Birthday Five: Keeping Me Young

I realize it's not Friday, but it's my birthday and I'll post what I want to.

I'm 38 today. So there.

Not that long ago, 38 sounded really old. Almost 40 (gulp). Almost over the proverbial hill.

Yet now that I'm here, I don't feel nearly as old as I thought 38 would be. With my husband already in his 40s and my parents now in their 60s, I've shifted my definition of "old" to somewhere around 93.

Here are five people (or groups of people) keeping me young this week:

1. My children. They're exhausting and probably adding gray hairs and wrinkles to my look every day. But they also make me silly and happy -- and they remind me of how much fun the world can be.
2. My husband. For the second birthday in a row, he's given me running related gifts. Last year it was the iPod to get me started. This year (now that I'm actually a Runner), it's a high-tech running shirt and hat to keep me warm through the winter months. Also, he tells people I'm his "child bride" because I'm several years younger than he is -- don't you just love him?
3. My friends. Most of my friends are my age (give or take 10 years). I figure if they seem young to me (and they do), then I must be young, too. And they do sweet things like take me out to lunch and sing "Happy Birthday" on my voicemail -- that makes me happy, which makes me smile, which (I hope) makes me look younger.
4. My dermatologist. This one falls in the "for better or for worse" category. I started getting these bumpy, flaky spots on my chin two weeks ago. Turns out it's stress-induced acne. And acne is for teenagers, right? So I must be younger than I thought. Thankfully the antibiotics and cream are bringing my face back to normal -- and even perioral dermatitis is better than this visit.
5. My hair colorist. Thanks to some nudging from my husband and a deal from Redeemio, I became (more or less) a redhead on Tuesday. Lane at ds Parada salon took me from blah brown to a sparkly red that shows up more in sunlight than it does indoors. It's kind of different and fun -- and it covers the grays referenced in #1, above.

So what's keeping you young these days? And, more importantly, what do you think of my new hair?