A Day of Errands

Today is just a matter of working my way down the checklist. I left the house a little before nine in order to... 

• Go by the Post Office and mail a package
• Drop by the Madison vet and pick up Lucy's prescription. (Hold quick inner debate with self over whether to kidnap adorable silky puppy in the front display cage who gave me kisses.)
• Drive to my regular BP station to fill up then remember I'm mad at them and decide to fill up somewhere else later in the day
• Get allergy shot
• Drive to Greensboro vet and pick up prescription for Olivia. (These cats are going to bankrupt us.)
• Drive to bank and sign signature card for some account--I don't really pay attention--that Blair opened last week
• Pop into Aveda for the hair-straightening shampoo I ran out of last week
• Debate going by Apple store to check out cases for my new iPad (blog post coming soon!) but remember scanning e-mail from in-the-know-Apple-friend earlier today who recommended I get a certain case that has to be pre-ordered. Don't feel like dealing with techie people anyway, so just as happy to skip this errand.
• Swing by Barnes & Noble and pick up a journal as a gift for a budding pre-teen writer of my acquaintance
• Settle into coffeeshop and realize I forgot to get gas AND pick up a card for my cousin's baby shower. Vow to remember to run by Hallmark this afternoon. Decide to also buy cute pen and chocolate kisses and make a complete gift package for young writer friend. 

Still left in the day are lunch with a friend, annual ob-gyn appointment (or have I shared too much?), and trail run with marimba master Nathan Daughtrey at 5:30.

The forecast today was for clear skies but there have been a few clouds. Every time Nathan and I plan to run, there's either heavy rain or the chance of rain. Today on our run we will have to decide whether to use our newfound powers for good or evil. 

After the run, home to shower, heat up leftovers, and go through finances to more than likely discover that my day of errands means we can no longer afford groceries next week.

A pretty damn good day. 

Cheers,

Dena 

I GREW THIS SQUASH!!!

I have found the inner farmer in me and her name is Sue.

Split personality aside, check out this squash I grew! Oh sure, Blair built the square foot garden, dug the earth, researched, bought, and combined the soil components and planted the seeds, but I watered the plants and therefore take full credit for creating life. 

Oh, it's the cutest little squash. First food I ever grew from seed. And there are a lot more baby squash out there still. 

You all need to hope and pray our green beans don't survive. Otherwise this could be a l-o-n-g summer of blog posts filled with photos of vegetables. 

Cheers,

Dena

The Last Day of My 30's

So this is it. The last day of my 30's. I'm managing my grief. I really don't mind turning 40 although I am NOT happy about being categorized as a "master" (age 40-55) runner. There's still bounce in my step. See? See???

In honor of the changing of the decade, I thought perhaps a quick ode to the 30's and a preview of what I'm looking forward to about being in my 40's. 

What I'll Miss About Being In My 30's:

• A fast metabolism
• Feeling there's still plenty of time to figure out what I want to do with my life
• The possibility that (if I weren't married) I could still date someone in their late 20's and it wouldn't be completely icky
• Being able to giggle and still sound girlish instead of mentally  imbalanced
• Being able to tell people that I'm in my 30's

 What I'm Looking Forward To In My 40's: 

• Losing the desire to please others
• Increased self-confidence
• Best health of my life
• Living more in the moment versus trying to plan for every contingency
• Continuing  to consciously surround myself with people that motivate and inspire me 
• Winning the battle of the grays. (Be warned gray hairs on top of my head: I have cash flow, access to a salon, and an abundance of hair dye that I'm not afraid to use)

Tomorrow has the potential to be brutal. I received a package in the mail today from my dad from a store called "Over The Hill" and my sister called to say she can't wait to call me tomorrow and rub it in. (I miss the days when being the older sibling conferred all the advantages on me.) 

Anyway, 30's were grand, 40's will be even better. Forty and fabulous? You betcha!

A Little Early Weekend Humor

My 15-year-old niece sent me this. We're so proud...

A teacher was giving her students lifesavers and they were supposed to tell the flavor. The children began to identify the flavors by their color: 

Red...............Cherry
Yellow...........Lemon 
Green.............Lime 
Orange..........Orange 

Finally the teacher gave them all HONEY lifesavers. None of the children could identify the taste. The teacher said, "I will give you all a clue. It's what your mother may sometimes call your father."

One little girl looked up in horror, spit her lifesaver out and yelled, "Oh my God! Everyone spit it out! They're assholes!"