One Day At a Time

February. My least favorite month. And not just because my husband sucks at Valentine's Day.

February is traditionally the last full-blooded month of all-out winter. It just sounds like winter- "March" has a totally different vibe than "February". And where I live, February means it's the fourth month of cold and dark. Four months of getting up in the dark and coming home in the dark. Four months of spending the vast majority of the time indoors and covered up from toes to nose. Four months of cold hands, cold feet, and blowing the hair dryer under my shirt to try and get warm.

February is kind of like the last leg of a race, or the last few hours of an all-day road trip towards a vacation destination. You know there is light at the end of the tunnel, but it seems like you are never going to get there.

I struggle with keeping physically and emotionally motivated this time of year. All I want to do is crawl in bed and read a book or watch movies. I don't want to get out of my flannel sheets and fleece pajamas. My skin is extremely dry because I don't want to spend the extra time being cold and naked in the bathroom to put on lotion. I mean, the truth of the matter is I know that my hair dryer will reach over to where I sit on the toilet...

But earlier this week, I caught a glimpse of something I hadn't seen before work for quite some time. It wasn't the actual sun, but yet there was definitely a hint of sunrise beginning to show. Sure enough, as I paid closer attention throughout the rest of the week, I noticed that it wasn't quite as dark in the mornings and evenings as I traveled to and from work.

In fact, I have discovered that we are getting about 2 more minutes of light each day. Two minutes doesn't seem like a whole lot, but have you ever tried to do Plank for two minutes? It definitely feels like a long time then....

Tonight's picture represents staying positive through the last few miles of winter. When I look back at my posts from this week one year ago, one of them talks about how I was using a garden hoe to chop up the ice on the driveway- it was actually almost 50 degrees at one point today. So I guess it can always be worse. I booked a trip to Las Vegas the last weekend of the month with some girlfriends, and I will keep taking my Vitamin D gummy each morning. And before I know it, I'll be wearing my sunglasses to work. Come on Spring!

Lordy, Lordy....

That's right. It happened. The Big 4-0.

Forty  years. How the heck did that happen? Wasn't I 28 and a new mom just a couple of years ago? If I let myself stop and think about it, it sounds so.....well, old. But, then I shake my head and tell myself that forty definitely is not in the senior citizen category- ok, maybe the "mature adult" division...

The truth is, I feel better about turning forty than I did when I turned thirty, or even thirty-five. I am in a great place both personally and professionally, and not everyone can say that. I couldn't say that at 35 even. And as it turns out, a fortieth birthday is much more fun than most:

On Wednesday, the staff on my unit at work put together a surprise lunch, with a theme of "40 is Gonna Be  Picnic". They brought in picnic food, including one of my ultimate weaknesses- fried chicken. One of the girls made a beautiful cake that rivaled fancy special-order ones, and there were cookies that tasted like smores- yum! I also got a picnic basket filled with goodies that showed how much they really knew me- protein bars, homemade granola bars, electrolyte water, a bottle of wine, Pomegranate juice, and a Wonder Woman coffee mug filled with chocolate. What a wonderful, personalized surprise.

Thursday brought a cryptic text from a friend, telling me to pick a weekend in March to celebrate my birthday. Whatever she has brewing is "more fun" in warmer weather, and I was informed there would be alcohol involved. Well duh...

On Friday, I booked a flight and hotel in Las Vegas for next month. My Black Friday Girlfriend has a big birthday too, and we decided we were due for a girl's trip somewhere warm. After much deliberation on hotels, we decided on the Monte Carlo, giving us a great location in the middle of everything- and by "everything" I mean shopping of course....

Saturday was my actual birthday, and as I sat on the couch drinking my first cup of coffee, my husband brought me a gift bag and placed it next to me. Eyeing it warily, I peeked inside and immediately started smiling.

Now, some women would want or hope for diamonds or other jewelry for their 40th birthday. Maybe flowers, or tickets to a Broadway show. Those are all fine, but my husband went for something instead that meant more to me than any of those things- he got me a Garmin multi-sport watch. It's big, and black, and plastic...and freaking awesome. I think it does more than my Iphone, and will be invaluable as I head into the next portion of my training for race season. It also showed me that he supports my goals, which is huge since my training sometimes means I miss dinner with him or wake him up at 4:45 AM when my alarm goes off to get to the gym before work. Who'd have thought a black sport watch could be so romantic?

Yesterday was a swim day. It was also my first swim in the new training suit that I had bought the day before. Let's just say that trying on bathing suits in January the day before your fortieth birthday was....well it was depressing to be honest. There must not be a lot of 5'10" swimmers out there, and especially not ones who weigh a solid 150-155 pounds. Most suits I tried on threatened to become a thong at the bottom half or a wrestling onesie at the top (if you have ever seen a wrestling onesie you will know what I mean...) with any movement, and those were the ones I could get over my hips. In my skinniest moments of my life I am 5'10" and 145 pounds- my body just doesn't get small than that. And I'm ok with that- obviously Speedo isn't. But as I pushed through my 80 laps, I realized that I am stronger than I was a month ago. My times are dropping (I know this thanks to my handy-dandy new watch), and I'm not wasted at the end of a session. I am in better shape than I was this time a year ago, with nowhere but forward to go. So "screw you, Speedo", I muttered to myself as I got out of the pool, pulling the suit out of my butt crack as I strode defiantly back to the locker room.

Feeling good, I  could not put up a fight when my husband suggested getting Bill's donuts for breakfast on the way home from the gym. Three donuts later at the kitchen table, I was so torn between pleasure and disgust that I had to close the lid of the donut box on the last donut to prevent myself from forcing it down.

That worked for about an hour. But damn that fourth donut was good.

The rest of my day was pretty uneventful, with a trip to my favorite pizza place- Uno's to finish the celebration of surviving another year. I am a deep dish lover, and theirs is the best in town. Plus, the two mixed drinks I had went down pretty good...

In the interim, I have received cards, texts, voicemails,  and of course many many Facebook messages wishing me a Happy Birthday. I am blessed to have such wonderful family and friends, who took a moment or two out of their day to say something nice.

All in all, I would say my fortieth birthday has been great. All of my girlfriends who have passed this milestone already ensure me that my forties will be the best time of my life. My children are either grown or at least able to mostly care for themselves, I get to play with grandchildren, my physical fitness is peaking, and supposedly my sexual libido is going to skyrocket- my husband got a look of excitement and fear on his face when I told him that...

Today's picture represents starting a new decade of life, as well as being thankful for family, friends, and a new watch to celebrate it with.