This is 41

Yesterday, I celebrated my 41st trip around the sun! It was a very low-key day and not all that different from any other Sunday. But we are playing things extra safe right now in the hopes we will stay healthy and covid-free so we can go to Arizona to visit my sister as planned in 9 days! I NEED to get out of Minnesota and the cold, to feel the sun, and to be able to get out of the house without putting my kids in multiple layers - especially Will. Getting him into winter clothing is like dressing a cat at times... 

This is how Will feels about winter clothing. And winter in general. He's not super thrilled with sledding yet.

Last year's milestone birthday was also low key since we had a 2-month old, were still in the middle of a pandemic, and none of us were vaccine-eligible yet. Maybe/hopefully by the time I turn 42, things will be more normalish? But really, it's not like I rip it up for a birthday in non-covid times. The last time I celebrated a birthday with friends, I had girlfriends over in the afternoon for wine and macarons and we worked on a puzzle! But I hope to do something similar in March. I treated myself to this puzzle for my birthday and bought it on a day when it happened to be on sale on amazon! Score!

If I can't visit Paris (my favorite city in the world), at least I can work on a Paris puzzle with friends.

Overall, I feel very nonplussed about adding another year to my age. 40 did not freak me out either. I had a harder time turning 30 since I entered that decade single and without children - which made me an outlier among my local friends who had all gotten married and started families. I was also exiting a decade where I floundered around to find the right career. I started a new job a month before turning 30 and that ended up being the perfect career for me, but it was too soon to know that at 30. 

I've been in my current industry for over a decade now and couldn't imagine a better fit. I've got a great boss who treats me like an adult which means he doesn't micromanage me and lets me do my thing. And I've got great coworkers who have been extremely understanding as I've navigated health challenges and all the kid illnesses that mean I often need to take a day off with no notice. I'm married to a fabulous person, and I have 2 beautiful healthy children. So really, could I be any luckier than I am?

That said, I am glad the last 2 years are behind me and won't need to be repeated. Covid aside, the last 2 years were particularly hard between pregnancy, which is always very hard for me with all my complications, and the first year of Will's life. I find the first year of a child's life to be particularly challenging, especially for the mom. It feels good to know that I will never be pregnant or have another infant. I know that parenting doesn't magically become easier once your kids are older, but at least I will be dealing with those challenges on a full night of sleep! (I hope?)

So how did I celebrate this quiet birthday? Phil tried to get me some macarons from the downtown Minneapolis bakery that catered our dessert table at our wedding but they have weird hours right now due to covid/low foot traffic. So instead I treated myself to some delicious treats from a local GF bakery, Sift, including this delicious cinnamon roll. I also got my free birthday latte from Starbucks. 

Phil made a Spanish Tortilla for lunch. I do most of the cooking in our house, but his mom taught him how to make this on Christmas Day so this is now his signature dish. He studied abroad in Spain during college and then I visited southern Spain in 2016 so we both were introduced to this in Spain. It's made from eggs, potatoes, and ham and it's delicious!

We went sledding after lunch to get some fresh air and then spent lots of time playing in the basement. Paul made me lots of 'presents' from magnatiles, including this creation which is a "miniturizer." He is super into the show Wild Kratts so that is where he got the idea to make this. I think it's a pretty clever creation.

For dinner, we ordered Indian take-out which was delicious. Our standard order is Malai Kofta and Chicken Vindaloo. I enjoyed some moose track ice cream with m&ms on top for dessert. We closed out the weekend by watching some of the Olympics coverage and then I headed up to bed and started Ann Patchett's new Essay collection - These Precious Days. So far, it's excellent. 

And that was my birthday! I also FaceTimed with my parents and got lots of texts and email birthday messages. So all in all, it was a wonderful day.

As a birthday treat, I've love it if you would comment and say hi! Tell me how long you've been reading my blog and how you like to celebrate your birthday!