A little over a year ago, I joined SP and joined the Fabulous by Forty Team. It was my first experience with a team, and I was a bit disappointed when I looked at the chat boards and didn't see much activity. The posts that were there mostly said things like "Is this team even active anymore?", etc. But, something kept me from leaving.

I just started posting things. Kinda felt like I was talking to myself, but I didn't care. It just felt good to get my thoughts out. Within a couple days, people started replying to my threads. It made me smile to think someone was actually reading what I had contributed.

Then, completely out of the blue, I got a message from the Team Leader, asking me if I wanted to co-lead the team. I accepted. Within a couple weeks, that leader disappeared off of SP completely. Within a couple months, the other co-leader went inactive.

I just kept posting things. That old theme from the movie Field of Dreams kept me going... "If you build it they will come". LOL. I really thought of it that way. I started some challenges, and got a good response. More and more people started posting to the boards. The member count grew. Since my co-leader was no longer participating, I asked SASSACAIA to join me and co-lead the team. It felt good to know that I was a part of growing something.

It's been a great team. The challenges have been fun. I've learned a lot along the way. Members have come and gone, but I've made some really good Spark Friends along the way. We've seen some good success stories, and given each other support through rough times. All in all, it turned out to be just what I was looking for!

And now, I'm about to turn 40.
In 40 days, I will hit the big 4-0.
YIKES!!

I will not reach my original goal of 50-B4-40... not even close. But, I am hoping to still reach 20-B4-40! LOL. My birthday will be a time to re-evaluate goals (and change my screen name ;) and figure out where I fit in moving forward. It doesn't seem logical that the leader of a team called "Fab by Forty" is over 40, so I know it's almost time to pass the reins. I've checked out some other Spark Teams, but am just not finding anything that feels right so I'll be sticking around as a member for a while, at least. But, I know that time will come eventually and I will say goodbye to this chapter. All in all, It's been a good run!