Mid Forties - who me ???

Can that be ? Really ??? 44. Amazing.

Any regrets so far ? Hell no. Each mistake came with a valuable lesson. Some of those lessons sucked, but in general, I'm thankful for them. Each missed opportunity led me through a better door.

Do I wish that when I was 25 or 30 or 35 I knew what I know now ? You bet. I'd be freakin' fantastic !

I'm thankful for my wrinkles. They represent good times in tropical places with amazing people. They represent lots of laughs with the very best family a girl could ask for, and sleepless nights wondering if I was a good parent / wife / friend / daughter / sister

I love having friends that even if I don't call them every week, still know I love them and am so very blessed to have them in my life. I don't have to tell them ... it's just reality.

I'm thankful that I don't wear makeup ('cept mascara !), I'm thankful that I have thick hair, and I'm thankful I don't have to hold a menu 4 feet away to read it :) I love that I still can have Slurpees, but now I know I gotta work for those treats.

I live every day by the words of a dear friend - "someone, some where always looks worse in a bikini than you do" (thanks RC, if only you knew how much those words mean !)

I wish when I was younger I was more fearless than fearful. I hope someday that chicks, no matter what their age or shape or size or ability, will think, and then know, that they can do fantastic feats, like a 5k, or walking into a gym for the first time, or learning how to cook a healthy meal.

I love my enthusiasm and my 'i can do it' attitude - although it drives 99.9 percent of people nutty. I love my impatience and my 'lets go now' thought process. Have I learned (with ,... age) that sometimes those attributes can also be detrimental ? yes...

Do I listen to my words of wisdom ? Sometimes...

Do I try to embrace all the good around me ? You bet

Mostly, after 44 years, I'm thrilled to have the people around me, friends I've had for 30 plus years and friends I've had just a few years, a husband who's stuck around for 17 years and a son who has made every single day worth living for the last 22 years.

Pretty much, you guys ROCK.

xoxoxoxo