After work Monday evening I headed straight to my favorite nail salon for a manicure/pedicure. (Have I ever mentioned that for some reason I just hate the words mani-pedi?) I was bummed to get the guy/husband to do my feet. He is rough and I was extra sensitive about the broken, now mostly healed foot. But even when I told him to be gentle, he wasn't. Not even sure he heard me or cared.
Then when he did the callous removal he did is so hard I was squirming and wincing in my seat. Despite my obvious discomfort he just get going at the same pace, chatting away with the other employees. It was NOT the relaxing, spa-like experience I was hoping for! But at least I got my first pedicure since probably last November. Hooray for that. But I just can never have that man touch my feet again, EVER. Even on my way home the skin of my feet was hurting in places where I am sure he went a little too deep with the callous stone. He's done my feet once before and I noticed that my polish only lasted a couple of weeks. When the ladies there do my polish it lasts for a good three months, I kid you not. Thank goodness one of the women there did my manicure and for two seconds, after he'd left my chair, and she was massaging my arms and hands I got very relaxed.
I came home from work to see this beautiful package sitting on my desk. I could not imagine who would've sent me such a beautiful package! It was from my parents! So wonderful of them. Living far away we are getting good at using delivery services to send happy sentiments across the miles. We opened this cake up the night after my birthday and The Man's first response after one bite was "This is damn good cake!" Well done Mom and Dad and well done Nothing Bundt Cake!
For my birthday, The Man and Kiddo took me to Cheesecake Factory for dinner. It just opened here in Albuquerque a few months ago and has been so popular we waited until things calmed down to reinstate one of our favorite family rituals -- dinner on the patio at Cheesecake Factory. This is a long-standing tradition that started when The Man and I first started dating. CF was the only place that was really open late when we tried to go to dinner at 10 p.m. It was just easy to know we could always get in there.
Meeting up in various places between San Diego and Los Angeles we became regulars at a LOT of CF restaurant locations and this carried through throughout the years. We were pretty bummed when the closed the location very close to our house in Los Angeles, even though there were at least five other locations within 20 minutes of our house.
I had a very surreal experience walking into Cheesecake Factory. I felt like I was "home." And that meant a multitude of things. It connected me with our family traditions and history -- so many wonderful memories. It connected me with California. For all the grousing one can do about cost of living and traffic in California, I do miss it. I miss our neighborhood and miss so much our many friends there that were made through most of my adult life. I miss my life there and who I was when I lived there. I miss our life with our little girl who is suddenly not so little anymore. I miss the ocean breeze, the beach and more.
In no way does that preclude me from appreciating life here in ABQ but it is very different here. There is lots to appreciate here, like being able to eat outside at Cheesecake Factory in the summer without needing a sweater. We ordered lots of our old favorites and I have to say we all felt that feeling that we were at home, someplace very comfortable that we knew. It felt so good to feel that deep knowing feeling, to be so deeply at ease in our new town. I think we are still missing that. (More on that when I talk about some design projects soon).
Dinner was just such a joy I couldn't have wished for anything else for us. It was a lovely day with sweet message from so many FB friends. Their kind words sunk especially deep into my heart for some reason on this birthday. I think I needed to see myself in their eyes for a little bit. We can be so hard on ourselves. It was nice to see myself reflected in their eyes for a few minutes. I wrote back each and every one a thank you and more of a note to some who sent a longer message. This was a great birthday gift for me.
The day after my birthday I made the happy purchase of two pair of these sandals. My feet have really been very painful over the past few weeks, which makes me feel 100 years old and walk like it too. I had been hoping to find some good Birkenstocks that would help my feet and I was lucky enough to find two pair in my size at a local shoe shop we frequent. Mission accomplished, sandals for the summer and hopefully less painful feet. That was my birthday gift to myself.
I have a little birthday money tucked in my wallet and I have a few wishes that I might use it for. I suddenly have a very strong hankering for a jig saw. I think I'm going to go buy one! It's about time I did and I certainly have the outside space to use it now! I have a project idea that I want to try. I also want some of these Piggy and Dirt stars. Also on my possible list were a solar pool blanket that heats the pool by the sun, a firepit, a hammock or maybe some turquoise jewelry. Fun stuff.
Since my birthday is always around Memorial Day Weekend I've decided I'm just going to celebrate right through the holiday. Have a great holiday weekend for those of you in the US and great weekend to all our friends abroad!
1 comment:
Yes you should keep celebrating throughout the holiday! Glad you had a great day!!! Oxox - Lori
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