This week, my husband Jody and I made another trip around the sun. We have what I consider a unique distinction of being a husband and wife who happen to share a birth date! And I have no problem admitting I am the older one, by six years.

This was a milestone birthday for Jody - the big 6-0. He absolutely hates being the center of attention and was so afraid that I was planning a big party for him that he insisted on going away for the weekend.

Needless to say, I didn’t argue!

Personally, I tend to do more self-reflection on my birthday than on New Year’s. I like to take stock of the past year, evaluating what I did right and what I did wrong, and how I can be a better person at 66 than I was at 65. It’s also fun to use the time to remind myself of all the wonderful memories that were created and the many blessings God has given me.

This year we have three grandchildren in college, which does not seem possible! I know a lot of you have had to say “see ‘ya later” to your kids and grandkids the past couple of weeks. That comes with such a mixed bag of emotions: a sense of loss as they leave the nest, while at the same time feeling excitement as they begin a new future.

Adventure is really what life is all about - for me at least. I thrive on being busy…going…doing. I am easily bored. However, I understand not everyone shares that sentiment - and I happen to be married to one who does not. He is perfectly fine staying home most of the time. His idea of a great day is puttering around in the yard or his shop, or working in the garden. So we try to find a good balance, which is a nice way of saying he agrees to go on adventures with me quite often.

Our recent birthday weekend adventure took us to one of our favorite places - Estes Park, Colorado. We have been visiting the quaint mountain town since early in our marriage, and the beauty never seems to get old. We enjoy walking the town and looking at all the shops, and always cap off our visit with a burger and fries at Penelope’s.

With each passing year, though, I have learned that an adventurous life does not necessarily require long-distance travel. We also enjoy taking little country drives or visiting small area towns and looking for fun new places to eat. Sometimes just a drive around Gothenburg while eating a Runza ice cream cone might be all the adventure we get in for a week. And that’s ok.

It’s all about quality, not quantity, right? My desire for my 66th year is to spend more quality time with those I love, to write higher quality stories, to spend more quality time with God. And hopefully next year at this time, when I write my 67th birthday column, I will be able to say this was a great, adventurous year.