Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

Fifty-Nine

Birth-announcement

Today is my birthday.
I am 59 years old.

How did that happen in a split second?

Lee was my middle name.

 

Baptism

 

Godmother Mary (My mom's cousin) and Godfather Craig (My dad's oldest sister's son). My Mom is taking the photo, while my Dad looks on. Father McGoldrick nearly dropped the cruet on my head when he heard I did not have a Christian name.

My middle name was changed to Ann.

 

Hand-print

 

My hand print. I have the same lines, and a few more on my face.

 

 

First-steps

 

 

My Mother notes in my baby book that I blew a whistle at five months old, and that I took my first steps at sixteen months….

Sixteen months?!

 

Birthday1

 

But, I knew how to blow out my birthday candle at one.

 

 

Birthday-2

 

Look at those lips! 
When I was a teen-ager "potato chip thin lips" were in style. I was teased about those lips of mine. We won't talk about the nose.
I guess you could say it built character in me.

 

 

 

Birthday3

 

 

Birthday4

 

 

My hair (if you care to note) is the same from when I was two until forever.

My Mom made darling cakes.

 

 

Birthdaystanding-on-a-chair

 

Its my birthday and I happy about it.

When is your birthday, and if you dare how old will you be?

Comments

61 responses to “Fifty-Nine”

  1. Karen

    Happy birthday dear Corey! What a lovely post. I still hope to visit you again one day in Marseilles (or perhaps now in Paris!). May you have a year filled with happiness and blessings.

    Reply
  2. Marilyn

    Happy Birthday once again. Celebrations are so special. I hope you are celebrating you.
    My birthday is March 15th and I will be 74 years. My hair is not the color it was as a child, smiling.

    Reply
  3. Jacklynn Lantry

    My birthday was 2 days ago, my little aquarian:) I turned 61…HUH? How’d THAT happen??? I love the giant curls! You’ve been “follically blessed” forever. In pic #4 (where you were 2 years old) I think you look like Chelsea (or should I say Chelsea looks like you?) What kind of cake are you having?

    Reply
  4. star

    Happy birthday, Corey. And many happy returns.
    November 3 for me…I will be 57 this year.
    I know you will have a happy celebration with all your family together.

    Reply
  5. ardis

    Merry Birthday Greetings, Corey. My birthday is in September and I will be as old as dirt and I am thankful.

    Reply
  6. Diane Belforte Lewis

    Happy birthday Corey, one more year to enjoy being in your fifties. Its medicare year for me!!!

    Reply
  7. Cynthia

    Mine’s in October, and I’ll be 62. Glad I made it to my sixties!

    Reply
  8. Kipper

    Corey, you have been cute as a button since 1958!

    Reply
  9. cheryl liberty

    Happy Birthday! from frigid webster, ny:) my birthday is 7/20 and i am 65-holy shit. don’t tell anyone. cheryl

    Reply
  10. Mari

    Happy Birthday, my fellow Aquarian! Best wishes to you on your special day. I just turned 58(!) on January 29. I may be 58 on the outside but I’m still that rascally 5 year old on the inside!

    Reply
  11. Marie

    The 26th of this month. I will turn 67! Marie

    Reply
  12. Lisa

    Happy birthday, beautiful lady! I will be 51 this August.

    Reply
  13. Katie E.

    What a sweet post! Hope your birthday was as wonderful as reading your blog makes me feel! Cheesy? Yes. True and heartfelt? Absolutely!

    Reply
  14. dee

    What a “cutie pie”…Happy B-day! In Aug. I’ll be 72–cough…choke..sputter…but very grateful for my health!

    Reply
  15. Debra

    Happy, happy birthday dear Corey! Thank you so very much for every year and post you have shared! It is still my dream to toast a glass of wine together! All my best for the best birthday ever!! Xoxo

    Reply
  16. Annette

    I am a fellow Aquarian… and on January 28th, I turned 74. Happy Birthday to you!

    Reply
  17. RebeccaNYC

    I was born just 42 days after you! I’ll be 59 on March 18. And like you, I just cannot believe it has gone by so fast!! Happy Birthday Corey!

    Reply
  18. Joan Belforte thodas

    I was eight when you were born and remember it well…including the Corey Lee/Ann controversy. I loved holding you and those photos show how happy your mother was to have this sweet little girl. Like seeing a glimpse of the kitchen in your original family home.

    Reply
  19. carol

    Happy Birthday, dear Corey and many,many more! 💕

    Reply
  20. Linda

    Happy birthday to you, Corey! Happy 59th Birthday. If you think carefully about all you have done, you’ll remember where all those years went. All you have to do is read your blog! Having that record of the last few years must make you realize how full of love and friendship those years have been. I turn 69 on October 24th.

    Reply
  21. Diogenes

    I crossed the 6-0 line two weeks ago. Ugh. I didn’t know there was a list of Christian names. I do now, thanks to Google. Your birthday photos are adorable!

    Reply
  22. Leigh NZ

    What’s wrong with “Corey Lee”? Love seeing all your Birthday photos. My birthday is 23 of September and I’ll be 55. Hope your having a lovely day X

    Reply
  23. Shelby

    Happy birthday from Northern California! In my eyes you’re still a baby…I turn 70 on Tuesday. How did that happen? Enjoy your year ahead and may it be filled with good health, love and lots of laughter!

    Reply
  24. Laurie

    Happy birthday Corey! February is such a pretty month with almonds blooming. I turned 55 on December 21. Everyday is a gift from God! Laurie Ann xo

    Reply
  25. Leonie Buchanan

    Happy Birthday Corey from Australia! I am a Virgo & will be 72, my dear Mum who died 3 years ago said she remembered every moment of my birth. I was named after ‘Leonie’ from ‘These old Shades’ by Georgette Heyer Mum read when she was 16. I have the book which is very well read.

    Reply
  26. Ana

    Lovely memories. Happy happy birthday. I will be 59 this year too,on May 11th. I have always been called Ana and spelt my name as such but it seems that at the register office here in the U.K. the registrar recorded it as Ann, Ana was too unusual!!
    God bless you Corey and here’s to the next 59 ha ha.

    Reply
  27. Nikki Maxwell

    Happy 70th on Tuesay Shelby, hope it’s wonderful.
    Big hugs from melbourne.

    Reply
  28. Our French Oasis

    Happy Birthday, hope you have an absolutely wonderful day xxx

    Reply
  29. Nikki Maxwell

    When I had the loveliest opportunity to have a coffee with you in Cassis in June Corey – and then read your recent post saying you were ”edging 50” – I tell no lie, ,gosh – came to mind – I thought she was a wee bit older than 49!
    Hope it’s been wonderful.
    Huge hugs gorgeous girl.
    Nikki

    Reply
  30. Julia Thelen

    I know how you feel; I turned 60 on the 2nd
    Joyeux Anniversaire!🍾🎊🎉🎂🎁🎈

    Reply
  31. Nikki

    Happy Birthday Corey!! 🎉🎉 59 is the new 39 so paint the town red birthday girl!!!!!
    I turned 55 ( a pair of nickels or as a dear friend said, a perfect ten?!? Ha) on December 20th. I was born on my parents wedding anniversary.. My middle name is Ann as well and my daughters middle name is Lee! I was teased about my “full” lips without mercy by my brothers growing up. My God how I admired those thin lipped babes! I think no matter what age we are that we should all wake each morning feeling excited about what adventures the day may bring!

    Reply
  32. Chico Sue

    Hoping you will embrace this birthday as you seem to have all your others, with gusto and love. And hang on too, because life goes faster with every passing Year! I will be seeing my 75th birthday, if the good Lord continues to bless me, and I am so grateful my life didn’t turn out the way I had planned!!! XXXOOO

    Reply
  33. Jude

    Happy Birthday Corey!!! I turned 63 on the 30th of January. Aquarius kindred spirit! I always embrace whatever age I am. My daughter and I are visiting The Netherlands and Giverny France in May. Thanks for all the travel information over the years.

    Reply
  34. Andrea Hames

    Hope your birthday was wonderful! Mine was January 5 and I turned 72!! In my head, I’m about 40, though the mirror reflects something different.

    Reply
  35. Jan D-M

    I turned 59 last month. I was supposed to be Ann-Marie, but I was born two weeks late, so my little mum thought Jan-Marie more appropriate for the month! A student recently told me about her “old” grandmother and I listened attentively, picturing a little old woman walking hunched and slowly, until she said, “Yeah, she’s 59.” WHAT?? As you, I cannot believe how the years have flown by. I still have a heart of a young girl and I still seek adventure and new friends. Some things don’t change, halleluiah. Happy birthday! You are a gift to me!

    Reply
  36. Jennie

    Happy Birthday again, Corey. On May 6 I will be 17 years older than you but I don’t look it nor do I act it. I think I will be 59 forever! Such a good age all around! But I will not give back my Social Security or my retirement check.

    Reply
  37. cheri

    Happy, happy birthday. I’m a California “girl” too, born February 22, 1953. My sister’s middle name is Lee, mine is Lynn and we both have full lips which were made fun of in those days!!! Glad I have them now. I’m also in love with France….

    Reply
  38. KAMFreeman

    Gratulerer med dagen, kjære Corey
    My Norwegian ancestry holds a very large place in the “stuff” that makes me who I am today; immigrant families add so much color and tradition to the every day events. I love all your birthday photos, and your spirit of joy permeates every photo then, just as it does when you share your face with us today. Have a wonderful celebration today, and may your last year in the 50’s be filled with every good thing.
    Thanks for sharing your life and times with us all.
    November is my birthday month and I will be 74 this year.

    Reply
  39. Bette Lee Collins

    Happy Birthday Corey from Red Bluff,CA, just north of Willows!
    I think I win the age game,at least so far..I will be 79…on Feb 26…
    And have been reading and enjoying your blog for several years…
    And have met your lovely mother…
    Bette Lee

    Reply
  40. JudyO

    Happy Birthday Corey! How great to have all those
    birthday photos. I am 70 years old and cannot understand how
    that can be. As an aside, when I was about 11 I wanted to
    change my name from Judy to Corey. I practiced writing it
    over and over. Judy was a very common name for girls born in
    1946 and I thought Corey was so cool and unique.😊

    Reply
  41. Natalie Thiele

    Happy birthday! I enjoyed watching you and your family dancing and goofing around in Cassis. Free spirits, all of you!
    I will be 65 on December 6. I am truly looking forward to it. Medicare (if it will still exists) and riding the ferry to San Francisco for half fare.

    Reply
  42. Beverly

    Happy Birthday Corey! I’m just a little over 4 years older than you. Last birthday I remember is 40 :-). I used to have a doll like in your doll cake pictured. Sweet post.
    May you have a beautiful year ahead!

    Reply
  43. sarah webb

    my birthday was on thanksgiving day this year 54 ugh!! but it was always a great birthday growing up…no one ever asks you to go out to eat on your birthday however but you were always off school for break or snow depending. my mom no matter where she was or i was would say “i’m glad i had you babe!!!” every year….i sure do miss her saying that as i lost her in may! she would make me a homemade pecan pie instead of birthday cake because that is what i wanted!!
    the happiest of birthdays to you*** i love the pics. is that a doll birthday cake?? how fun!! that pic looks like you are saying…yeah, its my cake…jealous??

    Reply
  44. Patty N.

    Joyeuse Anniversaire, Corey! My birthday is in July and this year I’ll make it to 69. I have to say that my best decade has been my sixties…really! I’m retired, so there’s minimal stress. My husband is terrific and we’ve been married for 44 years. The finances are much better than we had hoped for. I feel wiser and more comfortable with myself, not caring so much what others think. I began a new hobby that I absolutely love (antiques and creative repurposing). And the icing on the cake is that last year we bought a house in France! I couldn’t ask for more. So don’t fear your sixties…life continues to bless us in many ways.

    Reply
  45. Ardi

    Happy Birthday, Corey. We were always told that a “magnificent” nose was a sign of a passionate heart. I have always thought of that.

    Reply
  46. Barbara S.

    Happy birthday Corey. I am 59,12 and my hair once platinum blond is now arctic blond! Age is a state of mind, isn’t it? Hope you are having a wonderful day.

    Reply
  47. Barbara Blizzard

    My birthday is New Year’s Eve (December 31) and I was named for the only girl saint on the December calendar as my parent’s only had picked out a boy’s name! Thinking of some of the names that they might have chosen, I consider myself most fortunate. And I greatly love my middle name of Joan – have visited as many Joan of Arc sites in France as I can.

    Reply
  48. pc Brown

    Happy Birthday Dear Corey! I hope it is filled to the brim with all good things and lovely moments!
    (I will be 59 tomorrow!)

    Reply
  49. Mardog

    HB2U Diogenes! You’re post don’t read a day over 50!

    Reply
  50. Mardog

    Happy Birthday Corey! That last photo of you captures you. I’m still just 56 years old.

    Reply
  51. Eileen

    Happiest of Birthdays for you, Corey!

    Reply
  52. Bonnie Schulte

    Happy Birthday Corey (youngster). After reading all of the above comments, it looks like I am the old fuddy duddy, of the group. In September I will be 78, and if you read my comment yesterday,3 1/2 years older than DH. Anyway, I was named Bonita Cornelia, because, being Catholic, my grandma told my mother I had to be named after the saints name on the calendar of my birth. Good grief grandma, thank goodness it is my middle name, and not my first! I have always gone by Bonnie, instead of Bonita, and never never tell people that ask, my middle name. I dislike it with a passion.Loved seeing the photos of you as a little girl..Adorable

    Reply
  53. Dawn Fleming

    Thanks for sharing your photos, they are so cute! I will be 55 this year on May 7th. I like my bday, because it’s usually full of spring flowers and nice weather in the Chicago area.

    Reply
  54. tammyCA

    Happy birthday, Corey! Neat to see your childhood photos. 🙂

    Reply
  55. Diogenes

    luv ya!

    Reply
  56. Christine

    Happy belated Birthday Corey. I don’t often comment but read daily. I will be 56 yrs old on June 6. I love your photos and your mom’s cakes. Best wishes for a wonderful year…….Christine

    Reply
  57. Darles

    Happy Birthday, Corey! Mine is the second of Jan – I just turned 61 (can’t be possible!) this year.

    Reply
  58. Marilyn

    Cute little girl. Wonderful lady! Hope you had a divine day and have a terrific year.

    Reply
  59. liz

    Happy Birthday. Such cute birthday dresses and fabulous cakes! I turn 60 this year but in my heart I still feel 30. Hope your coming year is filled with good health, wonderful brocantes and lots of love.

    Reply
  60. s/e

    Cute post: Love all the photos: 62 In October

    Reply
  61. Elaine

    Happy Birthday Corey! Wow! Am I the baby in this comment section?! I will turn 48 on Sept 2! Corey, you share a birthday with one of my sisters (who is a bit older than you) , and also my sister-in-law (who is a year younger than you). Feb 4th is a great day!!

    Reply

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