Birthday 40

I am a very blessed girl to have such amazing friends who put so much effort into surprising me for my 40th birthday. :)

It's going to take a ladder and a lot of effort to get all that down before the next Fire Marshall visit.....

I went back over my now 10+ year-old blog and deleted a lot of posts - particularly very old ones that had pictures or links that didn't work anymore.  It was interesting to look over them again - I relate less to the "self" who posted 5+ years ago than more recently.  I write a lot less now here - just don't feel a need to "share" as much - but post a lot more photos - the blog is in many respects now serving as a hiking/birding photo journal.  Back when blogs were new, they were social, but FB etc. largely took over that role.  Looking at some of my old "birthday" posts, I think I'm in a good place at 40 -  happier in many ways than I was at 30 or 35.  Thankful to God for blessings and hoping for continuance of the same.

Painting with a Twist Birthday party - Tonya, Bill, Angela and Matt, Sam, me, mom, Albert, Mark, Stacy, Beth, Irma, Andrea, Laura, Rose