Life at 40- The Holidaze

"All this year's been a busy blur, don't think I have the energy.." - "Christmas Wrapping" by The Waitresses
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This is how I feel right now. Except for me, it's just been this week that has been a blur. The first official week of being 40 years old and I have been greeted with:

*A cold and other ailments that are still lingering.  My throat started hurting last Friday (my actual birthday) accompanied with cramps.  The cramps are gone, but the blowing of my nose every 5 minutes lives on....

*A brochure in the mail from John Muir Hospital that read, "Problem With Bladder Leaks?"  No, but I am having a problem with the mailing lists I have been put on.

*North Korea possibly trying to start WW3 - I will always remember my 40th birthday with this current event

Well, at least I got to spend last weekend celebrating my 40th birthday on the coast with my family (official blog pending).  Then I came home and stayed in bed, away from work, for two days.   When I told my mom this, she reminded me I get this type of flexibility in the workplace because I work for the Government.  I gotta admit- working for the State has its perks. It doesn't always suck.

I arose on Wednesday to go to work for a couple of hours and still felt light headed.  Later on that night I met up with some friends from dance class to have another 40th celebration dinner.  I requested garlic mashed potatoes from the chef and he did not disappoint:

After dinner, Tati insisted on putting all forty candles on the cake Peggy made me. Someone call the fire department:

Tati also made me a birthday hat. I know you can't tell from this picture, but the hat has a kitty on it and it reads my 40 year old birth announcement: IT'S A GIRL!

So nice of them to whip up a dinner for me so close to Thanksgiving. I was surprised that people were around during the holidays.  I also received scented candles from Newman, chocolate from Tom and Rachel and flowers from Tati/David & Cynthia:

And that was my Thanksgiving EVE...

On Thanksgiving Thursday, I picked up my 86 year old grandma (who lives 20 minutes from me) and we ventured out into the snow to the town of Antioch to my brother's house.  

After being in the car for about an hour and 15 minutes we arrived.  We I lounged around until the turkey and (more mashed potatoes!) were ready.  The Dallas game hummed in the background as teenagers occupied the upstairs for most of the day and only came down to greet us adults when necessary.

I love teenagers. I wish I still was one. They are like cats. You have to let them come to you.  Here kitty kitty kitty:

After our bellies were full and our conversations were satisfied, my grandmother and I headed out of Dodge Antioch only to be stuck in the snow traffic for two hours before we were arrived home and safe in our beds.  Darn the holidays can be rough! You know you live close to your family when a measly two hour drive can ruffle your feathers, instead of say, a 7 hour plane ride (TSA pat-down time not included).

I woke up this morning and started blowing my nose again.  I haven't lifted a finger all day.  Well, except to type this.

Happy Holidaze!

In Loving Memory

“39” breathed her last breath on November 19, 2010 at 12:00am when she lost her long-fought brave battle with 40. May “39” rest peacefully.

“39” was born November 19, 1970 in Oakland, California and was the youngest of four children. “39” worked as a State employee in the Management Services Division for the Regional Water Quality Control Board in Oakland.

“39” is survived by her nieces, “9”, “13” & “19”. She also survived by her cousins, “26” & “30”.

“39” is preceded in death by her parents, “66” & “68” and her siblings, “41”, “43” & “45”.

Private services will be held on Friday, November 19, 2010 at an undisclosed location along the coast of hwy 1 in Santa Cruz County .

Please send virtual flowers and Starbucks gift cards to Theresa Donahoe’s Facebook page.

Failed!

Well, I already forgot to write in my blog every day. So much for NaBloPoMo - "National Blog Posting Month".

Is this why I did poorly in school? My lack of follow through?

"Does not live up to full potential. Sometimes I think Theresa is not with us" - 4th grade report card

In Ms. Smith's 4th grade class is when my grades started slipping. Up to that point I had received straight G's in elementary school. That's right- we got G's instead of A's.

G= Good
S= Satisfactory
N=Needs improvement.

I got my first "S" in Ms. Smith's class.

The problem that year was that I had a seat by the window. Rule #1 - never put baby in a corner and  Rule #2 - never, ever, under any circumstances put little Theresa Donahoe by a window.

I would daydream incessantly as Ms. Smith rambled on and on about something or the other and then one day my drifting attention span caught her attention.

It was just like any other day, school started, I sat down and at some point stopped listening. I gazed out window yonder to escape the mundane-ness of  fourth grade. Soon Ms. Smith's voice became a blur and was about as intelligible as the school teacher in Peanuts. "Waaa waaa waahh waah..."

As her mumbling got louder and louder, it didn't occur to me that she was coming right at me...louder and louder...I still stared at the window. Nothing would break my gaze with nature and sunlight. "Waaah waaah waaah"...louder and louder....

Finally she was right in front of me and SNAP! She abruptly pulled the blinds down to the window and I jumped slightly in my chair.

"Sometimes I think Theresa is not with us..."

Ironically, that was the same grade I started developing my writing skills. That was the same grade that Ms. Smith told me, "Oh Theresa I just love your stories."

But she didn't like my daydreaming. She didn't realize that the same imagination that wrote those stories was the same one that caused me to look out the window to keep myself from being bored in her class.

Here's to you Ms. Smith. May I reach my full potential.