Happy Birthday!

It is my 39th birthday and a lot has happened in a year. We hosted a potluck party at this time last year and I was very happy to have all my friends gathered together but my smile was hiding a lot of pain. I was actually considering the idea of back surgery and I was very scared. I knew that if I chose surgery it would be a big ordeal and it would change my life forever. I didn’t know if I was strong enough to get through it and if my family could stand the long recovery period. Needless to say, surgery was inevitable, and just a couple months later, it was on the books. I did it, and it sure did change my life. It is now behind me; the worse is over, the best is to come, and I am an improved woman! It’s a terrible feeling to worry when you’re in the unknown but I trusted, I was brave, and it was all worth it. I found strength that I didn’t know I had and I got incredible help and support from my family and friends. This year we had a Blind Wine Tasting Party; I was painless, happy, smiling, and I meant it. The friends who saw me last before I had surgery and knew that I was hurting thought that today I was in great shape, the ones who had seen me during my recovery thought that I had improved tremendously and looked great, and the ones who just found out what I went through would have never guessed and thought that I looked normal. I feel fantastic and am ready for many more birthdays!