Today is my birthday!

I can't believe it...I am 48 years old already.  I remember when I was a little girl, thinking that I'd be too old to appreciate anything when the new millennium came.  I was 37 when the calendar flipped over to 2000 and I was definitely not too old to appreciate anything...

Fast forward 11 years and I still feel young.  Vibrant.  Joyful.  Downright happy.  My life is so wonderful (which is not the same as perfect...is there such a thing?).  I just feel so fortunate to have been blessed with all that I have been given.  It is humbling, how fortunate I am...surrounded by love and laughter to insulate me from the trials and tribulations that touch all of our lives.

So, Happy Birthday to Me...I am a lucky woman!

Six Years Ago This Weekend,

Superman and I took a huge leap of faith, piled our kids in the car, hooked up a U-Haul trailer, and pulled out of the driveway of our Glendora, CA house for the last time. 

(our California house)

People said we were crazy.   We were born and bred Californians.  Our children were 4th generation natives to Southern California.  Truly, we knew nothing else.  Still, we felt compelled to make the move and the real estate boom financed our dream and we headed off into the unknown.  We left behind our So Cal heritage, our wonderful friends, and a house we loved and headed to the unknown. I had never seen the house Superman had purchased for our family. We were headed to a town we didn't know, where we knew no one, had no job waiting, and really had no clue how it would all turn out.  Despite all that, we were full of expectant enthusiasm.   It felt "right" and we really didn't hesitate.  (Besides, we were used to people thinking we were crazy...our friends and family thought we were crazy 23 years ago when we moved in together 2 weeks after dating, got married less than a year after our first date, and had our first child 15 months after we got married.  We're used to following those "right" feelings!)

(Our "new" home in Washington!)

Six years later, I can't believe how well our move turned out. We have amazing friends and have created for our family a life we love. We are fortunate enough to have a home we love in a wonderful neighborhood that has provided the backdrop for the formation of amazing friendships that have helped us celebrate the high points and weather the inevitable storms that hit every family and allowed us to help them weather their own storms. Is it perfect? No, of course not. The faltering economy has hit our area hard and Superman continues to work overseas to support our family. Still, we are happy and continue to feel blessed by the opportunities that have come our way these past six years.

So, here we are on the anniversary of the leap of faith and, as I reflect on all that has happened since that exhilarating day, I just feel so fortunate...I lead a truly blessed life.