MY BIRTHDAY OVERHAUL

LAST friday was my birthday.


i am now closer to 40 than 30. which is fine by me. aside from the effects of gravity, aging doesn't much bother me. i figure why sweat it, you know? after all, it's inevitable. albeit, the toll that gravity has on my body occasionally gets to me but then i just remind myself that there are a bevy of iron clad undergarments on the market to combat that...and they are making advances in that technology everyday.

all kidding aside, i actually like getting older. the Wikipedia defines ageing as:

"aging is the accumulation of changes in an organism or object over time. Aging in humans refers to a multidimensional process of physical, psychological, and social change. Some dimensions of aging grow and expand over time, while others decline. Reaction time, for example, may slow with age, while knowledge of world events and wisdom may expand. Research shows that even late in life potential exists for physical, mental, and social growth and development."

i love that. i love to think of aging as an accumulation of changes that ADD dimension to a person...and that the older i get the more multi-dimensional i get. if you let it, aging can be a wonderfully refining and beautifying metamorphosis. some of the most beautiful people i know are well-developed in years!

obviously, aging isn't exactly a bed of roses either. i get that...after all, i've spent the past 3 years trapped in a body that feels old. really, really old. i'm not big on that. i often joke about the possiblity that i might finally get well...in time to retire and acquire all the aches and pains that go with it. in all honesty, sometimes i worry that i could spend my whole life feeling old.

yes, sure would be nice to actually FEEL my chronological age this side of retirement.

alright, stop with the aging requiem already.

my big outing for my birthday was a visit to the doctor. other than that, i was home on the couch. would have liked it to be different however this is my life right now.
naturally, i had some moments where i felt really sad and alone because of that but for the most part i was able to accept it and make the best of it.

i was happy that we could be together as a family...
and they all made a considerable effort to make my day special...

graham reminded me that i am still way younger than him...and added that i am still younger than many of the trees in the forest.
taylor had the audacity to snicker at that.
i put taylor in his place by gleefully reminding him that a couple weeks back, he got asked if i was his sister.
(i also reminded him that it would be wise for him to be nice to me as it is not completely out of the realm of possibilities that one day we may be in the same nursing home together. after all, the age difference between us is not astronomical. ha!)
however, even though he made fun of me, i am just grateful that taylor spent the entire day at home with me. i recognize that that is a big sacrifice when you are sixteen.
parker, bless his heart, massaged my aching hands and feet whenever i asked him to. he gives the best hand/foot rubs ever.
avery, our resident, self-professed "What NOT to wear" fashionista was adamant about giving me a make-over for my birthday.
Avery is 6.
with no prior make-up experience.
and has limited points of reference, given that i rarely have the energy or inclination to bother with make-up anymore.

i figured this makeover had the potential to have an incredibly hilarious end result.

avery took the task at hand with complete seriousness.

before she got started she gave me a cursory, once over. then with a roll of her eyes, she raised her hand to her forehead and sighed,

"Boy, do i have my work cut out for me! this could take awhile."

apparently i don't just need a make-over, i need a complete over-haul.

ha! can you believe i agreed to posing for a BEFORE photo after hearing that!

"BEFORE"

we're both thinking, "What have i gotten myself into?"

anyhow, much to all our amazement, she actually did an incredible job.

obviously, one should never estimate the magical powers of a fashionista - no matter what their age!

"AFTER"

PURPLE PRINCESS POWER

my birthday overhaul also included a manicure:

worlds longest overhaul - is Parker asleep or passed out?

so apparently because my makeover was such a challenging task, (which i was told at frequent intervals) it ended up taking FOREVER. by the time i was deemed successfully over-hauled, it was dinner time.

of course, because of my fairly rigid dietary restricitions, i couldn't actually really eat anything
however
i am just grateful that i could even SIT at the dinner table with my family...recently, i haven't had the strength or stamina to do that very often.
and
we made my pre-digested dinner as special as possible...

pre-digested "pre-dinner cocktail" and "4 course dinner"

"my birthday cake"




"The overhauled purple princess bids a fond farewell to her early 30s."



"Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are be renewed day by day " 2 Cor 4:16