I can remember singing along to Paul McCartney as he melodically sang about Vera, Chuck and Dave—the grandchildren on his knee.  And it was all about being the age of 64.

When I get older losing my hair
Many years from now
Will you still be sending me a Valentine
Birthday greetings bottle of wine

First of all, I started to lose my hair way before 64!  I was many years ago—not from now!

Yeah.  I didn’t wait till I turned 64 for this….

Hmmmmmm…but I get to wear wigs so it’s all good fun!

And I still receive Valentines.

And I still GIVE Valentines!

And Birthday greetings and wine.

I even get birthday greetings from my dog!!

In fact, I turned the page to 64 years of age yesterday!

And might I say that the Frenchman has great taste in birthday cards!

It was an odd one at that—not necessarily the day but the months and weeks and days leading up to it.

You see, my dad passed away when he was 64 and quite frankly, the thought of approaching that same age petrified.

The last photo of my dad. Luckily we got to see him shortly before he left us!  He was only 64 years young!

And it doesn’t help that I work in healthcare.  There are days when I wish I was back in finance—I won’t elaborate.

But then a strange thing happened.  I woke up yesterday morning to a sunny day and it was just like any other day.

God and Mother Nature gifted me with a bright and sunny morning for my birthday!

The alarm went off at 6AM, I got out of bed and made my way to get ready for work.  All very uneventful—in a good way.

When I looked in the mirror to brush my teeth, I didn’t appear to be any older.  The wrinkles hadn’t gotten any worse.  Granted, I look older than twenty years ago but it still wasn’t a sight that made me shudder.

OK so this photo is a couple of months old. And I did brush my teeth yesterday. And I didn’t look any older than I did in this photo!

And as I got ready to put my makeup on, Bonaparte and Chippy came into the little room to wish me a Happy Birthday and then….my Frenchman handed me an oversized bag.  I was shocked.

This bag.  I was speechless but needed to see more!

In the bag was a huge box.  Again.  I was shocked but a bit excited.

….and the box was huge too!

In the box was a bag that I coveted for years. Years. A Louis Vuitton Neverfull MM bag.

I was so overcome with excitement that I was speechless..and that doesn’t happen too often!

And here she is–my Neverfull MM by Louis Vuitton!

The bag is iconic.  It’s been knocked-off and replicated.  And not just by companies that illegally copy.  Michael Kors has his own knock-off as does Ralph Lauren.

The Michael Kors copy.  What’s the difference between his knock-off and a replica?

Ralph Lauren got in on the replication!

But none are as wonderful as the Louis Vuitton Neverfull. (To tell you the truth, I feel even better about having this bag because Bernard Arnault, the CEO and top shareholder of LVMH, is donating millions to the restoration of Notre Dame in Paris).

I’m going to take such good care of this bag!  It’s such a generous gift from my husband! 

In addition, Chippy gifted me with a pearl choker.  As Chippy barked a birthday greeting to me, Bonaparte explained that it was bothering Chippy that I was walking around in four-dollar Walmart pearls and I needed a good strand for Oona’s wedding.  Hey, I’ll take it!

As you can see, Chippy is beside himself with excitement over my birthday!

The GOOD pearls..and they do feel very luxurious!

I immediately put those pearls on–and how chic they look with my striped nightie!

Since this was a day that I wanted to celebrate, even in a subtle way, I got dressed to the nines for work.

Sage by Estetica Designs was my hair of the day.  Bonaparte loves me in darker hair and with the gift he gave me–I couldn’t resist!

I must say that Sage made great Birthday hair!

I wore my custom fit dress from eShakti.  And it looked wonderful.

My party dress!

In fact, it brought memories of me in fine party attire when I was a child.

Me, at four, in a Christmas Party Dress.  Me, sixty years later in a Birthday Party Dress!

There were no celebrations at the office.  But as I worked, thoughts of aging did enter my mind.  Its weird. Twenty years ago I was forty-four and never gave mortality a thought.  In twenty years from now if I’m extremely lucky, I’ll be 84 and at 64, I think of mortality often and put it in the back of my mind.

No celebrations at the office but I had my Neverfull bag with me to keep me company!

When I arrived home, a vase of beautiful flowers greeted me.  My kids never fail to send flowers on my birthday.  And they all call.  Hearing their voices gives me such a lift and makes me wish they were closer in distance!

A mom’s greatest gift.  Love from the kids!

Is my birthday over?  Nah.  On Saturday night, the Frenchman and I are going out to dinner (which I’ll tell you all about) and next Thursday, I leave for Cincinnati to visit with Oona and have some pre-wedding fun at a luncheon in her honor.

And so, rather than live this year in anxiety and fear, I am facing it with gusto and a smile!

And I’ll always stop to smell the roses!

I’m grateful for my health.  I’m grateful for my family.  My cool-as-can-be husband and my children.  I’m grateful that I can still bend over without pulling a muscle and that I can still run up three flights of stairs every day.  I’m grateful that I have a job and a roof over my head.

And I’m grateful that I have the freedom to write about my feelings on everything and anything.

Thank you for the gift of your presence when you read my words and comment!  It’s a year-round gift to me!

Many thanks and I hope you enjoyed my birthday!!