mom's milestone birthday

Today is my mom's birthday
and I will add
It is a BIG one
Not the big ONE--cuz if she was only ONE i would not be here.
But this is a birthday that is a marker in the measuring stick of life...
one that is normally viewed as...
do i dare say
{{{{ShUdDeR}}}
OLD???
I know my mom is, lets say "taken back" by the fact that she has hit this milestone in her life. But the reality of it is, she has kids that are on the back side of their forties (not me though) and she has grand kids that are in their twenties--and unfortunately for her we waited until the year she turned 50 to give her those grand kids...

(this picture was from her birthday three years ago-- mom looks pretty much the same, but my how the kids have changed)

I don't think of my mom as OLD
--maybe just OLDER--
but then again she has always been OLDER than me--
that is sorta how it works when you are the kid.

Actually I think of my mom in her forties
I guess that is really how i remember her best,

since that was the age she was in when i was growing up--
but now i am in my forties--
I am the mom--
actually I have become my MOM--

well not as totally awesome as she is
but I am trying...
but this post is NOT about ME.
It is about my MOM
And MILESTONES.

So what can I say about 70?
Yes mom is turning 70--
I hope she is NOT offended by the fact that i am posting this for the blog world to see....
--because the truth of the matter is--
she DEFIES the stereotype of what 70 is supposed to be,

or at least what i think 70 should be
She is amazing.
At 70 she still gets up (well actually most people get up, unless the are dead)
but she goes out and tries to instill some of her wealth of knowledge on the youth of today. And some of the youth of today think they know it all (they will soon learn they don't)--and i love the fact that she battles with them--It would be so easy to just give up--but what she has to offer will change their lives if they let it. I love that she is still excited about what she is teaching, and is constantly finding new ways to inspire and educate. Dare i say that most people her age are DONE with that part of their lives. Most are content to reminisce about the things of the past and gripe about the youth of today--but there is my mom on her 70Th birthday

--at work--

making a difference.

I will also go on the record as saying
for a 70 year old
she looks pretty darn good!
Many of my friends can hardly believe she is 70!?!?
She is also pretty spry for a 70 year old

(i think you have to use the word spry when you are talking about a 70 year old)

but perhaps i could use the words

Agile, Alert,Energetic,Full of Pep,Nimble,

On the Go,Quick,Spirited...

Any of the above words would fit...
Just last summer we hiked Multnomah Falls in Oregon--
(on the spur of the moment)

It was a blast.
She scurried up the mountain--
dragging my sad butt along.
I would almost say i was slug like,
but after seeing this slug
and seeing how ugly and truly slow it moved, i decided i did not want to be compared to a slug...

When i would get tired I would pause and take pictures along the way

It is amazing how you can use a camera to catch your breath...

or use your camera to take your breath away

We had a great time--
a beautiful day spent together
and in true teenage fashion we paused to take aim with my camera--
Pointing it up in the air and squeezing together
we were hoping for a shot with us and the falls in it
What we got was this....

Meet our new friend.
We call him random man.
It made for a great laugh.

I love my mom--
she continually amazes me.
She is a wealth of knowledge.
She is my greatest cheerleader--
She is ALWAYS there when i need her
or when my kids need her.
I know that the calender says 70...
but i say
THINGS ONLY GET BETTER WITH AGE!!!
Love you mom

i am getting too old for this

It has happened.
Somewhere along the line i have gotten old--
not OLDER....just OLD.

I remember those days when the party was just starting at 9pm
and staying up after midnight was no big deal--
but those days are gone--
LONG GONE i say!
Somewhere along the way 9pm became my wind down time
(FYI i had to look up the word wind down because i thought it was spelled wrong--after all that is also wind--as in it will blow you away--but yep it is spelled right)
and midnight was something i only saw when i was forced to work late.

The kid in me who refuses to get old thought i could pull a late nighter--
it didn't matter that i was waking up at 5am--
I thought i could stay up late when i wanted to--
so with that thought i was off to the movies with my oldest daughter and son
at MIDNIGHT.
Tonight found us waiting in line for the debut of Ironman 2

On different occasions we have been those die hard people who are off to see the new release of a movie at midnight--me a person who doesn't care for crowds or waiting in line has been one of those people that can't wait 12 more hours to see the movie at a reasonable hour. One thing that seeing a movie at midnight has going for it is that it is an EXPERIENCE. If you are a people watcher (which i am) it is like winning the lottery of wierdness. Only in the dark of night do some of these people venture out--only because they are too strange fit into normal society--fantasy movies really bring them out in all costumed garb--this movie however did not have much by way of wierdo's--atleast none that i saw (what a disappointment)

Bottom line--i was awake until the movie started--once the previews were over and the lights really went down...so did my eyes. People ask me how it was--and i honestly repond.."the parts i saw were good"--the only thing that kept me awake toward the end was all the soda i had drank earlier--my poor bladder was so full--but i refused to leave the movie and go to the bathroom--I mean i didn't want to miss it??? Actually i figured if i was uncomfortable enough it would have to keep me awake--and it did.


I came home thinking i would crash until i had to get up in 3 hours--NOPE--i slept like crap. I was so worried that i was going to oversleep for work that i kept waking up--until it was finally time to really get up--dragging myself all the way. Was it worth it--Probably not--but somewher along the way i still want to hang out with my kids--and sometimes they ask you to be there friend at odd times of the night
--and i will continue to do it--
nextime,
just let me take a nap first