Happy Birthday to me

Here I am, with another Birthday under my belt.  It's hard to believe that I'm now 48.  I feel like I am still 38.  Just can't figure out where the last 10 years have gone...

Let's see 2001...  9/11 happened.  I was starting to make a name for myself in my non profit career.  Drove my Nissan Sentra and had just started traveling a little bit.  So what have I done since?

I've traveled to China, Egypt, Italy, Turkey, Greece.  In the U.S., I've traveled to Alaska, Yellowstone, Montana, Northern California, New Mexico, just to name a few.  I've been on six cruises - the Carribean, the Pacific, and the Mediterranean.  I've made new friends around the world and learned about new cultures.  I've made memories that will live with me forever.

I started taking pictures and fell in love with photography.  My Canon camera is a best friend and has helped me make celluloid memories of my travels that I will never forget.  I'll never be a pro, but I have a good time.  Some of my happiest memories are trekking around with Janie, taking pictures.

My photography has also helped me develop a true love of nature.  I'm never happier than when I'm out at Cades Cove or up in the mountains.  Never happier.


I lost my first canine generation, as well as my cat, Sarge.  After swearing that we would never have another dog, we now have four.  Brenna, Donnagan, Quincey, and Sage have enriched our lives and made us happier.  I can't imagine our lives without them.

Our furkids were also the inspiration for my new career.  I opened my own business - a doggy daycare and hotel this past May.  I'm broker now than I've ever been, but happier and more fulfilled.  I have no regrets and love what I'm doing.  When my days get stressful, I take a puppy and play and cuddle for a while.  Better than any medication I can think of!

I have friends that I thank God every day for.  I have been blessed with friends that have been there for me through good and bad and I know will always be at my side.  There is no greater wealth in the world than having people in your life that you know you can always count on and trust.  You know who you are - thank you.

I've been married for 23 years and still can't believe that I've now spent most of my life with one person.  Good and bad, rich and poor, better and worse, I love you.

So, there is my life, the last ten years of it, in a few short paragraphs.  My life has been filled with sorrow, with happiness, and everything in between.  But there are no regrets.  And, as quickly as it's passing by, my one Birthday wish to myself is that I keep living each day to the fullest.  I want to live each day as if it were my last.  Happy Birthday to me.