Hello, friends! Wow! What a crazy few days I’ve had. Thank goodness I only turn 75 once. 🙂 AND, the heat persists. We are now on our 29th day of triple digits. Back in 2011, this area set a record of over 70 days straight. I was living in Colorado that year, so I missed it. At any rate, this next week doesn’t show any relief in sight yet. Every day is well over 100. But I certainly had birthday celebrations!
Reflecting back over these Monday posts, I realize that they form a diary of sorts. When I am no longer here, my family will still have access to these meanderings. 🙂 I’m sure most of it they will find boring, but one thing for sure, they will see how much I value them all and how deep my love goes.
Today would have been our 41st wedding anniversary. On the Etchings In Stone CD, Rick recorded a song written by the late Bill C. Graham. I Bet On You says so much, and I loved singing background vocals on it. I made this YouTube short to commemorate the anniversary using a snippet from that song. Hope you enjoy it.
So, back to the birthday. I spent the entire day on Friday, which was my actual birthday, working on my story until around 7 pm! YAY me! I have one more chapter to go to wrap this up. And to think a few weeks ago, I wasn’t sure I’d even keep writing it. I’ve always said to be an author you need three P’s.
- Patience
- Persistence
- Practice
Guess I forgot my own advice. At any rate, I’m on track to finish. Still don’t have a book cover, but hopefully it’s on the way.
Friday evening, I went with the family for the parent preview of the McKinney High School Royal Pride Marching Band halftime show for this season. It was hot, but bearable. Afterward, we all went to a local restaurant for food and drinks. My stomach wasn’t feeling too great, so I didn’t eat anything, but still participated. This restaurant has hundreds of dollar bills stapled on the walls. Our waiter explained that at the end of the year, they count them all and give that amount with a match to a local charity. So, my kiddos insisted I add a dollar bill to the wall commemorating my 75th. 🙂
My girls are so wonderful. Truly I am blessed. I came home to these.
My good friend, Kelly, sent me a Bamboo plant! I love it. AND, my sister sent a cage necklace that I’ve been thinking about getting for a while. This is the kind that allows you to switch out the gemstones. So far, I’ve switched out three. The most recent was a Sodalite Heart. 🙂
And then, on Saturday, we all met at the newly opened Melting Pot. It was an adventure. 🙂 We were there for almost four hours, but had lots of laughs.
I received multiple birthday cards, including some very special ones from my granddaughters. Oh, and a pair of pigeon socks my granddaughter picked up in New York. You all know how much I hate pigeons. 🙂 Another gift from my daughter and grandsons that I am super excited about is a ticket to go see Tab Benoit and Jesse Dayton in November!
And then…bear with me. I’m almost there. On Sunday, we all went to see the new Matthew McConaughey movie, The Rivals of Amziah King. I don’t know if any of you have seen it yet, but if you have, I’d love to know your thoughts. It was probably (in my opinion) one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen. So disappointed!
I love this quote from Louise Hay on aging.
And now the animal card for the week ahead.
If Mountain Lion has come to you, it’s a reminder to stand on your own convictions and lead yourself where your heart takes you. But remember you cannot make everyone happy unless you lie to yourself for others. Your first responsibility is to tell the truth. Know it and live it and your example will filter down to others.
Okay. That’s a powerful message for us to embrace this week. Thank you for visiting!
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I’m so glad you had a happy birthday, Jan. 75 is a milestone like 25 and 50. The pigeon socks gave me a giggle. I remember your pigeon tales. Great news about the book. I look forward to reading it. I shall reflect on this card. It’s good one.
Thank you, Robbie! I agree that 75 is a milestone. Yes, the pigeon socks made me laugh. My granddaughter is well aware of my ongoing battle with the pigeons. 🙂 Shows her sense of humor. I’m glad you enjoyed the card. It has a great message!
Happy Belated Birthday, Jan; it sounds like a busy whirl of a time! Well done on getting close to the end with your WIP soon, and hope the cover is all you’d want when it arrives. I love the Louise Hay quote on ageing – works for me! Thanks for sharing and have a great week. 🙂
Thank you so much, Laura. I appreciate you taking the time to stop by and leave a comment.
Happy Birthday Jan and wishing you many more such birthdays.. You have a wonderful family! Those dollar bills tradition sounds amazing. Stay blessed.
Thanks so much, Balroop! I thought the dollar bill tradition was pretty awesome, especially since it benefits a local charity.
It is wonderful that you had a great birthday celebration. We have to visit that restaurant in McKinney with all the dollar bills. It is not far from where we live and Greenville is just one hour drive away. You had lots of great photos showing all the fun.
Thanks for visiting, Thomas. The restaurant in McKinney is Stix on El Dorado. They have great food and live music on weekend nights. I didn’t realize you live in Greenville. You should have participated in the Greenville Book Festival! Would love to have met you.
Happy Birthday, Jan. I’m so glad you had a great time, and I’m happy to hear about the progress you made writing.
Thanks so much, Dan!
Celebrating ALL the love in your life, with you, Jan! <3
Thank you, Annette! 💕
Looking great, Jan! Happy birthday. How great that you’re nearing the end of your latest novel. You have a beautiful family. Your comment about Monday Meanderings brought back a memory of my mother. She used to write things down in a notebook. I guess you could call it a diary of sorts. I think it was her way of keeping track of things. She wrote down anything that had happened to her that day including simple activities like going to the dentist or taking a walk with friends. In her last years, I used to read her own words back to her, which she seemed to enjoy.
I love that, Pete. What a sweet memory with your mom. Thanks so much for stopping by. Glad you enjoyed the post and all the good wishes are appreciated.
Happy Birthday, Jan. Looks like a great time with family and a stand-in for the pigeons. I feel for those band kids who are usually wearing wool band uniforms.
Thanks, Craig. I agree about the band kids in this heat. They aren’t wearing their uniforms yet, but still, it’s just damned HOT! I appreciate you taking the time to visit.
You are what? 75? I had never guessed that, seriously! Happy belated Birthday, dear friend 💖I am happy for you, you had such a lovely and long time to celebrate with your loved ones. Oh, and what a beautiful wedding photo that is. Thanks a lot for sharing, Jan💖
Yes, Erika. I am now officially 75. I can’t believe it. Thank you for the wish, and for visiting today. I’m so glad you enjoyed the post.
I always do 💖
So much to congratulation you on!! Keep on truckin’!
Doing my best, Liz! 🙂 Thank you for visiting!
You’re welcome, Jan!
Sounds like a terrific birthday, Jan. You are surrounded by loving family.
It was, John, and I am so blessed. Thank you for visiting!
Looks like you had a very large birthday, Sister. Lots happening. I always love Bet on You. That was a great song. And the quote speaks to me and the mountain lion had a good message. I need to remember that when I’m dealing with a certain faux writer. Love you lots, Jan. Glad you liked the stone necklace.
You are absolutely right, sister. When it comes to dealing with the ‘faux’ writer, you need to true to yourself. 🙂 So glad you enjoyed the post and I’m wearing the necklace again today with the Sodalite. Love you!!
You had a full weekend, Jan, and it was nice to read through all the pieces of it. I hope you had a wonderful birthday, and I’m glad you were surrounded by your family. Happy birthday!
Thank you so much, Kymber. I’m so glad you enjoyed the post. Yes, it was a wonderful birthday celebration!
Glad you had such a wonderful birthday celebration, Jan 🙂 I love that necklace and always good luck to get a bamboo. Perfect quote and the mountain lion is a great reminder to be true to ourselves. Hooray on your book! Beautiful wedding picture and song! I like the idea that our blogs will be there for our family after we are gone. Love never leaves. Xo
Thank you so much, Denise. I’m so glad you enjoyed the post and I also really love the idea that our blogs will live on after we are gone. Have a greata week!
It’s heartwarming you had such a wonderful birthday celebration and such great gifts, Jan! 😍
Thank you SO much, Tim!
My pleasure, Jan! 😍
What an amazing birthday weekend you had. You have such a terrific family and the love certainly shows. ❤️❤️
Thank you for stopping by, Darlene. I am certainly blessed and grateful. Hugs!
I could easily see this Monday series as a journal book, with a few details about the characters. It’s always a good mix of unusual and energizing. That bamboo plant–I’ve never seen one f those.
Thanks, Jacqui. I am sorry glad you enjoy these ramblings. And I love the bamboo plant.
You had a wonderful birthday celebration! That’s awesome! I love the pictures of your family gathering, and the video, and the flowers/balloons and even your cute new bamboo plant. I love the quote from Hay.
Thank you, Priscilla, for all the wonderful wishes! I appreciate you stopping by. Hugs!