My Big Fiftieth Birthday!

(Just a little photo note: I like a great big camera - I don't like carrying around a great big camera, but still - so these are phone pictures... just saying)

Yes, on January 5th I turned 50 years old! It really was such a weird feeling. Of course I knew it was coming and I knew it was a Big Deal... I mean 50 for crying out loud! And of course I didn't want a big deal. So Scott listened to all of my ideas and made it happen. 

I turned 50 on a school day. My day started out with my team coming in my classroom with gifts. Why oh Why didn't I take any pictures?! Gosh darn, I wish I did. My team is the absolute best to work with: Amy and Brian! Amy had found a way to contact Scott and asked what they could do as a treat for me. Usually we pick up a donut or something yummy for the birthday person... but I hard to do that for since I don't eat sugar, coffee, caffeine, bagels. Boring, I know! So Scott directed them to fruit and scones from Whole Foods. The very best gift from them was a gift certificate to cover one of my recess duties! And yup, I used it that very day. (A recess duty in January is really cold!) 

And then my name was announced on the morning announcements. So now the whole school knew - all of the teachers, all of the students. There as no escaping all of the attention now!!! (To be honest, I could care less about my age or turning 50 at all - I just hate all of the attention) My class was adorable and so excited. 

My parents sent me flowers - so so pretty. And I asked a fifth grader I had last year to take a picture of me with my class (and flowers) Pretty goofy, but I still love it. 

We decided to celebrate on the weekend with a special dinner. We went here. It was delicious! And I love the intimate setting. It's such a cozy restaurant with the most amazing Italian food ever. Scott had set up everything with the restaurant ahead of time - cake and all. It really was magical. 

And there were some pretty sentimental, extraordinary gifts. This ring I blogged about way back here 7 years ago was redone and it means the world to me! 

We are going to visit my hero, the home Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote her Little House on the Prairie stories. I always said to Scott, "someday will you take me to her home"? I always thought we would be retired and it would be trip we would have to do without our girls but I am so glad it's now! 

Post on her back here

I am so grateful such a happy day with memories forever.