birthday – Peaceful Reader

Groovy Girl turned 13 over the weekend. We celebrated in style and had fun on Friday afternoon with a camping-themed sleepover.

We put up our Coleman tent, ordered pizzas, set out pink lemonade, and most importantly cleaned up after the dogs all over the backyard. Fun stuff.

{Camp site}

Four girls arrived sleeping bags and pillows in hand. Groovy Girl and I had mapped out a tentative schedule and she requested that we basically stay away. Funny.

So I ordered and retrieved the pizza from our favorite $5 pizza joint down the hill. I took three pizzas to the backyard for the girls and took one inside for the adults (me and two friends). And then really they didn’t ever need me again. At one point they used some manly help from dad to set up a projector but beyond that we had our own little happy birthday celebration inside.

After all the birthday parties we’ve hosted for that girl over the years it is funny to be asked to step aside. I get it though; she wants to be able to relax with her friends and talk about stuff. And the stuff they talk about is going to get deeper. I’m cool with it as long as she continues to talk to me about the big stuff.

They slept all the way through the night in the tent, fairly cuddled together to keep warm. We had cinnamon rolls and watermelon for breakfast. As I wandered into the backyard in the morning before they know I was there I overheard them talking about hashtags-what was that hashtag we made up last night? These are mine: #successfulbirthday #13yearsold and #biglove

My birthday is way past (still in the same month at least!) and I wanted to (share) brag about two fantastic gifts I received.

My husband and Groovy Girl gave me a NutriBullet because I’d been pricing them myself. I’ve had a Juiceman juicer for years and years but lost interest because it was a mess to clean up and all the fiber ended up in bucket. The juice was good but not enough to keep me interested and so it was collecting dust. I recently gave it away in a flurry of cleansing. Oh it felt so good. The NutriBullet is the answer to the lost fiber and I love it. I’m trying to take off the 10 lbs I’ve added to my small frame over the last few menopausal years and juicing jump starts my morning. I’ve followed a few recipes but mainly just throw a few slices of fruit, leafy greens, nuts, Chia seeds, and a dollop of yogurt or water. Yum. It’s not always pretty but they taste great.

The second cool gift I received is a FitBit Flex from my amazing in-laws. I love them and they always get me something wonderful. I didn’t know much about FitBits before but I’m addicted now. I love logging my food, water, and workouts. I like the sleep part also but can’t get that to always work. I am freaking amazed at how many steps I take in one day plus it makes me walk more than I normally would just by sitting on my wrist. It is the extra thing that pushes me onward. Thank you Phyllis and Allen!

I did get many other amazing gift – these two are just the ones that are helping me health-wise. Oh and the sound recording of my friend Barb’s yoga guru who is both meditative and thrilling. My mom got me a colorful bag and a lovely scarf that I wear a lot and my friend Verda sent me Flair pens to start off my school year right.

I’m blessed ten times over and am personally thrilled every time I have a new birthday. As my stepfather says “it’s better than the alternative.”

Tag: birthday

#birthdaylove

Birthday gifts that keep on giving!