So today was my birthday! It was great. I had a very mellow day that allowed me to clean the house. I know that doesn't sound like fun, but having a clean house calms my mind immensely. I got flowers from both Jamie and Margaret (plus I have those peonies from yesterday!) and all kinds of wonderful gifts from friends and family -- most of which were bathroom related, which was super fun.After Jamie got home from work, we went to dinner with Chris and Alby at one of my favorite spots in town, Ngon Vietnamese Bistro. Oh man, was it delicious. And then we topped it off with dessert from Izzy's ice cream -- a truly lovely evening in St. Paul.I was also talking with my good friend Julie today, and we were discussing how time is so valuable in life -- much more so than money. I thought about that a lot today as?I talked to my friend Chizzy who was recently declared cancer-free after a year of fighting breast cancer (yay!) and?again tonight at dinner as Alby is bravely taking on some health issues of his own.While these talks are emotionally tough, they also reinforce my decision to try to make Shuttersmack work as a full-time business. Sure, I know it's risky. But if you're not taking chances in life, then you're really not living, now are you? Adventure and exploration have always been important to me, but this might be the largest risk I've ever taken. And you know what? This week has only confirmed that you gotta grab life by the horns and wrestle it to the ground.