This year just might be a bit better than the last...

Last night - birthday dessert!

Yesterday was the day. My actual birthday. What birthday month, birthday week, and birthday weekend had been leading up to. And we had no big plans. Church, maybe meatloaf (my favorite birthday meal growing up). We had to do a favor for an older neighbor in the afternoon so we had to stick close to home for a while. All fine, birthday celebration was almost over anyway...

Mom made me a birthday dishrag!

Of course it's Doris' cake!

But it wasn't. Last night I had one of those truly special evenings. It gets harder and harder to be excited about birthdays as we grow older. For one, we're growing older. For two, we have to fit it into every day life which is busy and tedious and full. For three, no one cares nearly as much about your birthday as you do (though I have some amazing family and friends who come close!). So this October Angela and I had been celebrating but just really by doing normal things and saying, "Birthday Month!" before and after. It's fine. It's good. It's life when you're about to turn 38.

Jamee is cheering me on!

But Saturday night I spent time talking to Angela and Andrew, eating cake, eating pie and playing cards. But mostly talking. And I've found that in reality, just spending time with people is the most important part of growing older. Whether it's new people or people we've known for ever, when people take time out of their own crazy worlds to focus on you and your stories, that's something to cherish, to celebrate. And it's oh so lovely. Oh so special.

Love from MI & Kerri, Rich & the boys!

Mom wants to make sure I'm stylin'!

New standup desk from Mom & Dad

From Mom & Dad!

And then Sunday came around. Lots of Facebook messages and texts and a Facetime with Mom and Dad to open such fun presents and then one offer to spend time with someone came in. My lovely friend Krista said if we had time, she'd love to have Angela and I come over and go swimming with her. I hemmed and hawed. It was overcast (yet still in the 80s). It wasn't what I was planning to do. It required a drive downtown. And then I stopped in my tracks. And I said YES.

Susie & Angela spoiled me!

One of the activities I love to do most in this world is swim. I love to be in the water. I love to float and kick and sit in it. I just love being in it. And someone had offered me a chance to do that yesterday, on my birthday. While also spending time with two of my favorite people. Of course I should say yes. And so I did.

Angela and I drove downtown and met Krista and we swam. We talked and we laughed and we floated and we swam. Then we sat for a long time in the cooling night air, with just the hint of fall in the air and the leaves, in the giant hot tub and shared our stories. And then Krista asked if we wanted to walk to this really good Mexican restaurant for dinner.

A handful of thoughts ran through my brain. It's Sunday night, Angela has to get up early tomorrow, we have dinner in the fridge at home, I shouldn't eat out after having splurged so much already this weekend, etcetera etcetera. And then I said YES.

Swim time!

We all showered at her place, put back on our bathing suits, and walked, damply, half a mile through the downtown night. We found the Border Grill, tucked away near a dark office building and I smiled as we were seated on the patio with it's paper lanterns strung above our tables and it's jazzy music and it's perfect temperature.

Card from Cedric & the gang!

And we ate. And we drank. And we laughed. And we talked about everything you could imagine. And Krista sang to me as the waiter brought over a little bowl of churro bites with a candle melted to the side.

Card from Cedric & the gang!

And then Krista said, wait, let's not go home just yet, I want to show you something. And off we went, three girls all dressed in damp skirts to this huge hotel right in the middle of LA. The Westin. We walked in and Krista led us to the glass elevator. We went straight up and Angela and I gasped at the beauty of Los Angeles at night all around us. And then we found another glass elevator on the other side of the building and did it again. And again. And again. We watched the skyline and the lights and talked about how Los Angeles doesn't look like this during the day, or really ever. Because well frankly, last night was one of those special nights where everything looks perfectly magical.

And as we walked back through the dark streets of downtown Los Angeles, three girls on an adventure, I couldn't help but think that this year just might be a bit better than the last...