I did it – I turned 50! I’m so thrilled!
In the “you can’t make this stuff up” category, my 50th birthday fell on Friday the 13th and the Full Harvest Moon. So, of course we had a big party!
Maybe you’re wondering why in the world I’m so excited to be what mainstream culture calls “over the hill.” Like many things in my life, I’m doing this unconventionally. I’m aging backwards. Curious? You can read more about it here, there, and most recently, over on Kind Over Matter.
Anyway, my family and I put on a Half-Century Party and invited a bunch of my favorite people. We secured a hall, hired a band, and Quester & Elven-Tiger catered an amazing dinner. My Mom made the desserts. We had an open bar. There was a game room downstairs. Our beloved Ocean brought flowers and decorated the venue. It was epic!
The party was a lot of work – but so worth it. It felt mind-blowingly awesome to be surrounded by loved ones from all decades and aspects of my life, dancing and chatting and laughing together. My heart feels so full.
There were people from my childhood (mainly my family) and young adulthood (my high school BFF’s band!), fellow homeschooling Moms, biz sisters (including my beloved coach!), longtime friends, new friends, Wild Women, dear friends who made a 4-hour drive, some I hadn’t seen for a long time, and others who I get to see regularly. I’m blessed with some amazing people in my life!
We counted it up after the fact – there were 69 attendees, and I was born in 1969. Perfect!
Some favorite moments:
My Mom, who broke her hip in June, and a dear friend who has had ongoing problems with his feet, both dancing to my friend Emily’s fantastic 7-piece band, The Kennebunk River Band.
Live fowl was exchanged at my party – a local friend gave a duck to a homesteading family who live a couple of hours away.
Two of my friends who met that night came up to me in the game room to tell me that they had hit it off and were having a blast.
My daughter ElvenTiger, who is visiting from Colorado, gracefully dancing through the crowd holding big trays of food.
My Dad, who goes to bed at 7pm most nights, staying late because he loved the band – especially the fiddle player.
The after-party at our place, where about 10 of us stayed up all night with the full moon. Laughter and drumming around the fire, deep conversations, some fire-spinning, late-night walks to the back field, and swinging in the hammock. Bliss.
And so many more!
The hall we rented was less than a mile from the high school I attended, and it struck me how much happier I am now, at 50, than I was back then. I’m sending some love back through time to my younger self, telling her to hang in there, because life gets SO much more fun and fulfilling.
I always had a hunch that, as a late bloomer, my life would get better as I got older. How lovely to discover that it’s true!
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