37 Candles

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37. For whatever reason this birthday really shed light on some things for me…the lines and wrinkles on my face! My husband and I celebrated my birthday a few days early in Madison with a Badger vs Iowa football game. Tailgating, Pat McCurdy, the electric atmosphere of Camp Randall, and an adult meal at The Old Fashioned. It was a near perfect weekend.

There was a definite chill in the air that Saturday. I remember my face feeling tight from the cold. After a change in possession, I was ready for a bathroom break. I was standing in line, surrounded by several young women, students and recent grads. I went ahead and did my business and proceeded to wash my hands. And, then it happened. I saw my reflection in the mirror as well as every line around my mouth and eyes. It seriously was like one of those moments in a movie. Self-discovery. Even though I didn’t feel like a 37 year-old, mother of four, my appearance definitely painted that picture pretty spot on. The moment took my breath away.

I never wanted to be a woman who was bothered by aging, but I am. I have been wanting to write about my issues with getting older even before that day in November. I didn’t because I didn’t have a moral of the story yet. I didn’t have the epiphany of realizing that age is just a number, women are like fine wine, blah, blah, blah. BUT! Just last week I read a quote from one of my faves, Helen Mirren. In fact, I often tell a friend of mine, “I want to be Helen Mirren when I grow up.” When asked about aging she said,

You either die young or you get older. That’s the reality. I don’t want to die young.

Obvious, yes, I know. But, it seems so much wiser when someone else says it. So I guess that’s where I am at. I don’t want to die young, so bring on getting older. And, maybe some retinol moisturizing cream.

 

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Ruth
Ruth was born in Green Bay and lived in the area until venturing off to UW Madison for college.  Her education led her to a life in retail.  Retail took her to Milwaukee, Charlotte, NC, and, eventually, back to Green Bay.  In 2014 she decided to pause her career to help her husband build his CPA firm.  Ruth & Chris reside in De Pere with their four children, Smith, Tess, Burke, & Jack.  As great as Green Bay summers are, Fall is Ruth’s favorite.  She loves the colors, crisp air, and, of course, football.  Ruth enjoys hanging out with the fam, reading up on the latest fashion, & savoring a nice glass of cabernet.