Happy 50th!

Today is my 50th birthday! I'm still trying to figure out where all the years went! Some are best left behind! But over the years, many wonderful memories have been created alongside family and friends. And that's just how I plan to spend my day...alongside the folks who hold a special place in my heart.
And since it's my birthday, I thought I'd share some pics from my "younger years" !

The top photo is one of the few (perhaps only) photo I have of myself as a baby being held by my mom. Let me say first--I do have baby photos, mostly portraits taken at a photo studio. Plus many of our family photos from that time are still only in slide format (something I need to change). But actual photos of me with my mom...this is the one I can actually hold in my hands. I scanned it here--the original is a little beat up, plus it's quite small. But I treasure it nonetheless.

Here I am at 18 months, I think. My hair is straight, pulled back in a ponytail. I have bangs! I would love to have bangs now! And by the way, I have my older sister, Diane, to thank for my name...which I love! Originally I was intended to be named Rose or Rosemary after my mom's aunt ... I guess Rose would have been fine, but I much prefer Risa! It took me until college to learn that my name means laughter, which suits me just fine.

Who is that shy looking young girl you ask? Well, it's me! I think this was taken when I was close to 5 years old (maybe 4?). I believe my mom took me to school on picture day before I had started school (my older siblings were in school). I don't remember this, but I think I look a little scared. And look, still straight hair with bangs! (My hair didn't curl till puberty...hormones, I guess!)

Here I am in the backyard of my childhood home with my younger sister, Nan, and the two dogs we owned at the time. I'm the one in the back with my brother's dog. The weimaraner in front was named Doc and was our family dog for years...I still would love to own a dog like him someday. And that backyard...was huge. I grew up (till the age of 12) in the small Minnesota town of Ellsworth...it was a great place to be a kid.

I love looking through old photos (I am a sentimental fool) and have just stared scanning them into our computer. Perhaps I'll share more another day! But for now, I'm off to eat cake!