Mid-Life Crisis

Today I turn 35.  I don't know it is but the older I get the harder the birthdays are to accept.  25 was hard because I was *almost* 30.  And really, after 25, what is there to look forward too?

16 - drivers license
18 - you can vote, join the military and play the lotto
21 - you're an adult, you can drink and gamble
25 - good driver discount

After that, you might as well sign up for AARP.   I know, its a bad way of thinking but really, its what went through my mind.

And then I hit 30.  That was hard.  30.  I mean, now what?  Then I slowly crept into my 30's.  Life wasn't horrible but I had made a list of things I wanted to accomplish before I turned 30 and I hadn't crossed many off the list.

Then I started breaking up my 30's into sections.  The early 30's.  I made a few things happen.  So far the 30's weren't too bad but man, those *mid* thirties were creeping up.

34.  Wow.  34 years old.  I'm getting up there.

And now 35.  Officially in my *MID* thirties.  Thats halfway to 40 you know.  That 40 is just hanging around the corner, creeping up on me.

So where is all of this going?  A teeny tiny mid-life crisis is where it went.  I didn't do anything too drastic but I did *do* something.  I got a tattoo.  Not my finest moment but it was one of the last things on my list to cross off.  There is only one thing left and sadly, life throws you curveballs and I can't say that I'll ever get to cross it off my list now but the older I get, the easier it is to accept it.

So, this tattoo thing.  I have no idea where it came from but I was 16 when I first said it.  I was a total wimp and thought I would never do it.  My hockey team was in the finals and if they won, I said I would get a tattoo as soon as I turned 18.  They lost.  My friend made the same pact with himself.  And here we are, 19 years later finally getting tattoos.

It coincided with my 35 things to do before I turn 35 list.  I made this list with my original list in mind and added a few things.  Getting a tattoo was one of them regardless of where my team ended up this season.  They ended up dead last in the seeding AND had the lowest goal total for the year along with a poopy special teams.  Yeah, they weren't winning the Cup.  We'd be lucky to get out of the first round alive.

So they won.  It just so happens that it all happened within a week of my birthday.  Pretty nice present right?

I want to thank my friend Cori who didn't let me back out of this, who wouldn't let me be the baby I am and not get this.  And for my husband who went along and laughed at me as I wiggled in the chair.

If you made it this far, yay!  Now I reward you with really awesome blackmail pictures!

 breakfast at Schooner or Later in Long Beach.

 Welcome to Venice Beach.  My first time too!

 These Jamaican tumblers were on fire!  Fun to watch 

and they told some funny jokes.  None appropriate to post 

here but the crowd was laughing!

 Everyone is on the Kings bandwagon.

 Dude, thats HAIR!

 Sorry, couldn't resist!

 And then these guys!  Wow!  Break dancing.  There were groups 

of performers all along the walk.

 More off color jokes from these guys too.

 Time to face the music!

 The shop owner is a HUGE Kings fan.  He was

offering free tattoos if you went with a specific

design OR 50% off any other Kings design.  I

wanted my own design so I took the 50% off deal.

 I won't lie, it hurt but it was more annoying than pain

(does that make sense?)

Halfway through.....

 Blackmail picture......

 I can't believe I actually went through with it!

 Closeup......

 So after a little mid-life crisis I'm ready to face 35!