Happy Birthday, Lori

Today our first baby is 42 years old. It doesn't seem possible because it was just yesterday that we became parents for the first time. I wrote about Lori here on her birthday last year. And last night I sent her my interview questions. Here's how she answered them.

You'll be 42 tomorrow. How do you feel about that? I feel really good about it…beats the alternative.

Do you have any special plans for your birthday? Not that I’m aware of - Marcus will be home late…but maybe dinner or something on Friday.

Do you have any birthday wishes? Maybe a special wish list or something special to do to celebrate? Tomorrow, I’d like to run 7 miles again…and who knows, maybe for my birthday I can go farther. Marcus gave me an iPhone last night, so I already have my gift and I haven’t been able to put it down since I got it! So happy!

Do birthdays inspire you to set new goals or make a bucket lists of some kind? No, I’m not THAT old.

How do you like having three sister? I love and have always loved having 3 sisters. I almost feel closer to them as an adult than I did as a child. I especially look forward to Christmas for their hilarious entertainment!

You've been in a phase of child rearing for awhile now where your children are all teenagers. Does that differ much from when they were all little? How? Teenagers are a whole different game. With toddlers, we worry about veggies and naps and tantrums. With teens, we worry about driving, friends, late nights ...the list is endless. There are days where I'd give almost anything for one more day with my toddlers/babies....they were the sweetest gifts of my life.

Also, Your first one recently graduated from high school. Did that seem like a turning point for you? How has it changed your life? When Ryan graduated, well, I was ready for it, but not really. It was the most emotional day ... ever. I was so proud, and excited for him...my firstborn was entering a new stage of life and I no longer called the shots or could 'protect' him . I had a moment of clarity when he left for college where my house seemed so much bigger and for once, empty. My moment of clarity was when Marcus said "He's gone, Mama, and he's not coming back". He wasn't trying to be mean. In fact, when he said that, I realized he was 100% right. It took a few weeks but then I was learning to appreciate not having a teen 'out' at midnight or 12:30am. I realized I could 'go to bed' when I wanted to, and not wait up! Of course this 'not staying up' bliss will be short lived, as I still have a 16 year old and a 14 year old!

I know you've been unemployed for awhile for a variety of reasons. Any plans to go back to work in the near future? Yes, I’m submitting resumes and doing applications online.

Are there particular fields that interest you? I’m hoping to get back into the banking field.

What have you done this summer that you're especially happy about? This year, I’ve managed to lose 41 pounds after being heavier than ever. I run very regularly and am feeling so good. I plan to stay with this and lose another 40+ pounds.

I know you've recently lost a significant amount of weight and started exercising regularly. There's no doubt that you feel better physically but do you think it's also affected your mental state? Ha! See above! There's no doubt that a healthier physical state contributes to a much better mental state.

I know you're writing a blog now (which I love). Why did you start it and what might you hope to achieve through it? (Thank you) I started my blog to journal my ‘fitness’ and weight loss…I also hope to motivate someone, somewhere. The online community has been a huge support for me, I’d love to return the favor for someone else trying to lose weight. It’s just so hard to do, and takes so long….so if someone, somewhere sees my blog and thinks “hey, I can do this, too” -- it just doesn’t get better than that.

When you were twenty, could you have foreseen yourself where you are now? No. Ohhh, to be 20 again.

And when you're sixty, how do you envision yourself? Wow, the kids will be so old then, so I’m sure we’ll have grand-babies.

What have I failed to ask about that others might find interesting about you? I think you’ve covered everything !!

Of course there's no way I've covered everything but she's too modest to point out what a wonderful person she is, how great she is with her little nieces and nephews,

how smart and loving and helpful she is,

and how much she sometimes reminds me of my mother. She is truly an earth mother - she can do almost anything she tries to do and she's not afraid to try anything.

And how fun she is to party with.

We're very proud of you Lori and hoping that although this might be your best birthday ever, it's not half as great as the many more to come.