Turning 45, I Think I'm Turning 45, I Really Think So!

This past Monday, the 19th, I celebrated my 45th trip around the Sun. Though I "turned" 45 on Monday, I am now four days into my 46th year of life. It was an interesting weekend prior to my birthday. Li-yin and I hiked all weekend in the Smokies and the 8 mile hike down (the Boulevard Trail) from Mt. LeConte was, for me, grueling. It seemed the last mile (which ended at Newfound Gap) was straight downhill and required stepping down many rocks and many rough-cut stairs dug into the earth. After hiking 13 miles in under 36 hours that last mile down was brutal. I didn’t want to go up. I didn’t want to go down. I just wanted to be able to shuffle along on FLAT ground. :) I did, however, make it to the end where Li-yin and I then hitched a ride down to the Alum Cave Bluffs parking lot where her car was parked. I have remarked on many occasions that I will never hike UP the Boulevard Trail to Mt. LeConte ever again (after doing that twice). Now, I can also say with fair certainty that I will never hike DOWN the Boulevard Trail again. But enough complaining about my out of shape body and the idiocy of hiking 15 miles in my shape. The beauty was in that Sunday evening. One of my friends, Frankie, decided that she wanted to make dinner Sunday evening for me and Li-yin since we would be tired from hiking. I reluctantly agreed even though I knew I would be dead tired and just want to go home, shower and get up close and personal with my den couch. Li-yin dropped me off and I took a hot shower and then drove the 2 blocks (yeah, I’m a wuss) to Li-yin, Hua and Tracy’s apartment where Frankie was cooking. My legs were hurting and my muscles were still trying out contortionist stances but the hot shower helped. I knocked on the door, being only a few minutes late. I heard scrambling going on inside and immediately realized what was taking place. A surprise dinner and party for me! :) There were all my international friends, all of whom have become very special to me over the last year: Tracy and her husband Hua, Li-yin, Nana, Frankie, and Jui-he. There was a HB balloon for me and a table full of delicious food, as you can see. Someone even remembered my remark long ago that red velvet cake is my favorite. :) After eating the delicious meal, the candles were lit and everyone sang Happy Birthday in English. Then I requested Mandarin and they sang in Mandarin. Nana then sang Happy Birthday to me solo in Georgian (being the only Georgian in the room). I blew all the candles out but they quickly started re-lighting one by one. I thought Hua was absolutely going to pass out from laughing so hard. He kept remarking, "That’s so funny, that’s so funny" and it was pure bliss to see such honest, fun laughter coming from everyone! :) I requested a cup of water and we finally made the candles go out. My friends gave me a rice cooker (which I’ve been wanting) and 2 beautiful Yankee candles (my favorite scent, honeydew melon) and Jui-he brought back from his recent trip to Taiwan a bag of delicious milk tea. They all signed a birthday card, writing special messages to me and signing their names in English and in their native languages. It was a wonderful evening and one that I won’t soon forget. The best present was, of course, sharing a meal with my friends and enjoying wonderful diverse conversation with them. Sometimes we laugh and joke and sometimes we solve the world’s problems but we always have a great time together. "Turning 45" turned out to be a positive, memorable event in my life. One I will cherish in years to come.