the best of times

Stu has kindly been telling people I'm celebrating my "20 x 2" birthday. It's sweet, and just hearing the "She's twenty..." part lightens me; I tune out the rest.

But the fact is I have lived through four decades and they have been fantastic. Here are some personal highlights:

Decade the First:

• Going to Disneyland with my grandparents when I turned 5
• Loving kindergarten wholeheartedly, even though it was where I learned left-handers are a minority (only one pair of the green rubber-gripped scissors in the room; bumping into classmates's arms when we drew letters in the air)
• Gaining a superb dad
• My sister entering the world

Decade Two:

• Playing clarinet in an award-winning junior high band (Shut up, I was still cool)
• Going to 3 World Fairs - Spokane, Knoxville, Vancouver B.C.
• Acquiring a Canadian boyfriend
• Wild [for me] times at Washington State University
• Seeing Roy Orbison and INXS in concert
• Meeting my man

Decade the Third:

• First grey hairs appear; coloring frenzy begins
• Graduating WSU, despite wild times
• Marrying my man
• Teaching at a middle school & a group home for adjudicated youth
• Three whirlwind days in London
• Seeing Harry Connick Jr. in concert [TWICE!]
• Giving birth to this brilliant kid

Decade Four:

• Giving birth to this brilliant kid
• Earning my Masters degree in Education
• Going to Disneyland with my family & friends
• Teaching in my own classroom again
• Visiting Singapore, Malaysia, & Shanghai and London, Paris, & Amsterdam (just under the wire!)

Life is good.