August 22 My birthday

Thursday:  When you are turning 71, that's right, seventy-one--your birthday gets a little bit surreal. First of all, I used to think 71 was super old--back when I was in my early 20's or so. However, I don't really FEEL old. Granted, I've been sick most of the summer with one thing or another; but nothing really related to old age.

I set my alarm for 7:00 this morning, and at 7:02 I received a Happy Birthday message from Kaity! How nice it was to receive it first thing on my birthday. Thank you, Kaity!

Ruthanne and Terry took me out for lunch at "The Score", one of our most favorite places to eat. We usually eat there every single Sunday after church. It has really good food, and the three of us love their boneless chicken wings (they kind of look like a BLOB because they most certainly are NOT chicken WINGS) because they are SO juicy and flavorful. But today, I decided to try their fish 'n chips since it was my birthday and I love fish. Ruthanne gave me a pretty birthday card while we were waiting to order, our waitress noticed it and asked whose birthday it was! She informed us that the birthday person either gets a free entree' (up to $14.99) or a free dessert. How nice and very unexpected. We enjoyed our lunch, and then came back home to our separate places.

I picked Kaity up at 4:00. This is her first week back to school [2024-2025], so she had lots to tell me about. I love listening about Kaity's days and very thankful she wants to share them with me. We did our usual "hanging out" stuff, ate our meal, and then drove over to Altitude.

None of our "friends" were there tonight, so I knew Kaity would not be keen on staying her full hour; but while she was there, she practiced some cool moves ...

Since we didn't stay our full hour, we had a little extra time on our hands; so we drove over to McDonald's where Kaity ordered a McFlurry (M&M) and a medium fry. We sat in the parking lot while she ate these and then I took her back to Di's house.

So ... what did I get myself for my birthday this year? USUALLY, I buy another cool TOY for the kids to play with when they come over;  but this year, I ordered a shirt from Chris's website at Olivet. Look! It has Chris's PAHMAN 31 on it! I'm so excited to wear it--it's long sleeve, so I'll get a lot of use out of it.

I received a lot of nice phone calls and text messages from friends--it's always special to be greeted on my birthday. Dylan did a FB post with me and his whole tribe with a birthday message. I got a nice birthday hug from Jesse. And these dear flowers? My good friend, Brenda, brought them to me the day after my birthday. We sat at my table, watched the birds feeding outside the window, drank Earl Grey tea, and ate Greek baklava (mmmm!). And talked. And listened. Brenda is very good for my heart and soul. She is a very wise person and I have received more help from her than all my "counselors" put together. And I love her.

I enjoyed August 22 very much this year. Thankful for another year to seek the Lord and find Him, because He isn't far from any of us--He is so good.