Birthday Afterglow

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Well, my birthday  pergolapalooza is in the books. Had thee loveliest dinner under the stars & grape arbor / pergola of the homeowner where we are house sitting.  It was a perfect evening, made better by loved ones who came, brought presents  (woo hoo!) champagne & great food, sang to me and loved me long time. I felt like I landed on a movie set - it was so perfect! Lanterns glowing and swinging in the breeze, candles on the table and flowers from my garden.  Joe was a champ - grilled everything to perfection and organized the task of stringing the lanterns, etc. He has mad skills!    Later on, we went inside for cake and ice cream and stories and laughs. It was a happy house, a happy group, and we decided we need to make up some birthdays so we could do it again.  (Note to self:  I don't  think the homeowner would be as enthused.....especially if we showed up when he was back at home, huh.)

I feel like my life has has been a steep, uphill climb for a long time now.  The economy has been lousy for so long and has hurt many small businesses like Joe's store.  I can't get enough hours at work to make ends meet - our budget has been cut over and over.  Along with a few health issues on the horizon..... I really needed something like this to happen.  I feel renewed, charged up and ready to go back out there and face the universe.  It's so nice to have  this birthday to put in my memory book and cherish forever - do it for someone you love, if you can.  It doesn't have to be fancy, just organize a great pot luck and show up with love in your heart.

They'll never forget it, I promise.