But not in the way you might think. For me, the blues were the crystal clear Carolina sky, the Atlantic ocean, the bathing suit designs and toys frolicking on the beach, my son’s laughing eyes as he got plastered by another wave. I wanted a day of relaxation, a nap in a chair that was stuck in the sand at the water’s edge, some improved tan lines, sand smoothed feet, and good photos of people just enjoying the day.
It really was perfect. We all got a smidgen sunburned, but mostly it was minor. (Except for the Scientist — poor guy’s face is scarlet.) There was no snarking, just a lot of conversation and laughter. My amazing sister had surprised me the day before with my favorite birthday dessert from my childhood (it’s called Snow Tunnel Cake). I hadn’t had it in years, and holy cow, was it good! 
I had a bit of frustration in the morning, only because I see my peers getting/staying in shape, running marathons, or whatever, and I am limited so much physically. Losing weight comes so slowly for me because of my lack of ability to do normal things. So while I am at my lowest weight since 1998, and things fit a LOT better, I was a little peeved that the bathing suit I put on yesterday didn’t fit as well as my favorite one. (The favorite one has board shorts and a halter top and the zipper broke on the shorts.) But I’m getting there, slowly as it is. We’ll see what comes with the rest of this year.
But the cool thing is this — now that I am 39, I can officially start to plan my 4-0 Trip! I’m finally planning a trip that is totally my own. Everything I do or see is what I want to do or see, not someone else. I’ve extended a blanket offer that anyone who cares to join me is welcome, so long as they understand that one ground rule. I’ve had quite a bit of interest, but it’ll be fun to see who makes the transition from “Ohmigosh, that is so cool, I want to come along!” to “Ok, I’ve thought about it and I seriously want to make a plan and do this with you.” I’ll be using Budget Travel (my favorite magazine) to keep costs down, and really, I’m not a 5-star kinda girl anyhow. But the idea of photographing the Coliseum, and old Italian cathedrals is really exciting, even if it’s a year away.
So no traditional blues here — Happy Birthday to me!
