50

I love birthdays - especially when they're mine!  And milestone B-days?  Double the fun.  But turning a half century?  Gotta do something special.  No way was I gonna be at work the day of my big 5-0!


Size matters!  Click on any photo to enjoy a larger version.

Birthday ski day!

I decided long ago to spend the day of my 50th birthday on the slopes.  Unfortunately my b-day didn't land on Thursday.  That meant no celebrating with my ski bus friends.  But, no problem, Meadows had buses running other days of the week.  So I hooked up with the Wednesday bus.  I was a little sad to be spending my big day with strangers, but the desire to ski on my b-day ended up trumping those feelings.

It's my birthday!

I was in for a surprise.  Getting on the bus that morning, I was pleased to discover Dave and Vito, two Thursday regulars, on board.  Yahoo - someone to ski with!

My skiing companions (aka "the bodyguards")

I saved my pink princess hat helmet cover that I'd worn in Alta.  Time to try it out at Mt. Hood Meadows.  It was a big hit.  Lots of people smiled, laughed, and wished me a happy birthday.  One of the liftees announced my b-day to everyone (on the megaphone) and sang the "happy birthday" song.  Photographer Grant caught me as I skied by, and got lots of photos of me wearing my special headwear.

Photographer Grant caught me on the slopes (photo by Grant Myrdal)

Vito and Dave teasingly called me "the princess" and dubbed themselves my "bodyguards."  They were great guys to ski with.  I had a blast tearing up the slopes with them.

Afternoon birthday snowfall

Although the day began with sunny, blue skies, by afternoon the weather had a change of heart.  Clouds moved in and it began to snow.  Wow - fresh powder for my b-day.  A great gift courtesy of Mother Nature!

Vito says "Let's go!"

Later in the afternoon, the same liftee who'd earlier announced my birthday asked my name.  He instructed us to come back to the lift next round.  My friends and I did as we were told, skied back down the hill, and got onto the same lift.  As our chair swung away from the loading area, I looked down at the ground below.  Written into the snow were the words: "Happy Birthday Linda."  Awwwwww!!

We head out to ski the new pow

After a wonderful day of skiing, I boarded the bus and popped open a beer for the trip home.  I soon discovered the Wednesday riders were a fun group.  They were super-friendly, brought tons of treats, and freely shared their wine.  Someone told a joke over the PA system, and before you knew it, there was a parade of people heading up to the microphone to share their funnies.  Even the bus driver told a few.  It was a merry ride all way back to Portland.  I've never laughed so hard!  By the time I deboarded, it felt like I had 25 new friends.

So this is what 50 looks like!  (photo by Grant Myrdal)

It was a fabulous way to commemorate hitting the half-century mark.  How do I feel about turning fifty?  Well, as my dad once said upon turning 65; "I'm 65 and I'm still alive!"  I'm grateful to be in good health, have a wonderful husband and kids, a great job, lots of super friends, and be able to enjoy skiing, hiking and running.  I'm proud of all I've accomplished over the 50 years I've spent on this planet.  And I'm looking forward to many more good times to come!

Tomorrow I had plans to ride my regular Thursday bus.  And rumor was my bus friends had something in store for me...... 

Check out my next blog post for all the details!