60 is the new 40

On July 20th I reached a milestone in my life...the big 60! Seriously? 60? Where did 60 years go? They went by like a dream and sometimes like a nightmare!

Does this look like the face of a 60 year old?  Well...maybe  a little bit around the eyes, but those aren't wrinkles they're laugh lines.

Everyone keeps telling me that 60 is the new 40 but I don't know....my 40's were pretty great and my body felt pretty great and now I'm a bundle of aches and pains. 

Nothing an Aleve can't take care of, but still you kinda have to think about it before you jump out of bed in the morning, and of course you no longer jump, you gingerly step out to make sure that your legs and/or feet aren't asleep!

The one thing for sure you can't stop is getting older. Well, I guess you can stop it, death would end aging really quickly so it's not an alternative worth contemplating!

But I'm not complaining about getting older because I had the best birthday ever!

I took my actual birthday off from work. Our employer gives us that day as our gift from them, plus they sent me a lovely gift VISA gift card. 

My coworkers went off their diets so we could all have cake...delicious cake!

My co-worker/friend Angelica also knows me so well and gifted me this awesome Art Set that I can take with me anywhere so I always have art supplies at hand! Thank you Angelica!

On my actual birthday, my sister and our friend Lupe both took the day off, as did I, and we headed off to Pismo Beach. We stopped along the way for some shopping which is always fun. We also stopped at a new place we've never been to named Chulo's Cafe & Cantina where we had the most fabulous Carnitas Nachos ever! Their Margarita left a lot to be desired but they made up for it with the nachos. I can't wait to go back.

Carnitas Nachos at Chulo's Cafe & Cantina

Then we just sat on the beach enjoying being somewhere where it was not 104 as it was back home. It was overcast and I was actually a bit chilly but I kept remembering how hot it was back home and enjoyed being cold!

For dinner we headed to Cayucos where we walked on the pier to build up an appetite. Here's my sister and I on the pier. You can see how foggy it was but when we left Shafter it was already 85 degrees and we were dressed for the heat!

We found a lovely little place to have dinner in Cayucos called Duckies Chowder House. I had the BEST fish and chips ever with an ice cold Tecate beer. It was fabulous and a great way to end my birthday and face the long drive home.

Thank you Lisa and Lupe for celebrating my 60th birthday with me and for treating me like a Queen for a Day!

When my friends found out on Facebook that it was my 60th birthday and that I tried to stay under the radar with that info, they were not having it and this past Friday, August 3rd they all got together to celebrate me yet again!

Here's a few photos from that celebration where I had a great time with a Giant Margarita, A Cake made of Money and a real cake, plus spending time with the greatest group of people it has ever been my pleasure to know. Thank you Pat, Linda, Connie, Diana, Carmen, Angelica, Lupe, Lisa, Pauline, Joe and Guero!

Me, Carmen, Diana, Connie and Pat 

Me, Angelica, Lupe, Lisa and Carmen and my giant Margarita!

The Gang

Me and my sister Lisa and my Cake of Money. A beautiful creation by my friend Pat. Thank you Pat!

 "Youth is a Gift of Nature, but Age is a Work of Art" - Stanislaw Jerzy Lec

You my friends and family are part of the rich tapestry of my life. 

Happy Birthday Alicia and remember, "Do not regret growing older. It's a privilege denied to many".