44 Candles
In the blink of an eye I have turned 44. Special shout-out to the coworker who was surprised I wasn't still in my 30s; I guess my personality stood out to her more than my gray hair. As I've stated in most if not all of my annual birthday posts, the number doesn't really bother me. Rather, I want to focus on what the previous year has brought and what the new year has to offer. If the last week is any indication, I'm in for quite a ride. Having a birthday around the start of the school year is always an adventure. Sometimes I get a day off, sometimes I get a mountain of work. Adding my graduate studies to the mix, as well as a preschooler whose social calendar is often more packed than my own, means long days and hectic nights as I try to make it all work. I do not burn the midnight oil (or even the 10pm oil), so I'm constantly looking for pockets of time to complete a few lines of writing. I don't want to miss out on family time, and it's...