you say it's your birthday?...

It's my birthday, too, yeah!

That will officially be my theme song beginning tomorrow.

In case you hadn't noticed, I have been a little obsessed with my impending birthday. I know, I know... it's just a number. Your real age is in your mind. It's how you act. How you think.

But I'm just not ready to say good-bye to my 30s. I'm not ready to be a fully grown, middle-aged adult on her way to the other side of the hill of life.

So, my first idea was to let it quietly pass and hope no one noticed. Well, unless you read my blog. And then it's kind of hard to miss the 3,524 posts I've written about my upcoming birthday.

But, around everyone else, I was planning to be really quiet.

Seriously.

Stop laughing.

(I can hear you.)

Being the completely moderate person that I am, free of any ridiculous mood swings, I then came up with a new plan. We'll just call it the 40 days of 40.

That's right. Instead of counting down with dread the last days until my passage into middle age, I'm going to celebrate every last one of them. I'm going to have parties for myself, eat cake, buy gifts, eat chocolate, buy shoes, hang streamers, go out to dinner, have pedicures, dance and sing until I'm so tired of my darned birthday that I can't wait for it to be over.

How's that? That will show it. That will teach the calendar to taunt me. I'll show the fine lines. I'll teach the wrinkles a lesson. I'll stomp on the hill, plant a flag and tell it who's boss.

I'm turning 40, and it's going to be fun, darn it.

The 40 days of 40 begin March 13 and continue until my actual birthday on April 21.

So, you say it's YOUR birthday? Great! It's my birthday, too! Let's have a party!

Cupcakes, anyone?