Well so far this 40 thing has been okay...

... Probably because I'm still in Week Of Birthday mode, so nice things are still happening. Take for example this morning when a package arrived at our doorstep ...

I've got no idea who it's from. Samsara perfume (yum) was one of the items on my birthday Wists list so it must be from someone who was invited, but I thought (seeing as how I've pretty much done my thank-you cards) that most gifts were present (har har) and accounted for. A couple of people mentioned there was still something to arrive in the mail but they were people who could have just gone to a shop and bought the perfume - it's not rare or hard to find... Oh, and the other slightly weird thing was that it was addressed using Fixit's surname, not mine. So a little birthday mystery!

Anyway, we celebrated the actual day by having a family birthday dinner (with Nell of course) and I made the famous Buttermilk Spice Cake with easy Penuche Icing and the boys decorated it for me.

And tactfully, they only gave me 21 candles to blow out, but then Climber insisted on counting out 40 claps (plus a big one to grow).

As for that proposal that wasn't.

This is what I honestly feel about it.

I never actually wanted to GET married.

But. I do have this Inner Princess. She would quite like to dress up in a gorgeous frock and would probably enjoy flashing a beautiful sparkly rock on her hand. Her main problem however was that nobody had ever asked her to marry him. Which made her feel a bit insecure about her inability to inspire passion and romance in the hearts of men. She's a little bit pathetic, my Inner Princess.

Anyway, when Fixit made his non-proposal speech at my party, he said some beautiful and loving things to and about me. Which both allayed the IP's insecurites, and for all intents and purposes was as close to an actual wedding as I would ever require. I'd had my hair done, I was wearing a gorgeous frock, I was given a whole stack of great presents, and in the presence of my friends and family the man of my heart declared his love for me. I don't need more than that. And I'll always remember it.

On the downside, I still don't have a rock, I felt like vomiting when he was talking, I can't really quite remember what he actually said because like everyone else in the room I thought he WAS proposing which made me all fluttery and breathless and panicky, and worst of all I really didn't reciprocate his sentiments when it was my turn to speak. I think I just thanked him. Good on me.

Now that I've broken the 40-barrier I think I'll wear my never-been-proposed-to badge with perverse pride. Like an anti-IP rebel. In fact, maybe I should get Nell to physically make the badge!

And next year Fixit and I will celebrate our 15th anniversary. So I can probably start nagging for a rock any day now.