Another year wiser.

So, yeah, today I turned 37 years old. As I was pondering my age, it occurred to me that it's not so much getting old that bothers me, it's that my options are slowly diminishing. When you're young and have your whole life ahead of you, the possibilities are endless. I've come to terms with the fact that I'm never going to be a Victoria's Secret model or President of the United States (Although I probably have a better chance at the latter), but I am struggling with the fact that my reproductive years are coming to a end. While Mark and I have not firmly decided whether or not we are going to grow our family, I wish the opportunity could continue to be available to us.

But enough of that pensive crap. I had a really good birthday. I took the day off from work, not because it was my birthday, but because today was Lauren's 4th year checkup. Like last year, she did very well, giving the nurse a high five and bonding with Dr. Butler over their mutual love for Banana Nut Cheerios, but we couldn't quite convince her to cover one eye for the eye exam. And also like last year, she was in the 60th percentile for height and weight and didn't get any shots. Next year will not be so pleasant, as she will get three.



After Lauren's appointment, we went to our local Japanese steakhouse, Miyako. Miyako is my favorite restaurant, and I couldn't wait to take Lauren there. The chefs cook at your table and perform all kinds of wacky tricks with fire and shrimp tails.



When she saw what the chefs were doing at other tables, she kept exclaiming, "It's gonna be exciting!" However, when it came time for the big display of fire at our table, she was a little apprehensive and covered her ears(!) as a defensive mechanism. I was really proud of her because she willingly ate a whole plate of vegetable fried rice.

I also received lots nice gifts and well wishes. Mark gave me a half dozen macarons, EA Sports Active, Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook, and a shirt. You may think that the book is an odd gift, but I actually wanted it very much. Growing up, I was an only child to a stay-at-home mom, so I didn't have to do a whole lot in the way of housework until I left home. I learned as I went along, but I always thought that there must be better ways to maintain a home. At over 700 pages, this book tells you how to do *everything* from how to really get whites white to how to choose a vacuum cleaner. It would make a wonderful graduation or bridal shower gift. I love it!

Yesterday, I received a Macy's gift card from my parents and two cute tops from my in-laws. Then today, I received a surprise package from my cousin, Noreen:



The whole gift was cherry themed: Sour Cherry preserves, Cherry and Peach salsa, a cherry dish towel, and *the* most adorable cherry magnet (No photo, as I'm planning something special with it!). Did you notice that even the tissue paper has cherries on it - how cool is that?! Thank you so much Noreen! You continue to floor me with your thoughtfulness.

Speaking of long distance friends, I also received a birthday card from our good friend Dolores. Thank you for thinking of me today, Dolores! I'm so sorry we missed your call!



As tradition (Okay, I think it's two years running), here's of photo of me today. Wonky eye represent!