Life Begins at 40!

I turned 40 this weekend - and it was fantastic. My husband threw me a surprise party. It was just overwhelming to see everyone there. The best part was my kids' speech. Not only are they gorgeous and funny, but they really put effort into it and made it personal. I kept thinking about how lucky I was to have my family, and how I'm right where I want to be. At 20, we were in a bad recession and I had no idea how I'd find work after I finished law school, and my future husband was doing a crazy amount of studying trying to get into med school. At 30, I was dealing with multiple miscarriages and wondering if my daughter would ever have siblings, plus my husband was STILL doing his training so we were in a cramped 1 bedroom apartment. Today, I don't really feel older (I actually have more energy and fewer back aches since the kids are older) - but I do notice that somewhere along the line, I somehow gained some confidence, got settled and built a great family. We also had some awesome, great-to-be-alive weather. I love this time of year. It's still warm, but the air is fresh and not humid, and the sky was a brilliant cloudless blue. We did some apple-picking just 20 min. away, and the drive was just gorgeous with rolling hills and fall colors. Somehow, we also survived a birthday party at home with a house full of 9-year-olds!