41 and fairly fabulous

Today's the big day....the girls don't have school so they made me breakfast in bed. I could hear the bickering and the shushing from below. The Boy drew me a card...on my bedroom wall with a rogue pencil he jacked from one of the girls' backpacks....

It's Monday morning, I'm surrounded by children and domestic livestock...missing the Beloved, but otherwise life is pretty darn good.

(The only suck factor so far is that it's really cold - the rest of the week will be nice and warm. Figures.)

40

It's my theme this week...one of my favorite psalms, and OH YEAH...one of the best concert-enders EVER! (Another nerd revelation for you...I've experienced it in person 11 times.)

Birthday presents

Believe it or not, after all the clacking and moaning you've endured here about the big 4-0, I am generally of the opinion that after about 21 or so, birthdays are no longer a big deal and should not be fussed over. A card and ceremonial cake at the office, sure. A day off if the schedule allows, fine. Dinner date with the beloved and kiddies, ideal. I also do not like getting gifts, other than handmade stuff from the kids, and the obligatory shiny bauble from my ever-seeking-to-spoil-me spouse. (Love that guy!) If I want something, I will select and buy it myself. Conversely, maybe perversely, I LOVE giving gifts to other people, and put much time and thought into getting just the right little thing they've mentioned or admired in the past, something they collect, a spa treat, whatever. (I am a freak, I know...but I am revered by those who know of my gift-picking and suitcase packing skills.)

So anyway, I put the word out through one of my best galpals and our collective hairdresser and did my best to avoid any attempts at surprise parties or other occasions where I might get some sort of oh-so-aptly named GAG gifts sprung on me. It worked! Got a fair number of emails, cards from a few family members, kind wishes from many of you, and best of all, I got to sneak away on my quick refresher trip (gift to me from me!) unscathed.

Essentially, I am very grateful for all that I did NOT get for my 40th...and I mean that most sincerely. I am looking ahead to 50. I am thinking it will be a nice little birthstone-inspired aquamarine-colored Vespa with matching helmet. I will then live out all my Roman Holiday fantasies in style...


So now that we've covered the next big milestone, I ask you, what is YOUR ideal birthday present (or non-present)?

40 in Florida...

As you may have determined, I survived the big day....almost gracefully, too. We had a lovely time, the wind was a bit chilly on the beach for the first day or so, but we wore our cover-ups and brought novels down anyway - the sun felt great!

View from our Sanibel hotel room

We spent the first 2 days on Sanibel, and the last day and a half down the coast a bit in Naples. On our last day, for the heck of it, we made the drive inland to see the new Ave Maria development, the university, and the Oratory. This is literally a little oasis plunked down in rural, eastern Collier County in the middle of NOWHERE. Now, I've seen a lot of new housing, having practiced construction defect law in So.Cal., but I was not prepared for what we saw at Ave Maria. One word. Gorgeous!

The Oratory

I am not the photographer in the family, but this next one gives a little more perspective. The interior is not yet complete, the Blessed Sacrament is not reserved there and there is no artwork or altar yet...although there is a historical timeline and some housing development sales brochures. I chose not to curl my lip at this yet, as the Oratory is still under construction and not quite "hallowed ground" at this point. Or I might've flipped the table over.

What I did not really capture (strain your eyes and you'll see a bit) is that this is the focal point of a Piazza, with a semi-circular drive behind the Oratory with cute little shops (including a homeschool supply store with COOL STUFF!), a coffeehouse, bookstore, fitness place, spa, real estate offices, etc., as the town center. Clearly modeled with an Italian village in mind - and that is a GOOD thing. Opposite this (i.e., directly behind me as I took this picture) is the Ave Maria University campus.

The campus is in "stage one" - the main buildings are there, but clearly there will be more to come. Including a law school (hmmmm...."Professor Kit" is intrigued....)

There are strong, diametrically opposed feelings about this development and its origins, and the ACLU is watching like a hawk, to be sure. But again, I must say, it is beautiful. Just beautiful. The housing prices are in the 200-400K range, which, given the location is not terrible. 35 minutes to Naples, probably 90 or so to Miami on the other side. I'd move there in a minute....and I certainly shall when they make me the new law school Dean! (I'd settle for Assistant, mind you...)

And heck, if one of the bene's for employees is free tuition, here's a potential future member of the class of '16!

She is intent on getting into Cornell (not too far from our house, and she has the grades, brains, and personality to do it if she works hard in high school), but I asked her what she thought of AMU and the surrounding area. She said she doesn't like the crowds of FL, and believes that she should live in someplace like Brigadoon (LOL!). I looked at her and said "Honey, this place is as close as you'll ever get to Brigadoon in real life!" Really. A little conservative Catholic town with nothing around it but miles of agricultural fields, low potential for any substantial criminal activity, with hardcore Catholic college students sprinkled about. Of course there will always be plenty of room for human nature to prove my theory wrong, wolves always find sheep, but I think the odds are in Ave Maria's favor.

Definitely worth the drive if you are ever in that part of FL.

AND the winner is.....

.....Sanibel Island, FL.

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The vacation poll is closed!

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Yes, I shall welcome (?) my 40th by attending Easter morning Mass with the family, then hop on a plane and end it on a lovely, white-sandy beach, hopefully with some sort of umbrella-bearing cold adult beverage in hand.

For those who've never heard of it, Sanibel is a resort island in SW Florida, connected by a long bridge (causeway) to Ft. Myers, which is just over an hour south of Tampa.

I've been there twice, with friends whose parents owned a timeshare back in the mid-80's, and it was lovely. (And far less expensive!)

Sanibel is renowned for shelling...I still have a few good ones, and a lovely bit of fire coral, all these years later

I am taking the oldest child along....she's had a rough few months at school, having "outed" some of her peers for bullying. So now she's on the receiving end, feeling that she did the right thing, but being friendless at 14 is not easy. So a mini-break from the wretched she-dogs of the quasi-Catholic Jr. High will be good for her. She, being a major whitey, will be under the cabana, while I, with some strange ability to tan that comes every other generation in my Irish-German-Alsatian genetic stew, will be brown as a coconut within 48 hours. (Yes, I know we are not supposed to do that to our skin anymore, but given the long, dark, cold, snowy upstate winter, 1) don't really give a damn, and 2) let's just say I consider it therapy for my S.A.D. issues. Hmmmm.....I wonder if it's a tax writeoff....?)

So, I shall watch the sun set on my 30's and enjoy the halftime show for a few days, then back to reality.

(Nothing says "buzzkill" like 5 workers' compensation hearings in 2 days when I step off the plane!)

This was a painstaking process. I wanted to do something new and unusual. I very nearly chose 4 days in Iceland - yes, Iceland - because it was a strange and unique, once in a lifetime kind of trip, friends have raved about it, and hey, you only turn 40 once. But I had qualms about leaving the family so far behind.

Then I got some great info, and a killer potential deal on a Dublin package for St. Patrick's Day, staying at the Clarence with a potential "surprise" U2 appearance...but I could not stand the look of pain in the beloved's eyes at the thought of me doing that without him. He could not take time away that week. He was the baby seal, I was the club. Not right at all.

Last week was looking a lot like London - crazy cheap fares and a desire to take tea at Harrods, and then pop over to Harvey Nic's and look for Patsy & Edina. But then, I've done that (didn't find Patsy & Edina then, either...).

So, I ended up staying in the States, spending far less, feeling very little guilt, and will be going to a place I have fond memories of at the same age as the oldest is now. We shall have bonding moments, a convertible rental car, and be back in the wee hours on Thursday. (For those who are wondering, the 10 year old and I explored Charleston together last summer, so she is not being overlooked, but she's sure miffed at the moment. Sometimes a little one-on-one time with Mom - and Mom with girl - is a very good thing!)

I will take lots of picture and give you all a review when I return!