MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!

I win again!

I started a healthy living type diet exactly two weeks ago. I just wanted to see what it felt like to eat better, and let me tell you it feels pretty darn good.

I cut out white sugar, white flour, and preservatives. I also don't really drink milk anymore or eat cold cereal which was huge for me. Mostly I eat vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. I try to cut down on the meat, not that I ate much to begin with, and dairy.

It actually doesn't feel like a really big deal. I feel like I have always eaten this way. The only hard thing is making sure I have enough food around. I am not much of a shopper. My fridge is always empty so I feel like I am always at the grocery store now.

Also, my sister-in-law started a running thing every Saturday morning so I have been doing that too. That's about all the running I can get in these days. It just gets dark so fast!
Although I did do a homemade 5K yesterday. My neighbor orchestrated it for all our friends. It was really fun. Plus it was nice to get a run in before all the Thanksgiving gluttony.

I think that biggest change for me has been in my moods. I just feel less grumpy and I am sleeping better too. I never thought that I could live this healthy. I love how it makes me feel. Maybe it's a control thing but I am so proud of myself for actually eating the way I want to and being the kind of person that takes care of my body. I most surly felt the effects of careless eating and lack of exercise a year ago. I was getting sick all the time.

Anyway, thats whats going on these days. But who can spend time writing when there are like 30 really good movies in the theater right now.

exploited Asian women and toe nail travesties

So my sister-in-law, Cora Jane, is in town and all the girls in the Arnold and Jenny West family decided to go to lunch and get a pedicure together. I never do stuff like that so it was way fun. Plus it's always interesting to hang with the Wests. Never a dull moment in this family.

But the saddest thing happened. I painted my toe nails this beautiful red color and then I put my shoes too early and they smudged. Isn't that a total bummer?

When you think about it it's really very tragic because some poor Asian women worked hard on them and then what do I do? Just up and ruin them. Smooth Cherie, real smooth.

bathroom makeover

We are finally getting around to remodeling our bathroom. We have had the tile and sink and lights and all that stuff sitting around for months and just haven't gotten around to putting in the work. We bought paint, pulled up the existing floor, and took out the sink yesterday, then Andy pulled all the moldings and baseboards today. It is totally bare except the tub and toilet.

So for the rest of the week we need to be working on patching all the holes we made in the wall from removing the baseboards(they sucked!) and painting. Then on Saturday we will tile and hopefully put in the new sink.

This is so exciting because we have lived in our house for a year and it has been under construction the entire time. It will be nice to have at least one room finished. I can't wait.

Pants shortage

Yeah yeah, I know it's been like a month. Trust me you all didn't miss much.

Good news that is also bad news though. I totally don't fit in any of my jeans anymore. Apparently, I am losing weight which is weird because with the bad whether lately and early nights I really haven't been running. Why am I losing all this weight now?
Anyway it is not as cool as I had hoped because I bought these cool jeans like 6 months ago and they don't fit anymore. They just fall off all day and I have to wear a belt with them and even then they look all saggy. Not cute. Plus I had to buy new work clothes first before casual stuff so I really feel the jean shortage on the weekends. Man. Losing weights sucks. I looked fine before and I had tons of pants. Now I look a tiny bit slimmer but now I have no pants. Not a good trade off if you ask me.

Rose Hip October

My garden is just winding down for the winter. It was a beautiful thing it was. And I don't think that I have ever been more proud of myself.

I really want to be that type of person, with that type of family. The type of family that keeps and excellent garden. But not only keeps one, shares one. I really want to be one of those people that always seems to have way too much food and really must share it with the neighbors.

I guess that desire stems from my other desire to live in a small community that shares everything. (Don't make me say commune) It's true though. My question is why doesn't everyone want that?

I also want to be one of those moms that always has other peoples kids over at their house. Especially, as they get to be teenagers. I just want to have an open and safe home for my family and the people important to them. It's probably the only thing about kids that I'm looking forward to.

To be totally honest I feel that I have both of those desires met right now. But it just doesn't mean as much because we don't have children to share it with. Sad.

ode to my dog

I really like her.

Even when she poops on my floor. Even when she throws up several times a week and makes gaging noises every morning like clock work at 7:30 AM. Even when she farts when we have guests over. Even when she runs away whenever we take our eyes off her. Even when she becomes incontinent when ever she takes antibiotics. Even when she somehow opens the cupboard and gets into the garbage. Even when she gets old age warts that need to be removed and costs me several hundred dollars. Even when she sneezes many times a day, especially when your taking a nap. Even when she runs away and Andy and I end up looking for her in the rain for almost an hour then finally come home and she is waiting for us in the driveway. Even when she ruins our carpet because she keeps peeing in the same spot that a cat peed on. Even when she, for no apparent reason, starts chewing up our computer paper.

I like her even though she is so super cute and loves to cuddle and loves to leisurely lick our guests legs and walks kind of funny and always looks a little bit like she just rolled out of a dumpster.

I just really like her. A lot.

He ain't heavy....He's my brother

Sometimes Neil Diamond feels so good.

Talk about a lousy weekend.

I just had one of those days. I sat down after work to read my emails and it felt like I had weights in my butt pocket.
I am just so tired.

Tired mentally, tired physically, tired as in haven't gotten adequate
sleep. My past just wont let me sleep lately. And when I am awake and
working it is as though I have done this exact thing a thousand times
before.

I feel so melancholy. Just going through the motions.
I am slightly sad about something. But I'm not quite certain what it is. Well, I guess I have ideas about why I feel sad but none of them are especially new things going on in my life. Just old problems revisited.

Oddly enough, my melancholy isn't a bad thing at all. It is almost refreshing if that makes sense. I guess I should say it is just a feeling and at least it isn't an espesially painful feeling. It mostly just exists. I feel overwhelmed and completly underwhelmed all at the same time. All my feelings seem to come as a paradox these days.

I wrote this last week.

Today I stayed home from work. I have this cold that took my voice away and makes me cough a lot. It's not too bad though. I don't feel that sick, but I sound really sick and that just isn't very professional. I know I wouldn't feel good about leaving my child with someone who has a haking cough and no voice.

It has been very nice because Andy and I spent the morning cleaning and then we went and bought some incense and Arby's. It was really fun to just spend the morning goofing off. Plus, now everything is all clean. Even the pooch.

Andy is safely tucked in bed and I get to hang out till about four in our sparking new house. I don't know why that feels so good. You know, hanging around in a clean house. It is so relaxing.

I win!

Went running this morning with my two best friends Erin and Jessica. We
ran from mine and Erin's house to the local farmers market downtown. It
was only like three miles but it was so refreshing and fun. (although I
was not on my A game today, the last half mile felt like I was running
in sluge with legs made of lead.) Then Andy and Jared, Erin's husband,
came and picked us up from the market. It was really lovely.

I used to go running five days a week and now I'm doing well to go twice.
What's with that? What happened to me? One big thing is I left my only
good running shorts at my moms in Washington so I need to go pick up
another pair.

I guess the biggest reason is that my sister, Candace, joined a gym. So now she doesn't come over and run with me every other day. Bummer. I totally thought that I was going to ride her coat tails to skinny town. I was mistaken. Now she leaves me no choice. I must join her gym. There is no other way! She is the only reason that I have really stuck to running.

I suppose you can't really put a price on health anyway so 25 bucks a month could be a bargain. Right?

killing me softly with his words...

Funniest thing happened during class today. My kids had finished their
assignment and were playing on the floor with various toys when one of
them starts singing this song, which I can't for the life of me
remember. Suffice it to say it was a soft rock song from the late 90's.

Really this isn't that unusual because kids sing to themselves all the time at this age, but the really funny thing was he knew all the words.

It was so cute to hear this little boy singing some lame song his mother
probably loved. It was so much like that part in "About A Boy". The one
were he's daydreaming and starts singing that one song out loud and
everyone laughs.

Yeah... that was funny...

To whom it may concern...

I would hope that this is a place were those who read feel free to comment, good or bad, on my opinions and thoughts. I do not, however, feel it is appropriate to critique my feelings and descriptions of experiences that I have had. Snarky, passive aggressive comments are not welcome here.

Furthermore, I would remind everyone that the drivel that I write is just that; really crappy descriptions of myself and experiences I've had.

Be kind. I am not bullet proof.

One Big Cliche

Maybe, it's time to leave Salt Lake? Maybe it's time to move on and see the country?

In Dubrovnik, we met some people in our hostel. We seemed to really get along.

This is not that surprising or interesting, except they didn't know what a Mormon was. So we talked about it and talked about it, but as hard as we tried they just couldn't get it, or more likely, didn't care to get it.

It was like taking a deep breath. It's probably been ten years sense I've felt connected to anyone who didn't get it and it felt so exhilarating and new. I didn't feel defensive, or embarrassed, or frustrated. They had no preconceived notions about how I should behave or how I would think. I didn't have to feel like an outsider and didn't have to consider them outsiders.

Perhaps this doesn't any sense, but when we were talking to them, I felt so much like an individual. There was no trail of ancestors following me around dictating what my life should be like. It was just me and Andy and nothing else. Nothing else to give them any idea of who we are.

I guess my identity is more tied in with the church and my family then I had previously realized.

Not a huge fan...

I don't really like poetry.

Yet, my last post just oozed of "novel poet".

I think my last post sucked. Please ignore.

Cinque Terre

We're in Cinque Terre now. It is so lovely. Filled with sights from another age and country.

The sound of the ocean from my window is loud and soothing. The walls are painted a pale sky blue. The paint doesn't quite touch the ceiling here. It's nice. And the walls are all crooked . There are quilts and lace and small pieces of furniture in our room. This is by far the best place we've stayed.

No cars or traffic. Just people and shops and eager shop keepers and waiters. They bustle and stroll in the drizzle, under the gray blank sky. The umbrellas and rain slickers abound here and they are snapping pictures and darting in and out of shops.

The buoys bob. Any minute they might drown and be hidden by the waves for good and still they look very resilient, like people in life jackets. The sea just looks so gray and irritated. It would swallow up some unsuspecting boat just for some miserable company.
I know I would.

I'm sure this sounds dreary, and maybe it should, it is a dreary day. But , I don't feel dreary, or much of anything. Just sleepy and content.

I like it here.

By the way...

I am finally home but because of the trouble it was to use the computer in Europe, I am posting what I wrote in my journal about our trip.

Dubrovnik

I am taking the day off from touring.

Our laundry is piled up to the point were I'm about to go naked. I'm sitting in our hostel with only my swimming suit and sandals on. Our hostel mate (can't remember his name even though he just told it to me not five minutes ago) is sitting here with Andy and I while we wait for the wash to finish. This trip has been fun and hard and exciting and interesting.

At this point, one week into it, I feel exhausted . Not tired just mentally taxed. I'm ready to just sit by the tiny pool and read for the day. All the driving and walking and white-knuckle moments are really wearing on me.

Also, we've had some problems with the bank. We have money but they keep saying we don't when we can clearly see we do. So calling and straightening out this mess has been sucky. In fact, it makes me want to tear my eyes out. I had a break down last night were I had to just let it all out. I cried a little but mostly I was mad and frustrated with the level of stress we've had to endure. Everything is harder to do here then we expected. Surprise!

But, even considering all the stress and worry it has cost us to get here I wouldn't want to leave. This is definitely more of a journey then a vacation. It's forced me to take a good look at my life and consider what it is I really want and some courses of action I might like to take when I get home.

Split!

Our flight to Zadar was actually on Monday and we thought it was on Sunday. So we stayed at a hotel by the airport, ate really expensive food and took the night off. We had really nice rooms and SHOWERS! Can you tell our showers sucked in London?

So we get to Zadar and get our rental car (but not before the guy charges us 300 extra dollars) and set out for Plitvice National Park. We have a scary hour and some drive to Grabovac where we are staying, but we made it and stayed at the most comfortable room to date. It was actually someone's house. But they rented out two of their rooms. The good thing was we had our own bathroom. Our host fed us breakfast on the patio under the grapevines around nine the next morning with warm milk. I broke a boiled egg that wasn't quite cooked all over my pants. But it was so beautiful there I didn't even care. The park was amazing and the lakes were incredibly blue. We hiked around till four then took off for Split.

The drive to Split was incredible. Everywhere we went there were bombed out houses and buildings. Some were fixed up and some not. They all looked like something you would expect from Italy. It was a lot like home just greener and so vast. If that makes sense. We bought cheese from the side of the road, then decided not to eat it. We saw tanks and old apartments riddled with bullet holes. All and all a lovely trip.

Driving in Split trying to find our place was stressful. Split is a pretty big city. But we did it and found the girl we were renting from and she said she had a flat for us with a cat. So we are with the cat for a couple days. Not that we're there much anyways.

Split is cool in that it is built around the oldest ruins in use in the world. Its basically this giant castle with shops all in it. and it's right on the coast. We did a little tour of it today. amazing. The local cuisine is great and the ice cream is great.

I can't wait to see Dubrovnik. It looks cleaner and cooler.

London!

Ok! I'm here in London and so far everything has been pretty good considering how sick I've been. Today I woke up finally feeling really normal, although, jet lag when your sick is really sucky.

While in the airport I almost fainted, so the rest of my time spent in any airport was time spent in a wheel chair. Ha! It was really nice and I don't think I would have fared well otherwise but a little embarrassing anyways. Don't ask me why.

My first day here I really didn't do anything but eat and sleep so yesterday was my first day of touring. Today we are leaving for Croatia at like 4 so we've got to get in our last bit of fun here. This is really hurried because everyone is waiting on me so I really must go.

We are safe and sound. London is huge and Emily, Scott, and Andy are great travel companions!
Hopefully more on our trip later!

Healthy people shouldn't go to doctors.

This Sunday I got really sick and was throwing up and had diarea, so Monday I called my mom and heard that everyone else was sick. She suggested that I go to the doctor to see if there was anything I could do seeing as I am leaving for Europe this Thursday. So I went in about 7:00pm. was really sick and the doctor said that he'd just give me some IV fluids and some anti-nausea medicine. So, all is going as planned when I start twitching. And not just little twitches, really violent ones. Turns out that I had an "adverse reaction" to the anti-nausea medicine.

So they give me some Benadril to counteract the reaction but all that medicine made me extremely drowsy. I was passing out and having some trouble knowing when I was awake and when I was asleep. Plus, it didn't help with the twitching at all. Basically, I just had to wait until it passed though my system. This all took about three hours.

I go back this morning, on doctors order, to get my IV out and to get more IV fluids.

I am almost done when I starting feeling very short of breath and coughing and generally just having a hard time breathing. Keep in mind that I have not eaten in almost three days at this point.

So, the doctor hooks me up to a heart rate monitor and gets an EKG. The EKG comes out pretty bad so I get a chest X-Ray, which comes out fine. Meanwhile the doctors are baffled as to why my heart rate is so whacked and I am having all these complications when I am 25, and healthy. Well, the doctor sends all my results to an EKG specialist and he said that it was a potassium deficiency. Turns out my potassium levels were far too low. Potassium supposedly is very important for your heart. Who knew. So he gives me some pills and runs a few more tests on my abdomen and finally I get to go home. By this point it is 6:30 and I have been there for five hours.

Yea, if he had just let me eat my sandwich like I asked none of this would have happened. I can't believe that I just spent all day at the doctors. Poor Andy was trying to run errands and do some stuff before our trip while I'm just laying there like a stump. It was really frustrating. Although I was pretty out of it for the most part. Which was good for me at the time but now I have so much to do and no time or energy to do it! Yikes.
Well, it will all get done. And if I have to wear depends to make it on my 12 hour flight this Thursday then so be it. I am going to Europe! And I will be sure to take plenty of bananas with me.

I hate shopping more then anything I can think of!!!

I really really don't like shopping. Most shopping trips end with me having spent 3 hours trying stuff on and not buying anything. And tears accompanied by hot steam shooting directly from my ears.

I have a week before we leave for Europe and no shoes that will do for this trip. You'd think that buying shoes would be easy enough but I cannot do it! Maybe, I am asking too much from a shoe? All I want is a sandal that is really cool and comfortable, that can be dressed up or down, and that is brown. You'd think that this would be easy.

But, I also don't want something too clunky or heavy and I don't want a shoe that looks too comfortable( as in too padded and thick). Help me! I have entered the third dimension of hell! (I don't know what that means but it made me chuckle). No one can save me from this fear and despair, from the dread and regret!

Too dramatic?

Ok, but I would like to find a decent pair of sandals that aren't chaco's.

My pride and joy!

I planted my first garden this year and I is growing like crazy!

This is my first ripe tomato. Well, half of it anyway. I just couldn't wait.


I don't know how to flip these pictures around. Just turn your head or something.

My tomatoes and zucchinies.


Pumpkins that grew wild in our front yard. (We forgot to throw away our pumpkins after Holloween and they somehow got seeds in the ground. They are growing like crazy.)


Jalapenos and red peppers.


More tomatoes!
I am also growing beans and acorn squash and lots of herbs. Yeah for gardens!

Ya know what really chaps my hide?

When people talk about some annoying thing that they have to do for their kids then finish their thought with "You are so lucky you don't have kids."

I really don't agree with this assessment at all. Luck has nothing to do with me not having kids. It's like telling someone "You are so lucky your not a lawyer."I am not lucky that I don't have kids. I am lucky because I don't want kids. Now there's a statement I can agree with.

And just for the record, this is not directed at anyone in particular. I have heard this statement from dozens of people. And no one in particular stirred up my feelings on the subject.




I really souldn't even be saying these types of things on a public board. It seems very unwise.

A little over two years ago, back when I was still new to Salt Lake, I got together with my only friend and we decided that we needed to have more friends. So we thought of someone who we both new peripherally and invited her to join us in celebrating womanhood each month. Then she invited a friend and then I invited my sister-in law and then finally she invited a friend.

We didn't know it at the time but it was the most amazing thing that we started. We meet every month and we are all best friends. We get in fights with each other and share the most beautiful moments and it's like a family that you get to choose. It feels like how my ward and friends in Moses Lake used to make me feel. Secure and safe and loved and needed.

So this is an ode to those people in my life that make my life really something.

Foot Loose And Fancy Free!

This Friday marked a very special occasion for me. It was the first time that I have ever gone to the movies by myself!

I went to Harry Potter and laughed and cried a little and it was awesome. Much better then I thought it would be. I thought that the experience of watching a good movie would diminish if you had no one to talk about it with afterwards. I was totally wrong. It was more like having a little secret happiness all to yourself.

The fact that I have finally round up the courage to do this makes me hope that all that therapy I'm paying for is finally paying off. Now don't get me wrong, therapy has been the catalyst for many good things in my life, but none with such broad implications. The ability to do things by yourself is not a gift to be taken lightly. You should cherish that ability if you are so lucky to posses it. It means freedom. Feeling free to do what you want even when it is a bit uncomfortable. Maybe it means feeling O.K. with being a little uncomfortable. But either way, it's a big step.

A Look Back At My Dog, Patsy

I was pondering on what I would like to write about when The Mediocre Gatsby so graciously reminded me that I have not yet posted enough pictures of my dog, patsy. I will immediately attempt to rectify the situation. By popular demand I bring you.......PATSY!

This is Patsy when we first adopted her about two years ago. She was not very cute and about ten pounds under weight. I was not sure I could live with something so ugly but she was worth it.
This is Patsy about one year later. She is about ten pounds over weight now and her hair has turned all white. I swear this is the same dog.This is Patsy in her favorite sleeping position. And like a good girl she is modestly covering her pee pee. That's my girl. Patsy in her favorite sitting position. And for my grand finale I present Patsy lounging!

No need for thanks people. I was more then happy to provide this much needed service. Feel free to browse though these delightful pictures at your own leisure and be sure to visit again.

Gulp

Well, It's really going to happen. I am going to Europe this August.

I am stunned that this trip actually worked out. We just got our itinerary finished and we're going to fly into London then fly to Croatia then take a boat to Italy and drive around there, and finally we'll go to Paris where we will fly home. We are going for two and a half weeks so hopefully it won't seem like too much traveling.

To be totally honest, I think I am more nervous then excited. I just don't know what I got myself into and 17 days can be a long time. The longest I have ever vacationed was like five days (not including home visits).
We're going with travel mates Scotty and Emily which I'm thinking will be a total plus. And, WE ARE GOING TO EUROPE, which I think will be a total plus.

And in other news, I am now finished with summer school and am enjoying the rest of my summer. Of course, I am still tutoring so that is something to do three days a week. Mostly, I just end up reading. And mostly I am rereading Harry Potter. Very impressive, I know. But Harry Potter has it's good qualities. Those being that it's like reading a very long movie. Essentially, this means that I can watch movies all day without actually watching movies all day. And like magic, all the guilt I feel for not working just fades away.

Here for your enjoyment are pictures of my dog, Patsy.



Sometimes, I wonder if dementors look like this under thier robes.


But what would be totally awsome is if they looked more like this!

Am I Famous Yet?

Why is it that I still have fantasies of becoming famous? Is everyone this way or is it a condition that afflicts only the melodramatic? Or possibly the egotistical. And maybe the pathetic.

My dreams of being a singer seem delusional considering I am mediocre at both performing and singing. Yet, I persist in daydreaming of starring roles in Broadway musicals, and of being the lead in a super hip band. I can just feel the microphone and hot lights. I picture myself with my hair dyed and wearing lots of makeup. I picture high heels and slinky dresses.

So after all this daydreaming you'd think that at least some of this fantasy has come true. Surely you at least have your hair dyed you say.

Nope. In fact, the most interesting thing about my daydreams are that I seem to try to do the exact opposite of what I fantasize about. I wear moccasins and fitted T-shirts with the same pair of Levies just about every day. Sometimes I change up the Levies for a knee length skirt.
I know what your thinking. "But Cherie, you sound totally awesome." And you would be right. I am. But it just isn't the high heeled slutty look I long for.

Alas, I must concede that I am probably never going to be famous. Especially for my singing abilities. When you sing with five year olds every day you start to realize the truth about your own voice. Because you just can't escape it. I am constantly singing and shouting. (not at the kids just over them.) My voice is always the loudest in the room and I am talking all day long. The more I hear my own voice, the more I realize; I am not the singer I wish I was.

candy weighing both of my pockets down

I don't know about you, but there are albums out there that I just can't get enough of. I listen to them in my car for months at a time and hum them at work, then come home and listen to them on my computer. I am fully aware of what a geek I am but it feels so good.

Joanna Newsom's two albums have been that way for me. I just downloaded her second album Ys and I am being so annoying about it.

Take a listen. Disclaimer: Her voice is really weird.

Sadie

A Day Well Done

Well I must say that I sure like blogging. It's the only place were I can openly talk about myself and where it is well understood that this space is all about me.

Yep, no bones about it this place is for me to talk about me. When in life does a person take the opportunity to be this selfish? I can't think of a time besides therapy sessions. And those are expensive. Blogging costs only your time.

How delightful.

First thing this morning I get up to eat breakfast only to find that Patsy, the dog, has wet herself and her bed. You see patsy becomes incontinent when she takes antibiotics. And if you remember from my earlier post, she has recently been to the vet where she received an antibiotic in the form of a shot. We mistakenly thought that we were clear because she had no problems the next day. Ha! Silly us!

Poor Patsy must now wear her diaper. How humiliating.








Later that day I went shopping for new running clothes for my birthday. Now, this should have been really fun except I hate shopping and ended up crying in the car. Lucky for me Andy was with me and at the next store. He stood outside my dressing room and helped me pick out stuff. What a great guy.

Lastly, Andy orchestrated a big dinner at a little Indian restaurant. It was great and all my friends attended. The manager actually locked the doors because there were so many there and not enough staff to help. We had the whole restaurant to ourselves.

Afterwards most of our party came over to sit in our back yard and chat.

It was a good day.

Birthday Blues

My birthday is tomorrow and I have no plans. Birthdays for me are ALWAYS spent somewhere else. We are always on vacation for my special day. Growing up I was usually at girls camp which was cool because then everyone is there for your little party and you get sung to by 30 or 40 people. That's pretty cool when your 15.

Two years ago I was on the trip from H. E. double hockey sticks. I went to D.C. with my mom to visit my grandmother and if any of you know anything about her you know why it was such an awful trip. Then, last year, I was in Seattle and it was just me and Andy. That was a little sadder then I expected it to be.

All in all I must say that I usually do and get more then I expect.

Perhaps it is a mental block, but birthdays in general make me very uncomfortable. The whole idea of a special day every year when we celebrate just me. I don't know if I'm comfortable with the idea of my life being celebrated, or maybe I just secretly desire the recognition, but don't want to seem vulnerable. Guess we'll never know.

I have been feeling really nervous about tomorrow and the excitement or disappointment it may or may not bring. In a way I just wish I could not have a birthday and then all the pressure would be off. Wouldn't that be nice.

In a way I guess what bugs me the most about my birthday is how it is not really about me. It's about everyone else celebrating me. It's all up to them what kind of a day I have. It's up to them to get gifts or a cake or take me out to lunch. I'm not supposed to organize any of this. Maybe what I feel anxious about isn't the attention at all, but the lack of control over the day that is supposed to be mine. How ironic.

This is a picture of Andy and I last year in Seattle on my birthday.

High-maintenance pooch

So, I discovered somthing this month, much to my surprise, all my old buddies from high school and college now have their own blogs. Now this fact should be a good thing but it is in fact a very bad thing. I am now pouring over each of them, and there are about a dozen daily. I feel like a spy. And not just a spy but a pathetic nose to the glass type of spy. So here's a little peek into my life. Just to even the score.

Yesterday we took our dog, Patsy, to our vet to get some moles removed. Andy dropped her off and when I picked her up the vet mistakenly called Andy (my husband) my son. Twice. Was that just one of those things, or does he really think that I am in my forties? I am 25! And Andy is three years older than me . And as if this wasn't enough of a slap in the face, Andy is twenty pounds overweight and I am in the best shape of my life. In conclusion, if the vet thinks my husband is my son then he must be high or I must really really need a makeover.


Holy crap what a cute dog. And is that a smile I
see on her already awsome face? Wow.