Turning 50

I am not the first, nor will I be the last, to write about turning 50.

However, I will only turn 50 in my lifetime, so it's significant to me.

I celebrated my birthday in Minneapolis, with my family, and a week early. Unknown to me, my husband had been planning the celebration for a year, when we found out in August that our children's "Nutcracker" auditions were on the day after my birthday.

Originally my birthday would have been perfect -- it was on a Saturday, and the same weekend as the Purdue-Minnesota football game; we could have celebrated in the afternoon, and gone to a football game in the evening.

However, there is always good in the bad. As it turns out, my godparents as well as a couple of other people would not have been able to make the party if it had been held on my birthday.

My party (a partial surprise, since I was told it would be at my aunt's -- no slouch location, since they have done benefit concerts there) was at the Nicollet Island Inn. It was a lovely dinner, with just the right number of people in attendance to make it a party, but few enough that I had a chance to talk to everyone at least once, and a few people at length.

It was a low-key party, with no speeches. However, DH did welcome everyone, and had prepared a slide show set to "Linus and Lucy." He had thought of really just about everything -- kids' menu type food for the kids, a choice of salmon or chicken (the salmon was a concession for him -- he hates fish), and a cake from Wuollet's, the world's best bakery.

In spite of a "no gifts" request, I still got gifts -- a lovely rosemaled plate, the Bing & Grondahl Christmas plate from 1957, my birth year, a Cartier watch, which I have to keep locked in our grounded safe when I'm not wearing it. People who didn't bring gifts brought cards, of course.

It was clear that a lot of thought had gone into the preparations. My husband remarked that he was glad it was over -- he doesn't like keeping things from me, even when it's a fun surprise. Most importantly, though, everyone seemed to have a good time. The entire weekend was so "right" that I don't think I could have asked for anything better.

But how do I feel turning 50? Really, I feel no different than 49. In fact, I can argue that I feel better than at 49, because I was surrounded with such love and consideration that I felt loved and important.

50 really isn't all that old -- my grandparents lived into their 90s (and even within spitting distance of 100), so I feel like I'm only halfway through my life. I'm in middle age, and probably have been for a while, which is a good place to be. I am a little sad that I can walk anonymously without attracting admiring glances from men, but really, that shouldn't be important, anyway.

Perhaps I never will feel very old -- after all, I'll always be younger than my big brother.

School Days, School Days...Dear Old Golden Rule Days...

Tomorrow is the first day of school. The supplies are all in desks and lockers, the first day of school outfits have been chosen, and the myriad of forms completed.

And significantly, tomorrow is the first day of middle school for my older child.

New bus time, too -- 6:57a.m. which will be a real b__ch when it's winter and dark outside. I am not sure I'm ready for my child to go to middle school. I often think that school systems should have a separate 6th grade campus to get them out of elementary school, but protect them from the harshness of middle school. Kids change so much between 6th and 8th grades, that is seems unfair to lump them in with kids who are years older than they are. Well, at least it seems that way.

We are relieved and proud that our child has been placed in advanced reading and mathematics. Boredom would come all too quickly otherwise. The math teacher was going on about what a challenge it is...until we mentioned the 99th percentile on the state standardized test. Then he started talking about the math club.

On the eve of middle school, I decided I had better break it to my older child that I am the Tooth Fairy. The news was taken with that accepting astonishment we have when we are finally told for sure that our parents are the ones who do those things. The younger one lost a tooth today, so the timing was good. I think the new knowledge, the being "in on it" has provided an exciting diversion from first day anxieties.

So, tomorrow the Tooth Fairy will come, the new bus routes will be tried out, and the new year in school begins.