Markymoose in Big Sky: December 2011

It was my 50th birthday celebration last Wednesday on my birthday... and here I am fifty and fabulous with my friends. I had an awesome birthday. Yoga class with Debby in which I did a headstand and held it as everyone sang me happy birthday! After yoga I had a massage with Sarah which was just awesome, and then lunch with Jackie and Dad and Patty. And then hung out at home with Micah and Howie. Debby and Josh came over for cocktails and then it was off to the new old First Place for a super sweet party. Jackie surprised me with a book she put together, 50 years of Mark, The 50 things we love about Mark. Jackie had secretly written to family and friends and had been compiling the "book" over the last month or so. Jackie read a some of the entries at the party, some of which were very funny... At the party I read a few poems, but the big surprise to me was that Lauren, who is my number one at the moose came and sang 2 very special songs for me. Killing Me Softly which I had heard her sing before and she knew was one of my favorite songs, and then she also learned I Don't Know Why, a song by Sean Colvin which I have always loved. She sang them both so beautifully and I was just so touched by the thoughtfulness, the effort, and the love from the music, from my friends, from my life partner, from my dad. The entire day was like an out of body experience. I was simply floating on air all day long...

On thursday morning, after getting the boys off to school and the dog walked, I got back into bed and decided to take a second day off from work for my birthday. So Jackie and I hung out, getting a very slow start, then hit the mountain for our first day of skiing this season, and it was a second awesome day, which made the day before even better. Friday was back to work.

I haven't been writing much which is a shame, but I guess I have been busy, either working or having fun. I see my last blog is from early October, so almost 2 months ago, so what have I been doing? Going to kids football games, well those ended by mid October. Taking care of Stan. Jackie and I did go on a vacation to San Francisco, the northern coast of California and wine country. And then it was back to Stan and the store and the kids and now skiing.... Winter is here for sure with cold and starting to get snowy.

Dad has definitely been keeping me busy, spending lots of time at his place and quite a few nights. But he appears to be doing quite better the past week or so. He came to my birthday party and hung out for quite awhile and just looked super!

Tonight, before coming home from his place he got into bed talking about the music of the 60's and was telling me he didn't know the music from the sixties probably because he was busy having kids and working two jobs. There is a new movie theater in Big Sky and Howie and I had just gotten back from going to the movies and I was telling Dad he would like the new theater, but I guess that even a 7 pm show was too late for him. He said to me that he would save it up for a good one, basically saying that to go to a movie that late at night he would have to work up his strength to be able to go. He liked the new marquis for the theater which just went up today, so when the right movie came along he would go. He just gets so tired, everything wears him out...

I have lots of pictures from the last couple of months, maybe I should look for a few and highlight the last couple of months.... the things that were keeping me busy....