Forty May Be the New Thirty…

…but that still doesn’t mean you can party like you’re twenty and get away with it!

So, you might remember that I turned forty yesterday. And I’m still getting over the fun!

Friday afternoon I got in my van and drove the 3.5 hours from my West Calgary home to my friend Laura’s place in St. Albert, west of Edmonton. We had a nice visit and a late dinner, followed by some fun YouTubeing as per Margot’s recommendations.

We headed out bright and early Saturday morning for a full day of pampering at the Healing Waters Spa on Edmonton’s trendy Whyte Ave., where we were treated to the unbelievably amazing 2 hour Hammam experience – foot soak, steam bath, salt scrub…incredible! Then we wound down even further with a transcendent hot stone massage, followed by the most incredible 90 minute pedicure ever: more salt scrubbing and a soothing paraffin soak followed by a very long and luxurious foot massage. I tell you – we did NOT want to walk on those babies when we were done! A quick brow wax and we were ready to head off for our hair appointments. We both got a lovely cut and colour update from the amazing Anthony of Pose Hair in St. Albert, and we just had time to go home, re-apply our makeup and change for dinner.

We had a nice meal and then headed to the theatre to see Angels and Demons. I liked it, Laura was disappointed. Reason why? I read the book once, about four years ago, and Laura’s read it about five times, and only finished re-reading it very recently. Overall? I’d recommend it!

On Sunday, we slept in and had a lazy morning. Around 1pm we headed over to West Edmonton Mall for lunch and some serious shopping. I needn’t list all the stores we hit, but we certainly put some mileage on our newly pedicured feet! By 5pm it was time to head home to get ready for the really big event: dinner.

Now I know, I know. You’re wondering when I’m going to get to the ‘party like you’re 20’ part, right? Yeah. Well, this is pretty much it. And let me just hand out this free advice – if you’re planning a big birthday party soon (and if it happens to involve the numbers 4 and 0 — in that order) you might want to put the spa day after the dinner and live entertainment part. Just a tip. And here’s why: we had the most spectacular night at The Red Piano on Bourbon Street in West Edmonton Mall! It’s Canada’s only dueling piano restaurant, but it really shouldn’t be. It was an incredible show! And not only was the entertainment top-notch, the food was the best I’ve had in years. So: we had a superior meal, three bottles of wine, and enjoyed a terrific show.

Did you catch the part about three bottles of wine? Yeah. That would be the ‘party like you’re 20’ bit. Now I don’t know about you, but my ability to stay up late and drink a lot has really waned in the last 20 years. First of all, two GLASSES of wine is usually my limit, and second; we came home and watched the Survivor season finale on PVR after getting home from the restaurant. It was easily 4:00 a.m. by the time I went to bed. Needless to say, my plans to leave around 10:00 a.m. the next morning were slightly delayed. But it was worth it for one of the most completely fun nights out I’ve had in…well…decades. At one point I leaned over to Laura and shouted: “this is the most fun! Good food, good wine, and I get to sing along! I love to sing along!” (Note: I was quite hoarse Monday morning…thinking it was more yelling along than singing along…)

Anyway, after recovering enough to attempt the drive home without killing myself, I made the long drive back to Calgary, through a nasty snowstorm. (Yes, you read that right). I pulled in the driveway to find balloons adorning my house, the two most excited kids and a delicious dinner cooked entirely by my husband. Every detail was exactly what I had hoped for: homemade burgers on the BBQ (even though he had to cook them in the snow!), yummy posh cupcakes for dessert and lots of hugs and kisses. And no wine. Oh, no no no. Definitely no wine. Oh, and my family gave me a gift certificate to my favourite local Calgary spa, too! When they said, “I hope you’re not spa-ed out yet” I quickly let them know there is no such thing. So now I have another treat to look forward to!

Oh, and Laura? Thanks for the most amazing birthday weekend. And for going out to get me Pepto Bismol on Monday morning, too.