Happy Birthday to me!

It's lucky Friday the 13th. In fact I was born on a Friday so any time my birthday falls on a Friday, I consider it a good omen for the year ahead of me! Hopefully I am right this year! 
I want to take this time to sincerely thank all of my followers. (If you are reading this and have not become a follower yet, please do so today!) Starting a Blog was something that I considered over my head, above my not-so-tech-savvy skills, and I have to admit it was on my bucket list of things to do before I die and I didn't think I would REALLY do it! But having completed this task has reminded me that the journey is accomplished with one step at a time. And slowly but surely that is how this Blog came to fruition.
Some of you who know me personally know that I recently completed my Masters in Counseling Psychology and have probably heard about the 7 day a week schedule I choose to do to complete it, so that I could work full time while going to grad school. It was something I have definitely promised I would never do to myself again! But with this experience, I have learned that if I can survive a schedule that has me booked 7 days a week....than I can do ANYTHING! 
And so, with turning 28 today. This is my $.02 of wisdom that I have to offer today, for what its worth: When you are scared or questioning your capabilities, remember the tough things that you have been through. Remember how even if they were hard, even if you fell apart, even if you were at your worst...you made it through! And so my theme for 28, will be to remind myself of what I have become, what I have overcome and what I have achieved so that I will never underestimate my capabilities. So that in my year of 28 I will challenge myself in ways I thought I never would. To learn and grow into a better version of me every day, one step at a time. And to remember that more than anything...I NEED TO HAVE PATIENCE WITH MYSELF! And know that in the end everything is going to be okay, and if its not okay...then its not the end!  
I hope you are all enjoying this amazing spring weather and that your pre-weekend is off to a good start. I cant wait to get a big glass of Cabernet in my hand!!!
Thank you for joining me on my blogging journey followers! Thank you for being a part of my quirky adventure! Thank you for helping me celebrate my Birthday! Thank you! Thank you!
And help spread the Shenani-Word!
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It’s My Party…..

…and I'll blog if I want to, blog if I want to….you would blog too if it were you!!!!





Not surprisingly, today's post is a bit self-serving because you see….TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY!!!


Now, we're not gonna get into a lot of nit picky details such as age but I thought I'd chat a bit about memories of party's gone by.


Alas, I grew up in…ahem…an age when most kids did not have a birthday party every , single year. Don't get me wrong, I love attending my little underage friends party with balloons, cake, ice cream, high pitched squealing and the occasional ice cream smeared kiss but "back in the day" (Gulp, I'm starting more and more sentences like that) you usually only had them on special birthdays. I had two.


The first was for my 6^th birthday. I wore a fancy party dress and had a special birthday girl tiara made, appropriately, from foil (Yes…we HAD foil "back in the day"). I got to invite all my class buddies. We had balloons, cake and Mom got "special" Neopolitan ice cream bricks from the bakery. We have photos of all the fun we had including my harried Mom directing pin the tail on the donkey. What's that you ask? It's a game….a game we played "back in the day." Oh, yes we had a time including the mean girl who snuck upstairs and went into my bedroom and kidnapped my Raggedy Ann doll!! Ahem, that's a story for another day.


I have a photo of me in my tiara but because (grits teeth) "back in the day" our parents thought it a great idea to put the pics between acetate in an album where, the course of time, has MELTED them making them impossible to remove with out destroying the historical treasuresm I can't share it.


My second foray into birthday celebratory antics was for my 13^th when I got to have my first ever sleep over. We talked about boys way into the night, ate, listened to records and conked out on pallets. Fun all around and I had hidden my Raggedy Ann doll.


Those were the parties. There are lots of other memories. Like the year my birthday landed on Easter. Mom had carved and put together a birthday cake in the shape of a bunny. My gift came wrapped in a Leggs egg. I got to pick out my favorite dinner (roasted chicken and Mom's dressing). Good times my whole life.


My birthday took on a different aspect after my Mom passed. No more birthday cakes I was sure. But then a bunch of friends from the hospital took me out to lunch and brought a homemade cake. I cried. That same special gift was repeated a while back when not only did Bandita Donna remember my dearth of birthday baked goods but remembered I like chocolate cake with chocolate icing and brought me one!


Sniff, sniff…


Anyway, me and the kitties will celebrate together. My brother is taking me out to the movies and hopefully adoring me. I have wonderful wishes, from wonderful friends and will try not to count the number of Motrin I have to take.


So today is my day to celebrate and I want to celebrate it with you. What are you bringing to the party???


(Candid photo of my baby cats contemplating the existence of balloons...POP!)
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Happy 90th Birthday!

posted by Loucinda McGary aka Aunty Cindy

Last week my DH's beloved Aunt Liz turned 90!

I have adored Aunt Liz since first meeting her more than 20 years ago. She was a lovely lady who welcomed me with open arms, a gracious nature and marvelous sense of humor. Liz retired after teaching third and fourth grades for twenty-five years. She was the first person to inspire me and make me believe that I too, could have a fabulous, active retirement.

An avid hiker and gardener, Liz could walk circles around me even after a double hip replacement in her mid-70s. The entire front yard of her suburban home is planted with roses... no lawn just rose bushes of every imaginable color and variety. And her back yard had no lawn either, but a wild conglomeration of trees, plants, and objects from wind chimes, sculptures (some made by my DH), and of course, bird feeders. Liz has belonged to the Audoubon Society for decades and taught me the difference between an ibis, an egret, and a heron.

Aunt Liz accompanied the DH and I on many travel adventures including many places in the US, Italy, Turkey and China. We made so many fun memories on our trips. I'll never forget sitting on a park bench with Liz in Bursa,Turkey when a nicely dressed older gentleman came up and insistently offered to help us. When we finally convinced him we were fine and he walked away, I said to Liz, "I think he wanted to take you home with him." And she replied, "I think I wanted to go!"

I'll also remember Liz at age 77 climbing on the Great Wall of China! She was the oldest person in our tour group and actually walked farther on the Wall than I did! And then there was one of our last trips to Italy (Liz went with us twice), Liz had just read Under The Tuscan Sun, and convinced us to drive all over the Tuscan hill towns. I most vividly remember the DH, Liz and I sitting near the ancient city wall of Cortona at sunset, drinking Peroni beers.

I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea that Aunt Liz is my own personal Shero! And happily, she's a fan of mine too! She's read both my books and pronounced them, "Marvelous!" (Her favorite word of praise.) Fortunately, she's never said one word about some of the racier love scenes. AHEM! Of all the people I know, I most want to be like her!

So it came as no surprise that last week, on the auspicious occasion of her 90th birthday, Liz was given not one, not two, but THREE different birthday parties! And knowing her as I do, I'm sure she had a BLAST at all of them and ate lots of ice cream (Hagen Daas chocolate is her favorite)!

But I couldn't help but think: What will I do on my 90th birthday, assuming I'm lucky enough to have one?!?! I hope I have three parties, just like Liz, and I can't wait to see all the celebrating when Liz turns 100 in 2020!

Okay, let's pretend it is YOUR 90th birthday. What kind of party do you want (and yes, it can be anywhere)? What gifts ? What special party favors (and of course the cabana boys and gladiators count as party favors)? Pull out ALL the stops! After all, you only turn 90 once!

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Par-ty, Par-ty!

by Donna MacMeans

Sorry, it's not a launch party. No exciting excerpts or promising premises today. Plenty of those coming up in the near future, though.


Today, I'm celebrating my birthday. It's actually tomorrow but, you know, the older I get - the longer the celebration lasts (grins)! So party with me. Celebrate your birthday - no matter the date. It's Friday. Let's all just kick back and have fun. I've instructed the cabana boys to be generous with the frothy drinks and I've ripped open a few bags of Halloween candy for treats. There's still a full week to replace the evidence. Please note that fire regulations restrict the number of candles I can put on the cake (grin).

For those into such things, I'm a Scorpio. Right on the cusp, actually. According to Astrology-online.com, that means I'm determined, forceful, emotional, intuitive, powerful, passionate (yeah!), exciting and magnetic. Yup - that's me (very big grin). I'm also jealous, resentful, compulsive, obsessive, secretive and obstinate - well, maybe not so much. I was really into this astrology-thing when I read that good professions for me would include anything that involved analysis, investigation, research, dealing with practicalities, and the solving of mysteries. When one considers the mysteries inherent in the IRS code - it's apparent both CPA and historical romance writer fit me to a tee.



As I'm on the cusp for Libra, I read those traits as well. Diplomatic, urbane, romantic, charming, easygoing, sociable, idealistic and peaceable - well heck, those work for me as well. Downside - indecisive, changeable, gullible, easily influenced, flirtatious and self-indulgent - some of those fit. Maybe I can pick and choose the traits I like between the two signs. Cuspiness has its priviledges.

I was born in the year of the Dragon which means I believe rules and restrictions are made for other people. I'm an extroverted bundle of energy, gifted and utterly irrepressible, confident, fearless in the face of challenge and inevitably successful ---no, don't think that's me.

I am, supposively, a water dragon and I must admit I experience a creative rebirth when I'm near the ocean. So that fits. Dragons are also compatible with roosters, the GR was pleased to hear that. This site also says the Dragon's originality is the most impressive and outstanding of all is characteristics - like the sound of that. Just in case you were wondering...this site says suitable gifts for a dragon include tarot cards, camera, a copy of the I Ching, mirror, a family crest, and a mobile phone. What! No bling!

Speaking of presents - there's a pile of them by the front door. I think my husband is taunting me - does yours do this? He has shopped exclusively online and hasn't opened any of the parcels - but has left them there to entice me with the stack. I do like presents. It doesn't matter what kind of present it is - as long as it's wrapped. I prefer the paper/scotch tape type of writing rather than the pretty bags - but I put other people's presents in pretty bags all the time. I like to go to the hard work of opening a gift, but have no patience for the wrapping of one.


I'm hoping for a new laptop. Those don't look like laptop boxes by the door, but hope springs eternal. As a result of my kids using my laptop for their homework papers, and I suspect for the occasional online shoot 'em up game, I no longer have a delete key/or function. If I make an error, I have to backspace. That's a pain. However, I suspect I'll have to buy my own laptop one of these days. My family learned long ago that they can't go wrong with a book for a gift and I think that's what's in the pileup by the door - more fodder for the TBR pile.

This past year I've released The Seduction of a Duke and a story in the anthology, Tails of Love. I won a number of awards for The Trouble with Moonlight - so those three titles will be giveaways for today's blog. I also have a couple of DVDs from Lori Foster's event that contain an interview with myself and several other authors. Those are up for grabs. So tell me - What are you hoping for your birthday/ Christmas? Do you believe in astrology symbols? Any Scorpios out there? What's your sign - does it fit? Do you have any thoughts on wrapping paper? Singing cards? Birthstones? (Mine is an opal, by the way). Do you do anything special on your big day? Let's celebrate!Source URL: https://gbejadacosta.blogspot.com/search/label/Happy%20Birthday
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