40th Birthday Weekend

Several weeks ago, I started freaking out about my upcoming 40th birthday. Sometime in early February, I began to realize that I was doing things for the last time in my 30s, and I got a little spooked.  What if I hadn't done enough in my 30s, what was I missing out on, what if I looked back and had too many should have/could haves?  The questions didn't consume my thoughts, but did make me realize all the amazing things I did do in my 30s.  Writing the 30 Best Moves in My 30s blog was very therapeutic and I've returned to it almost daily the past few weeks. It serves as a reminder that if I did all this without a to-do list in mind, imagine what my 40s will be with some added effort or even an official "50 things to do before you're 50" list. I actually went from freak out to I'm ready!

The celebration started early when my parent's present arrived on Wednesday.  I had no idea it was coming and was shocked to find 40 individually wrapped presents, a couple cards, and a note with instructions to wait until Saturday to open.  I took a poll on FB whether I should open all at once or spread out and it was unanimous to rip them all open at once.  I wasn't sure, but had a few days to decide.

40 Gifts for My 40th
40-4-40

On Thursday and Friday we received more cards and packages in the mail.  I also got sneaky and had Christian help me pick out a present for Terry that he wouldn't expect.  We had actually already bought birthday presents for each other and used the "it's for our birthday" excuse a few times in the last month as justification.  The Mountain Bike being the big one, but we also made plans for the Tour of California in May as our birthday vacation.  I'll admit, I was being selfish about 40 and ignoring the fact Terry was also having a birthday, so wanted to make sure he had at least 1 gift while I was busy with my 40.  Mind you, the note had given away the fact that the 40 may not be keepers.

Strict Instructions

Since my parents were making me wait until Saturday to open their presents, I took things into my own hands on Friday and finalized our big vacation.  We are officially on our way to Italy for a couple weeks of cycling and watching the UCI Road World Championships!  It was a very memorable 40th birthday present and will be hard to top.

We had big plans for Birthday Saturday.  We woke up early to watch 3 Pro Cycling Races streaming live from Europe, then Terry got another round of antibiotics for his ear infection while I went to my hair appointment.  Melissa had been warned it was my birthday, so I got a special "do" for the day and enjoyed the pampering.  I took some time out between hair and skiing to open presents from friends and then all the red 40-4-40s.  There were only 6 and they were interesting, as I mentioned on FB. 40-4-40: Started with red packages - 1,2,7,17,18,19 - 2 fun bandage boxes, 3 Disney journals, 1 security envelope box.

We picked up Christian and Berkley and went skiing for a few hours.  There were a couple really good stories about parking and hiking and inconsiderate human beings, but best to be told in person. Nothing was going to dampen Birthday Saturday.  We had several inches of new snow and enjoyed ourselves.

Terry in the Aspens ... and some bushes as it's been a mild snow year

Home for a quick turnaround and another round of present opening.  This time I chose the purples.  I was opening them and reporting to Terry as he tried to rest up for dinner.  After a few, he caught on and made the connection that they were all 40 count.  I hadn't realized, but looked back at the reds and that was it!  I have to admit, I was pretty impressed with the creativity.  I couldn't wait to talk to my Mom and get the full story.

All the Reds and Purples opened, plus other presents and cards.
40-4-40 in 40 count

We headed back out for a snowshoe hike and dinner with Joe, Kelly, Christian, and Corrie.  Since we were doing both activities at Deer Valley, we dressed for snowshoeing and brought dress clothes and other accessories for dinner.  We hoped to hike the Mid-Mountain Trail but realized that wasn't going to work, so we hiked out the ski run and back.  It was very relaxing and fun to see the nighttime activity of groomers and horse drawn sleds.

The Girls

The Boys

We got back to the cars in the garage and decided to just change for dinner there.  We are all used to changing outside for sporting activities, so we weren't really concerned about the garage as it was deserted and we had the cars for shelter.  If only I had the security camera footage - especially when two SUVs pulled in and took their time finding a spot and then the 2 families walked right by not sure what to think of 6 half-naked adults.  We couldn't stop laughing, but finished changing then waited for Joe.  Again, I need the camera tape (I hope someone from DV is reading and can get it for us) - as we are waiting, Joe walks out from his side of the car in a tux!  All of us were dressed up, but a tuxedo! Our jaws dropped.  This night was just getting better and better.

Deer Valley Changing Room

Kelly and I had both brought party hats, plus Corrie had gifted me a "40 is fabulous" purse, so we geared up and headed to the restaurant. I don't think the patrons or staff at Royal Street Cafe knew what was coming.  We had an amazing dinner with lots of laughs and everything a birthday celebration should be.  We've all grown very close as a group this past year and I wouldn't have wanted to end my birthday any other way.  I hope we'll keep this a tradition, just like our annual biking trips.

Birthday Celebration with the Best of Friends

Birthday Couple

Home in time to open all the remaining 40-4-40 presents before my birthday was officially over.  Now that I knew the theme, it was fun to think of where and how they came up with some of the items.  I could go into deep explanation, but will let the final photos speak for themselves.

40-4-40 Gifts (left)

40-4-40 Gifts (middle)

40-4-40 Gifts (right)

We went to bed with full hearts, big smiles, and side-aches from laughing. We are blessed to have so many loved ones (near and far) in our lives.  We lost an hour due to daylight savings, but after a relaxing morning, returned to the slopes for more fun.

Another Ski Helmet Photo

Ski Helmets or Crazy Birthday Hats - just happy to celebrate together!

I also caught up with my parents and learned that they had come up with the idea and done really well on their first trip to the dollar store finding over 20 items in 40 Count.  Then the reality set in and the final 20 were a chore.  I wonder what they'll do for my brother's 40th next year, they better get planning.