I'm Feeling 62!
I feel like I should apologize for posting all about myself every time, but hey, it's my blog. I sort of use this as a journal so that maybe someday my posterity will read it and get a glimpse into my 2024 life. Or maybe they won't care...so maybe this is just for me anyway. Either way, I'm writing.
Anyway, January 13th was my 62nd birthday AND I was born in 1962, so that means it's my Diamond Birthday! Evidently, your Diamond Birthday is sort of like your Golden Birthday, except that your Golden Birthday is when you turn the age that is the same as the day you were born. So my Golden Birthday was back in 1975 when I turned 13. Since I didn't even know what a Golden Birthday was (no one did back then), I am happy to be celebrating my Diamond Birthday, which is when you turn the age that is the year you were born. I'm not ashamed to admit that I turned 62 on January 13th, and I was born in 1962. Woot!
Just so I don't forget (I'm old so who knows how long I'll remember things), here's how the birthday celebrations unfolded:
Friday, January 12th: For dinner, delectable Chinese food with Hector, Lucas, and Jordan. I just love egg foo young, and Little Dragon Chinese Cantonese Restaurant cooked up some yummy stuff. Hector picked it up and we enjoyed eating together at home. I opened a few gifts and loved just being with my family.
Saturday, January 13th: The morning started with more of my favorites.😊
sweet pan dulce for breakfast, beautiful flowers, and then a day of complete leisure. We needed the relaxation so that we could get ready for our big night. I took a great nap.
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Saturday night, Hector and I drove down to Pala Casino to meet my besties, Diana, Tina, and Tina's husband, James, for dinner and dancing. The food was good, but the company was even better. After dinner we spent the rest of the night doing one of my favorite activities, dancing! My friend Roseann's band, Pulp Vixen, performed from 4:00-8:30. We had a great time listening to them and dancing to our favorite tunes. They cover lots of fun songs, and Roseann is an amazing guitarist. I even got a birthday shoutout!
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From 9:00 to 1:15, we continued our dancing adventures with the next band, The Dudes of San Diego. I had never heard of them before, but now they're near the top of my list! They played lots of dance music, which made my heart (and hips) very happy. We spent the night at the Pala Hotel since it was so late, and enjoyed just getting away for a night.
The Dudes band also gave me a another birthday gift--calling out my birthday and cajoling me to "get low" while they played Brickhouse. It sounds silly, but I'll admit, it was fun. I mean, who doesn't enjoy being the Dancing Queen for one night?
Sunday, January 14th: Hector and I headed home but planned to find a church on the way home and just attend Sacrament meeting and then head home. We stopped in Temecula, where one of our favorite couples, Tom and Sherry Stanfill, live. We joked on the way, "Wouldn't it be funny if we found Tom and Sherry's ward?" And then...another birthday gift! The first person we saw when we walked in was Tom. Needless to say, we stayed longer than just sacrament meeting and ended up enjoying the afternoon at the Stanfill home, catching up and enjoying meaningful conversation with our dear friends. By the end of the day, I felt like I had been blessed with the perfect birthday weekend.
But just to make the weekend even more perfect, Monday was Martin Luther King Jr. observance day, so I didn't have to go to work. I slept in, enjoyed the peace of being home, and thought a lot about my life. I have lived on this earth for 62 years, and I have been blessed beyond what I deserve. Maybe it's because I turned 62, or maybe it's mortality salience, but I feel an urgency to fulfill goals I have for myself, enjoy the richness of being alive, and do and be better. In every possible way.
So that was my Diamond birthday. To be honest, it was more fun than I thought it would be, thanks to Hector, and it lasted waaaay longer than it should have. I did receive some nice gifts (a beautiful watch, cute clothes, fabulous gift cards), but what I really cherish is how I spent the time. I did things I love doing--dressing up, dancing, laughing, talking with family, relaxing. I was surrounded by some of my most favorite people. I ate fabulous foods. I reflected on my life. And hopefully, it's just the beginning of what's going to be a Diamond Year.
