My Birthday!

I celebrated my 40th birthday this year.  I agonized over this day not because I was the big 4-0, but because my sister was 40 when she passed away and because we share the same birthday.   I decided to make my birthday fun and something to look forward to.  I invited a few friends to the Mall of America to try their high ropes course and to zip line across the mall.  It sounded fun until I started climbing up.  I do have a fear of heights, but man, it was intense!  I did okay on the obstacles where you can hold on to a rope on either side.  I did okay with the zip-line until that moment when  you just have to jump off the ledge into oblivion.  It helped having a good friend behind me and my children who had just gone before me.  After the zip-lining, we went to my favorite restaurant, Bubba Gump Shrimp Factory in the mall.  More friends joined us and we had a great time.  I like that we celebrated a birthday doing something fun, active, and challenging.

My niece, Lindsy and Mikayla.

One of my besties, Michelle Basket.

One of the best presents that I received on my birthday is from Maureen Johnson. She made string art in the shape of Wisconsin.  The heart of the string art is in the location of Appleton.  My thoughts and heart are so often there, thinking of where my sister rests and where my beautiful niece still resides.