40!

Wow - I don't feel 40! :-)

My parents took my family and my sister's to Buca di Beppo for lunch to celebrate. Mom found a whole slew of "Over the Hill" gifts, such as this "makeup brush"
They gave me my real birthday presents months ago - they bought my plane ticket and rental car for Knitting Camp. :-)

This is me with my baby sister Michelle - she's going to be 38 next month...

Michelle found a Life magazine from the actual day I was born

and, for my spoon rack, a collector spoon from the Blue Hole in Castalia!

I can't believe she found that - the Blue Hole closed 15 years ago!

After an absolutely awesome lunch, dessert:

Tiramisu, surrounded by black suckers that say "40 Sucks." Mom had given them to the kitchen staff ahead of time (two of them were my students!) I also had a Chocolate Wedge, made especially for me by one of my studentsAfter lunch, Michelle took me to Southpark Mall and bought me an outfit for my birthday, and then we went to see King Kong. If you haven't seen it yet, go now! The scenes with the huge bugs were a little much, but Adrien Brody more than makes up for it. :-) I wish Kong would have landed on Jack Black at the end, but you can't have everything, I guess!

When I got home, my kids gave me this

Two pairs of flannel PJs, the Scarf Style book, and a pair of diamond chip earrings!

As a bonus, for the first time in many, many years, it didn't snow on my birthday!

Today I have to try to make a reasonable attempt to finish my Christmas shopping. I have everybody done except the boys...