My First Birthday - 1957

I recently posted a question at Fab40 asking how I could celebrate my upcoming 52nd birthday and the unanimous decision was that I should take a cruise or treat myself to a massage/spa day...take care of myself ...relax and focus on myself!  All of your suggestions were excellent...I greatly appreciate each and every one of them....BUT...going on a cruise is just not in the cards (financially or time-wise) for me at this present time and since taking a whole day to pamper myself at a spa would take a bit of planning and arrangements, plus again finances are tied-up in the upcoming release of my book and the launch of my web site. So, after much thought I decided to think of ways that I could celebrate my 52nd birthday in a grand way using your suggestions in a way of sorts...but absolutely for FREE!  

Last night I DID take a cruise!  I took a cruise down memory lane!  I went to the Play list web site and created a Birthday Party Play list with all the songs that have had meaning for me throughout my life.  I was up till 3:30  in the morning...searching and compiling all the tunes, recalling all the happy memories, shedding a few tears at the sad ones and sharing stories with my children and husband, who slowly but surely gravitated toward my office when they heard the music.  Before we all knew it we were up dancing and singing, at times my kids sat listening to stories about my young and not so young life...amazed at what their mother had accomplished during her 52 years of her life.  With each song, I realized how important music has been in my life...many of my best memories are wrapped in the tunes that I love the most.  My taste in music has changed over the years...I could actually see growth and maturing within the music and lyrics that has brought me through the years; starting with Judy Garland's "Over the Rainbow" to Tommy James and The Shondell's "Crystal Blue Persuasion" to Barbra Streisand's  "The Way We Were" to Donna Summer's "Last Dance" to Mercy Me's " I Can Only Imagine".  The Birthday Party Play list is posted here and at my profile along with a story from my 18th birthday.     If you would like to join me on my Birthday Cruise...take some time and scroll through the tunes and take a listen.  There are songs from the 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's up to the present...some are in order...some are not...most have stories attached...but I will not bore you with them right now...I am sure there are some that you can relate to, some you may have forgotten about...many are one hit wonders...but to me they all weave a pattern in the tapestry of my life.  I would love to hear some of your stories that you recall from some of these songs, if you have any.  Listening to this music is the most precious gift I could have given myself...because in the end this cruise down memory lane has shown me that I have already lived a very abundant and happy life...filled with ups and downs...ins and outs...it is a soundtrack that I would not change....they are golden oldies that make smile.

So, I am off to celebrate the rest of my birthday, dressed in a sparkling gold sweater, wearing my favorite gold earrings.  My family and I decided to eat our favorite meal (roast beef, mashed potatoes/gravy and Yorkshire pudding); build a fire, pop popcorn, watch my favorite old movies (The Wizard of OZ, Funny Face and Sound of Music).  Snuggling down with the people that I love the most is probably the best way that I can think of to celebrate a life well lived AND it doesn't cost a penny...in fact it is downright priceless!

Happy Birthday to me!  These are the best years of our lives...make them golden!

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