Diary of a Staycation~Days 3 & 4

Day 3~Woke up with a headache but I refused to believe it was a hangover! I skipped church and fell asleep again before rousing myself to get ready for a luncheon at the Mesicks' beautiful home. The food was superb and the company was great. Made some new friends (I hope!) and enjoyed good fellowship and conversation before heading off to run some errands.

When I finally made it home I was pooped and took a long nap. Finally I roused myself and headed to Serina's house for a late night movie with her and Gigi. We chose "The Men Who Stare at Goats" and laughed so hard, it was really funny! Plus it had George Clooney and aside from the eye candy factor, he has turned into a fantastic actor. After the movie Serina and I talked until after 1:00 am, way too late for both of us but something I've missed.

Day 4~Massage used to be a dirty word to me. I just cannot stomach someone I don't know rubbing oil or lotion on my naked body. Ewwww!!! It's just a little too intimate for my taste. And when their hands make their way to my neck, well it's all I can do to not scream out in terror, certain that I will be strangled. (Yes, I have issues.....) So why on God's green earth did I opt for a massage? Well, I was hoping to relax. Too much anxiety in my life lately has taken a toll on my health and I needed to find better ways to cope.

Well, thanks to Groupon.com (check it out, you'll love the deals) I learned about Fijian Barefoot Massage and was able to purchase 2 for the price of 1. Better yet, I could stay clothed and there would be no oil or lotion involved, just a nice lady's feet. Now I know it sounds weird, and I was extremely skeptical, but desperate times call for desperate measures. I entered the dimly lit room and laid on the mat while Jeni cleaned her feet and turned up the ocean waves CD. In no time I was relaxing as she was using her feet to literally walk all over me.

I loved it so much that I booked 2 more sessions, a 90-minute from my boss and the remaining 60-minute massage I had pre-purchased. I can hardly wait for how good I'll feel after!!

Here's the link: http://heelingsole.com/index.html

Diary of a Staycation~Day 2

Day 2~Ah sleep. Thanks to our busy day on Friday Zeus was tired and slept in until 9:00 am on Saturday. I was one VERY happy dog owner!!!! The rest of the day was filled with naps, movies and a short walk before I began getting ready for my birthday party.

Now I will be honest and admit that after weeks of anticipation, I was more than a little nervous, mostly because I find it so awkward to be the center of attention. Gives me the heebie-geebies. So as dorky as it was I actually prayed that I could relax and enjoy the night. And I was able to, with the help of three of Lane's lemon drops! ☺

But I really had no reason to worry because FOR THE RECORD: I have the BEST friends in the entire world. Stephanie and Serina poured their hearts and souls into throwing me a small, intimate 40th birthday party that I would never forget. I was humbled by all of the time, energy and money they spent on me!

Persian food, gorgeous flower arrangements, an Eiffel Tower cake (well, sort of!), a DVD chronicling my life, a surprise phone call with Laurie who got up at 2:00 am German time to talk to me (!), an "Archeology Game" geared to see how well everyone knew me, and a phone-a-friend call to Rhonda to verify the answer. It was special, it was fun and I was overwhelmed with love from people who have known me 20 years to those who have only known me a few.

Thank you to ALL of my friends, even those who were not at my party. My life is richer because of my friendships. I've learned how to love better, judge less and enjoy more because of you. Thank you, thank you, thank you for allowing me to be a part of your lives!!! I LOVE YOU!!!

Diary of a Staycation~Day 1

I always thought I'd celebrate my 40th birthday in Europe, but as is the case with most of my dreams, it was not meant to be. No exotic vacation in a foreign locale. Nope, instead last Friday I began an extended "staycation" with the goal of resting, relaxing and healing this suddenly old body!

So here are some of the things that have been keeping me busy:

Day 1 ~ I did not accomplish any of my stated goals. I was on the move early and after dropping Zeus off at my parents' house I took my car in for a 4-hour oil change/recall repair. The dealer rented a car for me so I could run my errands, but would only rent another Toyota. Would you believe that the Enterprise Rental Car next door was fresh out of Toyotas? ☺ But not to worry, the chatty clerk located a Toyota on WW White and proceeded to drive me to that location to pick up the car.

As I drove off in my rented Corolla I promptly.........got lost. Surprise, surprise! For those of you as unfamiliar with the area as I, let's just say that it's not exactly welcoming. In fact, it can be downright scary, especially if you get lost. I was almost downtown before I realized that I was headed the wrong way. But I didn't panic, I'm so used to getting lost that I've trained myself to laugh, turn up the radio and turn the car around!

After finding my way I refinanced my car before paying the nice lady at Forum Nails to change my toenail polish. Next I ended up at the mall, purchased some new clothes and spontaneously decided to get my face "threaded". If you've never seen it, check out this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jnd83vwhUA0 To be honest it hurt terribly, but my face is now as smooth as a baby's bottom and my eyebrows look smokin' hot. Okay, not really, but they do look groomed, which is better than how they looked before!

I wrapped up my day by eating some pretty bad Chinese food at the mall and picking up my newly serviced and repaired Camry. (So happy I bought the Camry instead of the Corolla!) I arrived at my parents' house to a very excited puppy and hung out with my nephews before we made a dinner delivery to my dad who was working late at the park.

It was after dark when I arrived home and although I didn't exactly rest or relax, I did accomplish a lot of "business" which freed me up to enjoy the next 11 days. It was fun to see my family and hang out with my talkative nephew (the older one is too cool to talk to me for long), all in all it was a productive day and my dog was so tired he went right to sleep when we got home!

Observations From The Top Of The Hill

►I now qualify for that creepy "end of life" insurance
♥ I'm considering a move to "Cougar Town"
→Mammograms are mandatory - squish, squish!
☺I look MUCH worse but I care MUCH less.... :-)
→↓ I still feel 26.....
....until I look in the mirror, sigh
→↓ Single at 40 is harder AND easier than single at 26....
....but I never get carded anymore
►Acne? Seriously?
→I often hurt myself by the sheer act of........SLEEPING
►Retirement planning suddenly seems much more important
→Life before computers, Internet, DVDs, cell phones, iPods, texting and TIVO was less complicated
☺Under eye concealer is my friend
•Migraines are not my friend
►I watched MTV kill the radio star when I was 11
→↓ I don't really care so much anymore about what others think of me......
.....as a result self-confidence is much easier to embrace
☺I'm worth the occasional pedicure
►Gray hair is more wiry than black hair
♥ Innocence is beautiful
☼Beauty is innocence
→One piece of quality clothing beats five pieces from Wal-Mart
►Fresh flowers are worth every, single penny
☺Money is no object when it comes to comfortable shoes, even if they're ugly!
→ Travel really does broaden your horizons
►Honest faith is better than religious perfection
♥ I know that my redeemer lives....
♥♥ I know that I am loved ♥♥