So this is what 34 looks like

So, I'm up at 6:30 this morning. Why? You ask, am I up on 6:30, if I have no children in my house and its my birthday? Good question! I'm throwing a turkey in the oven. I'm expecting people at my place, lots of people, which means lots of turkey, which means I had to carve that sucker in half...or rather, get the boyfriend to do it, which he had to do with a very sharp knife and hammer-chisel style, it was pretty funny, and anyhow, first half had to be in the oven pretty early. After this, it's onto my hair, nails and whatever else I need to do to make myself look birthday-ish.

I've been thinking a lot about 33 and the past year. It's been a good year. Thirty two sucked BIG TIME! Thirty three though, it marked a shift from surviving to thriving again. I started the year off taking a drastic measure to make myself happy, it worked, and it showed me that not only did I have the courage, but the determination to be happy again. I spent a lot of time trying to get into a post secondary program. I thought all was lost until the last couple of weeks of August when I received a letter from a college, asking me to come to an info session, there were still spots left. I boogied on down there, brought everything with me. I handed it in, then proceeded to harass some poor guy named Paul at the college for the following weeks and was accepted. Now whether they just thought I was awesome, or Paul begged them, is up for debate, nevertheless I'm back in school. That's been an interesting experience. It's ignited my passion again, it seems I'm pretty good at this learning stuff, to the tune of 4.0 peeps! Not bad for the second oldest lady in class. The scary thing is, a good bunch of my classmates are technically young enough to be my own kids.

The good thing is though, those extra years of life and actually being a mother, certainly come in handy in child development classes. The learning aside, I've also been blessed to make another group of great friends, which as you know is always a bonus for me. I've got to reconnect with old friends, which has also been awesome. It's nice hanging out with someone who can predict your next move and you can predict theirs based on a long history together. And really, there is no need for fronting because they know everything! Good news is, that you also know where they've hid all their bodies too, so they can't use that shit against you.

This year hasn't been without challenges. My mom was pretty seriously injured during a routine medical procedure, it wasn't looking very good for her, thankfully, despite many crappy things I have to say about that hospital, their surgeons were pretty damned good and she's on the road to recovery. As we all predicted, she'll outlive us all. She also has quit smoking after 50+ years which has been awesome. I've had to face many personal and divorce related challenges. I've had to face some of my worst fears, but the good news I did, and it turns out, the big bad wolf wasn't so bad after all. (I sound like a Franklin story).

But overall, when looking back, I can say that 33 has seen me happier than I've been in a long time. I have a sense of personal achievement that I haven't had in years. I've been able to sort through a mega mess and tell the tale and am now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Not sure what lies there, but I know its there and that the rest of the tunnel has rest stops, Starbucks and Coach, so its all good.

I hope for the rest of you, you next year will be wonderful, full of personal achievement, plenty of friends and lots of optimism. Most of my readers are dear friends, each supporting and loving in their own unique way and I wouldn't be here with a smile on my face without you. Thank you so much and have a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.