Happy Birthday to me

Today it's my birthday and I'm thirty-one. I don't have a problem at all really saying that. Thirty-one. I never had a problem turning twenty, or twenty-five or twenty-nine or thirty. I don't intend to lie about my age or overcompensate by making a really huge deal about it. I've never been bothered by the growing old thing. I don't know why. I kind of like being thirty actually. People talk about how great it is to be thirty, even forty, and fifty (isn't fifty the "new forty" or something?) because you are so much more confident and you know yourself so much better... and I agree, I wouldn't go back to being 16 again for anything... and I guess I like the idea of that maturity, even if a few extra pounds and wrinkles come along in the deal.

Today was probably a bigger deal for Maymuna than it was for me - she wore her party outfit the whole day and she got ice cream after dinner. Two pretty big scores for a 3 year old. We took it easy this morning and then ran around doing some errands this afternoon before heading back to my parents' house for a dinner of Chinese take-out and aforementioned ice cream. The girls took turns riding on "Dobbin", the rocking horse. This horse was mine as a child and I remember spending ages riding on him. Now Maymuna loves him and my parents pull it out from the basement whenever we visit and let him live in the dining room for a few weeks. Hafsa goes too now and squeals with delight. Here are some pictures... a few from tonight and one from almost 30 years ago... (ouch, now that does smart a little...)