Surprise! I'm Back!

Well, I keep postponing blogging, because I think I have to have a photo to put up. But I can't quite get all the variables in the same place at the same time. You know....camera, computer, time, clever thoughts...all the crucial stuff. But, now it is one month! And has there ever been a lot of cool stuff that has happened in my life!

FIRST - I turned 50!!! It was absolutely awesome! I didn't want to do anything because I was still in my big leg brace, and in my passive-motion-machine, and basically feeling sorry for myself. THEN, the Sunday before my bday I was humming... "These Are A Few of My Favorite Things"....and before you know it, I was listing all my favorite things. Among the top things were friends, family and get-togethers. BINGO!! I was throwing myself a bday open house (it was on Sunday, and I couldn't be totally sacreligious!) and....I was going to give away bunches of my favorite goofy things to all my friends who came. (Don't go to the oprah-thing....she didn't even factor in...)Some of my crazy friends decided I needed a neighborhood tribute, complete with spotlights, pin wheels and balloons. They are really stealthy in their operations!

Needless to say, I had an absolute blast! Lauren & I shopped all week, cooked and cleaned. But, the coolest thing was all the surprises I got that weekend! My big sister showed up on Saturday, my adopted little sister and her boys showed up on Friday, and my niece and her babies showed up during the party on Sunday! Now, what could have been better than that?!!! My friends (the ones I use and abuse and they keep coming back for more) played kitchen elves, kept the food filled, and the kitchen hopping. I got to stand by the door, greet my guests, give out numbers to the women and let them pick from the pile of presents (which my slave friends also came to help wrap....are they cool or what?!) It was a great reminder of how blessed I am. Thanks to all who came, it would have been VERY boring if no one showed up!

The next exciting thing was that I got out of my huge brace, into a medium brace that bends at the knee, AND I got out of knee prison! Let's talk about knee prison....6 hours every day for 6 weeks! I watched TV for a week, read books, magazines, scriptures for the next 4 and spent the last week planning my party! All in all, I got a lot of books off my reading list, and I spent a lot of time thinking ( I know...out of the ordinary for me!) and in the end, sleeping. Yes, that is me...under the covers, leg in said-prison. Basically it was a drag, but a good excuse to read, get other people to do stuff and feel sorry for me. OK, I have just admitted it...my true nature, and how I really roll!