So, I turned 40 today. I think there has been a little trepidation of the big 4-0 for the past few weeks. I really liked being “thirty something.” Forty…40! It just seemed kind of…well, old.

But then I had a lovely “last night of being in my thirties,”  and I woke up to affirmations from my sweet husband that he “kinda liked having a 40-year old wife in bed next to him” and I realized that I didn’t really feel any different today than I did last week, or even last year.

So we started on with our day and went to get coffee and bagels. As I sat with our friend Mike, who we like to call our “California Dad/Grandpa,” I realized that I think we look forward to Saturdays with Mike and Zee as much as they do, and we are so incredibly lucky to start each Saturday out with them.

We went to pick up the girls who were staying with Aunt JB & Uncle Jeff while we went to the Coldplay (awesome!) concert on Friday night. And I thanked the luck of the universe that we have them to jump in when we need a little extra support, that they could offer the possibility of a sleep-in (even though we were both up before 8am!), and then they presented me with their most excellent “tower of 40” gifts. (And pretty, pretty flowers too!)

I now have gift cards to spend at each of my favorite stores and awesome little gifts from each as well.

J. and the girls gave me their sweet cards and presents. And even though we were “doing the kitchen” as my birthday present, a few little gifts slipped in – including a little blue box. I didn’t…couldn’t…complain too much. 😉

I was overcome with love just watching the girls in their pure excitement for me to unwrap “their present now!”  How grateful I am for all three of them. And how lucky I am to be so loved by them.

I have been facebooking about the 40 card project that my friend Jamie (in cahoots with J and my parents) had masterminded and executed with such care and love. Today I received many more cards and I continue to be in awe at the friends and family who took time to send me such great memories and love.

I’m up to 23 cards in…including some serious ones that qualify as works of art – not even in the same category as other cards! My mom and dad’s is like a mini-scrapbook! I’m so thankfuI to them since I know how long something like this takes to complete.

We arrived home after lunch and a movie to an entire basket of 40 different chocolates and more love from a dear friend.

Just when I think the day is complete perfection, J. whisks me off to a friend’s home where an entire intimate dinner party is waiting for me. My favorite people and an entire night of perfect fun.

We started and ended with a cake of some sort. The “cheese (birthday) cake.”

Every detail beautifully tended to.

Great food.

40…yes, FORTY little thoughtful gifts.

All my favorite kids joining us for the most amazing dessert…it has moved to top of my all-time list.

The evening ended with a launching of my very own “wish” lantern. Just like the lanterns in Rapunzel.

My one short day of being 40 has taught me…that I really like being 40. Really. It has taken me 40 years, but I finally feel like we are right where we are supposed to be. Here with my family, surrounded by loved ones, in our beautiful little community of friends. I have arrived, my friends, and while it has been quite a ride, I’m so happy to finally be here.

Thanks to the beautiful sunny weather sprinkled with some rainy days, Addie’s and my garden is booming. Our tomatoes are just hanging out waiting to ripen. Makes me happy this lovely Sunday morning.

Em was thrilled to get to ring not only chimes but BELLS as well this past Easter Sunday.  I absolutely love to watch her sing, play, and just thoroughly enjoy music so much. As I might have mentioned a time (or twenty) before, the musical genes skipped RIGHT over me. So I’m thankful they came out in her, and grateful her very musical Daddy can help cultivate her mad musical skills. Meanwhile, I’ll just sit back and enjoy the shows.

Jesus Christ Is Risen Today:

Chimes: (I missed half of this because I was trying to get my offering out of my purse…and couldn’t find my purse…and well, just completely unprepared!)

And the last song: (and a wink and near miss from Em – but nice recovery 😉

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a “Love,” and usually it is Friday Love, but I’m feeling particularly amorous today. So here is what I’m lovin’ this fine Wednesday.

Rainy Days. Mondays might get me down, but rainy days NEVER do. I think it is one of my favorite ways to wake up. After the initial panic of thinking there is running water somewhere in the house, and once I realize it is rain, RAIN(!) on our Spanish-tiled roof, then I snuggle down under the covers to listen to it for just a few more minutes and it always makes me smile. Even better is when I wake up early and realize it is raining AND I still have a few hours left to sleep, and then I can fall back to sleep listening to the rain.

It is still so bizarre to hear native Californians complain about the weather. “One day it is 80, the next day it is 60 degrees and SO cold! And then it rains!” Grumble, grumble, grumble.

Um, yes. That is kinda the best weather you are going to find anywhere…should not be spending time fretting over it. But I guess people have to have something to talk/complain about. Anyhow, I enjoy the break, and we always really need the rain.

Gardens Planted. Addie and I worked all Easter afternoon on the gardens. I’ll have to catch some photos of it to show you our handiwork. We have a very good start and now the plants are all enjoying our rainy day, too!

New Wipers. Okay, this might be a little bit odd, but bear with me. I just ran out to take the recycling in and I sort of absent-mindedly flicked on my windshield wipers as it started to rain. You cannot imagine my immense joy at wipers that actually work – and work well! “Aaaaaahhhh!” I think I actually heard angels sing as a golden beam shone through my windshield!  I have had my Volvo for 5-years – in fact as a “yeah! we paid you off” gift to the car, I took it in last week for the 30K mile checkup. I was very good in the beginning about taking it to the dealer for oil changes (um, they were free in the beginning!) but when I had to start paying for them, I quickly found cheaper alternatives.

Apparently Volvo has really weird wipers that are expensive – and need a special “Volvo tool” to put on. Over the years, I’ve “tried changing them myself” several times to no avail and at every oil change I ask them to try, but nobody has been able to do it for me.  You can imagine how crummy my wipers were starting to be after 5-years of baking in the California sun. When it DID rain, I would just not use them because the wipers were making it worse! So last week, ‘lo and behold, when I took it to a Volvo service center they were finally able to switch them out. They were expensive, but with no car payment now and the happiness I felt this morning….it was oh, so worth it!

Fruits & Vegs. Every other Wednesday we get a CSA box from a local farm with fresh, organic fruits and vegetables. Each time I open the box it feels a little like opening a special surprise gift. You never know what you are going to get, but we are always hoping for the carrots! We got some in today’s box and I so LOVE me some of these carrots. I am normally not a huge carrot fan, but these? I call them “carrot candy” they are so sweet and delicious – you almost forget you are eating something that is good for you. Maybe it is because we are used to eating the little baby carrots that are packaged up and not nearly as fresh, or maybe they sprinkle a little crack on these ones – I am not sure, but at any rate they are fantastic and a definite reason to love farm box Wednesdays.

Good Doctors. Everything has checked out a-ok with our little Addikins. I am grateful that we have a great doctor that jumped on the ship the minute she saw us last week. Addie had four, back-to-back, major nosebleeds within twelve hours last Tuesday. Accompanied by headaches (which really freaked me out) and an upset tummy (hers, not mine although mine was in knots a little bit, too.) and lots and lots of blood. Our doctor rushed us into a pediatric ENT who quickly cauterized her right nostril. He was awesome and she such a trooper. And Mommy did ok through all of it, too.

Our doctor then ordered blood work as well to make sure that there was nothing else lying underneath the nosebleeds. Ugh. That was not nearly as smooth a visit. And Mommy did not do nearly as ok on that one either. Let me tell you, it is torture to have to hold your practically bucking child (who is seriously strong) down and listen to her cry, “Please Mama, don’t let them do it.” She was crying, I was crying. It was a little bit of a mess. But blood work came back fine and (knock on wood) we haven’t had any more nosebleeds either! Love to Dr. P. for making us go through (what seemed at the time) endless appointments and tests so we all have some peace of mind and less blood in our life.

Coffee. Oh, come on! You don’t really know me at all if you think I would not include my elixir of choice here! Coffee on a rainy day is the ultimate treat. Ok, coffee on any day is a perfect treat. This here coffee will give me the quick energy I need to go tackle that playroom that I’ve been putting off for weeks now.

Happy Wednesday!