Operation B-Day Tay-Tay

I felt badly that, thanks to the pandemic, Brian didn't get to celebrate his 50th birthday. And of course it has left us wary of crowds, strangers, and stagnant air. But it's also heightened our sense of the ridiculous and strengthened our friendships. Working from that basis, I took inspiration from our ophthalmologist (she did this for her kid's birthday) and rented out an entire showing of the Taylor Swift Eras Concert Movie for his 52nd. We're not Swifties, but it seemed like a good idea to dip our toes into the zeitgeist. We had 40 seats to fill and our friends showed up - ready to sing, chair dance, and otherwise have a goofy evening with us.

My photography skills have atrophied (if they ever existed) and the theater was dark anyway. But rest assured there were sparkles (NOT glitter), smuggled beverages, and lots of fun.

Thank you so much to all the friends who joined us!!

~Lucy

Fifty

Lucy here,

Yup, it's the big one for me. My 50th birthday. Brian turned 50 two years ago (both of us having October birthdays) and we didn't really get to celebrate his big birthday properly because of the pandemic. So it felt a little unfair for me to let loose with a big party plan when he missed out on his. We're also gearing up for our big travel trip for the year in five weeks (STAY TUNED), and that is our gift to each other.

Instead of going big I went with a low-key spa day with a dozen girlfriends. It was my first time going to the new Nordic Spa, and it was delightful. Lots of time to steam and soak and spend time with fun ladies. They don't allow cameras and phones, so I can't share the visuals of the day. But the funniest quote of the day was Ray, commenting, "Lucy, you have a great group of friends! With great cleavage!" Indeed.

Since turning 40, I've given myself the gift of just....dropping things. Giving myself permission to stop doing things I don't enjoy. Each year I add something to the drop list. Picking the yearly drop is a fun exercise ramping up to my birthday. Now that I'm at ten years, here's the list.

1. Base makeup. I'll still play around with a little eye shadow and lipstick, but that mess isn't for me.
2. Buying high heeled shoes. I'll wear the ones I already own, but I'm not adding to the collection. Between ice and snow, gravel and sand, it's just not worth the hazards out there.
3. Pantyhose. 
4. Baby showers. I will buy you whatever you want off the registry. But I won't attend. That's just the way it is.
5. Shorts. If it's hot enough to be in shorts, why have all that extra fabric? Ugh. A skirt works just fine. 
6. Shapewear. Sort of a repeat of pantyhose. But people tell you that as a woman of a certain age blah blah blah. Nope.
7. Hair dye. I'm too lazy.
8. Shaving my legs. (I got a laser zapper during the lockdown. But even with that, I'm okay with fuzz. It's Alaska after all).
9. Christmas trees. I love the scent. I have great ornaments. But living in 500 square feet and dragging in a dead tree is both too crowded and environmentally unsound. 
10. Having a job. Retirement is definitely the way to go!