happy birthday to me . . .

happy birthday to me. happy birthday, happy birthday. happy birthday to me!

I just LOVE a husband who will not only BUY me this – BUT (the REAL present) actually RESEARCH the lens I need based on what I want to photograph. (Mainly, FavoriteSon running into the end zone with the ball and PinkGirl on stage singing her heart out!)

Given the fact that I had to work on client site Tuesday (and wear hosiery), I had a pretty great birthday, including a few hours at my sister‘s house holding LittleHoudini and dinner out with the family. But Wednesday felt more like a birthday.

I have the BESTEST friend EVER.

I had gone to work out first thing in the morning and then gone for a cut and color. I was finished by lunch and was supposed to meet my friend at Panera Bread (our favorite place to go together). I got there first and she called me and said, “We’re not going to Panera. Step outside and I’ll pick you up.”

curious.

She picked me up and drove . . . to the other side of the parking lot.

SUSHI!!!! yippee!

We had a GREAT lunch (miso, salad and two rolls for only $10 each!) and then she said, “We’ve gotta go. We have one more thing we have to do.”

curiouser.

Then she drove us to an adjacent parking lot.

A DAY SPA!!!! yippee!

She had a gift certificate she had been holding onto for THREE years. (It was a gift from her cub scouts – including FavoriteSon – as they moved on to Boy Scouts.) She had made appointments for pedicures and had brought a gift bag filled with a bottle of wine, two glasses, cheese and chocolate. Is that a BESTEST friend or WHAT?

Unfortunately, we were stuffed from lunch and I was carrying leftover sushi in a box (because I am SO not leaving it in the car to go bad!) AND I had had a mani-pedi on Saturday, just 4 days before. So we rescheduled and got massages! One hour of total relaxation. I turned off my cell phone. Yes I did! FirstHusband was in town. Let the school call him if there’s a problem. Let the clients leave voice mail.

So. wonderful. Told you. BESTEST friend EVER. And you know what? Sure the actual massage was GREAT, but the REAL present was that she FORCED me to take the time to have one in the first place. A massage? On a Wednesday? I NEVER would have scheduled that for myself. I get massages on vacation, not on “Wednesday.” I’m going to have to rethink that mentality. umm hmm. And sushi? for lunch? on a Wednesday? unheard of. gonna rethink that one too. (although PinkGirl scrounged my sushi leftovers, the little bum.)

I had taken the time on Saturday to have a mani-pedi because I had a little time to kill and driving home and back would have been a complete waste of time and gas. (That’s my story, anyway.) I was driving PinkGirl around that morning in an attempt to allow her to attend a cheer clinic from 9am to 1:30pm AND a birthday party from 11am to 1pm.

So I got PinkGirl to the cheer clinic at 9am.
Went 5 minutes around the corner and got a spa pedicure and manicure.
Picked her up from cheer at 11:00 a.m.
Drove her to the (pirate pool) birthday party 8 minutes away.
Stayed with her at the party till 12:45 p.m.
Drove her back to the school for the 1pm cheer performance.

All that includes changing from cheer tshirt and shorts – to a pirate costume – to a bathing suit – back to the cheer tshirt and shorts. Not to mention combing out wet hair and redoing a pony tail. (and all the grousing that goes with said combing)

I’m flippin tired just typing all that.

But – all that aside – you know the BIGGEST thing I did on Saturday? Brow wax. seriously. never had one. I had the spa pedicure and I’m getting the manicure while a tiny little fan blows on my red power toes. Lisa, the Asian lady giving me a manicure says, “Brow wax?”

I immediately turn to look in the mirror on the wall next to me.

“you need.”

ouch.

“four dolla.”

done.

AMAZING! What a difference! I’ve tweezed UNDER my brow for . . . ever. But I had NEVER taken any off the top. FirstHusband even noticed a difference – in a good way! I also let her do a lip wax but I was VERY worried about that. I’ve had a lip wax twice in my life and both times, I blistered like crazy the next day. Lots and lots of tiny water blisters. NOT attractive. I told Lisa and she confidently said, “I fix.”

well. what the heck?

And she did. almost. She covered my lip with baby powder and then blew on the wax for about 30 seconds before applying it to my skin. I only got THREE blisters. Amazing. I’ll be seeing Lisa again.

Spa pedicure? $20
Manicure? $10
Brow wax? $4
Lip wax? $8
A little calm in the middle of my frantic morning? Priceless.

can’t beat it.

oh. And Saturday afternoon? FirstHusband and I FINALLY ordered and paid for all the tile and supplies needed to re-tile our shower. Baby steps. baby steps.

Today is FirstHusband’s birthday and officially ends the THREE days a year when he is THREE years younger than me. (He prefers to say that I’M three years OLDER.) We’re going out to dinner. Birthday boy’s choice? Sushi.

Somehow, I’ll manage.