On Turning 44

On June 6, I turned the glorious age of 44.  I decided to preface this post with 11 things I've come to realize at this milestone age (At first I had a list of 10, but then I added one more for good measure ☺) :

I've realized:

1. I will snore lightly when tired.

2. Drawing is within my reach.

3. Reading the fine print no longer feels fine.

4. I still have an unyielding desire to play hopscotch.

5. It took 44 years to find a doll that looks like me.

6. That a quick way to build my self esteem is to stop needing approval.

7. That when I approach EVERY moment like it counts, happiness and satisfaction are natural by-products

8. Feelings of nostalgia have become more prominent.

9. A part of me dies when I am unable to be creative.

10. Experience breeds wisdom, but is hollow without application.

11. 44 is a master number.

On my birthday weekend, I was spoiled rotten with VIP treatment and the most perfect gifts. I ate with abandon, as Laura treated me to all of my favorite foods, including veggie wraps and a huge, gourmet dark, chocolate turtle sold at this quaint chocolate shop, where Laura and the salesperson had much to share in the way of her travels to his home country. This was the shop we found my (to us, infamous) "Lita doll" that Laura insisted on getting me!

She and I went to Marco Island with no preconceived ideas of what we'd do or see. The beaches and the sea welcomed us as honored guests, sharing their respective hospitalities of bay, seaweed, breezy winds, sand and surf. We also got the privilege of interacting with its inhabitants, including the fiddler crabs and sea snails.

As we first approached one of the trails called Tigertail, we got to witness the fleeting interaction of 2 osprey as one tried to steal a catfish from the other. It was at that point our cameras really started clicking away.

I've posted a couple of pics from that day of which I'll post more, once I have time to process them. One is of the bay, which comprised of 6 shots I stitched together. The other is of Laura doing what she does best: bringing joy to all who surround her with her exuberance:

As has become customary, we ultimately found ourselves at Barnes & Noble. It was there we came across a book that inspired a new enterprise consisting of 58 assignments that explains how to be an explorer of the world, which is exactly what the book is entitled. We will each post our assignment results in our respective blogs. Mine will go into a blog I created solely for that purpose where "Lita doll" was put in the header, lol.  It's found here.

Sunday morning, I was greeted by the most creative birthday message ever when I opened my Flickr account and saw this:

Later, when he came to see me, I was expecting to see nothing but his cheery face. I was greeted with not only his cheery face, but also with an armful of beautifully and creatively wrapped gifts, all streaming with my favorite color, which was so unnecessary, after his most treasured message in a bottle, and considering I already received gifts a week earlier!

Throughout the weekend, I also received birthday wishes telephonically and via text, as well as monetary gifts from loved ones. Although birthdays have lost it's allure for me after turning 21, it's still a great excuse to be treated as a queen for the day, lol

Unfortunately time has run short, and I must now take leave to prepare for Monday morning ... My next entry will include prose about this past Creative Saturday. Until then .... Adios! ☺