I turned 50 this week. Yes, you read that correctly.

Five. Zero.

I don’t even think it was a year after I started my blog that I wrote a post about turning 40. And now here we are.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the people I knew growing up who were in their 50s and I can’t believe I am now where they were. They were “old”. They were not just adults, but my elders. They had lived full lives, during decades of great change.

I’m still trying to figure some things out…including, “How am I 50?!”

I’m going to repost my 40 Random and True Things from my previous birthday post with a few updates, and add 10 more to celebrate this momentous occasion. ((insert laugh-cry))

1. According to my mother, I was the first girl born to my father’s family in 90 years.  He was English (so I suppose it’s in my DNA) and gave me two middle names.
2. I was born in Canada outside of Toronto.
3. Evidently I was a born swimmer, jumping into the pool when I was about 2 with no floaties and no lessons.  I’ve been swimming ever since.  I love the water.
4. I once missed the bus because I forgot my pink elephant, Pinky, for Show-and-Tell.  I still have it.
5. I’m still friends with a girl I met in kindergarten.
6. I used to sleepwalk occasionally as a child.
7. I had (still kind of do have) a fascination with fire, and was caught on a few occasions playing with it – like burning the back of the seat of my stepfather’s car. Oh yeah.
8. I did not like ketchup, until recently, but would eat tomatoes.
9. I used to have the horrible habit of rolling my eyes…at everything and once fought with my third grade teacher about the date.  I argued that the calendar must be wrong.  Wow.
10. I had hair that hung nearly mid-thigh and often pretended to be Madison from Splash – my hair was always green during the summer months.
11. The first boy I ever had a crush on was named Tommy, but I also thought Kenny Rogers was a “fox”.  So there’s that.
12. Tom Jones brought me on stage once and sang to me.  I still have the album he signed for me.
13. I was in fifth grade when we watched the unfortunate events of the Challenger Space Shuttle take off, and I can still remember it clearly.
14. I had my bike stolen in fifth grade from outside my house and I got in trouble for it. I wrote my first “novel” about running away from home because my stepfather was a jerk about it.
15. The book about running away was a school project; we were given a blank hardback book and that was what inspired me to be a writer – the book, not the story. 🙂
16. I was a ballerina for 16 years.
17. I once tried out for cheerleading, but quickly realized it was not for me.  I joined the volleyball team instead, and regularly hated the cheerleaders’ perpetual perkiness.
18. I was the third tallest kid in jr. high behind two boys, Conrad and Dean. I was one of the three tallest girls in high school.
19. I topped out at 6 feet tall by the time I was 18.
20. I had to wear guy’s jeans until I was almost 20 because they were the only pants that had inseam length.  I still have a problem finding clothes that are the right length; my sleeves are always too short, and pants a little high water.
21. When I was 14, I met my friend Jill at a church youth group camp.  We thought we’d be pastors’ wives…oh how the times have changed.
22. My mother entered me in a beauty pageant at 15.  I didn’t crack the top 10.
23. I did modeling in my teens and was told by a photographer to lose 10 lbs.  I was 5’10” and 125 lbs at the time.  I quit modeling shortly thereafter.
24. I sang in my junior high and high school choirs.
25. I’ve always had very long hair and when I was 15, I rode a go-cart without a cover on the engine.  My unbound hair whipped in, and I lost nearly half the hair on the left side of my head. I ended up cutting off about 3 feet of hair to get rid of the burnt, mangled bits.
26. I had my first kiss at 16 with my best friend at the time, Eric.  He thought we should lose our virginities together.
27. I didn’t lose my virginity until I was 29 and planned on writing a screenplay about it; the 40-Year Old Virgin beat me to it.  I had a friend who suggested I sell “it” to the highest bidder, like a geisha and at least make a profit.
28. I played volleyball for years, despite not getting my varsity letter my junior year because I went on a French Club trip to see The Phantom of the Opera that coincided with state finals.  I didn’t play my senior year out of spite – still so stubborn.
29. I did not go to my Senior Prom.  The boy I liked thought I was going with someone else and didn’t ask.  At our 10 year reunion he apologized. 🙂
30. I considered being a showgirl, but was told I was too nice for the business.
31. I was 19 when I discovered England was “home”, and the love affair began.  I’ve only been back once since.  Maybe that’s why no place feels like home?!
32. My brother and I thought about opening up a tea shop, and while in research mode, snuck into a tea convention.  Such a rebel.
33. Titanic was the first movie I ever saw alone.
34. I went back to college after a 5 year hiatus and graduated 2 months shy of my 30th birthday.
35. I’ve been a vegetarian for 8 years.  It was then that I discovered I’m lactose intolerant, but I’m never giving up cheese or ice cream! Now it’s been 18 years with many borderline vegan.
36. I haven’t been on a date in 5 years, as I swore off men until I got my career off the ground.  I’m willing to lift the ban for the one who “gets me”. Oh, this is a whole other conversation.
37. I hate horror movies and country music. Don’t come for me.
38. I have almost every ticket from every movie I’ve ever seen at the theater.
39. I don’t like drugs because of the loss of control.  I’m a bit of a control freak.  I’ve “smoked” like 3 times and did shrooms once.  It caused me to react with this weird hysterical laugh/cry thing that I did not care for.
40. Inevitably, no matter where I work, I get the nickname Princess.  The Sis says it’s because it’s obvious.  I’ve always felt a kinship to Cinderella.

And now the 10 new random facts. I’m going to try to be positive.

1. Pink is my favorite color, all shades.
2. Truffle and lavender are among my favorite flavors.
3. I have a like/dislike relationship with olives, melons, and BBQ flavored things.
4. The Sis and I got geek tattoos together for her 30th birthday, and now we have new ones planned for my 50th.
5. I used to decorate cakes.
6. I used to be the youngest among my friends and coworkers, for a long time. Now the kids under 30 I work with call me “Mom”. Yeah.
7. For as bad as my memory is, I can still recall two of the best meals I’ve ever had – Nobu in Malibu and Gary Danko’s in San Francisco.
8. One of the best things I ever did for myself – backpacking in Europe in my 20s.
9. Deserted island playlist: Enya, Muse, Hans Zimmer, Depeche Mode, and Lady Gaga. This was hard to narrow down.
10. Favorite “things” in the whole world – my two furkids.

I’m not sure what life lessons are to be found here, but if you need big sister-auntie-mom energy, I’m here for you.

I haven’t officially celebrated yet, that’ll be later this week, but it feels good to spend some time here with all of you. So, thank you! And Happy Birthday to me! ((insert laugh-cry))

xx, Rach

I can’t believe it’s been a year since I wrote my post about being 40.  Gasp.

*Today I’m not quite sure what I’d like to talk about.  I’m not really in reflection mode.  I wasn’t dreading this birthday, but I also haven’t made any plans.  I’ve never really been one to celebrate.  I had a nice birthday last year, but it was a big one, so it was sort of necessary to commemorate the event, but not this year.

I was thinking about reminiscing about where I am currently and where I’d like to be by next year, but I think I talk about that kind of stuff enough regularly.  I was thinking that maybe I would talk about my favorite things at the moment, as those things tend to change, but most of you already know about some of my fixations (sure, let’s go with that), many of which will never change – see above image.

Honestly, at the moment, I don’t feel like doing much of anything.

What to do?  What to do?  Hmm…how about a little flash fiction that encapsulates the moment…

She sat on the floor cross-legged tapping her fingers to a beat that only she could hear.  Her mind wandered to and fro, mainly between fantasy worlds she desired to be a part of.  That’s how she preferred to spend her time.  The rational part of her brain spoke loudly about all the things that required her attention while the frivolous side reminded her that this was the one day she didn’t have to follow convention.  Perhaps it was all those activities she had taken part of in her youth that had caused her to become reclusive.  There was no willing herself today.  She remained inactive, despite the rising volume of her inner responsibility.

She thought of the time wasted, the gift that she had allowed to go unopened, and hoped she would be lucky enough to do better tomorrow.

*I started this post earlier in the day, but the nothing I indulged in interrupted the flow.

Anyway, Happy Birthday to me. 🙂  Thank you all for being a part of my journey and here’s to a new year that will hopefully be better than the last!