Halfway Point

So I had a totally lovely birthday on Friday. I celebrated with those closest to me, with a strawberry topped cake (one of the perks of being born in May, the height of strawberry season). I'm 35, and for the first time, it actually did hit me, how "old" I felt. I didn't dwell on that for very long, though, for reals, even if 35 means I'm halfway to 70! ;-)The day really was all smiles and I felt totally loved, which is what matters. In the end, there was only a very short, mini-cloudburst-type moment when I thought about how life at 35 is so different from what I had imagined 35 would be like a long time ago. I suspect that 35 (and beyond) hold some very exciting and good things for me. At least I hope so!

What else? Well...below are some key highlights of my life and thoughts:

-Relaxing a lot right now and enjoying my new status as an A.B.D. (i.e., "All But Dissertation"), having finished the classwork part of my studies forever.

-Another way to look at it is that I'm escaping reality for the next few weeks before I have to wake up again and face comprehensive exams and dissertation planning. I'm excited but also scared about these last couple of remaining hurdles that stand between me and that golden egg Ph.D.

-Started the summer garden at my parents' house by planting all sorts of things: tomatoes, herbs, peppers, squash, strawberries, lettuce, flowers, beans. Hopefully there's no more frost threat and I can plant the rest of the tomato plants out in the ground. 39 degrees in May? Are you kidding?

-Keeping my fingers crossed that my right foot arch/tendon/ankle injury plaguing me since last summer heals. Not only do I sorely miss going running and taking walks and being able to wear flip flops and strappy sandals w/o painful consequences.....I fear that they might possibly recommend surgery.

-Fashion Show is the red-headed step-child of Project Runway.

-Finally, an interesting link I'm "stealing" from one of my Facebook friends to share over here: When Women Hide Behind Their Children On Facebook. Take from it what you will, but I think that even outside of the base premise, it's a very well done article that expresses a lot of my frustrations/observations on the current "mommy generation" (i.e., many of my classmates and friends and colleagues and peers). Don't get me wrong, my friends' kids are adorable, my friends are great parents, and I love hearing stories, especially about the kids I don't get to see very often. Of course there are people who successfully have kids that are the center of their lives but still have more going on, and certainly not everyone our age who has kids, or who has their kid as their Facebook picture is like this, but there's an overall type of person and parenting described in this article that is very prevalent now and that disturbs me greatly. I definitely want children myself, but will I "hide" behind my baby's picture on my Facebook profile one day? I hope not. If you know me on FB, and I have a baby one day, and then post his/her picture completely in lieu of my own on my profile, feel free to call me out on this!