I turned 50 last month. Was it traumatic? Not really. (Well maybe a little:))

 

I have known for some time that (the Good Lord willing) I would not escape having another "zero" birthday. So when you hit 49 years old and you start to think about the upcoming decade ahead at 50, you also start to look back at what you've already left behind on your journey.

 

My neighbors helped me reminisce about those years gone by. In honor of my big day, they created a unique "Jeopardy" game that spanned the 1960's to present day, and smattered questions about events in my life in between questions about world events from each of those five decades. We chuckled about "Make Love, Not War" slogans, bell-bottom pants, big hair, and presidential debacles.  We tried to recognize advertising slogans throughout the years..."the quality goes in before the name goes on", "Where's the beef?" and "is it live, or is it Memorex?"

 

Of course, we ate chocolate cake to "The Best of the 70's" music and giggled about 8-track tapes and cassettes. Everyone had clear memories of pulling a tape from the tape deck, only to find it had mangled and swallowed about 15 yards of precious tape. We shared our tips about how we tried to painstakingly wind that tape back into the cassette, hoping that it wasn't too wrinkled to continue playing. (Oddly, that experience reminds me of dealing with temperamental quilting thread!)

 

As we tripped down memory lane, it was fun to consider all the changes that have occurred during our lifetimes. We admitted that our parents got mysteriously smarter when we hit about 25 years old. We confessed that we felt vastly superior to our friends if we were lucky enough to own a Commodore 64 computer. Now we have powerful computers that sit in the palm of our hands and allow us to communicate to friends all across the world. We can sit in our PJs and buy a new pair of shoes without leaving the house!

 

Now that I'm 50, I sometimes forget what I had for dinner last night. I walk into a room and wonder what brought me in there. I stare in the refrigerator and wonder what to make for dinner--the decision to too hard so I just tell my family we're going out! :) But one thing that I'll never forget is the decision to buy my APQS longarm.

 

In 1994, machine quilting was still considered "cheating". But I am one of those persons who responds with "Watch me!!!" when someone says "You can't do that." Fired up by the challenge of fighting a trend and wanting to stay home to raise my kids, I took that leap. And while there may be one or two things I regret in my life (it was the 70's, remember...) buying an APQS quilting machine has never been one of them!

 

My machine has served me faithfully for going on 18 years now. It's a testament to the quality, engineering, and service that the company provides. But I admit that I've been stuck in the past when it comes to my machine, and technology has zoomed past me. I don't plan to stop quilting any time soon. Like most of us baby boomers, we're just entering the prime of life at 50! But I do want to enjoy quilting as I age, and I think it may be time to finally get on the bandwagon and try out some of those new features that have made the APQS machines so wonderful.

 

I've lived without a stitch regulator for a long time...when you don't actually have one, you have to think ahead ALL the time. No stopping to decide what to do next. Now that I'm 50 and forgetful, that's not a good thing! And the new Bliss Drive System means that even if my muscles get weary and my feet hurt, I will be able to glide along all day. And now that bifocals have become a fact of life for me, I think the Quilt Glide will help me do my tiny quilting much more easily since I'll be able to use my beloved manual mode with the stitch regulator together.

 

My husband (bless his heart) only gave me a "phone call" for this momentous birthday (he's a bank examiner who travels much of the time.) I cut him some slack since he was out on the road on my big day, but when he returned toting nary a bouquet of flowers or even a card, I realized I needed to treat myself to what I really wanted--a fully loaded Millie with Bliss. (It would have been cheaper for him if he'd have bought the card:)).

 

Happy Birthday to Me!!