The Trimmier Life

What a terrific birthday – probably the best birthday I’ve ever had or could have ever asked for.  First, I received hundreds (ok, probably closer to a single hundred) messages from friends and family this year on my special day and I want to thank Facebook and MySpace for making that happen (who knew social networks could make a girl so happy by helping people remember that Groundhog’s Day is more than just Groundhog’s Day)!  The well wishes and messages were wide ranging, funny, cute, sentimental and PERFECT!  Secondly, my husband amazes me time and time again and I am thankful he understands how to be romantic and how to make me feel so special.  Although I just knew I would be receiving a  ‘practical’ gift from him this year (I was set on getting running shoes), he went above and beyond and gave me an exquisite amethyst necklace with matching earrings.  Oh, how the man can listen…I’ve been saying I want a piece of jewelry with my birthstone in it for some time now…I guess that since the ‘big’ pieces are out of the way (engagement and wedding rings), he thought it was time!

Thirdly (is that a word?), my mom is the most thoughtful and giving person I’ve ever known and her kindness toward the world makes me want to be more like her – she and Von surprised me by driving down to spend the weekend with me and Dustin and I thoroughly enjoyed our sprint shopping spree on Saturday and spending time with her throughout her stay.  She gifted me with a darling jewelry armoire (my necklace & earrings look awesome in it along with some cute kitchen accessories.  Lastly (but certainly not least), my close friends who shared an intimate dinner with my family and I at Liberty Bar on Saturday night are without a doubt the best, most compassionate and altruistic friends I have ever had. The chemistry at dinner provided lots of animated chat and such an enjoyable time.

The group (minus Phil & Julie) - Caty, Vera & Dayton, Me & Dustin - Dustin, Me, Von & Mom

As tradition holds, I took my actual birthday off from work (if you don’t do this, you should!) and enjoyed having a ‘me’ day.  It started with a short workout, followed by lunch with friends to celebrate the Chinese New Year.  After lunch came cupcakes with Barbara, shopping for running shoes (my gift to myself), a trip to Barnes & Noble to browse, a once over through the mall, a stop at the tanning bed where I received a free upgrade (I know, I shouldn’t be doing this – I promise I’m on a 12 step program), then rest and relaxation at home.  THE BEST ‘ME’ DAY I’VE HAD IN A LONG TIME!

Thanks again to all who wished me a happy birthday – my favorite greetings have to be my Papaw’s birthday song (he sings to me every year), my friend Becky’s monkey card (so off the wall and it made me smile so big) and Renee’s (my best friend from high school) passionately sappy letter that brought me to tears more than once!!  A gift that made me smile so much my cheeks hurt??!! — a bag for my roller skates (the ones I’ve had for over 15 years and that I still use on adult skate night!) that my roller skating friends, Steph & Sharon, gave me – it’s such a perfect gift!

The girls (minus Julie) - The roller skate bag

Thanks for being such wonderful people in my life – you all make every day worth living.  With deepest sincerity, Jennifer

Today, when reading the celebrity smut that I so dearly enjoy, I came across a great article that totally and completely describes my feelings about having children…I thought it was rather funny and wanted to share.  Although I don't fully agree with the author's dis of the 'running high', I totally get what she's saying…hope you get a good laugh!

(The Frisky)
– I'm smack in the middle of my thirties and about to get married. For
some childless women my age, this is tick-tick-tick time. However,
while other women may be intimately in touch with their ovulation
cycles, I'm in no hurry to have kids now, if ever.

My old man and I have talked about it, but we're both horrified by how
much our lives would have to change — not to mention how big a pain in
the ass kids are for, oh, say, 18 years.

We have two starter
kids: dogs. Sometimes, they drive us bonkers. They give us joy and a
lot of laughs, but when we travel, as we often do, they complicate our
plans.

Actual children, what with their need for food more
than every 10 hours (or whatever it is that you're supposed to do with
little humanoids), and their ability to talk, scream, and cry, would be
far more painful at travel time.

Or, say, at 4 a.m. time, and all those other ungodly hours they pick to start needing things.

Then there's the whole nine months business. The older I get, the more I'm grossed out by pregnancy.

If I'd found myself madly in love and in a stable relationship as a
younger woman with less experience and a steady income, I probably
would have gone for it. But now a lot of the gory details make me
shudder.

"But it's great!" we're told by new parents. Amazing. "Best thing that ever happened to me," they say.

Sure, they have to say that — to recruit more new parents into the
club, so they have someone to talk to about their kids. I'm sure it is
life-changing, heart-expanding, and all that good stuff. Maybe I'd want
to do it someday.

But it's like how I feel about running.
Runners always foam at the mouth about how great running is, how you
get in shape, the bonus of getting a runner's high. I bet it is
invigorating as hell and super-healthy to boot.

But I hate running. So you're not going to see me doing it — unless I'm being chased by a pack of fast, blood-thirsty zombies.

I don't want to rule anything out absolutely, but if I'm comparing
having children to being chased by a pack of zombies, it's probably not
the right time to start planning a little treasure in my belly. And
that's OK by me.

By now, you've probably read the post about my pretty peppers (at least I hope my loyal readers have), but I want you to know that not all food is as pretty, fun and delicious as those babies turned out to be.  This week at the grocery store I was searching for some new fruit — bananas, oranges, pears and grapes just weren't cutting it anymore…so I picked out a few cute little Kent Mangos — they were so round and had such a pretty shading of green & pink that I just knew they would add a new element to my morning breakfast routine.  I proudly bought them and took them home thinking that I was stepping outside of my box and trying new things – yay! 

The next morning as I was jetting out the door to workout, I quickly grabbed my new fruit, rinsed it and bolted to the car (I was running a tad bit late to meet my workout partner).  Just as I was pulling away from the house, I took a nice big bite of what I was hoping would be succulent, sweet mango, but much to my surprise I was greeted with the burning sensation of HOT HOT pepper on my tongue and throat as the mango's juices swirled their way around my mouth!  My mouth and throat were on fire with a burning sensation that also tasted so bad I started to gag…at this time I realized that maybe I wasn't supposed to eat the peel of the mango (I didn't know…I've never bought a mango before).  I hurriedly ran back inside, rinsed my mouth, and peeled the bitter coating off — but even after doing so the fruit had a tart piquancy.  I finally gave up on my new breakfast and grabbed a pear as a replacement.  It wasn't long after that the mango started its attack.  All throughout my workout I felt like I might get sick and each time I would taste the bitterness in my mouth (when drinking water) I felt even sicker.  After breakfast I hoped that the feelings would subside, but no such luck.  Soon after lunch, with my stomach still in knots and feeling uneasy, Marissa (a friend from work) informed me that she had done a google search and found something very interesting — basically, Kent mango peel contains the same toxin as found in poison ivy and when eaten can cause blisters and rash around and inside the mouth as well as in the esophagus….uuummm…are you kidding me – this was NOT posted at HEB and I think it should be…I'm sure there are several other poor saps who aren't as lucky as I was (I just got a terrible stomach ache for an entire day) – thank goodness I didn't get the blisters — YUCK!!!

Anyway, take this as a word of warning – pretty food isn't always nice!  I know I'll be doing more research on the new items I pick up at the store from now on.