of beautifully decorated presents waiting for me at breakfast, including a sheet of coupons that featured items like, "Free song on the violin." Todd, Kate and Julia gave me a copy of Photoshop Elements 5 for digital scrapbooking. Got lots of phone calls from family too, including one all the way from Singapore from Joe and Jill.

When Todd asked me what I wanted to do on my birthday, I'd suggested a "quiet" dinner at one of my favourite restaurants, 20 King (which isn't on 20 King anymore). When we showed up, a crowd was waiting for us: Mark, Sharon, Laura, Scotte, Ruth, Dave, Terry, Glenda, Marilyn and John! Unfortunately, Fei Min and Don were on vacation and couldn't make it. I was very touched that Todd's parents drove all the way from Wasaga Beach for the evening.

Was I surprised? Very. It didn't occur to me that Todd could arrange such a thing without my help (not that he isn't capable, but he never has the time or patience for such things). He even gave the house a thorough cleaning to prepare for our guests, without my noticing that anything was out of the ordinary.

I had more wine and food than was good for me: raspberry marguerita, Ahi tuna appetizer, arctic char, complimentary piece of cheesecake with candle. I had my second dessert with champagne back at the house, accompanied by all our guests. Julia and Kate stayed up to have birthday cake with us. All in all, it was a wonderful way to celebrate my birthday, surrounded by my closest friends and family.

I didn't think last night that I'd make it to my skating lesson this morning, but I managed. It was the last spring session lesson for Julia and me. My coach and I worked on waltzing threes and expanding exercises today. I'm still learning these but Julia is preparing for testing. I also practiced spirals and drags; these definitely get more painful at age 40.