Everyone's Doing it

Celebrate! Everyone's doing it.

Birthdays!

Two of my favorite inspirations for living life to the fullest had birthdays last week.

Diane is my short term inspiration.

Me and Diane dogsledding last year.

She just turned sixty.  She is my first friend to hit that magic number.

If I can get to sixty and have as much fun as she does getting there, then life will be good. 

As far as I can tell, Diane has never met a stranger, will talk to anyone, is always ready for a party and loves to travel.   She's my kind of friend.

Looking pretty fab for 60.  

For long term inspiration, there's my dad.

He turned NINETY!

If I can get to ninety and live life as large as he has, then things will be really good.

He's a lot like Diane.

As far as I can tell, he also has never met a stranger, will talk to anyone, is always ready for a party and loves to travel, too.

Ok, maybe the traveling part is a stretch.  I do remember him abandoning me in a panic at a train station in San Luis Potosi, Mexico when I was 19.  We were buying return tickets to go back to the States and he was sure the train was going to leave before we had gotten through the ticket line. After a great deal of fidgeting on his part, Dad finally thrust money into my hands and said "Here. Get the tickets. If the train leaves, you'll be able to figure out what to do." And then he ran back to the waiting train, leaving me to buy tickets on my own.

San Luis Potosi ,Mexico: photo here

But he has traveled and enjoyed it and passed that love on to me, along with the conviction that no matter what, I can figure out what to do in a pinch.

Me and my dad. I look so much like him it's

 like I'm seeing my future. 

And even at ninety, he was still up for a party.

Everyone loves opening presents!

Happy Birthday.

Here's to getting older. It sure beats the alternative.