This truly has been perhaps the very best birthday of my life. From the moment we got up this morning Hubby would not allow me to do anything other than get myself ready. And he has done nothing but give me the royal treatment all day long.

We enjoyed a few hours of shopping and had a wonderful dinner and desert later on this evening. And to top all of that off, he surprised me with a special gift! He treated me with a gift certificate to a local resort and has purchased quite the spa package for me. I get started off with a 50 min massage, then a 50 min. European deep cleansing facial, a pedicure and Lunch! I think I’ll let this sink in for a couple weeks before I indulge. I’ll say I’m one excited old lady!

Ok people, I keep hearing now that I’m 40 that I’m over the hill. To be quite honest, I don’t look at it like that at all. On the contrary, I feel that I’ve climbed this wonderful hill with many wonderful stops along the way. Now that I have reached the quote unquote top, it’s such a peaceful feeling for me. And when Hubby asked how I felt about 40 this morning, I said. “I think the years to come are going to continue to get sweeter and sweeter. I love these years of my life. I look back in awe and wonder at how I got to where I am. And I look ahead with such excitement with many more wonderful days and years to come. I love life, I’m quite alright calling myself an old lady and it doesn’t bother me in the least. And by the time I reach the valley and my time on earth shall be no more I know I will have a lifetime of joy to celebrate and I will be ready to cross the river and pass to the other side and on over to Glory Land. Amen!

And the very worst birthday I can ever remember was turning 20. That was exactly 20 years ago. I remember how I didn’t want to get out of bed to face the day. Man that was a rough year for me. Ya wanna know why? Silly me didn’t like the fact that I was no longer a teenager, and that’s the year it hit me that I was turning into an adult. O I was not ready. I’m so happy 20 years later I woke celebrating 40 with gusto! I’m lovin’ live!

Many thanks to you my friends for making this my “Big 4-0” entry a success and without further ado, here are your Q’s and the A’s from the bottom of my heart.

For LaDonna –

• How did you and Bobby Meet ~ Country Dancing and our first dance ever was the two-step

• What is your favorite main dish recipe ~ Fried Rice is right up there. There are times I like to leave out the shrimp in this dish and make a nice Cashew Chicken mixture to pour over the top of the fried rice. Unfortunately I can’t put my fingers on that Cashew Chicken recipe. I think it’s in storage.

Note: Bobby’s has reservations made at my favorite Japanese restaurant where I’m going to have some yummy fried rice with my favorite filet mignon, medium well please, with some wonderful veggies too.

Shrimp Fried Rice

Servings Per Recipe – 4

Ingredients

3/4 cup uncooked white rice

1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons sesame oil

1/2 small onion, chopped – “I prefer scallions”

1/2 clove garlic, chopped – “I like to add more than just that”

1 and 1/2 cups small shrimp – peeled and deveined

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 carrot – peeled and diced

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

1/4 cup green peas

1 egg, beaten

2 tablespoons soy sauce – “We prefer the low sodium kind”

DIRECTIONS

Cook rice according to package directions. While rice is cooking, heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in sesame oil and stir in onion. Fry until golden, then add garlic. When garlic is lightly browned, mix in shrimp. Fry until shrimp is pink.

Lower heat to medium and stir in celery, carrot, green pepper, and peas. Fry until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in beaten egg and cook just until egg is scrambled and firm.

When rice is done, mix thoroughly with vegetables and stir in soy sauce. Adjust seasoning to your preference and serve immediately. I always have to add more soy sauce to mine and Bobby likes it just the way it is.

My Two Cents Worth (regarding rice) – I don’t care for overcooked gooey rice so I keep an eye on it (and there is a difference between the wonderful sticky rice that I so loved in Korea and overcooked gooey rice), I love cooking any and all rice in chicken broth – brings out some kickin’ good flavor, let me tell ya. My favorite rice is Jasmine – just love that stuff cooked in chicken broth and eating it just like that served with vegetables on the side. Back to this stir fry recipe – I like to chill the rice before the stir fry. I think the chilling part allows the rice to firm up. Sometimes I make up the rice a day ahead so that it’s nice and chilled for the stir fry part.

• If you graduated from college, what was your major ~ I didn’t finish college but had a really big start in Graphic Arts. College ended for me when Bobby and I moved to Korea some 8 + years ago – then pottery came along about a year after our return from Korea (a little over 4 years ago) and I never looked back.

For Mary Ellen-

• Who was the teacher who had the most influence on your life ~ That Teacher will always and forever be my fourth grade teacher Miss Lucas. She reminded me of my mother and that’s why I loved her so much. She was always kind and pleasant and she exuded sunshine from within. She never picked favorites, she believed in us and she inspired me to always do my very best! I still remember wishing I could keep her for my teacher forever.
• Who did you have a crush on in high school ~ No harm, no foul but I prefer to leave it at that in here.
• If you could go on vacation anywhere in the world – where would you go ~ Hawaii – so far we’ve been there 3 times and have stayed on Oahu, The Big Island and Maui. So this time I would like to try Kauai ~ There are many other places we want to visit too but I think Hawaii will always be at the top of my list.

For Rochelle –

• What is your favorite Book – Pottery On The Wheel by Elsbeth S. Woody – I was told by a professional potter (before I even took my first pottery class) that this was the book that taught them everything they learned about pottery. I rushed out to make my purchase and continue to pick it up over and over again. When I was a kid my absolute favorite book was Curious George Flies a Kite. But anything to do with Curious George was always a favorite of mine.
• Who is/are your heroes – Bobby is my #1 hero; I look up to him each day to make the big decisions of our life. I’ve followed him to the ends of the earth and back with excitement around each corner and look up to him for guidance all along the way. Bobby, He’s my #1 daily Amazing Hero! There are other heroes like my parents that I look up to and am so blessed and thankful for their love and support in my life. There is another very personal hero that touches my heart. Krysia Stronski, she’s a potter with passion – she’s a potter with passion, I say! Her work lives up to her name and every gallery in the area knew her and the best galleries carried her work. Her work is also displayed up and down the east coast. But there was one thing about her that no one could capture (IMHO) and that was her way with clay. I could ALWAYS point out her work in a room full of pottery as could her following; and know it was hers without even seeing her signature. And I gravitated to her pieces like none other. I was honored to take 3 of her pottery classes and learning from this remarkable master is priceless! She is my hero, she believed in making a positive difference to those around her, she believed in me and spent extra time alone with me, she’s made a great impact on many lives; she gave of her time to mentor others when she could have been creating masterpieces of her very own. And she shared her knowledge freely to help others advance. She is one amazing lady, my hero, Mrs. Krysia Stronski.
• What is your least favorite household chore – Ironing

For Anita –

• When is your spiritual birthday – Around 8 years of age
• What is your favorite hobby – At the moment, looking for a house plan. This is a lot more fun than I ever thought possible! But in about 6 or so months from now when our home is complete, pottery will be the ultimate favorite hobby.
• If you could get in a time machine who would you like to see from the past – I’m a genealogy nut – so it would have to be my Great, Great, Great, Great, Great Grandfather (that’s 5 greats for the record) Alexander Born in Scotland in the year 1745. That’s as far back as I can go. I would love to visit with him to see what his life was like, who his parents and grandparents were. And why he sailed the deep blue to Virginia all those years ago. I would love to ask about his voyage and who he came with. Who were his friends and what he did during his life. And of course I could not leave out asking him all about my 5th great grandma too! And I’m sure upon meeting with him that I could come up with loads more questions and I’m sure he would have many wonderful stories to tell. Details, details, I would want to know all the details!

Welcome and thank you for stopping by, my big 4-0 birthday is coming this Saturday, May 24th. So I thought I’d do something a little different to celebrate this year. I’m planning something for myself but I need your help to make this a success. The directions are as follows.

Ordinarily, a survey/meme would have me listing facts about myself. Where do you live, what’s your favorite color… Your assignment, o Dear Reader (and yes, that means you, even if this is your first time here…you’re all precious to me.) is to provide at least 3 questions that you would like me to answer about whatever. All questions need to be submitted by Friday, May 23rd no later than the stroke of midnight right here. All questions will be answered on Saturday May 24th. So brainstorm and ask away, as you will play a part in my big 4-0 entry!

Today was one of those days that I did not start my coffee while preparing Bobby’s lunch. And when that occurs, Bobby knows what is at the top of my list ~ more sleep. So early this morning hubby said as he was almost out the door “I sure wish I could go snuggle with you for a few more hours”. As a matter of fact, I went in, put my head on my pillow and slept so sound ‘til 11:32 a.m. That was a shocker but I have felt fresh as a daisy all day long and I didn’t finish my coffee ‘til nearly 12:30 this afternoon.

Last night Bobby was up late doing bills and such in the office so when I announced I could no longer keep my peepers open, he asked if I would like to keep him company. Man, when my loving hubby wants me to keep him company, no matter how tired I am, he’s the one I want to spend that precious time with. So I settled in with my chair, propped my feet up and settled in for a nice long visit with hubby. A second wind shortly followed and we were up ‘til nearly 1:30 last night.

Some of our discussion centered around a big to do on our list. And the to do last evening was finding all the Dr’s we need to make appointments for. We searched his company site to find the providers near us and Bobby printed out all the providers last evening. I’m going through pages upon pages of providers to hopefully find the best. But you know how that goes, it’s like finding a needle in a hay stack and then you don’t know if you have the best.

So after my coffee, I settled in to make both of our eye Dr. appointments. And now I’m trying fervently to establish a Dentist for us.

Another major thing on our list is coming up with a floor plan. We just received two of the books Bobby ordered and another two should be arriving shortly and Bobby is also going to be ordering even more books before this day is over. It seems like we are finding several plans we really, REALLY like and now we are narrowing the options and hopefully we will have something soon as we really want to get started on the house as soon as possible. Yet we are in no rush to push the foot print as Bobby and I are pouring our hearts into this, it truly is a labor of love.

And the really cool thing ~ My mom just sent me the most AWESOME, AWESOME EST EST ~ is that a word? 3D Floor Plan program that I LOVE so much. The program is so user friendly and I’m creating plans left and right. The program allows you to add furniture, windows, doors and all the cool kitchen and bathroom stuff right down to coffee pots, toasters appliances and shower curtains, bath towels, towel rods… and can change dimensions and colors on any and all of this stuff. I’m even painting the walls and choosing the floor color, it’s awesome! And the cool thing, it tells you how many feet each wall is that’s created and also tells you the square footage of each room! Bobby has been using another program and lets just say I am not sophisticated enough to run his program, I would need a whole years worth of training on it to be able to use it, I’m sure. So, thank you mom for this totally Unexpected ~ Perfect 40th Birthday gift. Sorry I opened it before my Birthday ~ no, I’m not sorry in the least! I’m having a BLAST!!!