Wednesday, February 24, 2010

36

I go to the gym five days a week. Most weeks. Some weeks I drop a day and I only make it in four times. Compared to my exercising history, which consisted of a three year membership about ten years ago where I went maybe four times a year, I've been really committed. Every single time I go in, I work out on at least two digitized cardio machines. And every single time I get on one of those machines, I have to punch in my age so it can calculate what my heart rate should be for maximum effect.

I've been typing in 35 for 365 days now. That works out to at least 400 times in the last year that I have been reminded of my age.

Today, I begin typing in a new number. Today, I am 36. Thirty-six. THREE SIX. Honestly, I know that in the grand scheme of things, 36 is not old. I'm not worried about aging. It is what it is. But it is an age that I always saw as grown up. And while I am the married mother of one, I feel anything but grown up. In fact, most of the time, I feel only marginally more prepared to deal with the poop that life's monkeys throw at me than I did when I was 15.

Tonight, I will celebrate my birthday with margaritas and some of the best guacamole Baltimore has to offer. I will laugh and gossip and whine with my girlfriends just like I did when I was 15.

Because, really, who wants to grow up anyway?

Happy Birthday to me 

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36 comments:

  1. Ah!!! I'm going to be 36 at the end of March and it's killing me...why is it harder than 30? Or 35??? Where are you going in Baltimore? It'll only take me 45 minutes to get there and I'll drain a ton of margaritas (and then have to pay $100 to get a cab back to my house)! Haha...enjoy your birthday!!!

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  2. Happy Birthday to you! And you must tell me where you find the best guacomole in Baltimore!

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  3. Welcome to the world of 36! I've really liked this age; it's been a good year for me.

    I'm wishing you a great thirty-sixth year, too!

    Mmmm, guacamole and margaritas with girlfriends...sounds like a great way to celebrate!

    Happy Birthday, Cara!

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  4. Growing up is for quitters.

    Happy Birthday!

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  5. Growing old ain't for sissies!! Or so I've heard anyway.

    I hope you have a great day today and ENJOY your night out with the girls.

    Happy Birthday.

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  6. I'll be in the 36 club in two months. Yes, it does SEEM grown up, doesn't it? But as we well know, things are not always how they seem. (Semi-un-relatedly: when I was 16 I knew a woman who was 36 and still had pimples. I thought she was so. old. and felt so sorry for her and her sad sad life. Ah, the ironies of life! Pardon me while I go pick my face.)

    Happy HAPPY Birthday, Fun Cara!

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  7. 36 is a good number. It's a square. And it's always hip to be square :-)

    Now me. Cause it's always got to come back to me. I turn 40 in a few short months. I am not sure if I'll cry. Have a huge party. Or both.

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  8. Well happy birthday, chica! Hope the margaritas make you silly.

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  9. Happy, happy birthday. :)

    And, don't sweat it. You are what you are. 36 years smarter is not a bad thing to be.

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  10. Welcome to the 36 club! My husband, who is a year younger than me, can never remember how old HE is, still always manages to add another year to mine, but I'm firmly here until September.
    Enjoy your day -- milk it for all its worth!

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  11. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARA - Have a great day!!!! Welcome to my box... 36-40 on all random surveys :)

    Love you - M

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  12. I hate those damn type in your age machines moments, Lol...

    I am in my last days of 34...hitting the mid thirtys soon.

    (I think I need a margarita now!)

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARA!!!

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  13. I hope that you have the best night out! Since next weekend, I will meet you. I will have to buy you a birthday drink then. :)

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  14. Awesome and HAPPY BIRTTTTHHHDAY! I remember when I was like 14 and me and my friend would laugh because our moms were 36, ha ha ha.

    We were like..."OMG, they are MIDDDDDLE AGED!" ha ha. Funny how young 36 is now. Now that I'm 44.

    Have a wonderful night out! And congrats on your working out commitment! Yea!

    (p.s. by BT post will be posted Thurs night about 9. It's done!)

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  15. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!!! How FABULOUS!!!!!! YAY YAY YAY!!!! 36 is just the right age. :-) Enjoy! And please please celebrate YOU. You're amazing.

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  16. Have an awesome birthday! I'm older than you and can truly say you're only as old -- or young -- as you feel.

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  17. Mmmm... Margarita's and guacamole...
    You deserve it!
    Happy Birthday indeed!!!

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  18. Happy Birthday! Your plans for margaritas, guac and girlfriends sounds wonderful!

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  19. You crack me up that you noted it was a leap year :)

    H-A-P-P-Y

    B-I-R-T-H-D-A-Y!!!!

    Hope you're having a fantastic evening out :)

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  20. THIRTY-SIX!!!!!!!

    3-6.

    3 decades, 6 years.

    36.

    Oh yes, you are 36. And awesome. And I looooooooooooooove you. Long time.
    xoxo

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  21. I will never, ever miss a day of blogging again.. Totally missed out on your birthday!

    Well, to be fair, I haven't gone to sleep yet. So TECHNICALLY it's still Wednesday. Soooooo.

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

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  22. Happy Birthday Cara!!!!!!
    Don't worry...you'll never feel grown up...that's for sissy's...we're real women...we never have to grow up..kinda like Tinkerbell!
    Hope it fabulously fun!!

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  23. Happy Birthday girl...now I'm hijacking your comments for my LOST theory.

    Juliet is going to be Jack's baby mom in the alternate world. Think about it...she's a doctor, if she never went to the island, perhaps she crossed paths with Jack, and they had a kiddo. Makes sense, she's the only one we haven't seen in alternate LOST...thoughts?

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  24. Maybe your 36th year didn't have the best start today...

    but here's to the rest of it being one kick-ass year!

    Happy Birthday!

    xoxo

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  25. Margaritas: the only way to celebrate rites of passage such as this. Feliz Compleanos, and pass the chips!

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  26. Happy Birthday to you girl! Life begins at 40, you'll see.

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  27. Happy Birthday!! That machine won't know if you still type in 35! :) Shoot, my kids gave me a 29th birthday celebration this year! We are only as old as our minds let us be...and the body thing, sounds like all that exercise will definitely keep you young longer! Enjoy your day!
    ~kristin

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  28. Growing up is overrated for sure! So how was last night? And more importantly how are you this morning?

    Hope it turned out to be a good one!

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  29. Happy Birthday!

    Looking forward to meeting you at Bloggy Bootcamp.

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  30. The 24th is your bday too? Happy Birthday!! I celebrated with margaritas too and the best mexican food I had in a long time!

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  31. Man, all the cool kids are 36 . . . except for a few of them who turn 35 next month!

    Hope the day, the guac, the margaritas, and the laughing were all top notch!

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  32. Hope you had a great birthday - nothing better than hanging out with the girls on your day!

    p.s. Don't pursue the sandbox idea; she's totally over it now, and our basement has a layer of dust all over for the dang thing!

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  33. Happy Birthday to you!!! I always thought I would definitely feel grown up by the time motherhood hit. Ahem. Nope. Not yet. Maybe by 80.

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  34. I'm late, but I hope you had a fantabulous birthday!! I hope 36 turns out to be a great year for you (you have a great head start!!)

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  35. Happy Birthday to a fellow February baby! Mine is the 23rd.

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  36. Happy Birthday to you my friend! I really hope I meet you at BlogHer this year... please come!!! Also, I don't want to grow up either. Wahhh... also, that's amazing, how dedicated you are to the gym and working out... I just went to the gym today after God knows how long...

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Give me some sugar, baby!