Fabulously forty

My big birthday has come and gone in a whirlwind of celebration, spoilation and fun. I started my celebrations by opening my first gift a week early and have enjoyed fiddling with my ipad and have taken retail therapy to a new level with App shopping and iTunes downloads.

On Friday I attended an amazing morning tea at a local boys' school. The guest speaker was Li Cunxin of Mao's Last Dancer. What a treat! He spoke eloquently without notes or prompts for 90 minutes. Li is intelligent and inspirational. One part of his talk that resonated with me over this special birthday was an old Chinese expression that he has kept in his mind over the changes he has experienced in his life's journey. It says:

"While the heart weeps for all that is lost, the spirit laughs at what is found."

Yesterday, my actual birthday started with homemade cards and coffee in bed. Then we were off to rugby where both Adam and Russell played really well. In fact, Russell had a go on the wing and played his best game ever, earning him the coveted Man of the Match medal. From there we dropped the big boys at an ice skating party before coming home to pull the final party preparations together. Last night the celebrations culminated in a wonderful dinner party in our beautiful home for 32 gorgeous Perth friends. It was glamorous and fun and everything I hoped my 40th would be. My friends clubbed together to gift me a Stand Up Paddle board, something I coveted all summer! I am really excited about it and hope to blog in warmer weather about my efforts on the water as well as Rob's kite surfing.

The evening was a great success with many nations represented in our diverse and multicultural friendships. I was a bit choked up in my speech thinking of all the friends around the world who should have had a seat at my table but am also feeling blessed by the warmth we have found here. Indian was in the pots with great authentic curries served on a cold winter's night.

I was so touched by the many phonecalls I received from around the world.  My facebook page was full of good wishes and my darling friend, Cindy, sent me beautiful roses from Brisbane.  I feel very loved.
So now we have school holidays, renovations to wrap up and Rob needs to sink his teeth into his new career challenges. We are moving fast into the second half of the year, feeling fit, fabulous and forty!