Birthday Girl. 45..Simple thoughts

Todays my BIRTHDAY!
The best part of turning 45 is a NEW AGE GROUP! That's way more exciting than the doubled gray hair, old beat up hands, dimpling legs and lets not forget the crows decorating my eyes.

For this 45th birthday, I am going to give it to you in 45 thoughts. Not in any random order and with little rhyme or reason.

1. "Perhaps the BUTTERFLY is proof that you  can go though a great deal of darkness, yet become something beautiful."
2. God Blessed me this birthday with a remarkable sunrise over the Lakeloop. 
   
3. I had a amazing day, starting out with 10.5 miles of trails with my tribe. 
4. Andy shocked me and threw me a surprise birthday party at Hilltop on Tuesday night.
   
    
5. I was OVERWHELMED with all my friends who gathered together to LOVE ME. 
6. December has never been a good month for me. 
7. Lacey snuck into my house and decorated it with balloons and goodies for my birthday.
8. "I closed my mouth and spoke you in a hundred silent ways." RUMI
9. I gained 2 lbs in the last week...Eat more cookies!
10. My mother died on December 8th, I miss her and our tomorrows we should have had. 
11. For my birthday, I had to go to the girlie DR, so not cool. 
12. Kris sacrificed her kids concert to be with me on my birthday, traveling about 50 miles.
13. My brother called me and like a lil sister I still get soo giddy hearing from him. 
14. Rain RUN, BRRR, I smelled like a wet dog getting off the trails. 
15. "but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31. The verse Lacey had engraved on my Yeti Mug. 
16. I think I'm changing my favorite color to PINK, a dark deep pink. 
17. My abs still hurt from doing core yesterday, chasing my 20 year old 6 pack. 
18. We found the cutest lil ducky in the woods today, we brought him out of hiding, stuck him in a tree to be the WATCHER of the Woods....creepy.
    
19. I celebrated my birthday on the 22nd for my first 18 years of life!
20. Training is no joke, every week is a new struggle, a new discovery of sore muscles and I'm trying to convince myself I am a Rockstar. 
21. Trail running in the rain is a slide fest for this clumsy girl. 
22. Claudia showed up looking like a brunette Barbie doll to run, she was gorgeous. 
23. Rachel passed out early Christmas goodies, Neck Gaiters, so AWESOME. 
24. "I seem to have run in a big circle, and met myself again on the starting line." Jeanette Winterson
25. I got weighed today, 104lb
26. Blood pressure 108/70
27. I had a steak for lunch and Andy made me Mongolian Beef for dinner...that's a lot of BEEF!
28. SMARTWOOL socks are the BEST WINTER running socks, thank you Lacey. 
29. Anita Maria Cook, my maiden name, My fathers name was Gonzales but he wasn't on the birth certificate..My mom didn't want us to all have different last names since we all had different dads. 
30. Thursdays are my long run day, for now, till next year, then most days will be long run days.
31. Decembers Race is New years Resolution run in Flint, 5k, 3 miles of suckfest. 
32. I was so PROUD of myself this morning, I ate a banana before I ran, Big responsible birthday girl. 
33. My girlfriends Shiela and Holly are taking me to see Aladdin for my birthday.
34. We  had 2 house fires growing up, I don't have any photos of birthdays growing up.
35. "Perhaps we should love ourselves so fiercely that when others see us they will know exactly how it is done." Rudy Francisco
36. I raced to the trail this morning just to get the sunrise over the lake, I was breathless and enamored. 
37. I am taken back by how many people have reached out to me through texts, FB, and calls to wish me a Happy Birthday, I feel very very special and not special-ed like normal!
38. I was grateful for a new day today. JOY comes in the morning. 
39. My grandma's birthday was Christmas eve, we used to celebrate our special day together. 
40. I thought maybe I should be running 45 miles today, but it was a fleeting thought. 
41. I asked for a new Garmin but then reminded myself I was very grateful for the one I had. 
42. At 45, I still dance around the house like I'm Paula Abdul. Dancing makes my heart giggle.
43. January 1st, I am going back to good eating habits. No more cookies...not soo many...
44. Running hard two days in a row, learn how to run sore. 
45. "At 45 I am still quirky, goofy, obnoxious and not always the easiest to love, but I will love you like no other if you give me the chance, I won't enable you or steal from myself but I will try to love you in all you are made of the best I can."

ANITA~