March 9, 2018 9:28 p.m.

And so, of course, my bummed out mentality leading up to the morning of my birthday turned for the better.

It always happens. Every year. Always annoyed the last few days of my previous year, but then the day of, I’m flooded with good feelings and everything is OK with the world.

I worked a half day, and took rest off to go to Seattle. Wasn’t sure what I was going to do; maybe just wander around the city, maybe hit a museum.

Then, while getting cleaned up, the idea of owning a scooter overcame me.

It’d been in the back of my head the past few years, thinking a little bright cherry red scooter for work commuting would be great fun. It’d match the Jetta. I’d take the nice backroads of Central Kitsap, especially on blue sky summer mornings.

The idea came over me in a kind of panic at first but in a very determined fashion, like, yes, YES this is something I DEFINITELY NEED TO DO. No research, no overthinking, just go out and buy.

So, after a brief search on Craigslist, with a little help from KG, 2 hours later I found myself getting out of an Uber at Seattle Cycle Center near Greenwood, walking into the shop and suddenly wondering what the hell I was doing there.

But I approached the desk and started with, “So, it’s my birthday. I’m turning 39 and well, I’m interested in the Buddy 125 you have on Craigslist…”

The next hour or so, the nice sales guy patiently dealt with my questions, my request for pictures of me on the bike, any history on it, what I’d need to do to get it out of his shop, what kind of helmets were out there, how they should fit. He was quite informative, didn’t try to sell me something quick, encouraged me to take a class, learn what kind of bike and brand I’d want, make sure I really want something like this.

I left feeling better, more educated and excited. At dinner, KG quizzed me on why I wanted it (um, from a vanity point of view, it seems cool and it’s a good commute alternative. In his classic way, he drops his head a little, slowly closes his eyes and shakes his head, then looks at me with a sly grin and says, “No, those are perfectly good reasons to own a scooter.”). Plus I was getting encouragement from Sara, the one of few motorcycle ladies I know, and then there was the absolutely raging cheerleading crowd from Facebook that was all in agreement that Tiffany should buy a bright yellow scooter for her birthday.

This all happened Tuesday.

I called the sales guy on Wednesday with a few more questions. I printed out the motorcycle knowledge and skills guide from the state department of licensing web site.

Thursday, I put a deposit on the scooter, cleared my schedule for Saturday, and scheduled with Sara and KG to get it back to Bremerton.

And that is how Tiffany had a mid-life crisis named Buttercup.