And THANKS for all the FISH*....

Thank you all for the wonderful birthday wishes! I feel so loved! Jen even sent me a great e-card that cracked me up. It’s so great to have “met” all of you this year. I can’t tell you how much it has helped me deal with all that’s going on. I hope that someday I get to meet many of you in person. It seems only right to hug you all for real.

UPDATE: Please go cheer Jen on as she starts her exciting journey to Russia! The referral that wouldn't come finally came!! Go Jen! Print out all those lists and get going!

Anyway, enough gushing. My birthday was really great. I got up early and went down to the beach by myself. We live about 10 minutes from the beach and is one of the greatest things about living here.This is a real treat for me because if DH came, we would have spent the entire previous night packing up coolers and loading the car with crap we wouldn't use. (There was a neighborhood BBQ later in the day, so he was busy helping set stuff up). I threw some stuff in a bag (wallet, yarn, ipod to be exact), walked to an empty section of beach and plopped myself down about 10 feet from the surf. I took a few moments to breathe in all that great sea air and relax. I tried to reflect a little about this year, and about the future. I took a little time to say thanks for all the blessings in my life, despite all the craziness, and ask for some courage for what lie ahead. Then I got down to business. I put on the ipod, got out my yarn and knit myself silly. This is my version of heaven people, sun, sand and yarn. (Elle if your socks have sand in them, don’t ask questions). I stayed for about 3 hours and then left. Mostly because I had enough, and a little because the crowds started (what's the name of that law that says the number of people who sit right next to you is inversely proportional to the number of empty miles of beach on either side of you?).

I came home, took a shower and then drove over to a local yarn store (LYS for all you knit bloggers) that was going out of business. Scored a huge amount of yarn for very cheap. Very exciting in my world. After that I went to the neighborhood BBQ and pretended it was a huge party just for me. DH and I just crashed that evening, I was too tired to do anything. We are supposed to see Johnny this coming weekend, and the Indian food never did happen. On Sunday my brother and his girlfriend came and we all had another BBQ at my parents house. More good summer food. I can’t get enough of it. DH was very good to me all weekend, giving me lots of time to myself (quiet time helps me destress). He also gave me this:

*okay I was going to post a pic but blogger is ridiculous today*

A beautiful white gold crab pendant with diamonds. I love it to death. Crabs have meaning to me for many reasons (and yes, one is because it represents my sparkling personality, if the crab fits, wear it) so it was very special. And he NEVER buys me jewelry, so I was proud of him for doing such a great job. He's a keeper! The only thing I DIDN'T get for my birthday is the I171H, which I was secretly hoping would come (Rhonda you're not the only one with internal deadlines!). Oh well, can't have everything I suppose.

AND, since you all so kindly agreed with me about The Fish… I have another story for you. If I have to be tortured, you have to be tortured.

Let’s keep in mind with this story that The Fish is thin as a rail and her belly just looks like she had a big lunch (if it wasn’t for the aforementioned flowy blouse, I would never have realized she was pregnant). She weighs about the same as my left thigh. Think 13 year old teenage boy. Okay got the visual? Great, let’s continue…. I was standing in the lobby of the building, waiting for the elevator, and who should walk up, but The Fish. Because my mother brought me up right, I smiled and said hello, and asked her how she was. She said she was just fine thanks, but *sigh* already not fitting in her clothes! She’s down to just t-shirts because *heavy sigh*, nothing fits anymore!!
…..
.........

I stood there, blinking. And more blinking. Thinking, mind racing in fact, to think of something to say. Something that didn’t involve the words starting with F and Y. Something benign and non-bitter. I had nothin’. Now it's an awkward silence and I start to smirk. I was standing with a co-worker, and she smirks and gives me a look like "I dont' got nothin' either". We kind of just gave her that raised eye brow “oh well” face and got on the elevator. The Fish mumbled something about ‘well I guess there are worse problems to have’.

YEAH I’LL SAY YOU BIG MORON! What do you have to do buy a freaking MEDIUM t-shirt instead of an extra small?? Oh the PAIN the AGONY! How do you FACE another DAY??

So I ask you, please, amuse me with interesting ways you would torture The Fish, if it were ever legal or morally correct to do so.

*Reference anyone?