The Mother of All Birthdays

To Me!!!

Let me just start by saying that 50 is a large number. That means OLD. So I have been pretty much dreading this birthday.

But, as birthdays go, every time my birthday lands on a Friday the 13th, it is an awesome birthday. (For example, I turned 16 years old on Friday, January 13, 1978, and it was a memorable day, even all these years later!)

So here's how the birthday worked out this year:

The above picture is of the kitchen table when I got up in the morning, complete with the traditional "You are special" plate and red roses from my sweetie. I ate fresh fruit, juice, and a blueberry muffin. I think eating is a definite Gamboa birthday tradition.




I got dressed and left for work. I was given a ride to work by the handsome guy pictured on the left.
Who wouldn't have a great birthday if they started it out with him?



And to make things even better, I was met by the lovely Lisa D. with a box full of birthday donuts!
Yum!!
And wonderful co-workers and cute little people. Here's the proof:

       Aren't they pretty? Left to right is Olga, Lisa D., me, Mary, and Paula. Thank you, Yvette, for taking the picture!

And here's one group of reasons that I go to my great job, even on my birthday:

After work, which was only three hours later, my sweet husband picked me up. He had a schedule, and he wouldn't share it. So the birthday was a day full of surprises, adventure, and fun. Let me show you...

Here's the first stop:
















Yes!! We went horseback riding! This was what I wanted for my birthday! Ok, well, I really wanted a pony, but that hasn't happened for any of the previous 49 birthdays, so I just wanted to ride a horse....and I got what I wanted!

My horse was named Faith, and she had 3 rules:

1. She has to be the last horse because she'll kick anyone or any other horse that walks behind her. She doesn't like anyone touching her backside. Not so bad for me, but not good for whoever's behind her. So we were in the back, which gave me a great view of the back of Hector's horse.
2. She likes to eat a lot. So she would try to just stop and nibble on any little plants along the way. My job was to keep her walking along without stopping for snacks on the trail. It wasn't that hard to do.
3. She's slow; meaning, she walks slowly. But as it turns out, this wasn't such a bad thing because she would suddenly realize that she was far behind, so she would trot and we would catch up. This made the ride more fun!

As it turns out, Faith and I have lots in common, now that I'm 50 and all.

Anyway, it was a perfect day for horseback riding. Here's a picture of the view from Bonnelli Park, and my sweet ride, Faith:














After an hour of peaceful, relaxing, pure joy on the back of a horse, we left. All that riding had given us quite an appetite, so Hector took me to one of my favorite restaurants, where we had yummy lettuce wraps, fried rice, and my most FAVORITE dessert in the whole wide world:

P. F. Chang's Flourless Chocolate Dome. So Yummy! (with a capital "Y")

Here's us at the restaurant, along with the treat of all treats:
















       I honestly think I could eat 10 of those little chocolate pleasures in one sitting. (Except that it would definitely catch up with me when I tried to put my jeans on later.)

So as we were eating lunch, Hector kept track of the time and told the waiter that we sort of had to hurry. Where to? He wouldn't say.

At just the right time, we left the restaurant, drove a few blocks, and ended up here:

A Couples Massage!

Oh heavenly day!

Did you know that in the bathroom at Massage Envy there is soap, lotion, and mouthwash for your own personal use? I didn't know that, but here's the proof. (Read closely, the one on the far right is mouthwash. Maybe it's a hint!)

The room was lovely, with soft lighting and relaxing music. My masseuse was Stephanie, and she definitely had magic hands. Here's a glimpse of the room, and our masseuses offering us drinks of water afterwards: (Stephanie is on the right.)

Pure bliss!

After an hour that went by waaayyyyy too quickly, we were off to somewhere else, but Hector wouldn't say where.
So far, turning 50 was feeling great!

We ended up back in Upland at one of our favorite nail places: Theory Nail Salon.
I will admit, by this time, I am loving this birthday.

I got a gel manicure and pedicure, and Hector got a pedicure in the spot right next to me. I really think getting a pedicure in the chair right next to your hubby is a wonderfully bonding experience.
He wouldn't let me take his picture, but here's me getting pampered as well as a shot of my pretty toes:














Horses, delicious food, and pampering.....what could make this even better?

A Starbucks venti Hot Chocolate with one extra pump of chocolate, that's what!

For some reason, we needed to use up a little more time before going to our next destination, so we did a little shopping. Shopping too? All of my favorite things in one amazing day.

As you can see, it's a small bag. Ok, I'll be honest. It's a nightgown. I mean, Hector deserved a gift too. (For my children who are reading this and have the sudden urge to retch, my apologies.)

Finally, it was time for dinner. (I told you birthdays mean lots of food around here.) But since we were both hardly hungry, we just had an appetizer, soup and salad. We ate at one of the best restaurants in Upland. Have you been to Spaggi's? It's delicious. And thank you to my good friend and boss, Susan Frenkel, for the gift certificate to Spaggi's. It was truly enjoyed!

Here we are at the table, and here is a delicious appetizer. It's called a tomato-cheese puff or something like that. Cute star on top! And so, so yummy!














What a glorious day! Thank you to my amazing, darling husband for his intense planning. If today was indicative of the rest of my 50s, it's going to be a wonderful decade.
I love you, Hector Gamboa.

But wait! There's more! The biggest surprise of my entire life came a little later...

The Best Drink in the World!

Please stand for our National Anthem!

The opening act of the First Annual Gamboa Family Talent Show! Those years of driving them to voice lessons pays off!!

Does this job make my butt look big?

So I am back in the working world again...thank you, bad economy. Actually, I feel very fortunate to have gotten a job, because I know that there are lots of people out there (including someone very close to me) who are looking for employment. (No names but it rhymes with Nectar Pamboa.) Anyway, I am blessed to have been able to find employment in this lousy job market.
And I didn't just get any old job. I put that trusty Mt Sac AA degree to work! That's right, I'm getting my reward for fifteen years of driving all the way to Walnut and edging out eighteen-year-olds for general education classes necessary for getting a two year degree. I am an Instructional Aide. That means that I work at an elementary school (and not just any elementary school--a really good one) helping third graders become more proficient at reading. And I really like my job. Of course, I love kids, and third graders are sort of fun because they try to think. They like me, and I like them. And I love the adults that I work with. Fortunately, I have a super boss who makes me laugh because she says funny things all the time. That, and she's pretty smart. All of the people that I work with are really helpful and nice to me. Which is a huge plus.
Okay, so here's the hitch: I used to go to the gym every morning, and I had a great routine going on. I knew that Monday was a weights/cardio class taught by my good friend, Leslie. Tuesday was all cardio. Wednesday was kickboxing. Thursday was step class (great cardio!). Friday was a really hard weights/cardio class. And Saturdays: run up and down Euclid. It was sooooo good! I drank a little protein smoothie, did my gym thing, and then finished the smoothie with a fried egg white afterward. I was in control. And I did all this by 10:00am. After that, I could take on the world!
So now I am struggling to figure out how to fit in the gym, the smoothies, the energy, and most of all, the enthusiasm. Is is possible to work (sitting on my tush for three hours straight) and still stay slim? This is my dilemma. I'll let you know when I figure it out.

Those adorable grandbabies!

Here are the two little men that make me smile, no matter what. I read an awesome quote that said, "Grandchildren fill your soul, a part of you that you never knew was missing." That's it. Exactly.

There are those who thought she wouldn't do it, but we all know that once Camille makes up her mind to do something, she does it! So, on November 19, 2008, she entered the Provo MTC to train to become a missionary and serve the Lord for the next 18 months. It has been veeeeeeery quiet around here since then (sniff!), but we are all glad she is there.
Camille is the type of girl who makes things happen...I believe amazing things are going to happen in Concepcion, Chile!

My Treasures

I love this painting. It is such a great story, which goes something like this: Cornelia, who devoted herself to being the best mother she could and raised her two sons to become brave men, had a female visitor one day. This woman sat in Cornelia's home and showed off her beautiful, expensive jewels as she boasted of her wealth. When she asked Cornelia to show her what treasures she (Cornelia) owned, Cornelia pointed to her two sons and said, "These are my treasures."

I have been blessed with six priceless Treasures. What is the value of a long-distance phone call just to say "hi"? What price is there for watching a 14-year-old cry over the loss of a beloved pet? How much more than any symphony ticket would I pay just to hear a beginner practice whole-heartedly at the piano? Is there a more valuable lesson than one taught by your own offspring from the pulpit? What costs could I possibly put on watching a child grow and make changes even though it is incredibly hard? How could any sound be more rich and melodic than that of my own child's singing?

As the Mastercard commercial says, "there are somethings money can't buy." But being a Mother is beyond Priceless. It is God-like. In a world where basically everything is valued for profitability and net gains, there are those little commodities whose worth is more infinite, more meaningful and priceless than any wealth imaginable. We mothers know what they are.

P.S. Click  here if you would like to know more about this painting.