Happy Birthday to me!

So if you're reading this, you know I just had a birthday this weekend. Yep, I'm not sure how it happened, but suddenly I'm 39. That used to seem so old. Now I'm trying to peddle the term "experienced"...anyone buying it?

Greg's gift to me was some alone time (my request) and I used it to work on a mural that I've had stenciled on our living room wall for at least six months now, but had never taken the time to paint. It still needs some touching up and there are two birds that need to be painted on the branches so hopefully I'll finish it later this week (and not another six months from now!)

Besides this mural, we also have a picture of a tree hanging above our fireplace. I have always been drawn to trees and their symbolism (growth, life, seasons of change, etc.) which is partly where the inspiration for the name of this blog originated.

The kids' gift to me was a trip to the Zoo. While the LA Zoo doesn't have any pandas on exhibit, they were very well represented in the gift shops. Seeing them made me think of our girl Nastya. Her bio said she likes them, but has she ever had the opportunity to see one in person before? Until I hear from her otherwise, I have to assume that the answer is "no".

One of the things we are hoping to be able to do for her while she is here is to take her on a trip to the San Diego Zoo so she can see the pandas (if any of you see any good discount offers in the next couple of months can you please let me know?). Can you imagine how exciting that will be for her? I can't wait!

Thanks to everyone again for your birthday wishes, hugs to my family, and special thanks to Heather, Nicole and Rachael for sharing time with me on Saturday night...it was the perfect low-key birthday evening!