Happy Birthday to Me

Today is my 40th birthday, and honestly, I'm having a difficult time with it. I keep hearing from women... and the occasional man... (both that I know and don't know who are over 40), that this will be the best time in my life. Hrmph! I really don't see what could be so wonderful about it. Being 40, single, never married... what is so exciting and "wonderful" about that? Haven't my chances of ever getting married, of finding lasting love, of becoming a "DINK" rather than a "SINK," just dropped dramatically?

According to a Newsweek article mentioned today on CBS news, "Marriage After 40? Not Impossible!"

"The 1986 (Newsweek) article predicted that women after 30 only had a 20 percent chance of getting married. For women over 40, those chances plummeted to 2.6 percent." Excuse me, is that 2.6%??? There seems be good news now, in 2007, for those of us who may still exist and WANT to get married. "So the good news is that for a woman over 40 who is single, she has a 40 percent chance of getting married." OK, 40% still doesn't make me jump for joy, but it certainly is better than the original 2.6%.

My Mom wrote something in my birthday card that I hope is true. She wrote that everything up to now in my life "has just been training," and that my new "journey" into my 40s will be the best part. She has turned out to be right about most things, as I look back at what I should have listened to, and I hope she is right about this.

On to something fun! We celebrated this big birthday last weekend, at The Reef piano bar here in Boulder. I had family, some friends, and some friends / coworkers there to help me celebrate. We all had an amazing time... laughing, singing, drinking, and eating. (See pictures...)

Note: I haven't done the whole drinking alcohol thing in 10 yrs. now, but about a month ago I had some wine at a wine tasting at The Boulderado with K&J, and then at The Reef I drank several gulps from "the fishbowl" drink that was sent to our table (by one of the pianists), and a shot of Yager that a pianist ordered for me... of which I sipped half and gave the other half away. I did catch a buzz and my headache reminded me why I don't drink anymore. hahaha