Remember the days when you went to a photo sitting, waited two weeks for the proofs, chose which you liked and waited 10 more days for the prints? I had a birthday a month ago and I’ve been waiting on the proofs for a few weeks.  The proof that I really am older and the proof that this next decade will be even better.

Somewhere along about the age of 40 I realized that every time I approached a decade marker I got a second wind.  I was curious to see if that would happen this year as I completed yet another decade.   Looking back; this has been a fabulous decade!

During the last 10 years I ____________________________________________

• Completed a bachelor’s degree graduating magna cum laude
• Saw my daughter graduate high school
• Watched my youngest son graduate high school and launch into the adult world.
• Cheered as my daughter graduated college
• Completed a manuscript for a children’s book and saw it all the way to independent publication
• Actually got paid to write – every penny counts
• Got to interact with four grandchildren
• Travelled by train to San Francisco and Seattle
• Packed all the necessities of existence in a Subaru and moved 1000 miles solo
• Taught classroom music fulltime
• Taught piano for enrichment
• Completed a women’s fiction manuscript which will probably never see the light of day
• Got paid to play the piano
• Took in as many events, travels and concerts as time and money allowed
• Hiked all the trails of Colorado National Monument
• Returned to retail store management and found I loved it

And now, I am beginning to plot and plan how I can see more National Parks, hike in more beautiful places, make more music and write publishable manuscripts in the upcoming decade.

A fabulous party

For the first time in 60 years, I planned my own birthday party and paid for a live band – just because I love music and I love raising young musicians.  This is how the band looks…

…but not really how the band sounds. iphoto correctly guessed my generation when it automatically chose the audio.

The band?  They are indie innovators and accomplished musicians. In reality this is how the band sounds 

These musicians? They are my children.  My greatest accomplishment was raising them to adulthood and allowing for or providing for as much music in their lives as possible.