Although the last couple of posts were about our wonderful wedding, the celebrations continued as I reached a milestone birthday. Yes dear reader, I have reached the ripe age of 40!
I had many ideas for celebrations, and inspiration from many friends, but in the end I asked Marinus for a birthday trip somewhere. He took it in hand and came up with a wonderful midweek trip to Malta, which I will share in anotther post. He didn’t end there either: He secretly arranged a birthday get together with some of my friends who live here in the Netherlands. He conspired and plotted and did secret grocery trips without me, and on the Sunday before my birthday my friends all rang the doorbel, one after the other, for an afternoon kuier and making chocolate bonbons. It was amazing!
One of the great things about birthdays, is that I get to hear from all my friends and family across the world. Some were early, and some were late, but this just kind of enhanced the feeling that the celebrations continue on and on. This year I had a couple of catch ups with friends I havent spoken to in years. I was even surprised to hear a baby in the background of a friend, and when I thought back, the last time I saw him and his wife in person was when I was meeting Marinus for our second date!
Perhaps it is because it is a milestone birthday, but I did a lot of reflecting on my life to date. I have been fortunate enough to visit some incredible places, do some pretty cool things, and meet fantastic people, and I am so thankful for it. I have a lot of memories to share, enough for an entire post, so I will save them for that.
Be kind. Stay safe.
mcharlottesmith 